Copy of Practice Podcast (8)

Totianguis is a bustling open-air flea market in Mexico where small business owners sell various items. One business owner, Ana Fernanda Atafoya, relies on this market to support her family. She sells food and clothes with her mom and sister, and helps with taking orders and handling money. Though tiring, Ana finds it fun and it allows her to spend time with her family. The market represents the small business culture in Mexican pueblos and teaches Ana about sacrifice, unity, and family. The hustle and bustle of Totianguis, their open-air flea market in Mexico, is what is typical during any weekday afternoon. It is a place where small business owners come together and sell food, clothes, candies, and even home appliances. Many rely on the income they earn at Totianguis to support their families. One small business owner that actively relies on this form of income is my cousin, Ana Fernanda Atafoya. She is a full-time college student here in the States, but goes back home to sell at Totianguis in the summer to help out her family. Tell me a little bit about Totianguis and what you sell at Totianguis. That's like a full-time job basically for my mom. We sell food and we sell clothes, perfumes, and shoes and all of that. So you mentioned that you sell with your mom? Yes, she's a single mom and that's her job and in the summer I go and help her. My sister also helps. She's in charge of the clothes and all of that and my mom makes the food. Okay, that's fun. So what are you in charge of? What do you help with? I take the orders and they also pay me of course because my mom can't touch the money because she's making the food. So I take orders and I do the money and all of that. So do you enjoy selling at Totianguis or do you get tired of it? How do you feel? It's actually really fun and I get to spend more time with my mom and my sister of course. But it's tiring because we have to put the puesto, do the food, everything. So it's tiring but it's fun. It's a job. The puesto that Ana refers to is that of the stand in which she and her family set up and sell food and clothes. The everyday big companies such as Walmart and Target that we have here in the States drastically contrast the small businesses and culture in Mexican pueblos. However, the entrepreneurial skills that Ana has developed has prepared her for entering the workforce while in the same way reminding her of the importance of sacrifice, unity and familia.