Friday, October 14, 2011

How to create YOUR OWN Esperanza group!


My name is Eric Reutter, and I would like to take a second to tell you how easy it is to form an Esperanza volunteer group. First, I should back up for a moment. I am currently the long-term volunteer in Tijuana, and I have been


When I say that


organizing an Esperanza group is easy I, of course, understand that putting together a volunteer group from the United States to spend a week in Mexico has its inherent challenges. The easy part is that there are so many tools available to those with the desire to bring a

group down.coming down as a participant/l

That is where my job starts. I am here to give the most thorough and complete information to any volunteer with even the slightest inkling of bringing their friends/colleagues/associates down to Tijuana.eader on Esperanza trips for the past 8 years. I am currently the Alumni Trips Coordinator for the Esperanza Alumni Association (EAA). If there is one passion I have in this life, besides being part of bucket lines here in Tijuana, it is for organizing Esperanza volunteer groups.

There are many people who have made such groups, and who have invaluable experiences fundraising, trip-planning, and promoting. All of these leaders have shared with me that

they would be glad to pass on any information to those who would like to form new groups. On top of all that, we have the Esperanza network of volunteers, in which we can help promote and assist the trip process.

Without going further into all the details about planning a trip, I will just say this: If you are like me and have been changed by the Esperanza experience; if you feel like I felt, that you need to share that experience with others: don’t hesitate to act on that impulse.

When I first formed a group I wondered if it would be worth it; if I would recruit enough people or be able to plan everything correctly. When I finally organized a trip and saw how i

t impacted the participants as much as it impacted me, I realized something important. No matter what the uncertainty, having someone’s life dramatically affected by an Esperanza experience is well worth the risk.

-Eric

Contact eric.reutter@esperanzaint.org

Dear Esperanza Alumni,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. My name is Steven Hinderhofer and I am an Esperanza alumnus. I am currently acting as the president of the Esperanza Alumni Association (EAA). Our mission is to to build a network of Esperanza volunteers in order to continue serving the families of Mexico, generate change in our home communities, and foster an environment of global solidarity. Big missions start with small steps. They start with you. If you are reading this newsletter (thanks for doing so) that means that you are most probably an alumnus of a trip to TJ. Whether you were

a group leader, had made several trips, or finally succumb to a
friend begging you to join them, you are an alumnus, and we (Esperanza, Int.) need you. We need you to take a moment and think of your best times in Mexico. We need you to take a moment and remember a time during your stay when everything was perfect. We need you to remember that moment when you sai

d that you were "always going to be here", you were always going to make the trip. We need you to think of those moments and begin to consider how you can help from this side of the border. I was speaking with Eduardo the other night via a Skype conversation. He is working hard, friends, everyday -365 days a year, 110% and doing everything he can with what he is being given. He needs us to be working as hard here on this side of the border. So if you are interested in that kind of work, please join this committee. We aren't looking for folks to balance their life out for this cause, rather to be all in. To plan events, to

gather groups, to donate our hard earned money, to be in TJ on a yearly if not more regular basis. You are "plan A". There is no one else working and thinking like you with your experience. There is no one else organizing groups. There is no one else organizing events in the name of Esperanza. There is no one else speaking to everyone they come in contact with about how they have fallen in love with Mexico and why they need to join you. You are Esperanza Alumni, and we need you. Mexico needs you. The images of the peolpe in your head need you, right now.

Gratefully,

Steve Hinderhofer

alumni@espeanzaint.org

Friday, October 7, 2011

Kelsey Harrington in Tijuana!


This past August I was blessed with the opportunity to work with Esperanza for 2 weeks. It was my seventh time working with Esperanza and my second time staying for two straight weeks. I


Tijuana. It is rejuvenating, inspiring, peaceful, and rewarding. Every time I go I learn something new about myself, about

Mexico, about Esperanza, and remember the peace that comes from a life dedicated to service, hope, and love.love Esperanza and can’t imagine going a year without spending a week or two in

Working with Esperanza for 2 weeks is a unique opportunity. I gained

a greater understanding of the communities that Esperanza serves and

how the organization itself runs. I

also got to see more organizations in Tijuana that serve people and needs that Esperanza cannot serve. I love being able to form stronger bonds and relationships with the community members. They get really excited to see you again on the Monday of the second week, “Otra semana?!?!” (Another week?!) I also gained a greater understanding of the building process of a house over the course of 2 weeks

What made this trip unique from my others was the opportunity to join two independent groups. Two friends and myself joined up with other pe

ople that we didn’t know from Washington, California, and Missouri. I was a little nervous beforehand because I had never gone with people I didn’t know, but all nerves were shattered instantly!! It was such a joy to build relationships with those I was serving with as well as with those I was serving. I got to hear new perspectives on what we were experiencing and see things differently.

