Starting my LiA in Mexico City has been a one of a kind experience, especially when I landed at the airport with a bloody nose. As someone travelling alone to the Americas the first time, and to a place where I do not speak the language, this experience has been quite challenging and novel.

Arriving a day early gave me an opportunity to have a walk in Polanco and visit Museuo Soumaya with other scholars from Hong Kong. The sheer amount of artwork and sculptures amazes me as I climbed through multiple floors floors of exhibit. I never imagined Mexico City as a cultural hub housing various museums and exhibits to be explored. Clearly, we will not lack places to visit in the coming weeks.

Our activities first week include getting to know each other, visiting the company we are working with (Rennueva), and ideating our upcoming plans. As we arrived to the recycling facility of Rennueva, we were greeted by Enrique the owner, as well as towers made with big bags of plastics, waiting to be recycled. He also showed us the recycling platform in action, and hoped to improve user experience for the platform.

On Thursday, we had an impact tour to Iztapalapa and visited two of the Utopia parks. While travelling to our destinations, we can see various vibrant murals on the walls, from the wildlife of Mexico to people figures showing social activism and progress. The Utopia parks have various educational content for citizens, including exhibits of monarch butterflies and axolotls. It is great to see great effort given to educate the public while showing activism on the issues in Mexico City in hope for changing for a better place. We have also took the cablebus connecting throughout in the neighbourhood. The cablebus offered faster and safer commuting, when compared with road travel. Throughout the ride, we can see various murals on the walls and roofs of building. From above, the landscape of countless short buildings spreading the wide terrain is some unique scenery that I found to have its own charm.

Overall, this week has transformed my perspective of Meixco City in various domains. It is a city with deep culture and a city with active strive towards positive change. As I continue my time in the city, I hope to make an impact for the weeks to come.