Monday, April 27, 2009

Goodbye!

It is hard to believe that a semester has already passed since I started this blog. What began as a school project will most definitely end with this semester. Keeping a blog for Borderbeat has been a difficult part of the class because I'm not a big blogger. Sure, I'll read an interesting post when they surface but I don't subscribe to blogs religiously. I really enjoyed some of the people I met and places I traveled for this class though.

Whether I was talking to coffee roasters in Mexico or a Panama hat finisher in Bisbee, Ariz., I was having a great time. The people I interviewed were so ready to tell their stories that I was grateful to be able to listen. Sometimes the road trips got a little tedious, especially when I traveled on unpaved roads (see photo on right), but it was still always fun.

The best part about Borderbeat is the fact that everyone contributed in their own way. I was able to write story packages that I am proud of (see links in previous paragraph). They include audio, video, still photography and text. I'm really excited because this is what I hoped to accomplish in this class! In addition, I have been told by readers that the topics I chose to write about are interesting. This is exciting to hear because the number one goal in journalism is to write something that people want to read.

For all of those future Borderbeat stars, good luck. Remember to write about things that interest you. If you do that, you will never have problems meeting your deadlines. If you start writing about things that bore you, your readers will know and become less interested in your words!

Monday, April 20, 2009

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

A few weeks ago I traveled to Ruby, Ariz. to check out an old ghost town. It turns out Ruby is the second most well preserved ghost town in the state, which is saying something because Arizona has over 275 of them! I spent the whole afternoon talking with Sundog, the current caretaker of the town.
He lives alone on the property without electricity or running water, and the two lakes in town are the only reason he can handle the heat of the desert, especially during the summer. Ruby is just four miles north of the Mexico border and Sundog had quite a few interesting stories to tell us about the area.

"It's still a pretty crazy neighborhood," said Sundog. "Three big drug cartels in this area are fighting for territory. They still have shootouts."

The day we visited Sundog had been woken up by some Mexican immigrants walking through the desert trying to enter the United States illegally. It's a common occurrence for the caretaker, who said that there are well established routes through the mountains in the area.

In fact, Samaritans, a humanitarian group dedicated to saving lives of migrants in Arizona, supplies Sundog with food packets and water to give to suffering travelers.




"I'm always good for food, water and directions," he said, adding that, "People who actually come to the house need some help. Some walk for days to get here."



Sundog seemed a little bit disgruntled about being woken up that morning, but he didn't hold a grudge. Born in California in 1957, he remembers never feeling very comfortable in his hometown of Los Angeles. He left in the late 1980's to travel for about 14 years. During his Mexico travels he remembers having a lot of fun.

"I got treated like royalty everywhere I went," said Sundog. "The Mexican people are the sweetest people on Earth." Sundog credits these experiences with why he has so much sympathy for the migrants he encounters. His story serves as a great example of why you should respect people from all over, no matter where you are, because you never know when it's going to come back around.

Monday, April 6, 2009

St. Andrew's Clinic



Last week I had the opportunity to witness a gathering of physicians, volunteers, and medical patients who traveled to Nogales, Arizona for a medical clinic that happens once a month. The Saint Andrew's Children's Clinic is probably one of the most amazing things I have seen. For one day, the Church turns into a hospital. Children from Mexico are allowed to cross the border for a day to receive important medical attention that they may otherwise not have an opportunity to get. Here are a few photos from the day:This is Juan Cuadras Ballori, 10. He and his mother, Maria, travel to the clinic every month from Rocky Point. They have been doing this for six years. I spent a lot of time with him on Thursday, and was disappointed when the hearing aide he was supposed recieve was not ready. To read more about this check out my future story on Borderbeat.

I hung out with a lot of kids at this clinic. It was so fun to see how happy they are, but sad to watch a boy crawling on the floor because his family can't afford a wheel chair of crutches. It was a very enlightening experience and awesome to see all different people coming together to help these children who are in need.