With this being the last post of the blog, I will just start off saying that this summer was the most unforgettable one I have ever experienced. From the beautiful youth that I worked with, to my sister-like roommates, to the Border Servant people in general, to the faaabulous staff at Cristo Rey, to the friends I met from the community, to the experiences we had all over El Paso and in New Mexico... there were so many components that made this summer blissful. I didn't fully realize this until I came back, but it changed my life and how I view everything. However, during everything, there were two key ideas that really struck me. These would be the power of human connection and faith in humanity.
Human connection is a beautiful thing that we are all given the first day of our lives. We are constantly presented with opportunities to make friends and grow in relationships. These relationships act as bridges into other perspectives, cultures, worlds, languages, etc etc. Often times we do not use this to our full advantage; strangers are made by people who are afraid to be friends. We "know" people in and surrounding our life, but until we take the time to get to know their story and culture, we don't really know them. I've been guilty of this, so I'm not blaming or pointing fingers. I think it's safe to say that we have all done this at some point. Luckily, this summer changed my entire opinion, and I will no longer ever put up walls. El Paso introduced me to people who were new friends, youth in the program, and the families in the community. However all of these people turned into my family. Not all of us speak the same language, but they are still my family. They were the people who I talked to everyday (all the time), and we quickly grew close and turned our relationship into a much more meaningful one. We would discuss the good and the not so good, the harsh realities and the sensitive topics, and our agreements and disagreements. We opened up to each other instantly and worked together for a common cause. Plus, you do not need to speak the same language as a friend in order to be friends. You can merely sit, stand, be in each other's presence in silence, with a sense of security and love in your hearts. Just being in each other's company can have so much power on the other, as well as emotional investment. You learn to communicate mainly in other ways, such as hugs, smiles, and tears. Human connection is a wonderful gift.
I think I mentioned this before in an earlier post, but the dominant population in El Paso is 83 or 85% Latino. So yes, El Paso is heavily influenced by Mexico's traditions and ways of life - which I love! The culture in El Paso is extremely relational. It is all about affection, reaching out, sharing, and doing acts of kindness. The best part about the acts of kindness is that these are not done to make someone a "better" or "nicer" person. They are done because it's what is right and what you should do in order to contribute to humanity. It's second nature, not even thought about, and the season of giving is all year round. I saw this every single day in El Paso. You're probably thinking, "Ok, ok...but WE are relational as well." Well yes, I do know that, but it is VERY different and more apparent down there. You greet others with a hug and kiss on the cheek, you ask how the person is doing because it's what is nice to do, not just to raise small talk. It's almost like people actually care to know how you're doing...what a concept! If someone needs help, you jump right on it and help them. If someone needs you to give them a ride somewhere and if you have somewhere else to be, you make time and take the person to where they need to go. For those who have enough, they are always giving and wanting to make change in injustices. For those who are short of what's necessary, they are always giving anyway. The relational culture and openness to be affectionate really showed me faith in humanity.
As strange as this sounds, it can be really difficult to love humanity, even though it's easy to love people. The people in El Paso showed me, however, that it is possible to have faith in everyone. This was shown to me in the organizations that we visited that cater to border awareness and resources, the border immersion groups we met and worked with, my roommates who came down to El Paso for the same reason and purpose, and the fact that there are people who are constantly giving and showing love and kindness when they themselves are struggling to get by. Humanity is beautiful. It does not need to be divided according to religion, race, age, gender, or economic class. It is only bound together by love, understanding, and showing selflessness towards each other. How lucky are we to be living in a world where all of that is present in the areas where it (especially) counts.
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I would like to take time to list the moments that I will surely never forget. (no special order)
1. June full moon (6/23/2013) at White Sands in New Mexico. I loved everything about that night...such a natural, high/happy feeling. Justin, Erika, Erin, Lilli, Ariella, Rose Mary, Fernando, Sharon, Allexa, Aria, Kirsten, Hannah, Michael, Felipe, Rick, and Karen.
