adventures in tejas

Hello Maryland. It's day five here in sunny El Paso. I have to say that I am in love with this trip.

Yesterday was our free day, so we went out to explore the ciudad (city). We walked down through downtown El Paso to do some shopping. The stores were like the stores you would find in Mexico- doors open, shoes, clothes hanging on the outside. As we walked by sometimes they would say "jóvenes pásale" (inviting to come in and shop at their store). It was just cool to get a little taste of the Mexican language and slang.
At one point we were right next to the border. There was a long line of cars waiting to enter into the U.S. A lot of times I forget that there are people that come in and out of the U.S. on a daily basis for work or whatever reason. There were also people walking back towards the border after shopping, working, or maybe visiting family or friends (or so I imagine).
The idea of the border really blows my mind. It's an arbitrary line.. to quote Aida (a fellow AWB-er) "how many people had to die in order for the line to be where it is versus ten or fifty miles north?" It's literally a fence, like one in your backyard (minus the barbwire and electricity) that separates us from a whole people. It's just a crazy idea to think what it would be like if there was no need for the border. I mean, I understand the need for the border and regulating immigration but the thought people would have their basic needs and freedom to the extent that they would leave their lives behind in hopes for a better life.
In other news... after shopping and lunch we went to the museum of art. There was art from the renaissance to baroque to modern times. The best part was at the very end.. I entered the gifts shop and there it was: The Peace Book. It was a children's book that goes through different examples of what peace is. For example, "peace is everyone having a home" or "peace is making new friends." Legitimately, it brought a tear to my eyeball.
Later last night we went to a local restaurant called Little Diner. We had a good laugh trying to find the place. We used Tom Tom (our GPS) and one of the roads we were on was closed, so it took us through some sketchy, unlit back roads. In the end we stuffed ourselves with, for the most part, delicious and greasy Mexican food.
I love that we're such a diverse group of girls and that we've gotten to grow and know each other so quickly.
There's so much more to learn and I'm excited to do it.


Quote of the Day:
Women at the Toolbox, "This day '88, this day '88"