As we head into the second week of our internship stint, we are elated that we have started getting the warm weather we’d been hoping for. Watching the headlines about the crazy frigid cold snap in Boston and the rest of the Northeast U.S., it’s a bit out of place for us to complain, I suppose… but we have been just the same!

The average high temp in Mexico City during January is supposed to be about 70 degrees (21 for the Celsius crowd), and our first week ranged from high-50’s to mid-60’s (13 to 18 Celsius). In general, that doesn’t seem like a big deal – but because it is rarely that cold here, there is no central heating in most Mexico City houses or offices. So, everyone bundles up and keeps working!

The office at Venture Institute is particularly cold – we can’t tell if it’s just because it’s on the bottom floor and shaded by trees – or if there is really cold air coming out of the vents in addition!! In case you think I’m kidding, my co-workers generously allowed me to take pictures of them attired in coats, scarves, multiple layers of sweaters and even fingerless gloves while typing, talking and writing away.

One positive side benefit is that it helped with my Spanish and my independence as I had to locate a department store, navigate my way there and purchase a warmer jacket, a couple new scarves and sweaters, and a pair of gloves (from which I cut the fingers off for typing!). I am now bundled up and toasty warm(-ish!) like everyone else.

I’m really enjoying learning Venture Institute’s business. I am working with Isabel Gil who manages several social entrepreneurship programs on behalf of a variety of sponsors. The POSiBLE program, sponsored by Fundación Televisa and Nacional Monte de Piedad does an annual search for social entrepreneurs across Mexico, goes through a rigorous eval process to winnow down from >14K projects to 100 – and provides those with training, mentorship, support and entrée into a community of fellow entrepreneurs, investors and subject matter experts to help them clearly define their value propositions, determine market opportunity and develop business/economic models, as well as helping them with team formation and leadership skills. Components include an Entrepreneur Bootcamp and an Investor Simulation. With other partners, they provide more extensive business incubation programs. One, working with Village Capital, identifies and accelerates business models that increase access to financial services for the poor – and another proposal is in the works for a bank that wants to offer a program to develop, incubate and accelerate projects headed by women entrepreneurs.

As for my Spanish(!) – I’m reading the business stuff pretty fluently at this point, am able to write a few usable things (with the help of Google translate here and there), and am still pretty lame at speaking. But, I haven’t gone hungry or gotten lost yet, so all is good!