Xel-Ha Heroes
BERTHA PAT PAT: ALWAYS PLEASANT TO SATISFY VISITORS
“I come from Piste, Yucatan. I work in this Natural Wonder 14 years ago with my husband Miguel Moo Yama. I came here for my father in law recommendation, who work here too in Public Areas for more than fourteen years.
“I have two children: Jesus, who also works here, in system department, and Janice del Rosario, who has worked in Xel-Ha’s shops. I am a proud grandmother of four granddaughters who fill our lives of joy and happiness.
“I live in Chemuyil 10 years ago, but I lived in the park when it was called Xel-Ha Camp. In every big palapa share two families. Every afternoon we use to go to the inlet where we learnt to swim and saw manatees. One day my house was burned and we went to live to Chemuyil when houses were delivered.
“It was a sadness moment because nobody wanted to leave Xel-Ha, but people insisted we had to live in concrete house because of hurricanes and we had to leave home. In those days the park had only one restaurant called “El Caribeño”, a lockers service and a cafeteria at the entrance.
As time passed I had to get used to commute to Xel-Ha. I started to study primary here in Xel-Ha and I concluded it. Now I am studying second grade of secondary and I would like to study high school and learn another languages like English. I always try to leads people to understand what I say and meet visitors’ needs.
“I will be working here if God give me health and do not fire me” says a happy Bertha. “I hope to have a better position in job in order to improve myself. I want to thank to people have give me support all these years: Victor Ku Mis (RIP), Miguel Rivero, who has been a accessible supervisor and Elizabeth Lugo, who has a great heart and always have an smile to us”.
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MARÍA INTERIÁN: PREACHING WITH THE EXAMPLE
“My name is María Interián Pacheco, I was born in a little town named Dzán, in Yucatan (in mayan language, it comes from the word Dzamí, which means sunk) The town elders say it was a flooded cave that sank on a rainy day, causing the earth and the water to mix, and that is where the name Dzán came from.”
“I now live in Tulum, Quintana Roo, and I do not regret coming to live here; it has been one of the best choices I have ever made. I am 28, single. My first impression of Xel-Ha was that it was a broad, clean, natural place, I was also impressed by the amount of people of different races, cultures and nationalities that visit it every day”
“I have worked in Xel-Ha for 10 years, intermittently though. I was away for 4 years because I decided to get a degree, and whenever we were on vacations, I would come to work during that period. My classmates used to ask why I kept coming back, and the answer is, because I loved the warmness and humanity of all the people who make Xel-Ha beautiful, in addition to is natural beauty, and that is what makes us a real family.”
“I had two great teachers who wanted Xel-Ha to be exactly like this, a huge family: Raúl Lugo and Samuel Mukul. I would like to thank them both for their kindness, their charity and solidarity, and for always preaching with the example (both of them rest in peace).”
“I would also like to express my gratitude to all those people who were there for me unconditionally and gave me the opportunity to work in this Natural Wonder.”
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JOSÉ VELA: THE PLEASURE OF BEING NEAR THE SEA
Xel-Ha is filled with heroes, people who thanks to a deep determination to do their best, and go beyond their job description, transform the magic of this place into a unique experience for all visitors. One of them is José Alberto Vela, who gives this statement:
“My name is José Alberto Vela López; I am from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and 40 years old. I am married and have 4 children; the eldest, 18, followed by Kevin, aged 12, my little princess Wendy, 6 years old ,and my youngest kid Alberto, who is 4. I have been working in Xel-Ha for 2 years and 3 months, though in the past I had already worked here for 2 years.“
“The inlet and the river are my favorite places to snorkel, but most of all, I enjoy walking through the park and getting in touch with nature”
“Every time I have a chance, I come to the park and bring my family because it is a wonderful place. What I felt when swimming with dolphins and manatees was a one of a kind experience, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”
“There is a place I especially enjoy when the sun is setting, the lighthouse area. I’m really fond of sitting by the seashore and admiring its beauty. It gives me a huge peace and emotional stability.”
“I love being here, because I have every day, an opportunity to share with all visitors a unique, invaluable and unforgettable experience in our Natural Wonder.“
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Fernanda Pool: Xel-Ha is unique
“My name is Fernanda Pool; I’m 28 and happily married. I live in Tulum and I am proud to be from Quintana Roo. I have been working at this beautiful park for 8 years and 4 months, as a cashier. When I was 18, I used to work at a hotel, I lived in Chemuyil. The park’s bus would drive by my house every morning and I would always tell my husband: - Someday I’ll work there. - “
“A while later, due to family setbacks, I found myself forced to quit that job, and I thought: -This is my chance-“
“I waited for about a week, because there were many of us who wanted the same position, until finally! One morning the phone rang and that very same day I showed up to work. “
“To my, working in Xel-Ha is no sacrifice since I enjoy every corner of the park, the nice family environment that characterizes it, and its people’s easiness. Currently, I am about to finish high school, and I have been studying English, which has been quite useful”
“Xel-Ha has unequaled sceneries, I love it because it’s unique. Honestly I am proud to say I work in this Natural Wonder”.
