Spiritual Hospitality

Before I left for Mexico City this summer, I had trouble explaining to people what exactly I would be doing, mostly because I did not know what to expect. The most basic and frequent explanation I offered was simply that I would be working at a Quaker house. Of course, people asked me, what is a Quaker house? At that time, it was easiest to describe it as a youth hostel that has a peace and conflict resource center. I was very wrong.
Upon my arrival, I quickly learned that this Quaker house is anything but a hostel. It is, as the sign says on the front door, "A Center for Peace and International Understanding." The Casa facilitates events and workshops that focus on the three main program areas: migration, economic justice, and peace and conflict resolution. For many organizations, that is enough work. The Casa, however, includes a guest house (not to be confused with a hotel or a hostel). With rooms starting at 100 pesos (10 dollars) a night, the Casa hosts a wide range of people. There is constant traffic filtering in and out of the front reception room, creating a busy and exciting atmosphere. But despite the perpetual buzz of activity, the Casa remains a calm, spiritually-based space that never loses its sense of welcome and compassion.
Some people have asked me what I do here, am I just a receptionist? Yes, maybe I do work at the reception desk, but that job is so much more than I ever could have imagined. In one shift I might make a reservation for a backpacker from California, help organize meeting space for a group of 30 youth group missionaries, and show a refugee to his room where he will be able to stay safely and for free thanks to a program with the Sin Fronteras organization. I think most people would agree that a place where a backpacking student can stay in the same room as a refugee from Haiti is more than just a hostel.
So far, I have interviewed nine women for a project on microbusiness support, designed the seasonal newsletter in both Spanish and English, and begun developing informational materials on the benefits of organic products in the fight for economic solidarity. My work here has taken me to Tlalmanaco, Ixtapaluca, Valle de Chalco, and to an auditorium covered in relief murals by David Alfaro Siqueiros (the setting of a benefit dinner for the organization Rostros y Voces, soon to be the new OxFam-Mexico). With six weeks left, I am looking forward to helping out at a graffiti contest for youth in Tlalmanaco, preparing for a fashion show to support women who make their own clothing, and organizing a workshop on how to use organic products in daily cooking. I realize now, La Casa de los Amigos is definitely not a hostel, and I am clearly not a receptionist.