We, the Finnish team, are now only one week from our departure to Mexico. The last month before departure we have been meeting approximately 4 times a week and working more or less every day to prepare as best, we can for our upcoming adventure.
We are now in the final stages of preparing our project document, which outlines our plans and goals for the fieldwork. We have been meeting with experts in development corporations, human-centred design, architecture and Mayan history and culture, and next week we will meet with the Mexican embassy. All of these people have been so generous with their time and offered us valuable insights which have already proven very useful to us and will continue to do so while we’re in Mexico.
In projects like this it’s always hard to feel like you are 100% prepared, but here are some of the things we’ve been doing to get ready:
- Research Mayan food culture & traditions
- Make a preliminary workshop schedule
- Write down a list of all the research questions we would like to have answered during our planned interviews
- Ideate on the programme of the kitchen and dining space
- Research anthropological methods to fieldwork
There is still a lot to do between now and the time we’ll be sitting in the aeroplane, but our spirits are high, and we are extremely excited that we will finally get to see what Mexico is all about.
By Henriette
(In the featured image you can see a mind-map of the kitchen facilities for La Casita Complex made by Petra, the Finnish team’s architect.)
Action Lab Mexico 