Global Staci

As I was, you may be wondering where in the world is Puerto Escondido? It’s a small surf town on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. You’ve probably heard of Puerto Vallarta—keep heading southeast along the coast. Eventually you’ll hit another city you’ve probably heard of—Acapulco. Keep going and just before you get to Guatemala you’ll happen upon Puerto Escondido. And once you discover it, you may not want to leave. Ever.

A lot of folks feel that way, which explains why about 40% of the population of 45,000, give or take, are expats—mostly American and Canadian. If you’re like some of my team mates, the least you’ll do is return. This place is so charming, low-key, easy like Sunday morning. One stroll down Avenida del Morro, the main drag along the beach, will have you singing Reggae in your head and wanting to feel the sand between your toes while enjoying a cool beverage.

But none of these things brought me to Mexico. This would be the home of my Habitat Global Village team for the week while partnering with a local family to build a home they couldn’t afford on their own, even if they deserved it. Global Village volunteers believe everyone deserves a decent place to live and so we venture out into the world to help make that a reality.

Let me ask you something. What do you do in life that you love, that brings you joy and makes you feel more like yourself than anything else? Just one answer to that question is a treasure. When I am part of a Global Village brigade—that’s what they call us in Mexico—I am fueling a passion that resides deep within me.

When I am building, to borrow a line from David Gray, “Every day when I open my eyes now it feels like a Saturday.”

If your passion directs you to get out into the world, consider Global Village and see if it doesn’t put a little more weekend in your semana too.