Todavia estoy aprendiendo...

While I am only here for 14(yikes) more days, I am still learning about the services here in Nogales for migrants and what the future holds in store for Nogales.


Sister Engracia invited me to accompany her to a meeting amongst all of the service providers in Nogales that work with the migrant population. Grupo BETA, the shelters, the Mexican Consulate, the bus companies, the people that work with the deported children, everyone was there. It was the yearly meeting to discuss the year and what kind of plans are in store. I really wish I had been at this meeting last year or at least before I arrived to Nogales. One very significant thing that is going to happen that I cannot wait to return and see is the development of a shelter/comedor right at the exit of the gate that will welcome the migrants as soon as they are deported. What I found yesterday was that while there are many services for the migrants here, they are so spread out that often migrants miss them completely. The construction of this complex will be a great addition to Nogales. Further Kino will be the comedor, which is great great.


A City Year shirt! I am happy to see that they are going some where. I remeber in Cleveland there were literally hundreds of shirts just like this one siting in the office basement beacuse we were not aloud to pass them on beacuse they had already been branded. Right on to whoever donated this one. It ended up with a really really nice guy who, after two days of trying, finally connected with his mother in Michoacan and headed home yeserday.


Thanks mom and dad for the jacket... Its cold.

So while I do my best to trust everyone and while I would like to think that everyone has good intentions... Anyway, the other evening a man came to the comedor and told us that he and his wife arrived to Nogales a month ago from Gurrero with the intention to cross the border. He said she was pregnant when they arrived and the day after they arrived she had two twins. He said he had been working selling newspapers while they were staying in a cheap room but that selling newspapers was not enough to get by. He asked us for some food. Engracia and I drove him home with the food and he ran in the room while we waited outside. He came back out (without the food) and said that the wife took the kids to the hospital. Of course we were suspisious, but what could we say? We returned the next day in the moring and chatted with a neighbor who unfrtunatly told us that the man is rather flojo (sleezy) and there was no wife or kids. When I asked the man if he works in Nogales, the man told us yes, he works, but for the mafia so for that reason he was around to chat. I guess a sixteen year old looking gringo and a nun are not threatening enough to deter one from telling his their true profession...


They have a Lunetas candy here! Montse told me she was looking everywhere for them. Eventually she found them and bought a bunch. They are like m&ms.


This group has been incredible. Everyother Sunday they supply the food. They are incredibly nice. While serving they take the time to sit with the migrants and chat and share a meal with them.

16th Edition of the Newsletter:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/65800551/UPC-12-7

And other sad news is that Nestor is heading out on Wednesday. He is headed back to Jalisco for the holidays and then he tells me that he is going to try and make his way to New York. Grandma and grandpa, think we have a room for him?