When I first came to Arizona, I had a different take on things than I do now. I’ve grown up hearing the horror stories from my family: a child murdered and stuffed with cocaine to smuggle it across the border; women kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery; blood and bullets being shed on the streets. I was told the stories, and I saw the media coverage, and I felt that something was not quite right with this generalization about the migrants- that the majority of them were drug smuggling criminals- but had no real evidence to back it up, so I assumed.

I found myself in heated debates- one minute standing up for undocumented immigrants, and the next criticizing and judging them for the statistics that a news channel would plant in my brain. I couldn’t make up my mind; I was sitting on the fence between judgment and empathy, and I needed to make up my mind. So I came to Arizona.

-          Lauren

Before we came to Tucson I saw things on the news that only talked about migrants being illegal. According to the media, migrants were making our country worse. I thought, along with most of the other kids in Pocahontas County (where I live), that only drug dealers and smugglers were coming across. I was misinformed—now I realize that it is mostly people coming for jobs and to make a better life. Now I want to inform, and to abolish misinformation about migrants from Mexico or Central and South America. Our group took a leap of faith to come down here and I want to help
others in my community do the same, to take a leap of faith. … My family was scared for me to be a part of this trip because I would be so close to Mexico. They were afraid because I am not yet a citizen of the United States. I am a citizen of Jamaica, and I have a permanent resident’s card. My family feared that I would come across difficulties with border patrol. They are also afraid because I would be so far away from home. And the other girls that came with me on this trip, their families were scared of them coming to Arizona. And the girls themselves were afraid, especially at the beginning of the trip. As time progressed we became more comfortable and we realized that there was no reason to be fearful or scared. - Moniefia

After breakfast we all participated in a group discussion and discussed the history of Arizona. We then set off to check out the Old Pascua Yaqui Pueblo. There is not a set time when the activities happen. Their culture is not based around western time. Nothing was happening when we passed by so we decided to drive to the Arizona/Sonora Desert Museum. On the trip to the museum we drove over a hill and were all in shock from the beautiful view. We were looking down across the Sonora Desert. We pulled over so we could take in the beauty and capture the moment.

Once we arrived at the museum we broke up into groups to explore the trails. Along the trails there was a variety of plant life and exhibits of animals. We were able to witness natural habitat, coyotes, prairie dogs, an otter, lizards, birds, tanks of fish and shark, and snakes.

After a long morning we ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant called La Cazuelita. However, it’s all easier said than done. As we drove down the freeway, Lauren’s eyes narrowed and her nose twitched as she spotted the brightly painted restaurant sign. “There!” she shouted, and Sarah Riley agreed that we should eat there. As the girls are made to navigate through Arizona on this trip, if we do not make a specific command to the driver on where to go, she will continue in the direction already being taken, even if it is off the nearest cliff. Assuming that Amy (the driver) would make a right turn in the direction of the restaurant with our enthusiastic chants for food, we said nothing and she continued down the interstate. After about 15 minutes of weaving back through the city and being on the brink of mutiny, we made it to our destination. The food was awesome and we were all overly stuffed after the meal. The service was extremely friendly and the restaurant had a familial air about it. It was very enjoyable and well worth the wait.

After that, we were on our way to the San Xavier Mission. ( Pronounced Ex-ay-vee-er or Hov-ee-air? You decide.)  The ride was calm, with about 45 minutes on the highway before we followed a bumpy dirt road that eventually led back to the mission. We were all bouncing g out of our seats and nearly hitting our heads on the ceiling with Amy Cole’s skilled driving.  When we finally pulled into a lot to park, we spotted the mission. Many of us had never been to a mission before, and we were all a little surprised at just how beautiful it was.  It stood, silently beautiful, as if in a painting. The orange and brown hues of the desert provided a backdrop for this work of art. After milling around the front of the mission for a while, we decided to go inside.

-          Lauren/ Amy