TUCSON BORDERLANDS YOUNG ADULT VOLUNTEERS

  • Home
  • About
    • Current Volunteers
    • Community Partners
    • 2020 Annual Report
  • Get Involved
  • YAV Stories
  • Donate
  • Home
  • About
    • Current Volunteers
    • Community Partners
    • 2020 Annual Report
  • Get Involved
  • YAV Stories
  • Donate

In Your Face - Jake 

3/30/2016

0 Comments

 
It always amazes me how the smallest interactions can often be the ones that teach us the most. These small things can almost smack you in the face with how real and unexpected they are. If you’re curious as to what privilege is, this is it.

About a month ago I was in our local grocery store buying some snacks before the bus came by (confession, I’m addicted to Mexican cookies). I went through the line like it was any other day that I needed my cookie fix. I went to the cashier and began speaking to her in Spanish, as is the norm here. Then, to my surprise, the cashier responded to me in perfect English. She asked me where I was from and why I was living here in Mexico. I explained a little bit about Frontera de Cristo and the work we do here on the border. After hearing about our work, she shared with me how she had been living in the US for the majority of her life. She shared how her family still lived there and how she had recently been repatriated to Agua Prieta and how much she missed them. Afterwards I shared a little bit about our Migrant Resource Center and told her that if she needed anything or was curious about something, we would be there to try and help.

Fast forward to today. I had seen our friendly cashier (I’m ashamed to admit I still don’t know her name) and few times and always shared some words with her. Today when I saw her, I asked her how she was doing. She shared how there were good days and bad days, and how she missed her family. She didn’t know if she was still unused to living in Mexico and life here, or if she just missed her family an incredible amount, or if it was a combination of both. She shared with me how it was tough for her because she couldn’t escape it. She is unable to leave and take a vacation and see them to rejuvenate. She told me “It’s different for you. You can just leave and say you’re gonna go for a month and then come back. You can do what you want.” And she’s right. Because of where I was born, because of my fancy passport, I can go home whenever I want and see my family. Hell, I can go across into Douglas to spend some time in Wal-mart if life here is getting to be overwhelming. It’s so easy for me. Because I’m lucky enough to have that privilege, I was conveniently born in the US.
​
There are thousands of people like my friendly cashier. People who are as unused to Mexico as I was when I first moved here, regardless of being born here. And all they want is to see their families and be with those they love. Remember that when you choose a candidate and hear their plan for immigration. Remember that when you see your family and are able to hug them. And remember that when you look down at your passport or birth certificate showing you as an American. Remember that regardless of where we are born or what language we speak, we all have families. And we want to be with them and see them. And be sure to pay attention to the little things. Because you never know when they might teach you a major life lesson.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    2017 2018
    2017-2018
    Agua Prieta
    Biking
    Border
    BorderLinks
    CHRPA
    Colonization
    Community
    Community Food Bank
    CRREDA
    Deportation
    Desert
    Education
    Emily Oshinskie
    Expectations
    Faith
    Flash Blog
    Florence Project
    Frontera De Cristo
    Grace Dover
    Hospitality
    House Of Neighborly Service
    Immigration Detention
    Iskashitaa
    Jake Crowther
    Justice
    Keep Tucson Together
    LGBTQ
    Migrant Resource Center
    Migration
    Militarization
    Pandemic
    Posts In Spanish
    Primavera Foundation
    Privilege
    Race
    Refugee
    Sermon
    Sojourn
    Southside Presbyterian Church
    Spiritual Practice
    The Inn
    Tucson
    YAV 2014 2015
    YAV 2015 2016
    YAV 2015-2016
    YAV 2016 2017
    YAV 2016-2017
    YAV 2018 2019
    YAV 2018-2019
    YAV20192020
    YAV Life

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

Tucson Borderlands YAV
Send mail: 400 E University, Tucson, AZ 85705
Call/text: (520) 355-4YAV Email: tucsonborderlandsyav@gmail.com
Connect with us on instagram and facebook: @tucsonyav

Donate
Creative Commons License