Scenes from 2006

Program Update September 16

We have now spent five entire weeks, living on the Border. Each student has settled into their typical routines; they have all mastered the chains of transportation that allow them to move between their field study sites, their homes, and their classes, not to mention crossing the border almost daily. There is a comforting familiarity and regularity at this point in the semester, while many exciting events have already occurred, and many more are to come.

With the Border Themes class with Professor Samuel Schmidt at UACJ, the students have already taken two trips to visit and speak with very prominent and political figures in Cd. Juárez. The first visit was to the Aduana Agency (Customs Agency) of Cd. Juárez, where the students were able to hear about trade policy on the Border. There is a constant stream of semi-trucks passing between El Paso and Cd. Juárez, which is a main point of trade for the U.S. and México.

The next visit was with the Assistant Mayor of Cd.. Juárez, who mostly spoke about issues within the City and the Border Region. He addressed the city's lack of finances, issues of city planning and growth, and the misconception of Juárez as a place of extreme violence. In both of these visits, the students have been challenged to confront what they are hearing and seeing with other accounts and realities which they live daily in this city.

The classes with our director, Glen Kuecker, are rolling along and we have already had two evenings with pizza and films to literally “add to the picture” for class topics; one was a documentary on the WTO protests in Seattle in 1999, and the other was a documentary on Mexican Politics during the Zapatista’s first years of resistance beginning in 1994.

Last week we celebrated Mexican Independence Day, September 16th, with a huge party with the host families. Some students celebrated by wearing more traditional Mexican clothing, and everyone was there to watch patiently for our piñata to break. Cristina, our housing director (and much much more) was the one to finally break it open, even after Glen gave it a good try. Independence here is one of the most celebrated holidays in Mexico, and their grand fireworks were the most beautiful and impressive I have ever seen.

An important and exciting change for the program, is our recent move into the new and exciting Border Studies office and center in El Paso. We will be sharing this large, and beautiful house with the Maryknoll Missionaries of El Paso. This space will be open for students to come and study, or cook, and will be fantastic for hosting events and discussions. It is an amazing space, which will provide a comfortable space we can all share.

This weekend we are going camping in the Guadelupe Mountains and then we are spending a day visiting the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. The weather here is gorgeous and windy, and we are all looking forward to a weekend away from the city and some time to just hang out with each other and leave the work behind! This past week you could feel fall coming!

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