2. Carlsbad (Carl's BAD, as Erika says :)) Caverns in New Mexico. Hannah, Erin, Erika, Lilli.
3. My first day working at Cristo Rey, aka washing dishes with Erin in the back kitchen...but sharing some of the best conversations while washing dishes
4. My first day working at Cristo Rey as the program director - Erin, Justin, Rose Mary, Ceci, Conchita, Enrique, Pat, and 55 youth who now hold a very special place in my heart.
5. The day when Erin and me took Rose Mary's car to post flyers of the program at UTEP and EPCC; aka, the day we almost drove into Mexico!
6. Carmen sharing her powerful and beautiful story. The most selfless person I know.
7. Laura, Norma, and David sharing their impacting and admirable immigration stories.
8. Visiting the border and talking with border patrol (both times) - Hannah, Erin, Erika, Lilli; Justin and the border immersion group from Albuquerque
9. Community night with Lilli, Erika, and Erin - GREAT social justice talks, games, margaritas, karaoke, midnight Micky D's
10. Hiking A Mountain - BSC El Paso & BSC Las Cruces
11. Hiking Star Mountain - Erin, Lilli, Erika, Hannah, Justin
12. Black Forest's goodbye dinner - Aria, Kirsten, Hannah, Justin, Erika, Ariella, Carmen, Rose Mary, Fernando, Pat, Bobby, Karen, Rick
13. Sitting out on the couches with Lilli and Justin, eating ice cream out of the bucket and talking about life.
14. Sitting out on the couches with Erin and Erika, talking about life and watching New Girl...and attempting to watch the Bachelorette
15. Making ice cream with the kids during the program! So fun!
16. Taking the kids to the El Paso Exploreum
17. Wet 'n Wild! That whole day was so wonderful and carefree! I loved every single moment of our time there.
18. Going rock climbing for my very first time out in the Franklin Mountains. -Megan, Andre, and Erin
19. The beautiful mountains surrounding the city. And how they looked with the clouds resting on top.
20. Rim Road view, and being able to look at two cities/countries at the same time. :)
21. Kinley's with Megan and having teacher talk, as well as friend talk :)
22. Car dancing with Freddy, Edith, Daniela, and Julia in the Cristo Rey van. Thrift Shop, Get Lucky, Blurred Lines, and Treasure will forever remind me of those four.
23. The way that Ceci greeted me everyday (always made me smile). Such a cute lady.
24. Late night watermelon runs to Q-Mart -Erin and Erika
25. The sending off service at Cristo Rey for the Border Servant interns - Erika, Erin, Ariella, Rose Mary, Edith, Freddy, Angel, Angeles, Alan, Jennifer M, Roxy
26. The last service I was present at Cristo Rey - Erika, Ariella, Rose Mary, Michael, Michelle, Norma, Fernando, Pat, Bobby
27. Thursday pool days with all of the kids! Madness I tell ya.
28. Taking the kids to Gardin de Milagros - our last field trip.
29. The last day of the summer program - piano concert and many, many pictures and conversations with the families.
30. Saying goodbye to Carmen...that was a truly sad moment that had both of us in tears. I miss her so much.
31. Erin playing the Cristo Rey piano!
32. Lilli's beautiful singing voice and words of wisdom.
33. Erika and me starting all conversations in this dialogue: "Heeeyyyy...HI."
34. Spending the 4th of July with Erin, Lilli, Erika, and Sha, and the amazing fireworks show that took place right above our heads. So beautiful!
35. The drive out to Gardin de Milagros...watching Justin drive us all out there successfully and lead a caravan of 4 other cars = priceless!
36. Justin's "jokes," "insults," playful personality, monstrous hugs, and HUGE heart.
38. Office talks with Justin
39. Going out to the colonias - especially the day when Erin and me went with the border immersion group from Albuquerque. This isn't my only favorite memory from that visit, but setting up that basketball hoop for the kids, and watching the men completely confused by the directions was priceless and entertaining.