It is so cool to think that we are now in our own parts of the United States, carrying the message of Esperanza with us to different neighborhoods a

nd states. We are starting little Esperanza fires all over the country. If you have never gone with an independent group, do it!! It is a new way of experiencing Esperanza and creates lasting friendships with people from around the country, who are carrying the message of Esperanza with them!

2 week trip in Tijuana!



Our lives seem to become so busy that it is easy to forget what we have experienced and live our hectic lives ignoring the issues present in our neighboring country. Esperanza is a program and a community that we cannot forget. I recently spent two weeks in Tijuana, Mexico and it completely solidified the fact that I will continue to make an effort to return to the posada and support the program for many years to come. Esperanza has become so much more than a week spent working on a person’s house. The week spent working is the foundation for bridging two communities. Not only are you given the opportunity to grow within the community of those you traveled to Mexico with, you also begin building relationships with people of a completely different culture.

My two week visit consisted of a different group each week, many of whom I had never met before. Each group had a mix of different ages and different walks of life, yet we melded together well. I gained many long-lasting friendships in each group. I also became closer to those people we interacted with who make up the Esperanza program. I enjoyed listening to their stories, playing with their kids and helping to build their home which they have been waiting so long to accomplish this pivotal moment in their life. It made me feel like these people I had just met were my long lost friends.the foundation for bridging two communities. Not only are you given the opportunity to grow within the community of those you traveled to Mexico with, you also begin building relationships with people of a completely different culture.

One of the most influential parts of this trip was two social occasions that I was involved in while I was there. We went to a Xolos game (the local soccer team) and also went out one night to celebrate a birthday party. During these two events I saw the volunteers and local participants of Esperanza in an environment outside of work. I became highly aware of the fact that even with our cultural differences, we shared the same human nature in the desire to have a good time and enjoy friends. At this moment I thought of all the things I hear at home, in the United States, about the poverty in Tijuana and I realized that while there is visible financial poverty here, there is also a wealth of laughter, dancing, family and friends.

Our cultures are different, but both have something unique to offer one another. Often volunteers begin the week with a feeling of sympathy for the community members, because they are struggling to build a home with less amenities than the homes they are used to in the United States. Yet, in my experience, by the end of the week volunteers don’t leave feeling sympathetic, they leave feeling enriched and with a much greater appreciation for the important things in life; friends and family. They leave feeling as though they have been given something rather than solely giving something.

In conclusion, I have found, the more I visit a place and experience all that it has to offer, the more comfortable I become. Every time I return to Esperanza that familiarity increase, I reconnect with friends and take with me much more than I could possibly give in my time in Tijuana and with the Esperanza program.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

News from Oaxaca


Six months ago, when I was offered a position to coordinate the Esperanza program in Oaxaca, it just felt right to go back to the coast and work on a project I had been part of it’s inception. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Carla Pataky and I am the current coordinator of the Esperanza program in Oaxaca. In 2008 I first arrived in Rio Grande to work on project in which was targeted at empowering teachers to improve the environment through starting projects at their schools. At the
time I was not working with Esperanza but w
as familiar with the work in Tijua
na. A year later, Graciela Bueno- Esperanza’s social worker based in Tijuana joined me in a workshop with teachers in Río Grande, and it was there that the seeds of possibility for Esperanza’s growth in Oaxaca were first planted.

