(In Altar, we visited "guest houses" where migrants stay prior to leaving on their journey to walk 3-5 days in the desert to enter the US illegally. Andy wrote this entry after meeting a young girl at one of these houses.)
Sitting on the third tier of the dingy bunks, she had a Chicago Bulls cap on and her hair pulled back to look more like a boy. She watched us with great curiosity and the intention to stay invisible. Her bright eyes gave her away. After talking to her parents for a little while I asked her age “14” she said humbly in Spanish.
She made the trip to Altar and was ready to cross the desert in a day or two. I could feel her excitement and trepidation about what awaited her. Later that night I imagined the conversation that took place about whether to bring her on such a dangerous journey. The ultimate decision being similar to that of most of the people who cross: “there is nothing left for me here, and up there my family and I at least have a chance”.
Several times over the next couple of days I wondered how she was fairing in the desert. Was it more difficult than she had imagined? Was she suffering?
Several times after that I wondered what Emmy’s primary concerns will be during her 14th year on this planet. Will she be risking everything (even her life) for an opportunity she can only imagine, or will she have a much more mundane focus – friends, dating, clothes, sports, or how ridiculous her parents are.
I hope she does not have to make a journey such as this. I hope she does not feel the need to risk everything for what seems like her only chance to live a decent life. But whatever she is doing I hope her eyes are as bright as this girls’. I hope she is as poised and strong and that her determination and desire to learn is as self-evident as this girl on the third tier of the bunk bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment