Bienvenidos a Mexico City

Wow- what a trip flying from Boston 6 hours to SF then connecting after a 4 hour layover to Mexico City. SF had the best looking flights so I had a back up plan to stay in the city if I wasn't going to make the flight, but I ended up getting first class, it was awesome except for the fact that it was a 4.5 hour red eye. But I got in this am at 6 and hopped in a cab after, surprisingly, not being questioned at customs and getting both of my bags after being told neither were confirmed to arrive.

I got to the apartment where my supervisor, Danielle, is and had a warm welcome. We chatted and talked about work and Mexico. After showing and sleeping, we ventured out to the Zocalo which is the main plaza and saw some pretty amazing buildings.

Today, July 28th is actually the dia de San Judas which is the saint for hopeless causes, so we went to a church where a lot of people holding the virgin where just standing in a massive crowd holding small statues of the saint. Another interesting sight was a female police officer in her blue suit wearing those police brimmed hats and silver sparkle eye shadow. Wow! What a surprise...Danielle, my field adviser here and I were cracking up. Definitely a little surprise.

Danielle is definitely the typical "gringa" as she calls herself in the organization, and she is going to be so great to work with. She is hard working, outgoing and passionate about educating street kids so they can have a better life. She emailed me an organization that wants to partner with CODENI called sOccket that uses soccer balls in developing areas that when they are kicked around they generate energy. I do question how practical and useful it would be for some communities, but it is an interesting idea. Check it out: http://www.soccket.com/

I start the workshop on Saturday and am here for a week then off to GDL to find housing! Super exciting...

CODENI and Guadalajara

As you know I will be in Guadalajara, Mexico starting Thursday the 28th for the next 7 months (maybe longer who knows!) and I will be blogging again. I am so excited to be working for CODENI (a child rights organization ) doing assessment of their six different program areas (recreation, workshops, education, social work, street outreach and psychology) to support the creation of an education model for the organization and develop their rights based approaches to development.

I am super excited and look forward to staying in touch with friends and family!

Austin, SF, and Kansas

Austin was so amazing with my friend in my Masters Program, Elizabeth. She is so amazing, did Teach for America in Brownsville, Texas and will be working in immigration in Mexico City for her field work- so she will be close to me! Here are some good times...


Awesome Breakfast Burritos at Torchys Tacos!

Here I am with Elizabeth and her GF Andrea

Classic Austin shot!

Going home was great, a lot to do and see. I stayed with my aunt since my parents were renting our house in Atherton. I got to see all of my close friends and catch up. Three of them are going off to grad school and a couple others getting their dream jobs and also still figuring out what they want to do. So proud of my friends!

Here I am with Maile and Steph.

Love that city! I do want to look for jobs there after graduation...but who knows where I will be!

Then off to Kansas to spend time with my Moms family- Aunt Candy, Uncle Loren, my cousin Sammy and my gma Irene. We went to holy field winery, very small and very good! Then to the lake house where I found the best and most fun instrument- the COWBELL! Check this out: It is pretty funny with Will Ferrell- so all year Kristina (my best friend) and I said that we played the cowbell and I finally found one at my familys lake house in Kansas. I also found letters that my mom wrote when she first started working for United when she was my age in 1972-74. She actually visited Guadalajara and loved it!