Why I Wrote the Way I Did...

I received feedback from this blog, "life is one big road with lots of signs," and I guess I completely misinterpreted the assignment of what kind of travel blog this was supposed to be. I am truly sorry to the people that expected something different. But I would like to take the time to explain the logic in the format of my journey through Central America.

First and foremost, I was not trying to be the typical "American" tourist driving through Central America and Mexico--there were no other gringos to be found in the majority of the places we stopped and passed through. With that said, I tried to set-up my blog in a completely conversational manner. I wanted to explain who I was, where I came from, what I was studying. Once I spent time explaining me, I wanted to make it clear that my trip was going to be an amazing cultural experience, but also a quick adventure with a date in Baja that I couldn't be late for. My trip was by no means a vacation--although I did spend days sitting by pools talking with foreigners, I also talked to locals when asking for directions, at restaurants and in border crossing. While I could have written a novel on each day's happenings, I was almost constantly on the move and when I wasn't, I needed to unwind.

I am not trying to make excuses for omitting exchanges with border officials, military searches, or the underlying reasons for the corrupt exchanges I had with law enforcement. The majority of my research at UPeace, and at my current internship for that matter, is completely focused on the "War on Drugs" in Mexico. While in Mexico, I would be lying to say I wasn't scared. I heard horror stories at my poolside chats on more than one occassion, but I didn't want to focus on that. There is more than enough information on the atrocities of Mexico's current situation, and it has and continues to consume my research, so I chose to focus on the positive spirit of adventure of the trip.

This blog wasn't meant just for my family and friends. I've had people email me out of the blue, saying that they've followed the blog and think that it sends a positive message for people to not be scared to travel in such a feared region of the world. While it might've been rushed and focused on our experiences, my road trip is an example of the possibility to drive through borders, through an entire region of the world, and experience an array of ups and downs in between it all. I did amazing things I would've never dreamt of doing and met wonderful people on my trip--both foreigners and locals--and I don't wish I would have done a thing different.

Life is one big road with lots of signs, even if they're pointing you in the wrong direction, at least you can rely on the power of human kindness to help get you out of an unkown town and on to the Interamericana again.

Wrapping it All Up...

Even though it's been two weeks to the day since we arrived back in San Diego, this is still the official "Wrap Up" blog from the road trip. Sorry for being absent from cyber-land for a little bit, but I had a week and a half to move in to our new house before starting my internship at the Trans-Border Institute, where I am currently writing this from.

Mike, the dogs and I crossed from Mexico into San Diego two Fridays ago in the afternoon. That Friday morning, we were on the road by 6 am from Santa Rosalia, then drove through a time change, which gave us an extra hour, and got to the border at 4:45 pm. The drive through Northern Baja was similar to that of Souther Baja--lots of cacti, windy roads and military checkpoints. The military, who set-up random checkpoints throughout the only highway up Baja, have each car that is passing in both directions go through a stop where they either wave you through or have you stop to thoroughly inspect your vehicle. Our car was inspected at each of the four checkpoints we passed through that Friday, giving us a chance to look at the bulletin board of photos (or bragging rights) of the contraband confiscated at each particular military stop. After looking through the pictures of grenades, bags of drugs and guns, while the military looked through our suitcases, surfboard bags and virtually every nook and cranny in the car, we were back on the road for a few hours before being stopped again. We waited at the border for just over an hour (not too bad for the Otay Mesa Mexico/Us Border on a Friday afternoon), then had a very pleasant encounter with a US Border Official. As she took our passports, the officer asked where we'd come from--"Costa Rica"--and what we were doing in the states--"I am actually starting an internship with the Trans-Border Institute in a week and a half"--and waved us right through, after telling me that she thought my work was extremely necessary because of the biased view the media has put on the Drug War. This Border Official made my last encounter with a law enforcement official on the road trip through Central America and Mexico all the more worthwhile by admiring not only our road trip, but also the hope I have to accomplish something beneficial in the Mexico/US border region at the TBI as well.

As surreal as it was driving up the 5 North after such an unexpectedly pleasant border crossing, we actually made it home! Mike and I got to our new house in Pacific Beach (where I lived before I moved to Costa Rica almost three years ago) and immediately showered and drove up to my grandpa's for dinner, picking up a pizza and freshly brewed beer from our favorite pizza restaurant on the way. Although we'd really wanted to get our bed and what little furniture we had out of storage that evening, we put it off and slept on the air mattress one last night, so we could eat with my ecstatically happy grandpa.

We've spent the last two weeks unloading our storage unit, making various trips to Target, Ikea and Home Depot, and making our house look like a home. The ten day result is that the house looks amazing and it really is so nice to have our own space again. The dogs are extremely content in their new pad too, especially since they have been going to Dog Beach everyday and have lots of new dog neighbors that they like to play with. I'm looking forward to my graduation party on July 24, so that the friends and family that don't live in San Diego can see my new home.

I started my internship yesterday and am currently sitting at my very own desk at the Trans-Border Institute at USD. We had an introductory meeting yesterday, where I met the two other interns and the two full-time staff I will be working with as well. Viridiana is a third year PhD candidate from Harvard that is doing research on drug-related violence in Mexico from the late 80s - current day and will be here through the end of the summer; Jesus will be attending UCSD in the fall and will be here as an intern for the month of June; Stephanie is a USD alum and works in the same office as Viri and me; and Nicole focuses on the violence reported in the media in Mexico and the San Diego regions. The director, Dr. David Shirk, is currently (technically) on sabbatical until mid-August, but will be around midday Monday-Thursday to assist Viri and me with anything we might need. On Monday morning, we will be going down to Tijuana, where David will be giving a talk at the Universidad Iberoamericano. On Thursday of next week, Viri and I will be giving introductions of ourselves and what research work we plan on doing during our time at the TBI, to a group of scholars from USD and the surrounding area. It seems surreal that this experience has been planned for over six months and I am now diving in head-first. I am excited and ready to begin my research on drug-related violence in the Mexico/US border region at the TBI, which I will expand upon more thoroughly at the beginning of next week in a blog entry.

I will try to keep up with what is going on in my life on a consistent basis on this blog. I will be working full-time, Monday-Friday, and I plan on spending the rest of my free time working out, cooking, learning to row and stand up paddle board, or at the beach with my dogs, but I have really enjoyed the virtual journal experience. I reread and added some photos to some entries from the road trip and it was nice to go through the trip again and read about what a roller coaster of an adventure it really was. While I was stressed out and mad for more of the time than I'd like to admit, I think that it was all part of the adventure. The good always seems to outweigh the bad on journeys through foreign countries for me, and this road trip was no exception. The people I met--particularly Mario in El Salvador, the Australians in Puerto Escondido, and the Border Agent at the US/Mexico border--all changed my adventure for the better and really made the trip more worthwhile. And while I may feel like I need to rest my feet for a while and grow some new roots in San Diego and at the TBI, I know my feet will be itching to get out and go on another adventure sooner than later...