Two short years lat
er, I was asked to help coordinate the efforts of further developing the program in Oaxaca and I am delighted to say that Esperanza has not only been embraced by dozens of families but we now serve 5 separate communities in which are organized by their own leadership committees and community organizers who are
committed to the mission and work of Esperanza. Each community has between 10-15 families that will begin their constructions next year.
What has inspired me most about the Oaxaca people is their sense of belonging. The strong identity they carry themselves with. Beyond the hard work the families have to go through to build their homes, and all the everyday problems the group has to face during the process, the families are grateful and satisfied with their homes.
This week, ten families from Río Grande are beginning the building process and we expect to co
mplete their homes by November.We will be sure to post pictures when the homes are finished! The new staff is great team of local technicians, masons and social workers who are working side by side to make all of this happen.
We now have an office based out of Puerto Escondido and look forward to our first college and high school volunteer groups this Spring. While there may not be a large posada as we find in Tijuana- you are guaranteed a rich and fulfilling experience by working side by side new families of Oaxaca.
I thank all of you who have been involved in the development of this new and exciting program and I invite you all to join us as we continue to explore the opportunities this growth brings.

Sincerely,
Carla Pataky

Wednesday, August 17, 2011


For a group of employees from U.S. Consulate General Tijuana, Saturday, March 5 was not a day of relaxation but rather a day spent in hard work for a good cause. Fifteen American officers and locally employed staff spent the day helping to build a home for a needy family. Along with students from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, the group mixed concrete, transported it by hand, and poured it to create a new floor for what will soon be a brand-new house in the El Niño neighborhood east of Tijuana. For some of the Consulate volunteers, it was their first time visiting the resource-poor neighborhoods to the east of the city and their first time working in hands-on construction. Vice-Consul John Callan organized the event in collaboration with Esperanza International, a Tijuana non-profit organization dedicated to building homes for low-income families. Families who participate in the Esperanza program must own their land, must bewilling to make a small payment each month, and, most importantly, must be willing to assist in the construction of other program participants’ houses. Over the past ten years, Esperanza has helped to construct over five hundred homes in the Tijuana area, but this one was special. The family in question has a teenage son who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and his doctors have said that if he is not provided with a suitable home, his quality of life will be severely diminished. For this reason, Consulate volunteers and university students shoveled sand and gravel, scooped concrete, and hauled it up the hill in plastic buckets to the construction site. “It certainly was a change from our usual office work. I’m sore in a lot of new places,” said one volunteer. “But many of us joined the State Department because we wanted to be of service to others, and projects like this give us the opportunity to serve the people of Tijuana.”

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Exploring Oaxaca and Beyond










Peach’s Blog on Oaxaca Trip

"Esperanza International cultivates global citizenship through international service experiences in working toward a better world."

March 28, 2011


As an intern, I have been invited to observe and research a new study abroad program option with Esperanza International in Oaxaca. To get a good introduction to the work of Esperanza and the missions of Esperanza International (EI) and Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico (FEM), I began with attending the board retreat at the Posada in Tijuana. We drove across the border in a van belonging to FEM, and I spent the weekend getting acquainted with volunteers and board members who have been coming here for years. The following are thoughts generated as I head into Mexico on this journey.

3/17-20


My last trip across the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana was decades ago, when people were able to cross more freely. Most significant to me now is the apparent distinct line of demarcation. Today there are two fences to cross that the U.S. Border policy has created between those who have privilege and those who are not welcome on “our side.” Friendship park was once a meeting place for both communities and it is now on the U.S. side and provides a barrier region for border patrol. San Diego is beautiful, groomed and green at the start of spring, March 20, while it is already dry where irrigation is not so common here, where water is at a premium. It is so much hillier than I remember as we drive through the city on our way to La Gloria, the suburb that is the home to Esperanza in Mexico.


I came to the retreat desiring to understand what motivates the people to participate and to learn how they understand the new mission to create opportunities for individual growth in global citizenship. I am also interested in the process of transformation that occurs as people participate in this program and plan to lead a group from Seattle University through a “reintegration” process as they digest their learning from a week with Esperanza in Tijuana. They arrived on the evening before we left and we will meet upon my return. Father Ted, from Long Island University, and board member shares his definition of transformation: “it is about the human connection across and through the experience of common humanity.”

What I understand volunteers experience here is an opportunity to meet and work alongside people they would not normally come into contact with. A positive outcome is that they are impressed by learning that we are more the same than as different as one might believe from mere appearances. In considering the value and impact of such an experience, he says it is difficult to measure the ineffable. Several others I question say that this process often happens months or years after such a profound experience, but it does inform a person’s choices.




