Moving forward

I have been thinking a lot about the meaning of my time at Annunciation House and my time on the border.

Could I aguantar el calor...could I stand the heat this summer?

It seems I did.

But I'm realizing that the heat doesn't just exist along the border.

By the heat I am referring to
1)the high temperatures
2)the difficult work
3)the implications that follow from the work



1) It was really hot. We had neither "refrigerated air" nor swamp-cooling.

2) The work itself was challenging. Being on shift for 8 hours at a time, maintaining responsibility for the happenings in the house as well as receiving donations and new guests can be grueling. Oftentimes, the most difficult part for me was telling people at the door that we couldn't help them. Also, finding lunch cooks, but that's another story :-)

3) What does the work mean? Isn't that the question...
The legal implications are certainly precarious. In my opinion, if these things are illegal, then the laws need to be changed and the victims of these unjust laws merit better treatment.

This time on the border has been very important for me. I want to find a way to continue working for this cause. I have so much privilege and I want to be able to help those most desperate get what they need and deserve.

How far am I willing to go, though, and how much of a difference can I realistically make?

For now, I will continue studying, and I am looking forward to working with the other SCB fellows from the US/Mexico border region, as well as with Andrea at Brown (another volunteer) this upcoming semester to at least raise awareness of the issues on campus, and perhaps more.

This might be my last post, although I might also put more text from the July 14th Procession.

A ver
We'll see.