Greetings from Mexico! I’ve now been here almost two weeks, so I figured it was time to let the rest of the world know what’s gone on since I’ve been here. My time has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions as I’ve tried to adjust to life in a completely new atmosphere. I was so hoping that I would write to all of you with stunning reports of my flawless and effortless transition into Mexican life, but to be honest I have really been struggling. It is so scary to move to a foreign country without knowing anyone, and I would really appreciate your prayers for me to find a good friend and shake off a little bit of this loneliness. I feel isolated in my apartment, and usually don’t get home until after dark (so I’m not getting as tan as you think). I miss my family and friends dearly!

My work has been more challenging than I expected, but I am learning SO MUCH. One of the things on my “list of fears” before coming to Mexico was knowing what my job is but not knowing how to do it. That particular fear was terrifyingly spot-on. This week I have been working on creating a new “loan product” for Sé Más (the microfinance I work for). All of our loans thus far have been to clients who want to expand their small businesses, but these loans are going to be for people in the community that need a water tank for their house. Municipal water is only available a few days a week, and so families without water tanks are forced to go without water on the off days. Installing a $200 water tank can solve that problem (they can save water from the days there is municipal water provided), but most families don’t have the initial lump sum needed for installation. I have been put in charge of creating and marketing this new product! SO overwhelming! Here are some of the things my boss charged me with at the beginning of this week:

-creating a credit application for clients seeking a water tank loan
-writing a social impact survey
-meeting with the mayors in the two communities we are targeting to get an idea of how many people are without water tanks
-designing a marketing campaign so that people know this loan is available
-writing a report of our actions for the government
-visiting existing small business loan groups to raise awareness and explain our new product

I have no experience with marketing or even with creating flyers. I have no experience even knowing where to go to print things in rural Mexico. And it’s not like I can look up the mayors’ numbers in the phone book (what phone book?). Also, I had never written a credit application, social impact survey, or government report before…until this week! Additionally, all of this is done in Spanish, which can sometimes be exhausting and intimidating.

I hope my explanations of this don’t sound like complaining, because I am so thankful to have the opportunity to learn all of this! One thing I’ve learned: It is HARD to market to poor people. How do you market to people without phones, internet, or even legitimate addresses? How do you market to people who sometimes can’t read or have less than a high school education? How to you explain the meaning of credit and interest rates to someone who speaks a different language than you and who has never been offered a loan before? And how on earth can I create a credit application that will accurately determine the ability of someone (without a credit history) to pay off a loan consistently? The goal is to provide credit to those that wouldn’t normally qualify, but how do we ensure that we are making smart financial decisions as a microfinance business? Those are the things I think about all day. Interesting stuff, no?

I suppose this post was mostly about work, but maybe it will provide a little insight into what I’m doing down here. Until next time....love to each and every one of you!