Another group leader, Sister Colleen, from the Providence Health Systems in Los Angeles says her cohort usually creates a way of giving and marking the experience. Recently, they put together a cookbook of recipes from the communities they have served. These have become a very popular means of fundraising for future trips. Another participant and intern, Hana Truscott, was motivated by her experience with Esperanza last summer, in the pilot volunteer program. She leaves soon for Macedonia with the Peace Corps. Marcel, EI board president, shares his goal for the weekend as an effort to build strong roots in Esperanza. This is symbolically illustrated with the logo, a tree of life.




Tijuana is peaceful from all appearances. Car and truck drivers seem to defy the lines meant to create order, yet people are amazingly polite and attentive to others on the road. I wonder about all the pedestrians crossing everywhere, but none seem to get injured despite close calls. While hunting down a recently rained out dirt road, we ask for directions, laughing that we look like we are lost “gringas” who took a wrong turn at the border, we realize the irony of this, that it is not so easy for people coming from the south wanting to wander around in U.S. territory. It does not feel unsafe here, however, and long term residents confirm their confidence in the people of Tijuana. Government housing marches up the hillsides in textures and colors, lending a sense of order within chaos. I am excited to go to Oaxaca and celebrate the completion of the first 23 homes.

3/21

Oaxaca CityArriving by plane via Mexico City, we are excited to be in Oaxaca and head out for an evening adventure in the purple jacaranda tree-lined parks and cobbled streets of this colonial city. Our adventure begins with eating an exotic dinner in the center of the main market place, where we sit with the locals and watch our food being prepared. The food is fabulous—mole, a legendary sauce for meat, is made from as many as 14 ingredients and each cook has her secrets. The sauce I have with my roasted chicken tastes like a spicy semi-sweet chocolate sauce. The tamales are as big as a dinner plate and wrapped in a banana leaf before steaming. We have met up with Chris Larson, also from Seattle, who has a knack for finding humor in almost everything. He is excited to share a bag of roasted crickets with us. “Chaupalines” are also a local delicacy and I am told they are collected from the alfalfa fields in large sacks. I have never seen so many crickets and so many different sizes. Bells toll at all times of day, calling people to mass in one of the beautiful old churches.

3/22

The next day, we take a bus ride over the rough and winding roads to the coast. Puerto Escondido, or the “hidden port” is a former fishing village turned surfing town, though tourism is down due to the economy. The beaches and hotel are fairly empty, giving the impression of a sleepy town. After a long trip and late arrival, we are all tired and ready to crash that night but happy to wake and walk to the beach in order to indulge in the beautiful warm water and easy waves.




It is the beginning of our work week and we have lots of interviews planned, including one for lunch with local Rotary leaders. The Rotary clubs have been big supporters of Esperanza projects and we invite them to visit Rio Grande for the upcoming celebration and to see the “Adocreto” (Adobe+Concrete) brick maker, which was purchased in part by the Del Mar Rotary. These local club leaders are excited about the work with Esperanza and suggest a contact at the local Universidad del Mar for us to explore our idea of creating a study and service program model for students seeking meaningful travel and service experiences.


Rio Grande is approximately 45 minutes up the coast from Puerto and we are picked up for the ride by FEM Director, Josefina Pataky, and Clara Nova, the FEM social worker who organizes the communities in the region. Clara explained to us that there are now up to 100 families in some stage of the process of becoming homeowners with Esperanza. Much has been accomplished by the local families with the help of Rigo, FEM technician, since the last group was here, according to Aimee Khuu, Program Director of Esperanza International. She is so excited to see that the water has receded in the “Los Olivos del Sol” neighborhood, as well as around town, where the first group of homes are almost finished. The town is dusty at the beginning of this dry season, and masons are working to put together the brick homes made of the soil and the labor of this coastal town.


Flagging down one of dozens of moto-taxis, we are given a ride around town to locate one of the finished houses. Coincidentally, it is the home of Aimee’s friend, Jesse, a single mom who has recently returned from Mexico City to live with her relatives. She is one of many who are benefiting from the assistance of Esperanza’s community development model. Others in her neighborhood are in the second group organizing to begin the process of preparing materials for the building of their homes.



