Week 1 in Mexico City 🇲🇽

What a first week!

It honestly feels like I've been here much longer than five days. Between adjusting to the 7 hour time difference, meeting everyone, settling into Mexico City and starting work with Rennueva, it's been a busy but really exciting start to my Leadership in Action project.

The first few days were mainly about getting to know the other scholars and learning more about our project. My team is made up of Blake and Spencer from Cornell University, and Yotam from the University of Leeds. It's been really interesting getting to know everyone and hearing their different perspectives and backgrounds. We've already started researching plastic waste management in Quintana Roo and brainstorming ideas for our project.

One of the highlights of the week was definitely visiting Rennueva's headquarters. Before the visit, I understood the project on paper but seeing everything in person completely changed my perspective. We toured their offices and recycling facility, where we saw how different plastics are sorted into six categories before being processed. I was surprised by how organised everything was. I had imagined a recycling facility would smell like a landfill, but there was no smell at all!

The Rennueva team gave us such a warm welcome. They had pastries, cookies and drinks waiting for us when we arrived and after the tour they even made burgers for everyone. We spent a long time talking with the CEO Hector, who was incredibly open about the business. He explained how Rennueva started, how the company has grown, the challenges they face and how the business makes/spends money. It was cool to hear someone speak so honestly and passionately about building a company around the circular economy in Mexico.

One thing that really stood out to me was when he asked each of us to write down our dreeams. He keeps them in what he calls his "dreams box" so he can get to know the people he works with beyond just their projects. It was such a simple idea, but it really showed how much he values people as well as the work itself.

Outside of the project, I've loved getting to know Mexico City. The weather has been gorgeous, we've explored the local area, tried lots of new food and drinks and everyone has been incredibly welcoming. 

I'm really excited to see where the next five weeks take us, from exploring more of Mexico City. The city has more than 150 museums, so there is definitely no shortage of places to visit. We’re hoping to see the Teotihuacán Pyramids, go to a Lucha Libre wrestling match, shopping at the El Bazaar Sábado Saturday market and, of course, try a lot more Mexican food.