Hand Crafted

I thought it was an antiquated custom but my new neighbors had me over for dinner last Saturday so we could get to know each other. Rob and Beatrice are a lovely but unexpected couple. He works for border patrol and she is Mexican and somehow they share an affinity for Rock Climbing. Beatrice and Rob are engaged but she still technically lives across the border. She made the best lasange I've ever had and we watched a rock climbing video and chatted. Their cousin Zira was also there. She is the assistant to the mexican consolate. As soon as they new the photo story I was working on I had a border patrol agent a mexican friend who lived across the border and the assistant to the mexican consolate all offering me tips and advice and help meeting people. What more could a girl ask for?

So today I took Beatrice up on her offer to show me Agua Preita wich is the mexican city on the other side of the border. She drove me around and showed me the hotels where illegals congregate and hire guides to help them cross. She said its impossible to get a taxi for regular used in the city anymore as all the taxis are hired by these hotels to bring would be illegals to the hotel to stay the night.

The best part of the day was not photographing would be illegals before their trek it was visiting Beatrice's home and her father. He has to be the warmest most welcoming man I've met. His business is hand crafting jewelry. You see a picture of a piece you want and he'll make if for you. When he learned I was living alone he said I could join his family. He took us out for lunch at his good friends restaraunt and beamed at every mmmmm yummy noise I made. Then he let me take pictures while he melted gold and stretched it to make the links in a braclet. I think that man gave me more hugs and kisses than I've had in months! Then he gave me a beatiful silver and coral and turquise pendant. I've never gotten a gift like that made by someones own hands and a man I'd just met hours before none the less. Its hard to feel alone anywhere in the world when there are people like Beatrice and her father out there handcrafting a welcome for me.

my wireless world

I found a wireless connection! Of course I have to sit in my car outside a cell phone store to use it but I have a connection to the world now!

Long Lasting Love

Behing stained glass windows this morning I sang what a friend we have in Jesus led by a little old lady with a lovely falseto voice. It reminded me of the little old churches in the mountains of NY. I was one of 5 people without grey hair. Then one of the most seriously uplifting and charming things I've ever experienced happened. The pastor asked for prayer requests and praises. When Miriam stood up slowly and with a quiet voice obviously stunted by a stroke she said, "I want to praise God for my husband I love him." AT this the thin pale elderly man next her turned 3 shades of pink smiled wide and broke out into a deep hearty laugh. It was contagious and soon the somber little curch was struck by the giggles. He softly took her hand and helped her sit down as we all beamed. You could see the flirt in his eyes!

So I just have to join Miriam in praising the Lord for such a long lasting and wonderful couple. I want to be them!

I also have to say yeah for United Grace Methodist church for providing me with my second photo story. I'm going to be working with the pastor and few other visiting American missionaries to do a free dental medical clinic for those just across the border. I'm free to photograph that and all the other small things the church does for those in need in Mexico. They cross over almost daily to bring food and medical supplies. God is good.

edge of civilization

Yesterday I finally met up with a Ranch owner willing to work on my photo story with me. Larry Vance sat me down in his livingroom next to his wife curled up with their dog and told me the border's history as he's lived it for the last 20 some years. I told him straight up that I needed pictures that show his interaction with illegal immagrants to show how it affects him personaly. He insisted that he didn't patrol his land (patroling has gotten a bad rap in the media). But after a few hours of talking he agreed to bring me along in his truck while he and a few of the other ranchers drive around their border land and call in illegal immagrants to the border patrol. Should be a fun and very cold night. Mr.and Mrs. Vance are more of those super friendly nice people I told you about. I show up on their doorstep after a long day of work and he spent a long time warning me about how to stay safe and where not to go. Now if my second story idea pans out this well I'll be rocking it.

Leaving the Vance's ranch I was driving down a dirt road back to the main highway when I drove up to a border patrol officer who'd caught 3 young girls in the desert scrub on the side of the road. They couldn't have been older than 17 but my guess is 15. I stopped to take pictures and the officer said I couldn't take pictures of people's faces. I heard him say that the girl in the middle sobbing into the lap of one of the others was 5-6 months pregnant. I guess she'd wanted to have her child in America. It was heartbreaking to listen to those girls sob, but at the same time I'm glad they were caught because between the three of them I only saw one half liter bottle of water. Too many people die that way in the desert. I snapped off 4 pics when his superior arrived and told me I couldn't take pictures until It'd been cleared with the public affairs officer. Just when I thought I'd learned how to deal with the police the BORDER PATROL puts up a fuss.

I'm off to civilization now. I was told by the Vances that if I drive an hour north to Seirra Vista there is ATT service up there and they can program my phone to work down here in Douglas minus the insane mexican roaming charges. Wish me luck because the trac phone I bought isn't working down here either. It really is the edge of the world. :)

I love AZ

To anyone wondering about me I'm doing great. I've got an apartment in Douglas AZ until Feb. 22. I'm charmed out of my mind by these southern AZ mining towns. The old western buildings, the freaking friendly helpful people, and the fact that there is a mega walmart in the middle of all of it. I'm caught between past and present. I drove up to Bisbee last night to go grocery shopping and I swear it is straight out of a movie set. I'm going to write a whole blog on Bisbee next time I go up there because I think I'm in LOVE! The only problems I'm experiencing have to do with my cell phone. I'm so close to the border ATT thinks I'm in Mexico. So I had to get a pay as you go trac phone for the month. I should be recieving my new phone # within the next few hours. Please don't call me on my old line because the international roaming charges are a kick in the butt.

As far as friendly people go the first day I got here I was driving around looking for apartments. I stopped at a building to look for the rental office when a tenant parked next to me got out of his car and asked me if I needed help. He ended driving all over town while I followed him and showed me every rental in the city who owned it and how much they cost. Just to be nice. He'd been apartment hunting the month before and new all the great places. He even let me use his phone to call the landlords. Then I went to the post office and the postman immediately siad, "You're not from around here are you? Where are you from?" as he shook my hand. I can't believe he either knows the whole town or a stick out that badly. But he proceeded to welcome me to Douglas with excitement. Just a few examples of the niceness everywhere.