día: 13

el 13 de junio

Practica: 

Again, I spent my morning at the office. Today marks the end to my second week, therefore, I think this would be a good time to break down what I do on a daily basis as far as work goes. Usually, I leave my house in the Colonia Reforma around 8:30AM. I stop for a pastry and catch the Primera Etapa bus. After an intense 15 minute bus ride, I get off when I see an elementary school, or an "escuela primera." I then find myself at the door of Fuentes Libres (Free Fountains in English), where I usually wait for 5 minutes because all of my co-workers (or compeñeros de trabajo in Spanish) are on Mexican time, generally 5 or ten minutes late for work. Next, workers great each other with very friendly good mornings, hello's, and kisses (or besitos) on the cheek. After a few minutes of this, everyone gets settled at their desk, including me. Not everyone goes to the office every day at the same time but, so far, I have been here with Irma every day. I normally start my day by documenting what I did the day before at work and asking Irma questions to clarify anything that I did not understand. Lately, Irma has been giving me important, informational insight into the company and how it functions. For example, yesterday, she showed me the observations she has compiled for one of the groups in Etla. Apparently, this Etla Group is primarily hers, therefore, she does all of the work for it. The observations consists of one large write-up for each member and then a summary for the whole group that containsbiblical scriptures and quotes. The personalized write-ups have 6 categories: 1. the general, positive qualities (or qualidades) of that person, 2. the general negative qualities, 3. how that member works in the group, 4. how that member is with their business, 5. how that member is as a wife, and 6. how that member is as a mother. From what I understand, these observations are recorded throughout the 16 week course of the loan and then presented to the members at week 8 and at week 16. After Irma is done discussing topics such as this, we discuss the project idea that I have, and if anything needs to  be changed before I present it to the boss (la jefe). Tomorrow, I will finally be able to speak with her about my idea, after which, I will spend my mornings working on the project. I usually leave the office around 1 and then in the afternoon, around 3PM, I have been meeting either Laura or Irma to collect a loan. This is usually quiet a trip, but they have all been very educational and I have been able to see many places in Oaxaca. So far, I have been to San Andres, Vergell, Zuetla, Xoxocotlán, Etla, and Bugambilias. For the first week, I observed these meetings and spoke with the ladies about what they are using the loans for and how that is going for them. However, this week, I was able to take a larger role with the meetings by participating in the activities that they have (some of the advanced groups have a cooking class and pray more than the others) and by actually collecting the loan and doing the paperwork. When this has been completed, I am able to head home.