Blog Post by Camila Kurebayashi
Monday, April 27
HOLA, COMO ESTAN? MUCHO GUSTO!!! These were the first words that we heard when we arrived at the airport in Leon,Guanajuato. As soon as we landed, a representative of the Centro Fox was waiting for us. We were taken to our accommodations in the village of Sao Cristoban, which is five minutes from the Centro Fox. Centro Fox is where we have all of our workshops and meetings. At the end of the day, we went on a tour in Leon. The city is amazing! It has three Catholics churches within ten meters from each other. All of the architecture has historical significance. It was incredible to see the crowds in the street on a Sunday evening going to church, listening to a band and enjoying family time in the park.
Today, we had a typical Mexican breakfast at President Fox’s ranch. We ate a lot of fruits, fresh bread, natural juices and of course quesadillas. Then, we headed to the Centro Fox to meet Former President Vicente Fox and take a tour in his Centro. He was wearing jeans and a blue checkered long sleeved shirt. His strong voice and posture at first intimidated us. However, after he smiled and our conversation started, we concluded we were fortunate to hear from this incredible leader. During our hour-long meeting with Former President Fox, he talked about leadership and democracy. It was impressive to learn how he has succeeded in life, and we were all astonished with his ideas and experiences. My favorite part of his speech was when he said, “We are all born leaders, however we must learn to know ourselves and our objectives in order to improve our leadership skills.”
When the topic about dictators in Latin America came up, Former President Fox clearly stated the importance of democracy and its role to change and inspire individuals. He also emphasized the mission of his Centro, which was created to spread education and information to all the population, including those that do not have access to it. It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Fox. He inspired us to look inside ourselves and think about things we can do to make a difference and be a better person. After the meeting, we went on a tour in the Centro Fox and I was amazed by the infra- structure of the complex. The Centro, formerly a horse stable, has been transformed to a highly technological facility. Its purpose today is to generate new thoughts and talents that will impact the local community. The Center has a huge library, a museum, exposition space for events and a technology center. Additionally, it has a replica of the United Nations that is used to simulate meetings. After our workshops in the Centro Fox, it was time to go to the Universidad Iberoamericana. However, due to the swine flu, the Mexican President declared a state of alert and cancelled classes all over the state. Therefore, the university was opened just for us. We had the chance to interact with three interesting Mexican students that were international business majors. At the end of the tour they gave us tips on how to interact when doing business with Mexicans. They pointed out interesting facts, such as the cordiality that the Mexicans expect when firming a contract, and the importance of writing down all the information related to the business.
It seems that I’ve been in Mexico for weeks already. First, because people received us with opened arms and it feels that we known them for a long time. Second, we have enjoyed this opportunity to its fullest. We have opened our minds after each workshop, and learned more about ourselves. This experience is unique and I consider myself extremely lucky for having the opportunity to be part of a diverse group, to learn from people with different perspectives and expertise like Mr. Fox.
Monday, April 27
HOLA, COMO ESTAN? MUCHO GUSTO!!! These were the first words that we heard when we arrived at the airport in Leon,Guanajuato. As soon as we landed, a representative of the Centro Fox was waiting for us. We were taken to our accommodations in the village of Sao Cristoban, which is five minutes from the Centro Fox. Centro Fox is where we have all of our workshops and meetings. At the end of the day, we went on a tour in Leon. The city is amazing! It has three Catholics churches within ten meters from each other. All of the architecture has historical significance. It was incredible to see the crowds in the street on a Sunday evening going to church, listening to a band and enjoying family time in the park.
Today, we had a typical Mexican breakfast at President Fox’s ranch. We ate a lot of fruits, fresh bread, natural juices and of course quesadillas. Then, we headed to the Centro Fox to meet Former President Vicente Fox and take a tour in his Centro. He was wearing jeans and a blue checkered long sleeved shirt. His strong voice and posture at first intimidated us. However, after he smiled and our conversation started, we concluded we were fortunate to hear from this incredible leader. During our hour-long meeting with Former President Fox, he talked about leadership and democracy. It was impressive to learn how he has succeeded in life, and we were all astonished with his ideas and experiences. My favorite part of his speech was when he said, “We are all born leaders, however we must learn to know ourselves and our objectives in order to improve our leadership skills.”
When the topic about dictators in Latin America came up, Former President Fox clearly stated the importance of democracy and its role to change and inspire individuals. He also emphasized the mission of his Centro, which was created to spread education and information to all the population, including those that do not have access to it. It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Fox. He inspired us to look inside ourselves and think about things we can do to make a difference and be a better person. After the meeting, we went on a tour in the Centro Fox and I was amazed by the infra- structure of the complex. The Centro, formerly a horse stable, has been transformed to a highly technological facility. Its purpose today is to generate new thoughts and talents that will impact the local community. The Center has a huge library, a museum, exposition space for events and a technology center. Additionally, it has a replica of the United Nations that is used to simulate meetings. After our workshops in the Centro Fox, it was time to go to the Universidad Iberoamericana. However, due to the swine flu, the Mexican President declared a state of alert and cancelled classes all over the state. Therefore, the university was opened just for us. We had the chance to interact with three interesting Mexican students that were international business majors. At the end of the tour they gave us tips on how to interact when doing business with Mexicans. They pointed out interesting facts, such as the cordiality that the Mexicans expect when firming a contract, and the importance of writing down all the information related to the business.
It seems that I’ve been in Mexico for weeks already. First, because people received us with opened arms and it feels that we known them for a long time. Second, we have enjoyed this opportunity to its fullest. We have opened our minds after each workshop, and learned more about ourselves. This experience is unique and I consider myself extremely lucky for having the opportunity to be part of a diverse group, to learn from people with different perspectives and expertise like Mr. Fox.
