I have been fortunate enough to have been selected to go on my Leadership in Action with Make_Sense for a climate change project with Nidaria in beautiful Mexico City. I have absolutely fallen in love with the city as it reminds me of home - the Philippines.
I am now in my third week of the project. I will reminisce about the first two weeks and explain a bit about my journey so far in this post.
Week 1:
The makesense team have been nothing but welcoming over the journey thus far, always accommodating to our needs. I celebrated my 20th birthday here in Mexico on the first day of the project. Even though everyone was new to me, the Laidlaw Scholars and the make_sense team still put in the effort to make my day special. So, of course, that was a big highlight thus far. It's been super nice getting to know everyone, learning about their research projects and their endeavours in life as well as why they chose Mexico for their LiA.
I enjoyed listening to a talk by Ana Gargollo regarding climate change and Carlos Madrigal about indigenous communities. Both talks were highly inspiring and eye-opening.
My highlight of the first week, however, was hearing from the Mazahua community. It was so touching to hear about their stories. Despite the racism, violence and abuse they have faced, they continue to fight for their community and their land. They 'resist because they exist.' We also heard the language first-hand in the form of a rap which was so beautiful to hear. They are aware that their language will die out eventually; they remain hopeful that people will continue their legacy. I, for one, will. I even bought handmade crafts from them which I will cherish forever. They take a lot of time and care into producing their truly gorgeous art. I learnt how to empathise with them and put myself in their shoes to try to understand their problems. I also learnt how to be a good listener and how to listen to understand instead of listening to respond. All they wanted was for us to listen to them and share their stories so that knowledge of their community reaches people outside of the city.
Also on the same day, we visited Nuestro Huerto (our farm) in Xochimilco which was literally a breath of fresh air. It was a stunning view to behold. I got to pick eggs from a chicken coop which was quite a nice experience. It was so refreshing to see how well everyone treated the animals. They had a separate area for 'retired' animals, allowing these animals to live out the entirety of their life even if they are not of 'economic value' anymore. They treated every living being with the same amount of respect which was so inspiring to see.
Week 2:
The highlight of week 2 for me was going kayaking in Xochimilco and cleaning the canals of Xochimilco. I love water sports, and kayaking in particular, and I have been quite active with litter picking at the University of Leeds so being able to combine these two was extremely fun for me. It was like I was in my little world. I was doing an activity that I enjoyed while helping out a community. It felt very rewarding. I took leadership by advising people on how to kayak and also reassuring them that I was there for them in case they needed help to ease their concerns about kayaking for the first time. My team and I managed to fill 3 trash bags, which I thought was impressive. As a collective, we filled 14 trash bags, surpassing their expectations which shows me the power of collective action. Together, you can do so much more!
We also participated in a Leadership Camp where we did leadership and team-building activities in Las Estacas, which was a gorgeous resort. I worked with 4 other people in a group named 'Barbies and Ken.' We ended up winning 2nd overall which was a great surprise for everyone. I showed leadership by boosting team morale and providing energy for the group despite being exhausted. We worked together to build a raft using bamboo sticks, doughnut floats and twine. We then paddled the raft around the river which spanned 1km wide, doing challenges when we reached certain checkpoints. It was a truly fun experience, though very challenging.
This week was very jam-packed so another highlight of mine was our visit to the Mazahua community. I fell in love with the people of the community who were all so warm and welcoming. They made us feel part of their community. I got really close and quickly attached to the children of the community. It was nice to participate in workshops with them and learn more about their way of living and their community. They even cooked food for us which was amazing! Despite the struggles of their community, they were all so cheerful and grateful for us being there when in reality, it should be us who should be more grateful as they allowed us to enter their homes and communities with open arms, treating us as if we were part of the family. I learnt how to communicate with people through actions instead of words as there was a bit of a language barrier, but also again, to empathise with them.
Overall, I think the visit to the Mazahua community has been my favourite thus far.
I am nearing the halfway point of this experience which is a bittersweet feeling as I have grown to love Mexico and genuinely call it my home (even if it is just for this six weeks).