Day 7

Driving through the sandy streets of Ciudad Juarez, observing the welcoming community, and following along the inconsistent steel border, I felt a confluence of emotions. As students of Lakeside, conversations surrounding privilege are abundant and familiar - but talking can only get you so far. Today we took the extra step, or an hour-long drive, and finally crossed the border, a day we had all been waiting for. We were exposed to the life that could’ve been. 

After eating a delicious, home-cooked meal encompassing flavorful taquitos, colorful hibiscus tea, and a diverse palette of sauces we engaged in discussion with two powerful local women, Estella and Berta, who run Biblioteca Para La Vida. The two had moved roughly 30 years ago, each with five children in search of land and in hope of a life with opportunity. Battling major setbacks such as a lack of food, water, electricity, money and even a house fire, their four-by-four wood panel houses withstood the hardships, but most importantly so did the people inside. Both women were later connected, coincidentally, or perhaps through spiritual destiny, by Pastor Jim, who was in the process of initiating missionary work. Today, Estella and Berta are involved in organizations such as Manos Amigas, Women of Tonantzin, and running their communal library. There is no doubt their strength empowered us, but most of all it was their welcoming arms and warm smiles. Reading the words painted on their blue wall “Tú perteneces aqui” and hearing that “we children are the future” filled my heart with love - and boiling frustration. 

This trip has also reinforced that as a country we have guilty hands that have long meddled and interfered in the governments of Latin America. Our reaction has been to label immigrants with harmful stereotypes and a cold shoulder. However, every person we have met has been grateful and kind. So why are we the privileged ones, the land of the free, when we struggle to create successful communities? 

But I have also learned that privilege is the power to help. We are so lucky to have firsthand experience of what the border is truly like and to realize that at the end of the day we are all humans seeking a happy life. Although tearful frustrations have undoubtedly occurred, an overwhelming amount of excitement to share our experience with Lakeside and other communities in our lives is what we will carry back. As Berta said “An educated individual is an educated family, is an educated community, is an educated city, is an educated state, is an educated country, is an educated world.” It is up to our generation to educate in an attempt to better the world. Becca DP