Skip to main content

Build Bridges Instead of Walls

¡Hola a todos! 

Our day started really early since we had to drive to Nogales, AZ once again. Before  we actually hit the road, we had to pass through the Pio Decimo Center to pick up our great alumnus, John Lohse. 

After driving for one hour, we arrived at Nogales Border Patrol where we were kindly greeted by three officers, one of which was Border Patrol Agent Sergio Leones Jr. who coordinated our experience. Once we signed in, we had a very thorough presentation about their job description and the responsibilities that come with it. They seize any kind of illegal contraband; monitor areas by using sensors, cameras, and tracking skills; protect wildlife and vegetation; and attend classrooms or meetings to inform the public about their duties and why life as a criminal is not worth it. Most importantly, they care about the safety and well-being of people. 

We briefly saw their command center, and afterwards separated into two groups to drive by the border wall. The officers explained how people attempt to cross it and what they do afterwards if they are successful. We also saw hundreds of water bottles laying near the fence. After finally seeing this giant fence of steel, we all sat down quietly trying to process and comprehend what we just learned and saw. 

Once we arrived to Tucson, we yet again went to the Pio Decimo center to thank John and Marcia for everything they have done for us. We reflected on how much we accomplished and learned but also how much we enjoyed it. 

For our reflection, we all shared how much we were affected by visiting the border wall. We also did the “string situation” in which we all share how much each and every one of us has grown through the trip.

We will be ending our night going out to enjoy our last meal together at a local Sonoran-Mexican restaurant. 

Tomorrow we wake up early so we can drive to Phoenix and finally get back to our lovely homes in Erie, PA.

XOXO, 
AZ ABST




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hector the Loneliest Saguaro

Hola from Arizona!  Today, our ABST team was lucky to spend the day with John Lohse, our alumni guide for the trip, who was gracious enough to show us some of Tucson’s finest sights. We started with an early morning stop at Gate’s Pass, a beautiful overlook where we could see miles and miles of Arizona’s natural, cactus-filled landscape. Then, we drove through some windy and bumpy terrain to reach our next destination: The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  John led us around the museum, pointing out some of the larger wildlife exhibits as well as some key aspects of the vegetation native to the area. The javelinas and river otter as well as the lush cactus garden were definitely some crowd favorites!  Next, we headed for the Mission San Xavier del Bac , nicknamed the “White Dove of the Desert.” Here, we took the time to explore the gorgeous mission started by Father Kino, and even climbed up to a cross overlooking the mission grounds (and surprisingly, no one was inju...

Guac and Talk

Hello everyone! Welcome to Day 3 of our Arizona Border ABST trip.  We started off the day with donuts and headed to Casa Alitas, a migrant center in Tucson. We were greeted by Sara who explained to us what Casa Alitas strives to accomplish. Casa Alitas is a center that helps migrants who have recently crossed the US-Mexico border. They provide many important resources including shelter, food, transportation set-up, and can help migrants connect to sponsors if they have lost their original sponsor along the process. We gained insight into some of the political policy behind recent changes in immigration, in addition to the history of Casa Alitas, which essentially started overnight. In fact, the house that we are currently residing in is where the program first started and it has since grown into a huge center that is able to take in up to 180 guests at one time.  After getting some background information and going on a quick tour, we started our volunteer work for the d...