High profile Viva La Gente

The craziest thing about changing from Up with People to Viva La Gente when we come to Mexico is the name recognition and serious clout we get just for being us! Lots of media attention in the form of newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, live TV performances on news shows and talk shows, and best of all, audiences with some high profile people.

Last week we toured the grounds of Los Pinos, which is the presidential complex with seven houses, equivalent to visiting the white house. During our tour we met with the First Lady, Margarita Zavala, and we performed two songs for her, acoustic style. She sang along!

Apparently the Spanish version of Up with People is a song that every child learns in school or camp… its just in their repertoire, like “Old McDonald”. So most every taxi driver I’ve had or person I meet, when I mention Viva La Gente, begins to sing.

On Thursday we were guests at the Department of Foreign Relations. We spoke with two advisors to the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Patricia Espinoza, who answered our questions on Mexican foreign policy. We were supposed to meet with the secretary herself… she was an honored guest in the box seats at our show, and was unfortunately delayed at a meeting with the president. We waited for her, and she spoke to the cast briefly at the end of our session. I was proud of the cast, of the articulate and thoughtful questions they asked, and for how much they valued this experience in the foreign relations offices.