My second week in Mexico City was definitely eventful. We made great progress with our project, explored more of the city, ate an unreasonable amount of chocolate and, for the first time in my life, I fainted in the middle of a packed World Cup fan zone. So yes, quite a lot happened.

Our project with Rennueva really started taking shape this week. After completing the research Hector had given us, the four of us travelled back to Rennueva’s office to present what we had found and begin turning it into an actual plan.

Getting there was nearly a project in itself. The buses in Mexico City have a separate section for women, which I actually really like as it makes travelling feel much safer. The only downside was that the boys had to board through a different door.

I got on, assuming everyone else had made it too. A few minutes later, my phone started lighting up. One of the boys had got off at the next stop because the other two had missed the bus. By the time I saw the messages, it was too late for me to get off with him, so I got off at the next stop instead. By then, the other two had already caught another bus, so we somehow all ended up on different buses. I decided to head straight to the final stop and meet everyone there. Unfortunately, they'd all accidentally got on the wrong bus, so I ended up waiting for them anyway. After plenty of confused WhatsApp messages, we all eventually made it to Rennueva.

The walk there took us through an industrial estate, including past a chocolate factory. The smell of chocolate drifting through the street made the slightly chaotic journey immediately feel worth it.

At the office, we worked through all of our research with Hector and started shaping the next stage of the project. Our goal is to design a collection system that can recycle plastic from hotels, restaurants, cruise ships and local businesses in Cancún. One idea we're really excited about is creating products made from the plastic collected in Cancún and selling them with a "Made in Cancún" identity. Instead of plastic ending up in the sea, it could become something tourists actually take home with them, giving the material a second life and a real story.

After all that work, the whole Rennueva team brought us for lunch. They said they knew a place nearby. When we arrived, I realised it was very much a street-food place. We had been warned that our stomachs might not be ready for Mexican street food, so I was thinking, Oh my God… is this a terrible idea?

Thankfully, the food was delicious. Did my stomach completely agree over the following days? Not exactly, hahaha. To be fair, it could just as easily have been ice or water from somewhere else, so I am not blaming the tacos. Next week, though, I might bring my own lunch just to be on the safe side.

Before heading home, the Rennueva team brought us into the shop beside the chocolate factory and picked out an assortment of Mexican chocolate treats for us. We each left carrying a brown paper bag full of chocolate, which was probably the best possible ending to the day.

On the way home, the adventure was not quite over. As we walked through the industrial estate, a police car pulled up beside us. For a second, we all wondered what we had done. Instead, the officers asked where we were going.

When we explained that we were heading to the bus, they told us that they patrol the area because it can be dangerous and warned us not to walk down one of the nearby streets. Safe to say, we took their advice.

Outside the project, we also visited Teotihuacán and saw the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon. It was incredible to see the scale of the site in person and spend the day exploring it with the other scholars.

A few days later came a slightly more dramatic adventure: the World Cup final fan zone.

We had got their early and had been standing in the middle of a huge crowd for around an hour and forty minutes. It was extremely hot, there was no shade and everyone was packed together. I had a cup of Sprite in one hand and was chatting with my friends when, completely out of nowhere, I felt a sudden rush go straight to my head.

For about two seconds, I knew something was wrong. The noise around me started fading, the ground felt as though it was moving and I became completely unsteady. I grabbed my friend’s arm.

Then everything went black.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the ground.

For a few seconds, I genuinely had no idea what had happened. Everything was a blur. I opened my eyes to find all the other scholars crowded around me, telling me to stay where I was.

My first genuine thought was, Oh my God… someone must have scored. I assumed the crowd had gone absolutely mad and I had simply been knocked over in all the celebrations. It genuinely did not occur to me that I had been the problem.

Then they told me, “You fainted.”

I just looked at everyone and went, “Oh… what?”

It was the first time I had ever fainted, so naturally my immediate response was to try to stand up and pretend everything was fine. My legs had other ideas. I made it approximately nowhere before everyone told me to sit back down.

Thankfully, I could not have been surrounded by a better group of friends. Two of the boys caught me before I hit the ground, while one of the girls somehow managed to catch the full cup of Sprite as I fell. Honestly, I still do not know how she managed it. I hit the ground, but somehow my Sprite did not. 

One scholar appeared with an umbrella and held it over me like I was some sort of celebrity. Considering the circumstances, I was not complaining.

A Mexican woman came over and gave me an electrolyte drink, another man appeared with a chair and people all around us kept checking that I was okay. The kindness of complete strangers was incredible.

It was definitely scary waking up on the ground with no memory of getting there, but within a short time I began feeling much better. The other scholars stayed beside me, kept me drinking water and made sure I was okay.

We stayed for the halftime show. Seeing Shakira and Justin Bieber perform was incredible. Once it finished, we all agreed that one dramatic collapse was probably enough excitement for the day, so we left before the huge crowds started moving.

We watched the rest of the final from the rooftop of our accommodation, where there was fresh air, plenty of shade and most importantly, somewhere for me to sit down.

Not quite how I imagined watching a World Cup final, but certainly a story I will remember.

This week involved real progress, several wrong buses, a police warning, a questionable lunch decision, ancient pyramids, bags of chocolate and my first-ever fainting episode in the middle of a World Cup fan zone.

Somehow, it all feels very Mexico City.

Photos:

Pizza night with the scholars, courtesy of Make Sense 🍕

My personal shade provider, keeping me alive without missing a second of the match.

Made it to the pyramids!