Random thoughts after week one in Mexico...

• Smiling and friendly body language is just as important as an interpreter when interacting with anyone in Mexico.
• Always stand when anyone enters a room in Mexico. And people will often keep standing until you tell them it is okay to sit down. I discovered this after a poor team of operators stood for 35 mins while their boss explained a particular system to us.
• Meetings will never start on time, and the small talk is as important as the work here.

• A love of chocolate is universal and a great ice-breaker. Always bring sweets from your home country.
• The Mexicans are pretty happy to have won the match:

 

• I am tall in Ireland. I am a giant in Mexico.
• Not having a business card is definitely a disadvantage. However, having the business cards of the head of the police and the head of the Department of Public Safety in our wallets means that we are pretty golden if we get stopped for any reason. ;)
• An expensive tie can be like a suit of armour.
• Portions of tequilla are twice the size here, and four times as strong.
• Never let the Brit/Kiwi pick the restaurant. Although the cold pig's feet he ordered may have taught him caution...
• Shoe shops display every single shoe behind glass here like jewelery shops display gold back home.
• There is a small library every couple of blocks. 
• We all have naturally fallen into overlapping roles in my team, but I apparently am a problem solver. This should not come to any surprise to anyone who has ever told me anything about their personal lives...
• We will never again assume that an IBM debriefing in IBM offices is only for IBM staff...
• There is a lot of big hair here. And that is just the men...

 

• The best food in Queretaro is at the small street smalls or tiny shops where the locals are queuing. Even the milk is practically spicy here. This is not a complaint.

 

• Monica and Sharmila will never think of "reading a book" the same way again.
• Do I really have to go home?

#ibmcsc mexico1