Impressions of the Border

The border region is very unique in that it incorporates both Mexico and The United States and also reflects something transcending both nations.  I'm not sure if that makes sense, but because of the fusion of cultures and the transit between the two countries, both sides of the border have become a culture of "mixture" - of division and inclusion.  Getting to know this region has been eye opening, interesting...

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El Paso

On Friday (9/21) we visited El Paso to participate in events, sponsored by UTEP, honoring the International Day of Peace. We started the day by watching the documentary, Which Way Home. We then attended a film preview and discussion exploring the violence in Ciudad Juarez. After that we helped with a public art project. Finally, we visited UTEP's Centennial museum. All in all, a great day. Below are some pictures. Taken near the UTEP campus,...

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Hiking the Organ Mountains

These are pictures we took while hiking on Saturday (9/22/12).  We drove across the Organ Mountains to their eastern side and hiked up Baylor Pass via Aguirre Springs. Pretty spectacular views in all directions -- and downright amazing that the trail head is a short, 20 minute drive from our house. We did see a snake on the return hike, our first sighting.  Probably not a rattler.  Eyes peeled. Running...

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Visions

Not the kind that happen under the influence, or during deep meditation, or from heat exhaustion ... I'm thinking about my recent experiences developing relationships with community leaders and brainstorming how to make the "center" I'm working for, Peace Village of Las Cruces, blossom.  I've only ever worked with established organizations.  And while Peace Camp, a program run by Peace Village, is fully functional and well supported, Peace Village exists more or less as a vision -- which an evolving network of visionary types is trying to create, in flesh and bone. This is one of the...

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Boggle and Friends

I was riding my bike back to work from lunch the other day, a little disoriented from a few too many soft tacos.  About a hundred yards from Peace Lutheran -- the church where I have my office -- I heard yap yap yap yap and all of a sudden two little fury, sausage-sized dogs -- they reminded me of lil' smokies -- came running at me something fierce.  I started laughing 'cause it seemed so silly: I thought they'd stop short at the edge of their yard.  No, oh no, they were busting loose, on a tear, running for my ankles.  Meanwhile I'm pedaling along, still not worried, until...

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The Bitaba Bird

So one of my housemates was looking up reading resources for her students and she came across this kid's story with voice.  Check it out: http://www.magickeys.com/books/bitaba/index.html Kinda weird, kinda weird ... Tuc...

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Hikes and Haikus

About 4 miles from our house sits A mountain, kinda like a chubby middle-schooler.  Relatively small compared to some of the other peaks in the region, but it's close and offers a pretty cool view of Las Cruces.  The hike up is actually fairly strenuous: a lot of scrambling and steep pitches.  Near the top I'm usually breathing heavily. 1,000 feet increase in elevation, leveling off at around 5,100. Not much to look at along the path. Mostly rock, some scrub, a few desert rodents darting away, too swift for me to recognize or name (The squirrels down here are light brown and remarkably...

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Community Bonding

So, this weekend we had an amazing opportunity to get to know our fellow volunteers and the community that helps support us while we are here.  As most of you know we are participating in a volunteer program (Border Servant Corps) that is based out of Las Cruces and funded by the Peace Lutheran Church.  BSC is a small organization and up until this year only had two houses of volunteers - one in El Paso and one in Las Cruces.  This...

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Cliff Dwellings

Two weekends ago we participated in a BSC community retreat in Silver City, NM.  Silver City is in southwestern New Mexico and is right outside of the Gila National Forest.  It was a really cute town with an old main street and a lot of small local stores.   The best part however was when we left Silver City we drove into the national forest and visited the cliff dwellings.  First, the Gila wilderness was absolutely...

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Emily's Work

So, It has taken a bit to figure out what exactly I will be doing, but I finally feel like I have a handle on it.  I am working with a community organizing agency called Colonias Development Council. This agency historically has worked in the regions around the border called colonias, to develop affordable housing, infrastructure such as roads, potable and waste water systems.  Colonias are the "towns" or areas along the border which lack basic infrastructure or political recognition.  In historical colonias, small house-size plots of land were sold to individual families by developers...

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Tucker's Work

I'm a program coordinator at Peace Village Las Cruces.  It's a fairly small organization.  I'm currently the only employee, though the board is seeking an executive director -- more of a part-time position -- to help with grant writing and public relations. I love my job.  In the past two weeks I've been thrust into community organizing, curriculum development, program mission re-visioning, and group facilitation. Peace Village was the brain child of three locals who'd visited a youth camp in Ruidoso, NM back in 2006 (I think).  They imagined the possibility of starting up...

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Nuestra Casa

 Our House  We are living in a small white stucco house directly across from the Catholic Cathedral.  It's a new house to Border Servant Corps so we are still collecting house items and working out kinks (like getting internet access). We are living with three other wonderful house mates - Amy, Steve, and Maria.   I took some pictures of the house so you can get a feel for our daily lives.  The House The Kitchen...

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The Trip South and West

The Trip South and West Emily – So we’ve made it to Las Cruces, and the journey was definitely an experience. We were blessed to start out our trip with a wedding. My sister Mary was married to Bon on Saturday, August 11 in Ashville, NC. Upon leaving Baltimore we made our way to Raleigh where we helped prepare for the wedding with my family and then were able to spend an amazing weekend in Ashville celebrating their union. The wedding was on this...

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