es Program commenced on Saturday, August 16 with the arrival of all the students into Tucson. Some arrived wide-eyed, others were simply exhausted from the flight. They all, however, arrived excited and eager to begin the first week of the program, which is dedicated to program orientation. During the week, the students embarked on a number of adventures – the week
felt like summer camp at times and like an intense delegation at others. The students got to know each other very well throughout the week as they lived together at the Border Links dorms in Tucson, Arizona and at La Casa de Misericordia in Nogales, Sonora. The week allowed the students to spend an amount of time together that they will not have again for the rest of the semester. It also enabled them to build their support networks.
The week of orientation was divided between time in Tucson, AZ and time in ambos ("both") Nogales. Orientation began with a number of the students going on a desert hike. The “official” events kicked off with a very special, detailed tour of the city by Bruce Bedeman and Carlos Lozano of the Tucson Historical Society. Other activities included a tour of the University of Arizona, meetings at the school of Public Health and the Center for Latin American Studies at U of A, a Tucson bus scavenger hunt, team building activities with a BSP alum, a pitch-in dinner hosted by our new friends in Tucson, and a number of great breakfasts, lunches, and dinners shared over great conversation.
Mid-week we packed our bags and headed to ambos Nogales. As we drove into Nogales, AZ we were met by a wall that divides two cities of the same name and two nations. Most of us were introduced to the wall for the first time that day, and that introduction sparked conversations about, among many other things, new awakenings and new realizations, freedom of movement, and the relationship between the United States and Mexico.Activities in Nogales included a number of important meetings. We first met with Teresa Leal, a border activist from the Pimería Alta Historical Society and then headed across the b
order to meet with Alberto Morakis and Guadalupe Serrano, internationally known artists and sculptors. Morakis and Serrano talked to the students about how liv
ing in the borderlands affects their art and how they use their art to explain the borderlands, the politics of the borderlands, and borderlands culture. Other activities included heading to the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional and meeting the professors and students who the BSPers will be working with during the second-block of the program, touring a colonia and being introduced to a number of environmental sustainability projects, and yes, eating more delicious meals. Time in Nogales culminated with a comparative shopping experience, in which the students compared the prices of consumer goods in a variety of tiendas and supermarkets in both ambos Nogales and Tucson. They made their way back to Tucson on their own and returned well-oriented and ready to embark on what will be, for most, a very influential life experience and one of the most challenging semesters of college.The grand finale
of the week was meeting the host families. We finished the week with a beautiful pitch-in dinner hosted by one of the mothe
rs. The students got to know their new families, eat some great food, and we also celebrated Rachel’s (Earlham) 20th birthday as her host mother brought her a birthday cake. The night ended with each student going their separate ways with their host families.Orientation went off without a hitch, and the first week ended with a great group of well-prepared students, happy families, and excited staff!