Esperanza is a perfect name for this organization as we see the hope in the eyes of the folks who look forward to having a well-built home that they helped to construct. These homes are not only good sturdy shelter but they are rumored to be cooler than the local concrete homes because of the insulating ability and are made with some aesthetic design and concern for function. Large arched windows bring in breezes and covered porches offer a place to rest and visit with neighbors. Homeowners in Los Olivos also are able to purchase extra lots for adding gardens and fruit trees.

















3/23

As I meet people of the communities in Rio Grande and talk with leaders from these groups as well as FEM, I am conscious of the mission to cultivate global citizenship. Though implicit in the work that is accomplished in the crossroad between the community and volunteer work, this EI objective is unfolding in the transformational process of developing these communities. The partnership between EI and FEM has created a way of bringing together people of diverse backgrounds and creating opportunities to learn from each other. The objective is not to teach and lead from one direction, but to work together and share with one another.


As I progress in my visit, I find that there is much we need to learn about how people operate in Rio Grande. Meeting with leaders Clara Nava, Javier Pacheco and Susana Torres, Don Sergio, Dona Tina and Rigo Rodriguez; FEM staff and local community organizers, sheds much light on this subject. Beginning with Clara, the social worker, we were introduced to the regional mangrove swamp management and tourism programs. Next, I discovered the long-lost Rigo, who has been missing from Tijuana over the past nine months. The construction and home building process has been directed by construction technician Rigo, who has worked with Esperanza for the past 8 years. Throughout this past year, he’s become a member of the Oaxaca community of Rio Grande in the production of the beautiful homes we celebrated this week.

3/24-26

Former subsistence wildlife hunters and turtle fisherman have been inspired instead to preserve the precious ecosystem that supports their unique way of life. These same families are now volunteering to patrol beaches along the coast where three turtle species nest year-round. We had the delightful privilege of accompanying eight of these men one calm and star-filled evening and saw three “golfita” Tortugas searching for nesting areas. Several of the nests gathered two months ago were releasing hatchlings that we accompanied to the shoreline as well as these females as they returned to the sea. One of the commitments of these leaders is to make sure the turtles have every opportunity to be protected from predators on the ground. Only one of every one-thousand hatchlings is estimated to return to the beach from which they were born ten years earlier; a wonder of nature is that they memorize the beach in those short moments from hatching until they reach the water.


Javier and Susana are elementary school teachers, who, together with educators from 30 other schools, have initiated a unique reading and writing program. Students publish stories about the environment as a result of one year of work, developing an ear for good story-telling and learning the elements of writing style. They are encouraged to create a supportive learning environment and have placed desks and chairs outside in the school garden, where students are able to read and write while in nature. “Profe” Javier is also a successful subsistence gardener, who raises goats and chickens, propagates trees to plant around town, and has taught the pupils about recycling. He and Susana and their three daughters live in a compound with their extended family.


Don Sergio and Dona Tina are the community leaders from the first group of home-builders in Rio Grande. They also live in a family compound and have paid to build a house for their daughter and her children to live nearby. The celebration of the first completed houses was held on their property and it was an inspiring presentation. 150 guests came for a potluck celebration complete with seafood soup, chicken en mole, beef brisket, fish tacos, ceviche, fresh coconut milk, juices made from hibiscus flowers, watermelon and more. A local band entertained the group and led local dance demonstrations.



All in all, it has been a fabulous week of adventures, learning and “convivencia”. I’m looking forward to seeing the fruits of our effort to expanding the volunteer program into the Costal Region of Oaxaca. Community members are delighted and awaiting the arrival of the next volunteers to the work sites. Stay tuned--It looks like Esperanza will be introducing the language study and volunteer group opportunities for volunteers this coming summer and fall.

Monday, March 28, 2011

holy land

Our first task in approaching
Another people
Another culture
Another religion
Is to take off our shoes
For the place we approach
Is holy.