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MARIELA COCOM: THE SECRET IS IN THE SMILE
Her name is Mariela Cocom Cutz, and she is one of the most long-lasting collaborators. She has worked in Xel-Ha for 14 years, mother of 3, grandmother of a beautiful 2 years old grandchild, but life caught her by surprise, and oddly enough…she is pregnant! She first started working in 1995 as a store salesman and has jumped from one position to another. Nowadays she is a box office’s cashier.
Although she cannot swim, her favorite spot in Xel-Ha is the river, which she has deeply enjoyed from the comfort o fan inner tube. Mariela claims to be very happy to be part of “The Blue Family”, because thanks to the overcoming programs, she has been able to finish elementary school, and attends to English Lessons.
She believes that the benefits are the greatest, and affirms that the idea of quitting does not even cross her mind. She wish for her children to be successful and well prepared so they have a neat future. Mariela says that contact with visitors is really important; she likes to greet them and welcome them, always with a big smile on her face.
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Manuela de Jesús: Committed to plants.
Native of Peto, Yucatán. She is 44 years old and mother of 3 already grown up children who by the way, have also worked at Xel-Ha.
Manuela de Jesús Díaz Dorantes tells how she came to work at the park when a friend invited her to work in the plant nursery. “Given that I love plants, I thought: could there be a better job than doing what I like, and being paid for it? “
Proud of her experience in Xel-Ha, Manuela says: “When I arrived six years ago, I knew nothing at all, I was not aware of the plants’ scientific names. At first those names seemed funny to me, but as time went by, I have been trained in special courses from which I have learnt a lot. Today, I know over 120 species existing only in the park, and I have also learnt to respect flora. Thank God, now I am a gardener “A”.
“At work, I am in the production area, which means I go out to find and rescue the sprout plants, then we sort them by kind of species, plant them, and look after them until they are ready to be relocated somewhere in Xel-Ha” she states what talking about her job.
Manuela is a very staunch team worker: “I deeply enjoy my work because I contribute to preserve nature and the environment. When I run into a visitor, with a plant in my hands, I gladly explain them each one’s function, and tell them how they can do something like this at home, so all of us rescue these endangered species”.
Regarding her personal development in the last few years, she comments: “In Xel-Ha, I have been given the opportunity to continue studying. Here, I concluded middle school, and I am also studying English. I already finished the first basic level, and started the second. My goal is to be able to talk to foreigners without being ashamed for them not understanding what I say”.
To Manuela, working at Xel-Ha is highly pleasing: Xel-Ha is to me, as said by its name, wonderful. I really love it here. My favorite spot within the park is the “Hidden Beach”, and I am sure I will remain working here until they fire me, or get tired of me -she affirms-, smiling because me? Getting tired of the park? …Never!
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Xel-Ha Heroes
José Alfredo: Let the tourists be happy!
José Alfredo Jimenez is a Xel-Ha collaborator that amazes everyone by the enthusiasm he always prints into his work. He shows, every day, a proactive attitude that he transmits to his co-workers: “I feel very pleased since I came to work here, it is a company that opened its doors to me, I have everything, and I have good work discipline ant that is why I am here…”, he affirms when he talks about the matter.
At Xel-Ha, José Alfredo is a Services Van Operator, and he claims to be glad since he became a member of the “Blue Family” three years ago. He is convinced that serving others is a way of being a better person, and even though in his work he has no direct contact with visitors, he is aware that performing his job properly has a positive impact on the tourists’ enjoyment of their visit. “Every thing we do , we do for the benefit of the visitors, so they have moments of joy, if they find a clean, beautiful park, where smiles abound, they will have a good time” he says when talking about how his work reflects upon the park’s operation.
Nowadays, José Alfredo is one of the quality leaders who collaborate in the Natural Wonder, to contribute to making of this, a highly productive and competitive tourist company. As Quality leader he is in constant training on important matters regarding quality culture, and at the same time, shares this knowledge with his work team.
José Alfredo assures that Xel-ha is a great place to work, and to sum up in his own words how the working environment that prevails here, he says: “One can trust the people one works for, fell proud for the job done, and enjoy the people one works with…Can you ask for more?”
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Irasema Belmont
Irasema Belmont is a young woman from Yucatan that visited Xel-Ha when she was 16 and got astonished by the place. She came to Quintana Roo to work in 1992. She started as a saleswoman at a clothes and craft store there was back then, and worked there for 2 years. In 1994 she decided to try out her luck in Nayarit, and left, but came back in 2002 and since then has been part of the Xel-Ha family.
Today, after working here for more than 7 years, she shows no hesitation when saying: “Xel-Ha is my home”. Thus, she highlights her pride for being a member of a 500 people team that on a daily basis do their best to share with all visitors a magical, unique, invaluable and unforgettable experience in the Natural Wonder.
She is, nowadays, a Public Relations Executive, and thanks to her kindness, and passion for work, she has earned everyone’s respect and admiration. She states that Xel-Ha, more than a job is a way of life. “I am happy working for Xel-Ha, because I have grown as an employee and as a human being; I want to stay here for a very long time and keep playing a part in giving people moments of joy.”
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