Preparing for a journey

In about a week, I will be leaving Chicago for Mexico with a group of 14 other graduate social work students and two wonderful professors, Marta Lundy and Maria Vidal de Haymes.

I have been pointing towards this trip for a long time now.  Since I was young I have asked to myself "what if I was born in Mexico?"   "What if I had grown up speaking Spanish?"  I have truly longed to spend more extended time in Mexico exploring these among many identity-related questions and I am so grateful for the chance to take this trip. 

Though the questions I have been pondering since childhood are still present in my mind, I have started also asking bigger picture questions like "why am I so free to come and go from Mexico when so many people risk their lives to make such a journey?" and "what will it take to make U.S. immigration policies humane and just?" 

 I have visited family several times in Reynosa, Mexico and Texas and participated in a "border immersion" trip in Ciudad Juarez/El Paso, Texas.  Each visit to Mexico has given me insight --about myself, my heritage, my mother, my family--and each visit uncovers more questions.  It seems that the longing I have is not as much for answers but for better questions.   

In my social work program at Loyola, I am pursuing a sub-specialization in Migration Studies. It is my hope that in the future I will be able to use my counseling and social work training to work with the many Spanish-speaking people who live in the United States. 

This trip will begin in Mexico City on May 12th. We will be staying in a convent in Colonia Roma and completing 2 classes: Migration Policy and Therapy with Mexican Families. These classes will be taught by Marta and Maria as well as through many guest lecturers and hands on experiences in and around Mexico City. 


On May 25th, I will be heading to San Cristobal de las Casas with my companeras, Nilsa and Erin, to complete two months of fieldwork for the social work program.   My placement is at Kinal Antsetik working with indigenous women and teenage girls from Chiapas.  (http://www.kinalantsetik.com/quienes.html) More on this after I get a better sense of my work there.  

  Before we leave, we were assigned the book "Enrique's Journey." This is about a young man's experiences and multiple attempts at making the treacherous journey from Honduras to the United States. Enrique leaves his home to find his mother who left to find work in the U.S. when Enrique was just a boy.  

Enrique's story helps to paint a more realistic albeit gruesome picture of what migrants go through in search of a 'better life.'  My group and I will be volunteering with an organization of women(mentioned in this book) who provide humanitarian aid to migrants who are riding the trains through Mexico.

I hope to offer reflections on my own journey to Mexico City and Chiapas throughout my trip. I would appreciate any feedback and reflections!  

Peace,

Cassie

“The treatment of migrants challenges the consciences of elected officials, policymakers, enforcement officers, residents of border communities and providers of legal aid and social services...Our nations have a singular opportunity to act as true neighbors and to work together to build a more just and generous immigration system.”

Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope

A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States

http://www.nccbuscc.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/strangers-no-longer-together-on-the-journey-of-hope.cfm