July 16 - July 22
Week 2 of the make_sense Mexico program was another Inspiration Week. This was a very intense, yet fun week. Our first activity of the week was our day spent kayaking through the channels of Xochimilco. We travelled through Mexico City to Xochimilco, where we met with an organization who kayaks the channels collecting waste from the water. We were outfitted with paddles, kayaks, and gloves, and were sent out into the channels. Overall, our group collected 15 bags of garbage from Xochimilco! This was a physically demanding but rewarding activity as we helped to clean a lot of waste out of the water. Two days later, we went to leadership camp in Las Estacas, outside of Mexico City. On our first day there, we got to swim in the river, participated in leadership activities, and built rafts. We also had a raft race through the water. These activities were intense but enjoyable as they allowed us to get to know one another's leadership styles. We were also able to eat dinner together and have a bonfire before we left the next day. Although it was tiring, I think leadership camp brought us closer together. Our final activity of the week was a trip to the State of Mexico where we visited an Indigenous community. We were able to learn about the experiences of the Mazahua people, and the struggle to keep the Mazahua language alive. This trip was eye-opening, as it allowed us to understand how Indigenous people in Mexico are fighting to preserve their culture.
This week, I think that I made progress in developing my own leadership abilities. At the leadership camp, I had to learn how to balance the ideas of multiple people, including my own. I tried to keep a positive attitude at all times, and maintain patience and kindness towards others even when tensions may have been running high in a competitive setting. One of my teammates taught me that, sometimes to be a good leader, you should step back and allow others to develop their own leadership styles. In the next weeks, I want to continue to develop my abilities to balance ideas and include everyone in the leadership process.