40. The Cristo Rey van in general...and all the time it broke down. I miss that clunker, and all of its character. Good times feeling like we're all going to die at any given moment, Erin, Erika, and Lilli! They see us rollin...they hatin...! :)
41. My first time driving the Cristo Rey van...and Justin's patience during that time. So funny.
42. Amy's sense of humor! I have never met anyone with similar humor as this girl. Such a goof! :)
43. Learning how to make gorditas with Carmen, Erin, Erika, and Lilli.
44. Hannah's distinct laugh - I love it!!
45. Blasting the radio in the kitchen and dancing around with the teenagers after program.
46. Learning how to make bread from Greer :) -Greer, Lilli, and Justin.
47. Freddy telling me that his baby pictures looked like Justin Bieber....but "ten times hotter."
48. Little David..I love that kid so much! Such a cutie.
49. Luis at the piano recital introducing his song. "Hi, my name is Luis, and I'm going to...(kid from audience: play!) play, uh....(kid from audience: the piano!) the piano."
50. The first day in El Paso, and how Erika and me almost died from the heat after 6 hours walking downtown. "This is one of those days that we're going to look back on and laugh about!" -so true, Erika!
51. Lastly, the middle and high schoolers who I worked with at Cristo Rey. I use to not really enjoy that age bracket, but man did my thoughts change fast after working with these amazing youth! Ariella, Edith, Freddy, Daniela, Leslie, Lupita, Michelle, Michael, Armando, Miriam, Carlos, Jennifer M., Itzel, Felipe - I love you all very much and am so proud of you! You are a wonderful, fun group. Minnesota or Texas, I'm always here for you, and will never forget any of you.
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My last day in El Paso was emotional and memorable. I went to church at Cristo Rey with Erika. I saw some of the kids from my program there, too! We sat out on the couches afterwards with Erin, Ariella, Megan, Michael, and Michelle. As people started to leave, I said my goodbye and gave many many hugs. They all thanked me for all of the hard work that I put in this summer, and I thanked them for taking me in and making El Paso feel like home. Megan asked if anyone would be up for an early morning goodbye breakfast before I headed to the airport. I felt blessed to hear that people wanted to come. :) The plans were solidified, and I felt loved, happy, and sad to be leaving these amazing friends who quickly became my family.
After service, I began my cleaning responsibilities. I had the main kitchen areas: counter, stovetop, and oven. Ariella stayed with me in the kitchen and we chatted while I cleaned. It helped make the process go by fast, and it was also wonderful talking with her. I then decided that it would probably be good idea to start packing...even though I really didn't feel like it. Erika and I both got our suitcases out and began to pack up our things in the sanctuary. We did this for awhile, and had many great conversations, as usual.
After I spent some decent amount of time packing, Rose Mary took Ariella and me to Village Inn (where we went to the first time we all talked) for a meal. It was great being able to sit down and talk with them. Rose Mary and Ariella are both very easy to talk with. I miss them both very much. We were there for about 2 hours. It began to rain as we were leaving - which is rare in El Paso. It was perfect rainy weather, and made me just want to relax and unwind. Rose Mary drove us back to the church. I gave Rose Mary a hug goodbye, and thanked her for everything. It was a wonderful summer having the opportunity to work with her.
The roommates and I went out to dinner at L & J Cafe. It is a cute Mexican cafe, and the food was awesome! I knew that I was not going to find good, authentic Mexican food for awhile. I still miss the food. The four of us had some outstanding conversations about our time at Border Servant, how much we've learned over the summer, and what we're most looking forward to doing when we're back home. It was a fun dinner, but a sad one. I miss my roommates a lot, and eating meals with them. In the past I have not been the best roommate to eat dinner with, usually due to schedule conflicts. I have eaten on my own time that works for me. These ladies were different though. My day did not feel complete if I did not sit down and eat with them. I'm not sure what changed with these roommates, but I'm very glad the change happened. I still look for Erika, Erin, and Lilli during the days. :\ The days are not the same without our conversations and quality time. As Erin put it, I'm so glad it was them who became my family. This summer would not have been the same. Erin, Erika, and Lilli, you 3 will always be considered a part of my family.