Driving across the border last week into Tijuana, I felt like I was coming home. I found myself beaming with joy, honored to be able to return to a place that for me, can only be described as holy land. In the weeks leading up to my departure, I was surprised by the reactions of horror I encountered when telling otherwise well-meaning American citizens of my trip to Tijuana. Realizing the image in their mind's eye was so different from my experience, I felt compelled to share perhaps a less-known reality of this "horrific" place. The hillsides of makeshift houses made of scrap metal, plastic, tires, smashed corrugated cans, tarps, boards, cardboard, and the stench of raw sewage, that were once a shock to my system, no longer define this border town. When I think of Tijuana, I see the many families I've met who have so little, yet love so much. I see a people-to-people culture where I feel more loved, alive and beautiful than I ever have in the States. I taste the mouth-watering tacos and tortas that I crave for months between trips, made with the freshest of meats and vegetables at the nearby taqueria. I acknowledge the presence of violence, but see through the superficial security alerts that too easily become a crutch for inaction and complacency with fear-driven individuals. How easily we dismiss our neighbors.

The word "holy" simply means "set apart." Tijuana is a place set apart, a sacred space in the context of my development towards a compassionate human being and global citizen- it is where I first experienced a reality outside of my Idaho upbringing: of injustice and seemingly excruciating poverty, of a different reality co-existing on the same continent. To return to Tijuana is to remember a high schooler's transition from ignorance to awareness, symbolic of my first glimpse into a bigger world. I spent last week in meetings with Esperanza's board of directors, asking, defining and refining our mission statement. Who is Esperanza International? What does it do? How does it do it? The questions we were discerning for the organization morphed into an evaluation of my own personal mission statement. Who am I? What do I want to do with my one wild and precious life? How do I want to do it? I won't tell you my answers to these questions. But I will tell you that Tijuana is where my personal mission emerged, ever so subtlety, back in high school. I am extremely grateful for the St. Pius X Mexico Mission Trek that opened my door to this sacred place 12 years ago, and to Esperanza International who has kept the door open this past year by taking me on as their Development Intern.

The next time you hear mention of Tijuana, or the violence in Mexico, or anywhere that brings to mind horrific images for that matter, I hope you will remember that beneath the security warnings, there is a vibrant world of good, hard-working people who would show you the depth of their hospitality if you only dared to take off your shoes and walk into their world.

Paz y Esperanza, (peace and hope)
Hana Truscott
Development Intern
Hana.Truscott@esperanzaint.org

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Introduction from Long-Term Volunteer: Kimberly


Hey everyone,

So I realized that I never got around to introducing myself. Getting settled in and accustomed to the work has filled up much of my time, not to mention the fact that I am super self-conscious when it comes to my writing.

Sooo for those of you who haven’t met me through your group visits since mid-august… I’m Kimberly—Kimber for short. I grew up in Rhode Island and went to university at C. W. Post Long Island University. I recently graduated in May of 2010 with a degree in Social Work. My first experience with Esperanza was through the campus ministry at Post. I joined the trip not knowing a single person and not knowing at all what to expect. After an amazing week, I decided to continue working with the campus ministry and Esperanza by joining the trip each year. Every year after, the trip offered something different and I kept coming back.

I joined the Esperanza team down here in Tijuana as a long term volunteer this past August. I plan on being here until August of this year. So much has been done and I've learned even more about Esperanza with my time here. After I finish volunteering with Esperanza I will be attending grad school at Tulane University. I will be earning my MSW (Masters in Social Work) with a specialization in International Social Work. I can't stress enough the positive influence Esperanza has had on my life choices. I'm just so grateful to have this opportunity to volunteer long term.

I’d like to thank all the groups I’ve gotten to know since I’ve been down here. Here’s to you making this experience one of a kind –

Cline Family, FCC Bellingham, St. Louise, Bethel Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, Team Hope, Providence Health System, Neighborhood UUC, Friends of Providence, Seattle U Campus Ministry, Long Island University, and the Bethany/Henderson Group! I don't want to forget my mom and friend Cindy who came down this past week! Thank you for experiencing something that holds a grand place in my heart.

I’m currently working on putting up some pictures of the progress we’ve made since August! Stay tuned!

<3>

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

News from our Current Long Term volunteer- Eric Reutter

My name is Eric Reutter and I would like to take a second to introduce myself to the Esperanza community.

I am currently the newest long term volunteer for Esperanza International. I arrived in Tijuana in mid-February, and will be staying here until at least August. I participated in about a dozen week-long trips with my youth group and independent groups before I became a long term volunteer. I have a B.A. in Literature from the University of Washington and I hope to go back to school after a few years of travel to become either a teacher or a lawyer.

