With my last blog, I just jumped right in. I offered no explanation for why my blog exists and what I want to do with it over this semester. So that’s what I’m here to do. The name, Living on the Line, refers to growing up in a border town.
Growing up, I did realize that living where I did provided me with many unique experiences. I guess just how different life in a border town can be didn’t really hit me until I moved away. So I’d like to use this semester to dig into some of those differences. In my last blog I talked my experiences with illegal immigrants. But, constantly seeing illegal immigrants is only one of the many, many parts of living on the border.
There are so many things I could write about:
Attending the public schools in Bisbee was quite an experience. Being white made me the minority. I faced racial discrimination, and had to constantly defend myself- verbally and sometimes physically because I was a “white girl.”
Throughout my high school life I saw more drugs than what I now realize is normal for a high school student. The drug culture is huge in most border towns and even as a young girl it was hard to avoid.
The opportunities to experience another culture are everywhere. From going over to Mexico to get lunch on a weekend afternoon, to participating in a middle school exchange program with students in Mexico, to learning the language, living on the border lets you see Mexico in a way others can’t. And let’s not forget about the food. The authentic Mexican food cooked by my friend’s mothers just can’t be topped.
As 16 year old kids we could drive across the border and go to clubs at all hours of the night. The dangers we faced there were very real and when I look back on those experiences, I’m surprised nobody ever got hurt.
Those topics are just a few I would like to cover this semester. If there are any others that you readers would like to hear about, just let me know.
1 comment:
I grew up in the midwest and don't really know what the border looks like. Can you describe the border near your house. . . Is there a fence, wall, soldiers in a row or maybe just a line in the sand?
Do you feel Homeland security has made a difference in Bisbee?
Could you paint me a picture of what school was like growing up? From kindergarden to highschool graduation, I am interested in both academic and extracurricular opportunities. What kinds of games did you play at recess? Were your teachers white? Were classes taught in english? Was there an ESL program? Was US history an important subject? Did you learn anything about the history of Mexico? Did your school offer any music programs and if so what were they like?
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