#cscmex6

By the serious looks of my team members you can tell what stage of the project we are in now.  This morning we are putting the final touches on our presentation and prepping for our meeting with the BAMX (Banco de Alimentos) host team in the afternoon.  Keep your fingers crossed they agree with the outcome of our findings and recommendations. 

Mexican national culture slowly emerged from a process of accommodation     between the indigenous cultures and the Spanish colonial domination that     lasted three centuries.

Today I had the opportunity to observe much of the uniqueness and diversity that is deeply embedded in this country and how this cultural identification is celebrated.  Earlier in the day a fraction of our team ventured to Tlaquepaque.  The streets were buzzing with people getting altars ready for the celebration of ‘Dia de los Muertos’.

The main square known as El Jardín Hidalgo was filled with groups of dancers in their colorful costumes and feathery head dresses. The sound of drums and rhythmic vibrations filled the streets. It was contagious!

For the evening we had purchased tickets to attend the Ballet Folclórico de la Universidad de Guadalajara. Words cannot describe the amazing performance of the dancers and choirs.

Well,  Saturday morning over coffee and breakfast the entire team finally met f2f and we exchanged warm welcomes and lot’s of travel stories - it felt like we knew each other already for a long time.  Amazing!

It soon got really interesting when we had our initial kick off meeting with the wonderful Paula de Leon, @carlossm68, @XochitlCuevas2 and Eugenio Godard. Everything has been organized down to the ‘T’ and it just makes me realize how busy we are going to be in these next weeks. 

Big finish of the day was our first team dinner at Santo Coyote

Sunday was all about exploring Guadalajara with the group.  The weather was perfect - in the 80′s and sunny.  We wondered around the beautiful center of the city with old historical buildings and wonderful flowering trees.  Once you leave the ‘touristy’ parts though you get to see less desirable living conditions....  and LOT’s of constructions everywhere.