Hey yall!! We’ve finally reached the end of our time in Mexico and it has truly been such a great experience. I gained a lot over the past four weeks and left Mexico with a newfound appreciation for the cities we lived in and the communities and NGOs we met.
During the last couple days I found myself reflecting on the beginning of this trip, and what I expected out of this program. I flew into Mexico expecting this to feel like a vacation, with the classes being taught in the same way they are taught in Rice, and a couple of museum visits sprinkled in. Instead the classes involved several NGO visits as well as more hands on projects. CEVE 314 “Water Purification Systems for the Developing World” also worked better in a setting that is undergoing several water issues, like both Mexico City and San Cristobal. We were able to have a deeper understanding of these issues and see all of the barriers that NGOs and engineers face when trying to develop solutions for communities.
I also realized that I didn’t fully understand the complexity of water issues. I had already thought a lot about them since my FWIS was “Water and Cities”, a class where we read and wrote extensively about water issues around the globe and the future of water infrastructure in the U.S., but even then I think I needed to see the effects of these issues directly. When I thought of these problems and how they affect the community I thought of health and accessibility, but I never thought of the effort and time that went into accessing water and trying to filter it, or how this burden disproportionately affects women and children. The engineers and NGOs working on devices/systems to address these issues also have to think about this and how their device/systems can add or take away time and burden.
The NGOs we met took these things into consideration when designing their devices/systems and some NGOs like El Cantaro Azul went in deeper to try and address the root causes of these issues. It’s very easy to design a water purifier or filter, but it’s not as easy to design a sustainable device that will have long term use, and I think a lot of non-profits often fail in this regard. Other non-profits and NGOs, like the ones we met, are successful because they push past their biases, ego, and experiences and try to learn and understand the issue through the community they serve. I think the work these organizations are doing is valuable and noble and I’d like to keep up with them.
I’m really grateful that I was able to have this experience and I think it’ll be very valuable for me as an engineer. I leave Mexico with very fond memories of the people we met, the food we ate, the places we visited, the lectures we had with Dr. Loyo and Dr. Hunter, and the time spent with my classmates and friends. Adios Mexico, hasta la proxima!!
Final photo dump!
Cool arcade we found next to a cafe
Found a celebrity: Chopper!!
We visited a local private school and helped build their farming plots. Here we’re grabbing compost out of a worm compost farm. Faced my fear of worms that day!
Saw this beautiful mural of Paquita in a thrift store.
Ended our last full day in Mexico City listening to this Austrian couple play jazz fusion in a cafe.