From Tapachula to San Caralampio -- update from Riley

Tapachula was a powerful experience for everyone, and they said that it made the border in the north seem so much clearer and the walls so much higher. I gained a new appreciation for what Central Americans endure to arrive in the US and felt nothing but awe for the people making that journey.
After Tapachula we went on to spend 3 days in San Caralampio, an ejido that was established in the 1930s and whose small farmers have grown corn there for decades. Not only were the people wonderful to be with, they also told us many stories about how their livelihoods have been affected by NAFTA and corn imports, while their families and communities are severely impacted the high number of people migrating north. During a meeting with 25-30 youth from the community, mainly teenagers, all of them knew somebody in the US, several had already worked in the US, and a majority planned to migrate there in the future. We were certainly able to see how difficult it was for community leaders to organize in light of the emigration of young men and women, and how family, culture, and tradition were being uprooted by current economic models.

Next stop: Tapachula --Casa Belen and Padre Flor

We took a flight to Chiapas from Mexico City on Friday and were greeted by Julio, our driver and our new favorite person. He drove us to Tapachula, a city near the border between Guatemala and Mexico. Upon entering the city, we were approached by a young man missing both forearms. He approached our group with a donation bag, which held with his elbows. Julio said that he had most definitely lost his arms to the trains that many migrants catch to make their way through Mexico. (Each time we visited the city, we saw many people with missing limbs, asking for money.) That first day, we went shopping for food to bring to the migrant shelter called Casa Belen where we would stay for two nights. Riley went to find water jugs and met us back at the van, arriving in style in the passenger seat of a huge semi truck full of water jugs. It was a big day for Riley.

When we arrived to Casa Belen, we were greeted by Padre Flor, the founder of Casa Belen and a Scalabrini priest who has received international recognition for his human rights work. Padre Flor is a small, barefoot, Italian man with a huge personality. His wears a long white robe and has a long white beard. He wears a large cross tucked into his belt (which someone once said is like a weapon in its holster). During our stay we had two long talks with Padre Flor in which he described his history, the history of immigration, and what sustains him in this difficult line of work. He told us many stories of the people he sees come through the shelter and says that people are forced to make up reasons to have faith and to persevere. During mass, he reminded everyone that their dignity as human beings is not determined by documents. Several migrants took communion, and as Miriam put it, it was very moving to see people take communion as if
to carry with them not only Jesus but also beauty and comfort on their long journey.

We ate meals with the migrants and if I could, I would retell the names and stories of everyone we met. Instead I’ll introduce Antonio, a young guy from El Salvador who had started his journey the day before we sat down with him at dinner. Throughout dinner he would look away, and I noticed his eyes welling up with tears. When the rest of the men left the table, he told us how much he hated to eat because he could not help but think of his 2 kids who wake up not knowing if they will eat that day. He has a 10 year old and a 9 year old who has
Downs Syndrome. He told us how nice it was to eat with us and thanked us for being kind. For Jessye, it was painful to know that he believed in the kindness of others and that such a sacred faith in humanity would probably not survive his journey to the States.

At night, we slept in rooms designated for human trafficking victims in bunk beds donated by USAID. It was strange to sleep in the beds where other women our age had fallen asleep with vastly different thoughts, realities, and nightmares that we could never understand. While moving into the shelter for 2 days and living with migrants has given us new insight that books and articles never could, we all know there is still much to learn and much to see before we can begin to understand the struggle to live that men and women face as transborder migrants.

First stop: Mexico City. Contextualizing the roots of migration.

Hello, my name is Vivian Gentry. I go to Oberlin College in Ohio and am originally from Chicago. Despite my Chicago roots, I’ve spent a good chunk of my life in Mexico City. My mother moved from Mexico City to Chicago around 1980, so our family has frequently gone back to visit. I’ve had a chance to see Mexico City through my family’s eyes –what their daily life is like. On this trip, however, I’ve had the chance to see it in a very different light. First, by where our group stayed. An international hostel right off the Zocalo, or main square, is definitely not what I’m used to. In addition to the location still foreign to me after all these years, through the Border Studies Program I was able to see the city in a completely different way –one that I know I’ll explore further in the future.
In our time there, we went to the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico to talk with professors and students on the campus mall about Mexico’s economy and external debt. We also visited museums that taught us not only about Diego Rivera’s murals and their historical context, but also about student movements within Mexico. Frida, our wonderful guide, was able to give us a very full history of the student movements of the late 1960s as well as those between 1999 and 2000 through both her personal experiences as well as those of her family and friends. Their stories were very important to understand how the government’s view of students is applied today.
We also went to a press conference for the release of a book, which documents how Walmart has abused Mexico’s people economically, physically, and mentally. After the conference we had the privilege to meet with the director of PRODESC, the Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Project, who participated in the investigation and writing of this book. The organization does amazing work throughout the country, and we were all completely impressed and humbled by the work they’ve already done.
Looking back, our time in Mexico City was very useful in navigating the rest of the country’s economic structure, and understanding how policies have been implemented, especially here in Chiapas, where I’m writing this entry. I’m glad to have had the chance to see Mexico City in a new way. Going back now is going to be so much more exciting than just a family trip. Frida, our guide, and all the people we spoke with truly have enriched my understanding of the massive city that is Mexico City, D.F.