Meet My Office

There are lots of different types of sites for volunteers in Mexico.  Some volunteers are placed in big cities in very structured office or university environments, while others are in tiny pueblos working with people in their yards on projects that they design themselves.  I’m kind of in the middle: I’m in a city that doesn’t qualify as rural, but we have horses walking down the street and all community news is shared via a car with a loudspeaker on top.  I work in an office but it’s a pretty laid back office without a lot of pomp and circumstance, and I generally have the freedom to create my own work plan.  When I first arrived at site, Cindy – the other volunteer here – told me how lucky we were to be here as this was her second site in Mexico and a vast improvement over the first.  The more time I spend here, the more I know that's true. 

Old church, just outside of town. 

 More of those ubiquitous horses. 

Local landscape. 

I had a good feeling during my initial site visit when I saw my boss wearing Birkenstocks and two male coworkers with visible piercings.  I thought “alright! I can break out my sandals and not worry about hiding my tattoo all the time.”  I started off emailing my boss with the title “Estimado” but he squashed that right away and told me to use the informal “tu” form with everyone.  I generally try to come and go around the same time every day, but I have a lot of flexibility and can leave whenever needed to take care of errands or go for a long lunch or take a full day for the doctor or immigration office in the closest city.  In summary: it’s a great office full of really kind and interesting people.  If you're lucky, you will come visit me here and get to meet these people in person.  In the meantime, allow me to introduce you to my team. 

Some of my office mates, lounging during a dancing horse competition. 

Enjoying a BBQ at my office with some local community members. 

Santiago: Santiago is the official “boss” in my office and he's wicked smart.  He speaks Spanish, English and French, he has the world's smallest handwriting, and a calming energy when he talks to you.  He has been incredibly supportive of any idea I have and is always telling me that whatever I need, they’re there to help.  He lets me talk to him about everything from my sadness at learning that another volunteer was going home early to my plans for the weekend.  One time we were at lunch and I was talking about something that I was really interested in and he grabbed my arm and said “There! There is it is! Your passion – bring that all the time Autumn!”    

Santiago with a local community member. 

Noe: Noe is one of those people who brings light into the world with a big, warm personality.  He waxes poetically about the importance of finding emotional ways to connect with the people here, and is always reminding you that the beer in Mexico is really weak in comparison to European brews, so drink up!  He’s been my best teacher for learning colloquial and slang words and is passionate about making a mark.  He also helped me move all of my furniture into my house.  One day he asked me if I wanted to be a person in the system or a person of change.  No pressure, but there’s only one correct answer for that question.   

Noe - rocking all the best accessories. 

Fabricio: Fabricio is a caballero who has the best laugh ever.  Every time I hear it I smile because he’s a big, tall guy with this great high-pitched giggle that's a wonderful contrast.  He's a great dancer who carries several small black and white photos of his wife in his wallet and loves horses.  He also frequently has new leather goods with the project logo on display, including belts, cell phone holders and signs to carry in parades.  

Fabricio - with the most beautiful horse. 

Alma: Alma likes things orderly and clean, which makes her a-ok in my book.  She’s also a caretaker: when she heard that I only had two plates and two bowls, she brought me two more of each.  If you need butter, she will buy you the good stuff in Guadalajara over the weekend.  She is an amazing cook and often shares her lunch creations and homemade hummus with us.  As the only woman who is actually employed by our project, she holds her own and keeps things running smoothly, and she’s always ready to help you with your Spanish (like how to properly pronounce the word "mango").

Alma also has some really awesome, colorful sneakers.

Poli: Poli always flies into the office rearing to go somewhere in el campo (usually far out in el campo) and you’re always invited.  One time I went with him and didn’t get to use the bathroom for 7 hours which was just about more than I could handle, but it was still really fun to watch him connect with people and share his wealth of knowledge.  A retired teacher, he now works with us on best practices for sustainable agriculture and leads a lot of community workshops.  No matter how tired you are when you get back, you always return with new knowledge (and frequently with a full belly thanks to the kindness of people in el campo).

Ing. Poli during a late night workshop. 

We also have several consultants working with us for extended periods of time, and there are nice things I could say about all of them as well.  I can tell you who constantly kicks me under the table, who types really loudly, who likes to sing ABBA and Linda Ronstadt songs out loud, and what each one of their phone ringers sounds like.  I know all their habits because for 11 months, I shared a conference table as a "desk" with anywhere from one to six of them.   

There are only two good chairs at the conference table so I used to arrive at the office extra early every day to make sure I got the chair that the office bought for me and to claim a good spot at the table (where the front door or other people weren’t likely to bump into you).  I finally put a sticker on the chair with my name on it, which sounds a little kooky, but I tried sitting in a hard, plastic chair all day, and it was not conducive to, well, anything joyful in life.  I'm not a confrontational person but if you take my chair, I will ask for it back.  I mean, it does have my name on it....  

My beloved chair - and the only soft chair that doesn't tip over backwards or drop you on the floor (i.e. we need more good chairs). 

Our new group desk. 

And then, last week, the unthinkable happened – a new three-pronged desk arrived!  I could not believe I was finally getting my own desk!  A few days later I came into the office to find another coworker sitting in my chair, at “my” desk, even though there was another desk open.  And with that, the dream of my own official desk died.  I’m trying to look at the bright side: at least now we have more work space for people and chances are I won’t have to sit within kicking distance of anyone now (seriously, I got kicked a lot).  I was contemplating putting my pictures and stuff on my desk to officially claim it as mine, but one of my fellow volunteers told me that I was already acting a little crazy putting my name on my chair, so instead I’m just going to talk to my office about buying at least one more good chair.  My morning anxiety would be greatly reduced if I at least knew I would not have to either ask someone to leave my chair or find myself sitting in a plastic chair all day. 

Despite the desk drama, I know how lucky I am to be working with the team in my office.  My grandma has said for years that she would love to be a fly on the wall watching me work, which is surely a testament to how much she has needed more activity in her life.  The majority of my work life has been spent in front of a computer or engaged in meetings, so I never really saw a lot of appeal in her proposal, but she probably would enjoy being a fly on the wall here.