Day 9

So we're basically halfway done this trip! I can't believe how quickly it's gone by already! Today was a pretty chill day because after lunch we had free time to do homework and just relax until we went to dinner at 5:45. This morning, however, we went and met a really interesting woman! Her name was Shura, and she was part of the Green Valley Samaritans. The Samaritans believe that providing aid to another human being in distress is a fundamental human value, and that there should be no more deaths in our desert. Their mission is to save lives in the Arizona desert. Shura was this little old lady who co-founded the Samaritans. She showed us a lot of different things that she's found in the desert when looking for migrants to help.

There were items like makeup, water bottles, pictures, shoes and children's clothing. The thing that made her so cool though, was that she told us all about how there are times when she's given a migrant a drive, which is totally against the law! This lady was so cool! The funniest thing she told us though, was how she walks through these towns full of migrants and helps them, and while she's walking through the town she waves to everyone, even the cartels!! We all thought that was hilarious! We're also going to see her again on Saturday when we go to the Border Issues Fair.

After we met Shura, we basically just hung out for some hours! We all went out to get something called a Sonoran dog. What it is, is a hotdog wrapped in bacon, with all these different toppings, in a bun. It was delicious. And I definitely couldn't finish it. Then when we got back we started working on our homework for the night. We also had to start figuring out what we were going to do for our final projects. It was a great time for relaxing and getting work done.

Tonight was special, because we went and had dinner at Casa Mariposa. Casa Mariposa is a part of The Restoration Project community, based in Tucson, and it models just relationships by living in community, sharing resources, living simply, standing in solidarity with those being oppressed, living in harmony with the earth, and being dedicated to peaceful, non-violent resistance. Their vision of how community, hospitality, spirituality, and social justice meet is unique and demonstrated in the work that they do with the Greyhound Project and other activities. We got to eat alongside different members of the community. People we had never met before in our lives, and we felt as though we totally belonged with them! It was another amazing experience and it demonstrated the hope that there is for the migrants that go through the Casa Mariposa. Tomorrow is something we haven't really experienced yet. We're going to visit the Tohono O'odham Nation so I think that will be very interesting! I can't wait!