In My Own Backyard

One of my regrets about living in this corner of the country is that I haven't fully explored the region as much as I'd like. With LA to the north and Mexico to the south, San Diegans are blessed with a unique proximity to a wide range of cultural experiences.

Alejandro, my former roommate and fellow McNair scholar at UCSD, invited me to volunteer at an AIDS hospice in Tijuana. Because I've been wanting to experience the non-gringo, anti-tourist side of a city that's practically in my own backyard, I decided I'd tag along for the ride. Also, I could use the good karma.

This is at the trolley station near the border looking south into the border crossing.



The funny thing is, I took this picture in Manhattan.



Looks like this couple's gonna check out what's going on south of the border as well. No USA return indeed!



The extent of my knowledge concerning TJ is my pre-21 year old days along Avenida de Revolucion, or "Revo" as most colloquially refer to it. On this trip to TJ, however, I saw a completely different side of our cross-border neighbor that I had never been exposed to.

We drove about a half an hour after crossing over the border. I was surprised at the amount of growth and development taking place here. Notice the substantial grading work being done along the road and on the hillside.



Endless sprawl and undistinguished multi-family housing developments aren't limited to just our side of the border. I was actually a bit surprised to see how many people owned satellite dishes though.





This was the landscape as we approached the hospice. It reminded me a lot of visiting the province in the Philippines.



This is the neighborhood cantina, just down the street from the hospice.



I wanted to respect the privacy of the hospice patients so I avoided taking pictures of any individuals. As an alternative, I took photos of their pets ^_^ Check out the brown dog in the second shot. Doesn't he almost look like a bigger version of Rocky?





This is the sign outside of the hospice.



Hospice patients often spend their free time doing arts and crafts. These are doghouses that they've made and will sell to raise money for the hospice.



Overall, this was an amazingly humanizing experience. Witnessing the quiet strength and steady grace exhibited by the patients was a true testament to the power of the human spirit and the fact that compassion and care crosses borders, cultures, and enriches us all.