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.