Finals are over and I have finally caught up on the sleep I desperately needed. I was so caught up in the whirlwind that is the end of the semester that I almost forgot how close we are to leaving. Six days (as I write this). Less than one week from now and we will be in Texas continuing the humanitarian work that UIndy has been a part of for five years now. I’ve been collecting the necessary equipment over the past couple of weeks and even after my snake gaiters came in the mail, it still hadn’t really sunk in what I am going to be a part of. As I started packing my bag today, it all kind of hit me how huge this trip really is.
After reading up on the previous field seasons, what I seem to notice the most is how different each season is. Even comparing seasons that had the same kinds of activities whether they were lab seasons or field seasons (or both!), each team experienced that season differently. I am thankful to have experienced veterans like Haley and Erica who have both been on multiple trips to Texas because I can look to them for guidance. I am also thankful to have another “Rookie” on the team in Rachel because we will be able to share this experience together for the first time. I think this trip will be very different for everyone on the team though because this time we get to focus on the living. One of our main goals this season is to help build water stations to aid those who have made the dangerous trip across the border but are now caught in the Texas scrubland. This has been done once before with a different UIndy team but it will be new for everyone this time around, and in that way, we are all rookies.
This will be my first trip to Texas with the Beyond Borders team and there is so much I am looking forward to. I look forward to working with everyone while aiding a cause that is grossly misunderstood by many. I look forward to learning as much as I can in the eight days we are there and helping in any way I can. I even look forward to the physical labor and the heat, because I am just ready to be out there. I’ve got my sunscreen, my bug spray, and my snake protection. Let’s do this team, wheels up in six!