Day 8: Juárez

I had a day off today, so three other volunteers and I went down to Juárez for the day. 

It's a busy city, with pastel walls of different colors, honking cars, and street vendors. We had tacos and enchiladas for lunch and then walked through the feria. The feria is a maze of small tents selling necklaces, mugs, sombreros, cakes, donuts, belts, chicks, rabbits, and more. 

The sun is so strong that it's almost impossible not to stop and buy helado, or a heaping cup of fresh pineapple or mango. 

All around the city there are pictures of the famous gay Mexican singer Juan Gabriel, who is from Juárez. Nicknamed "Juanga" or "El Divo de Juárez" he's known throughout Central and South America for his flamboyant style, which broke barriers in Latin American music. 

Two of my fellow volunteers (from Bolivia and Columbia) told me that everyone is always listening to him. Sad, happy, anxious or mellow—Gabriel is what is playing. 

My friend from Columbia said that all of Latin America mourned when he passed away in 2016. The night he died, her mother drank two bottles of tequila. 

To get into the city, we parked on the El Paso side and then walked over the pedestrian bridge. Unsurprisingly, it's a lot easier to get into Mexico than to get into the United States. 

On the way back, we were interrogated by military border patrol officers. I was shocked by how harsh they were towards us. They were suspicious, curt, and unforgiving. One officer sniffed my friend's back to make sure that she didn't smell like weed, even after she told him that she didn't smoke. 

Above all, I felt a little guilty to be enjoying a meal and walking around like a tourist, knowing that there are hundreds of people who I'll be meeting tomorrow that have been forced to spend months in the detention center. They've been treated like animals, only to be spit out into an unfamiliar and often unwelcoming world.

In this field of work, it sometimes feels like there's almost no way for the body to protect itself from burnout and the burden of the world's immense suffering. 


(A mural of Juan Gabriel.) 

Comments

  1. hmcdJune 2, 2021 at 7:27 AM

    Amazing photo! Moving commentary! I have never been to Juarez and this gives me a good introduction. I can only imagine the juxtaposition of working at the center and then having time off and trying to enjoy yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. outdoor59June 2, 2021 at 1:53 PM

    Thanks for sharing, Nell. I'm sorry you feel guilty, and also I can understand how frustrating it must be to witness the abuse our fellow human beings face at the border. May the fact that you are doing important and wonderful work bring you comfort when you are feeling low and overwhelmed.

    ReplyDelete

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