A month into my time here in Mexico, I find myself saying gracias a lot. I am constantly asking others for help or favors, whether it is Sandra, the wonderful Sistema Biobolsa administrator who prints out surveys for us every morning, or the many farmers we visit each day and ask for ten minutes of their time for an interview. I am very grateful for Norma, the sweet woman who cleans our apartment, and for the entire Sistema Biobolsa staff, who address me with kindness and patience although I know listening to me struggling with Spanish cannot be the most enjoyable experience.
Some of my new cow friends
A genuine spirit of gratitude is a quite apparent part of the culture here. It is common for someone to thank me for something I should be saying thank you for. After each survey we always shake hands with the farmer, as well as his wife and other family members if present, and thank them for their time and willingness to share. But more often than not the farmer will thank us for coming. One man even said it was an honor for him to have the opportunity to speak with us. I am constantly humbled by the openness and graciousness of those I have the pleasure to interact with. These people have families and farms to take care of; we often walk in on them with their hands dirty, feeding their cows or working in their cornfields. Yet they always welcome us with open arms, not out of obligation but with a true spirit of hospitality.
On my first day of field visits we arrived at a farm hoping to speak with the farmer, but he was away working. Yet his wife still invited us inside, insisting on feeding us mounds of tamales and tacos. She spent quite a while cooking for us and made sure we left feeling quite full. This kind woman cooked for us while we offered her nothing, yet as we departed she thanked us for coming. She so clearly embodies the fruits of patience, flexibility, and hospitality that a spirit of gratitude can bear.
Another day we arrived at a home in the late afternoon just as it was beginning to rain. The family graciously ushered us inside to provide shelter from the coming downpour. We sat around the kitchen table with the farmer and his grandson, while his daughter offered us horchata and cookies. We learned that this man, in addition to managing his farm, works for the secretary of education and had only recently returned home for the day. His warm welcome and willingness to chat concealed the exhaustion he must have been feeling. After each survey question, the grandson stood up in his chair and whispered an answer into his grandfather’s ear. It was absolutely adorable and the man did not seem to mind that this caused the interview to take twice as long.
Sistema Biobolsa Biodigester
As I reflect upon the warm welcomes we have received in countless homes, I see the social mission of Sistema Biobolsa as one source for the overwhelming gratitude we have experienced. For those of you who are not familiar with the social enterprise, Sistema Biobolsa designs, distributes, and installs biodigesters throughout rural Mexico. These digesters convert animal waste into biogas to be used for cooking and heating as well as an organic fertilizer, allowing families to save money previously spent on propane gas and chemical fertilizers. Use of the biodigesters also reduces methane gas emissions and saves time for those who used to spend hours a week collecting wood for fuel. Furthermore, reduced burning of firewood decreases respiratory problems and the collection of waste lessens the risk of water contamination. Sistema Biobolsa’s mission is to support small and medium sized farmers through these economic, environmental, and health benefits.
The owners of these biodigesters are proud to show us their systems. They love to light their stoves using the biogas and show off their green corn stalks fertilized with the bio fertilizer. So when these Sistema Biobolsa clients welcome us into their homes with such gratitude, they are thanking us, as representatives of the company, for so much more than the small visit. They are saying thank you for the biodigester and the many ways it has helped their family. They are saying thank you to the staff for visiting them an
d maintaining a strong relationship. And they are saying thank you to Sistema Biobolsa for always continuing to look for new ways to support them. I am grateful to be working with a company that puts people first, and I hope that throughout my remaining four weeks here I can learn to embrace the type of authentic gratitude embodied by Sistema Biobolsa’s clients and Mexican culture as a whole.