I’ve been very careful about what I’ve been eating here for the most part… only fruits that you have to peel, veggies that are cooked, etc.  However, when we went out to dinner and my teammate ordered a caesar salad, I couldn’t help myself.  He didn’t even like the salad, so he offered to let me have the whole thing!  Big mistake… I was so sick.  At least the mole enchiladas I ordered were delicious, although I’m not sure I’ll be in the mood for those again anytime soon.  Even looking at the photo below still makes me a little queasy.  This weekend wasn’t too eventful cause I wasn’t feeling so great.  Montezuma, you got me!  

On the other hand, our project is going really well.  We have crossed the halfway mark, and have just 2 weeks left.  Last week we submitted a market analysis, market survey, and midpoint presentation.  We are helping the organization determine if genetic analysis services are in demand in Mexico and proposing different business models to make the services self-sustainable.  Our client seems to be very pleased with everything we’ve done so far!

I was reflecting over the weekend about how this project is so drastically different from what I was doing in Paraguay.  It’s so nice that in Mexico I am viewed as a professional instead of being called “little girl, or nena” all the time.  My input is valued and appreciated here, rather than pushed aside to a never-determined “later time.”  People in this organization want our creative business knowledge, unlike in Paraguay where it was feared.  Even though the work here can get frustrating at times, I’m not sitting around wondering if I made the right decision… I know I did 🙂    

Until next time.

Yours Truly, Julie G

What a busy week!  Our schedule was packed with meetings with different stakeholders for our project, even including one in Australia (on the phone).  Our team has been working very hard to gain a better understanding of the key influencers and decision makers so we can make recommendations for the next steps.  This week we focused on creating a market analysis for the SAGA project (genetic analysis services).  Sometimes the interviews and research can be so confusing since the information is so scientific.  Who knew we would become science experts by the end of this project?!

By Friday, we were ready for some relaxation.  All of our group (5 of us) headed back to Mexico City for the weekend.  There’s not much to do here in Texcoco, and Mexico City is only an hour away… so why not?  Stacey and I spent some quality time hanging out by the hotel pool, getting our nails done, and eating good food.  Now we are back at the dorms, and back to the grind.  Here’s photo from this delicious MexiThai Seafood restaurant we found.  

Yes, it’s a mix between Mexican food and Thai food… and soooo good!

Miss you all!

Yours Truly, Julie G