Orientation

The on-site orentation for the Border Studies Program 2003 was held in El Paso/ Ciudad Juarez from August 18 through August 22. Orientation was planned with the intention of helping students get used to both cities, as well having an opportunity to cross the international bridges. The first night of orientation the students stayed together in a hotel in El Paso, and after that they stayed with their host families in Ciudad Juarez.
The first day of orientation was spent on the El Paso side of the border. The students toured UTEP and were introdued to the Border Studies staff, Gypsy Swanger, Brenda Aguirre, Hannah MacDermott, and Cristina Sanchez. The students packed all of their luggage into the vans and traveled across the international bridge to a reception held at Cristina Sanchez’s house where they met their host families.
Students spent the next few days getting to know the many different parts of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. They toured maquilas, visited a plethora of restaurants, had a chance to see many of the different field study sites where they would be spending the rest of the semester, were introduced to Universidad Autonoma de Cuidad Juarez (UACJ); where they are taking two of their classes, and crossed the international bridges over and over again. All in all the orientation was a big success!