Immigration Reflection

This past April (with Sinclair), I traveled to Nogales, Mexico to study immigration issues around the border. Staying with a local organization, I experienced the borderlands first-hand, walking the same trails that immigrants walk to safety and hope. The experience changed my perspective of the Spanish culture and humanity in-general.

Before the trip I had no personal experience with Spanish culture and never been outside of the country, although I always wished to. When the opportunity presented itself, I did not hesitate. However, I must admit that I was nervous to travel to another country which has different languages, dietary habits, backgrounds, and been portrayed by the media as dangerous. I have always considered myself as culturally competent, meaning I always seek to learn

Everyone was incredibly nice and always smiling, the only reason I say uncomfortable is because I wanted to understand what they were saying. An interpreter was along with us the entire trip, and I learned the ethics of using someone to interpret a conversation. While the native would speak, I kept eye-contact with them as the interpreter spoke the statement in english. When I responded, I addressed the question to the native, not the interpreter. Along with this, we would use nonverbal communication gestures such as nodding or shaking your head, and smiling of course.

If I were to travel back to Nogales after my Spanish education, the experience would change. Just the simple phrases of greeting and answering would make a huge difference in making a connection with the locals. Also, while out in the borderlands of the Sonoran desert, we left packages of food and water. On the water jugs our interpreter told us how to write encouraging messages in Spanish. The experience of writing the messages in my own words, and understanding the meaning, would have made it much more