The four of us took a drive to Rim Road together, and shared one last view. This was the view that we saw our first night together. It was a beautiful moment. The city was dark but alive. The mountains looked very bold and clear against the clear night sky. It was also the perfect temperature to stand outside and admire the city. We stood on the edge of the road and shared one last group hug together. After about a half hour of being there, we kissed El Paso and Juarez goodbye. I will never forget that view and how beautiful it always looks. It's a rare and gorgeous opportunity when you are able to look out at two countries at the same time. It's an opportunity that I hope to have again in the near future. Erika, Erin, and I stayed up late and finished our packing. We blasted music and stayed in the sanctuary as our last night together. It was the perfect last night with the friends who helped and watched me grow over the summer. I watched all of them grow and change as well. We were all challenged in ways that we never thought possible. However, it made it a much more meaningful experience going through it all together.
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The next morning at 6:00 a.m. Erika, Erin, Lilli, Ariella, Megan, Hannah, and me went to breakfast together at The Lucky Cafe. It meant so much that they all came. :) We all had a wonderful time together! Throughout the breakfast, I kept thinking about all of the memories I shared with them, and how much they have all helped me grow. I kept thinking that I was really going to miss them, and that I truly enjoyed every single moment with them. It was the perfect last El Paso breakfast. :) We all had a group picture taken inside the Cafe (below) and then it was time to say the goodbyes and head off to the airport.
I gave each person a hug and immediately started to cry. As stated above, I hate goodbyes. I was especially sad because I am not sure when I'll see them next. The tears just kept coming out as I continued to give every person a hug. There was no turning off the emotions now. Megan and Ariella took me to the airport. As I was getting into Megan's car, I turned to Lilli, Erin, Erika, and Hannah and told them that I loved them very much. I couldn't stop tearing up in the car on the way to the airport. I couldn't believe that I was no longer going to see my roommates everyday. The thought seemed more odd than anything. I took in every last view of El Paso-especially the mountains. Megan tried to add humor and happy conversation in the car. It helped a great deal, due to the intense sadness that I was feeling. Justin called me in the car to say goodbye, and that he wished we could've said a proper goodbye in person. It made me tear up even more. By that point we had reached the airport, and my mind instantly took me back to the day I arrived in El Paso. I remembered feeling very excited and nervous, not knowing what I was getting myself into. Little did I know that my life was going to change, and my eyes and heart would be opened in many ways.
Megan and Ariella stayed with me in the airport to make sure that I was going to get checked in smoothly. The three of us had some great conversations about other traveling opportunities, and just talked about happy topics to lighten the mood. They walked me to security and then it was time to say goodbye. I gave them both a hug and more tears came. I thanked them for everything they had done for me this summer, told them that I was going to miss them so much, and that I loved them both. They said that all of the feelings were mutual, and that they would see me before I knew it. We went our separate ways and I stepped onto the escalator.
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I moved into my apartment on August 1, and have to still make it more "homey." It has been tough adjusting to life after Border Servant. The people, climate, weather (*sigh* humidity...), food, culture, city-scene, amount of nature (grass? what?!), etc seem more unfamiliar now. I know that it's going to take some time to adjust and process, but it's amazing that I had the opportunity to live in a different place for so long. I am very thankful for this summer and all the people who came into my life and opened new chapters. El Paso, you will always have my heart. See you later, and thank you for the wonderful adventure.
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| Day One in El Paso: Rim Road Lovin' |
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| Back, from left: Ariella, Erika, Hannah Front, from left: me, Lilli, Megan, Erin Monday, July 29, 2013 at The Lucky Cafe. Jennifer's goodbye breakfast with a portion of her El Paso family. |
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