|
Chicano ParkOne of the most memorable days for me occurred within the first 24 hours. Our first stop, Chicano Park, had an extremely powerful impact on my experience. I am not a person who usually connects to art. I am highly unartistic, so I have a hard time connecting to the messages found in art work. However, I was completely caught off guard when one of the most powerful experiences was taking in the murals at Chicano Park. The pure honesty and vulnerability found in the murals moved me beyond words. Every stroke of paint held truth, pain and history. The paintings and the words that connected to them gave me a invaluable glimpse into the lives that I was going to step into when I crossed the border. This experience at Chicano Park rooted my experiences in Tijuana in a larger, overwhelming issue that connected to those I would meet in TJ. .
|
Empowerment Vs. Victimization
|
One of the most powerful takeaways from this trip is not actually a specific moment, but rather, an overarching idea. This trip showed me a story of empowerment over a story of victimization. This was specifically evident to me at Casa del Migrantes, Casa de Memorias and La Clinica Esperanza. The typical story of Mexico is one of tragedy, poverty and dependency. My heart certainly was wretched by the image of the giant trash dump and the stories of the migrants. And yet, I left these sites feeling more hopeful then when I entered. This was a puzzling feeling for me, especially because I had witnessed such terrible and tragic circumstances. I wondered if I was cold-hearted when I left the AIDS home more happy then when I entered. This hopefulness was due to the empowerment that I saw in the individuals there. They were not poor in spirit or ability. Rather, they had grasped unto their resources and what they were capable of as a community and empowered themselves. They had recognized the power, talent, and activism within themselves needed to change their own story. This sustainable empowerment made all the difference.
|
The Ugliest Thing I Have Ever Seen
Some say that we must build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Apparently they are unaware that a wall already exists. A very large, tall, ugly wall. There are other walls two, about three more, spaced out a few hundred feet behind it. But there is also an ocean. A beautiful, humbling ocean that stretches out to the horizon. This ocean is the epitome of all that is good and free and right. And yet, it is severed. It is severed by an ugly wall that juxtaposes the free-flowing, just ocean with the steel hardness of human misconception and shortsightedness. The water seemed to laugh at the people trapped on one side of the beach as it easily flowed from one side of the wall to the other. I put my foot in the gap in the wall and touched the hard metal that was considered more powerful and authoritative than the love of families, friends and futures. It was in that moment, as I looked at a flower that was left in the wall for a fallen migrant, that I realized the small-minded priorities of many people and governments. Policies, land and taxes are simply a side affect of our efforts to live fully. However, prioritizing politics over people misses the fact that we only have so much time to live the life we are given. We can plan for the future and the betterment of our "people" but who are we casting aside in this process? After all, the future is now.
|
|