Hey everyone! It is hard to believe that we really only have one day left in Denver. Our schedules have been so packed with activities that it is all quickly becoming a blur. Before I came here, I was busy preparing for college and taking four-hour language placement tests. I thought I would get a break from that, but yesterday, I realized that was not the case. In one of my favorite experiences of this trip, I found myself standing with two Hispanic day laborers on a street corner, speaking entirely in Spanish. We were delivering Mexican pastries and water to a group of laborers waiting for work on the street. Our task was to interact with them, and to listen to their stories. This was a problem for most people in our group, since almost all of the laborers spoke only stilted English. Though I was initially nervous, it took only a few moments before I was deep in conversation with two laborers, who seemed relieved that I could speak with them in their first language. The ensuing conversation was fascinating. Both men were illegal immigrants, who had come from Mexico because they could not find work there. One of them had lived in Arizona for six months, but he left recently because of his fear of 1070. I got to hear about their views about corruption within the Mexican government and police. We talked about the economy, about the extensive Mexican cartel problems, and about their struggles to learn English. On last year’s mission trip, the one thing that we all regretted was that we never got to speak to actual illegal immigrants. Yesterday, I felt like I finally got to complete that experience. I am so excited that I could truly communicate with them, after studying Spanish for so long in high school, and I am grateful that they were willing to share their stories.
Meredith Jackson, ‘10
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