Participants have expressed their thoughts about the Border Studies Program and about the region itself in many ways.

Click here to read a poem written by Mikaela, a 2006 participant.

Read reflections by past participants on the following questions:

• What to you love the most about the border region?
• What suggestions do you have for future students on the Border Studies Program?
• What is your favorite memory from the excursions?
• What are some aspects on living on the border that stand out to you?
• What from your experiences from the border do you want to take home with you?

Question:

What do you love the most about the border region?

Answers:

"-That it's so different from anywhere else I know and that it continues to surprise me." -Fall 2007 participant

"-It's all grey area. The mix of the people, the languages, identities and histories."-Fall 2006 participant

-"I love the mix of cultures. I think it is amazing to see two cultures that in many ways clash, co-existing in one region. When stepping into the border region it is like a different world." -Fall 2006 participant

"-I love the border because every time you think you have everything figured out I realize that there is so much more I don't know." -Fall 2004 participant

"-I love the amazing realization that in this chaos and disorder is a calmness and a world that makes more sense than many other worlds I know." -student from Fall 2004

-The constant rolling and pulling you feel; of living your borderless life in the context of a border focused perspective" -student from Fall 2004

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Question:

What suggestions do you have for future students on the Border Studies Program?

Answer:

"-Be strong. It goes fast. Keep pushing yourself. The discomfort will teach you so much!" -Fall 2007 participant

"-If nothing else, learn to look not just at problems everyday, but more importantly signs of hope." -Fall 2004 participant

"-You are here for a reason, but sometimes it takes time for it to find you" -Fall 2004 participant

"-You have to come with an open heart, mind, and soul, willing to always keep your eyes opened. Try to appreciate every second, every moment, every experience: the pain, the frustration, the betrayal, the love, the joy, the hope, the fear -try to appreciate it all, because all of these things woven together are what make this experience what it is." -Fall 2004 participant

"-Be patient, be flexible " -Fall 2006 participant

"-Come with an open mind and heart. It is an emotionally draining journey, but it is definitely worth it." -Fall 2006 participant

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Question:

What is your favorite memory from the excursions?

Answer:

"-Being with each other in different settings--seeing the sunset in the Arizona desert, sleeping on the ground, hanging out in Mexico City, traveling on the metro." -Fall 2007 participant

"-There are so many--one of them was looking at the Orozco murals in Mexico City." -Fall 2007 participant

"-Hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains and looking out over the plains and mountains." -Fall 2006 participant

"-Sandboarding at White Sands. There is nothing like taking something pure and sacred and sliding through it on a skateboard without wheels."-student from Fall 2004

"-Eating breakfast together after getting rained on all night in the Guadalupe Mountains. Spicy vegetable juice and canned fish on a cold gray morning." -student from fall 2004

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Question:

What are some aspects on living on the border that stand out to you?

Answers:

"-My job was incredibly influential to my learning experience and to how much I feel like I'm walking away with. In general, though, it is very difficult to try and pick apart a four-month period that developed forward, backward, and tangled around itself. All the elements together are what made it important." -Fall 2007 participant

"-I can say that all of the time I spent talking to people outside of the classroom, during the mapping project, at my field study, has taught me the most and has made me value my time here immensely." -Fall 2007 participant

"-The bridge crossings and riding the rutas have been very important for understanding time here as a major force affecting people's lives. My field study was also crucial for my learning about the border." -Fall 2007 participant

"-Visiting different areas of Juárez really helped me to get a better grasp of the border region. One of my favorite places was Anapra just because the people were so amazing. Also, after all of our readings, the maquila visits were really interesting. At work, learning about immigration issues added a new dimension of complexity to the trip because it felt almost as if I were between the government and its policies and then the people and their stories." -Fall 2006 participant

"-Crossing the bridge stands out. I think the fact that every time I crossed it seemed cinematic is representative of fact that it was strange and new to me."-student from Fall 2004

"-Being surrounded by such inspiring, motivating, and passionate students. Working face-to-face with some of the neediest adolescents... in Spanish! Feeling so humbled by the enormity of it all. Wanting to laugh and cry in equal doses. ¡Spanglish!"

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Question:

What from your experiences from the border do you want to take home with you?

Answer:

"-Oh my... all of it? My developed Spanish skills. An ability to be genuine and humble. A confidence in myself in the most out-of-the-ordinary, 'real world' scenarios. My passion for social justice. My connections with people here." -student from Fall 2004

"-The knowledge that I can shift between groups, cultures and languages and countries with ease and speed. The knowledge that community, as well as connections to individuals, matter to me. The belief that I have the power to transform the world and my life." -student from Fall 2004

"-The idea that there are borders all over the place that are waiting to be confronted. The necessity of allies in this world.... All the possibilities that borderlands offer. The value of diversity. The realities of globalization." -student from Fall 2004

"- I want to keep walking across bridges in other people's shoes. That is, I want to support and create connections with people different from me, but do so with empathy and understanding. At the same time I have learned how to say 'no' and I want to keep the courage to disagree with people." -student from Fall 2004

"-My reflections on solidarity, the incredible experience of seeing gringo activists from the Global South perspective, the uncomfortable feeling I get in my stomach when I have to declare my citizenship when I cross the bridge..."-student from Fall 2004

"-So much. I want to take home the realization of how completely connected I am to humankind, the idea of community and creating community for myself. I want to take home the idea of questioning and breaking down borders/boxes/ etc., breaking down traditional ways of defining. I want to take home with me the idea the feeling of being a true border crosser." -student from Fall 2004

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Also, read Caddy's thoughts in "Mujeres en la frontera de un ataque de nervios/ Women on the border of a nervous breakdown"

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