The reasons I have decided to become a long-term volunteer are numerous. In my previous trips to Esperanza I, like many other people, took part in an experience that significantly altered my world-view. These trips really underscored in my mind the fact that the people of Mexico are more similar to the people of the United States than I had ever imagined, and that the American dream was not something confined to the borders of one country. These trips also made it clear to me that there is a significant need to reduce the fear of our Southern neighbors created by disinformation and the incomplete picture of Mexico painted by mass media. I grew to feel that the program with Esperanza accomplished this task in one of the most effective ways possible, by having Americans and Mexicans work hand-in-hand to achieve a shared value: the dream of a brighter future.

My greatest hope for my time here is that I will be able to help Esperanza continue its mission to combat the “us and them” mentality between the United States and Mexico. This, along with the tangible construction of durable and climate-appropriate housing, are what I believe Esperanza does best. The American author Susan Sontag wrote that, “It is hard for people not to see the world in polarizing terms ("them" and us") and these terms have in the past strengthened the isolationist theme [in America]”. I believe that the Esperanza community formed between groups from the United States and the people of Mexico is one of the most powerful depolarizing forces available to us. In the end, I believe that the Esperanza program helps the people of Mexico as well as the people of the United States. From what I have seen firsthand and what I have heard from families in Mexico, I am sure that Esperanza is working toward a greater good in one of the most effective and powerful ways possible. I have already had my first opportunity to work with a group from the United States and it was a great experience for me. I look forward to working with all the future groups that will be coming down this spring and summer. If you are reading this and have not yet had the opportunity to spend a week with a volunteer group or to get involved with Esperanza, I strongly encourage you to do so.

Monday, February 28, 2011

A note from Esperanza's first long term volunteer- Julie Kline


My first trip to Tijuana working for Esperanza was in 1992. I was 15 and it was the first time St. John Vianney partnered with Esperanza. We built Alma's house. Her husband was a baker and was very ill. Alma supported her family running the bakery and kept everyone together like a true matriarch. Alma's house was at the bottom of an extremely steep hill and the cement mixing equipment stayed at the top of the hill. Temperatures were extreme as well, especially for a crew from the Northwest. It was a very tough couple of weeks, but what we quickly realized was that the difficulties we were having were just a small taste of what Alma's family faced every day. A 12 year-old girl that lived across the dirt road from Alma befriended me. Her name was Patty and she came out and worked and (tried) speaking with us every day that we were there. We shared our work gloves and cold cokes.

The next year we went back and worked in the same neighborhood, building another house and working on a community center. Patty came out and worked and horsed around with us as much as she could. The weather was cooler and the workload easier, but the families we were helping were just as amazing.

Patty and I remained friends over the years, writing letters and sending cards. When my friend's and I graduated high school we decided we still wanted to work with Esperanza so we started the St. John's college-aged mission trek. We actually stayed with Alma and Patty's families in "our" neighborhood- even though Esperanza was building in other areas of Tijuana that summer. The hospitality we were shown remains unrivaled to this day.

In total I have made around 15 trips to Tijuana to work with Esperanza and even spent a few months my Senior year in college working for Esperanza full time as a student intern. Every family I've worked with was as amazing as the last, striving to give their children a better life than they had with love and humor. I remember being told by a gal that worked for Esperanza years ago that she also considered herself "an American" as Mexico is after all a major part of the North American continent. We joked around about her statement, but when I paused I realized that it was not only technically true, but true in spirit as well. What we in the United States like to think of as "The American Dream" - to work as hard as you can, to make a better life for your family, to give them opportunities that you didn't have, and to encourage them to make the most of those opportunities- it doesn't stop at the U.S. border. Esperanza helps these hardworking families realize their dreams.

I've seen Esperanza evolve over the years, always remaining relevant and staying true to its core value: helping people to help themselves. I've seen incredible staff members come and go, I've learned everything from the intricacies of Mexican politics to where to find the best tacos de birra from these amazing people. Esperanza has played a major role in the formation of my views on global politics.

Patty went to culinary school, I went to law school. I fancy myself a hot-shot lawyer and I know for a fact she's a hot-shot chef. We write emails and make facebook posts now instead of sending letters and cards- a sign of the times. Esperanza continues to better the lives of both the families it helps and the people who volunteer to work with them. I could go on and on about my experiences with Esperanza and the things I've learned, but my advice is to go and see for yourself.