Category Archives: Community

Interaction with the community of Falfurrias

Final Days

Community, Snapshots

We have one day left and we are so close to finishing our goal. There have been great relationships formed and lasting friendships. The reality of the situation has hopefully opened the eyes of every individual that has been here. A lot has taken place since my last post. We have been moving a lot of dirt and doing everything we can to get through this area thoroughly. I have been promoted from Rookie to Expert Time Keeper. For those of you who do not understand the weight of this title, I am responsible for the switch between the members working in the hole and those taking a break. The official time rules are: 1. If you are shoveling you get 4:00 minutes. 2. If you are troweling you get 8:00 minutes. 3. Test pits are one per person. Those are the official rules then there are laws. The first law of “DIGANOMICS” is if you are tired regardless of the time you stop digging. The second law is if you trowel and dig within the same 4:00 minute span you can stay for an additional 4:00 minutes unless it interferes with the first law. The team has accepted my role as Expert Time Keeper and sometimes they think I may not be watching but I always am.

Dr. Latham and Ryan digging with shovels
Ryan with the little shovel

Last time I posted I explained the issue with the little shovel and let me start by saying I am slowly persuading the team to accept the little shovel. However this is the not being done without ridicule. Any given moment I have to defend the little shovel from short and small jokes but LITTLE do they know the little shovel is reigns supreme. Each member but one has requested the little shovel at one point in time, and each time I hand then the shovel there is a wonderfully pleasant smile on my face. Justin, Erica, Dr. Latham, Ryan, and myself have all realized the usefulness of the little shovel. BUT Jessica is resisting coming to the bright side, I have not given up hope there is always tomorrow.

Erica digging in a burial with a shovel
Erica with the little shovel

I also went to another ranch. Lately I have been taking a short lunch so not very much bird watching. However I made it up when we went to the ranch. I have 5 birds of the day. 1 being the best bird of that day, starting at 5) wild turkey, 4) Tree duck 3) Swainson’s Hawk 2) Peacock 1) Green Jay. It was a much needed day of relaxation and bird watching and I cannot thank Bill and Peggie Clark enough for allowing us that moment of serenity.

Cheneta

Day 9

Community, Environment, Snapshots

Group photo with Erica's Grandparents present, all holding up 9 fingers

We had a lot going on today.  After arriving early on the site again to get a jump on the sun, we worked furiously.  After today, we only have one more day left to dig.  It hit us all hard, because we simply can’t leave this area incomplete.  We can’t leave any unidentified individuals behind.  We don’t know what will happen in next year’s excavations, if we are able to return.  We just have to finish the monumental task we set for ourselves this year.

Today we hit a dense area of our grid.  It was so compacted we had a hard time getting shovel or trowel through it.  It slowed us down quite a bit.  By the end of the day though, we made good progress, and were able to prep the area for more dirt removal tomorrow morning in the dark.

The heat and humidity really hurt us today however.  Even though it was overcast, it was misleading.  Ryan was the first to be put in time out to recuperate and rehydrate, but the sun is unforgiving.  Ryan will recover, but today the environment seemed to defeat us all.  A few other members of our team are feeling the burn as well, but with one day left, it is hard to stop work even at the expense our personal health.

We had a couple unexpected special guests today.  Erica’s grandparents (see our day 9 photo), who live in Corpus Christi, drove up to visit her and drop off homemade chocolate chip cookies.  They were delicious!  We were also greeted on return to the hotel with homemade Menudo that the Brooks County Sheriff’s Department put together for us.  Cheneta destroyed two bowls of this wonderful, flavorful traditional Mexican dish.

Cheneta eating menudo
Menudo

After a team rest, we headed out to Constable Arturo’s house again for dinner.  The generosity of this small town astounds me every day.  Everyone we meet is genuinely kind with welcoming hearts, and they are immensely grateful for whatever we can do to help them.  It is sometimes hard for us to comprehend.  We are immensely grateful for being invited to help in this humanitarian crisis in any capacity we can.  No matter how many words we write, we can’t adequately express how much it has impacted us personally and professionally.

Styrofoam plate of beans, meat, rice, and bread
Delicious!

Check out our work here: http://www.krgv.com/news/forensics-experts-work-to-identify-bodies-in-brooks-county/. Latham, Lathram or Indianapolis, Minneapolis…I guess the exact details aren’t too important to the reporter…but at least it brings more awareness to what is going on here.

–Jessica and Justin

Day 8

Community, Snapshots

Group photo with 8 fingers up and dirty clothes

It was another early morning for the UIndy team. We got to the cemetery before sunrise and moved loose dirt in our quadrant by flashlight. Overall, today was an amazing day in the field. I would have to say it was the most productive so far. I don’t know what was different about today than other days, but the Baylor students came together as a team and cleared three of their quadrants. The site was relaxed and the students worked with efficiency and confidence. We are really proud of the amazing job they did today! We have two days left and we are confident that if we continue on this pace we will be able to complete this area of the cemetery.

Burials being worked on with shovels while other team members sit in the background and Erica sits front and centerFor the UIndy team, the best part of the day came in the evening when we were invited to the La Mota Ranch by Peggy and Bill Clark. We had the pleasure of meeting the Clarks when we were in Falfurrias last summer and they were gracious enough to invite us to their home for a swim. La Mota is a 300 acre ranch and Peggy is a descendent of the founder of the town of Falfurrias. The few hours we spent at La Mota were exactly what we needed! It was a time to relax and clear our heads.

Ryan lays in a hammock with a yellow dog and a brown and white dog by his side Peggy told us a story about a migrant that came to their door on Sunday. He was a young man from Guatemala that told her he was lost and had been walking for three days with no food or water before he collapsed on her front lawn. She said they gave him water and peanut butter crackers and called Border Patrol to come and help him.  She said she gave him a new shirt because the one he was wearing was full of sticker burrs. But before giving her the old shirt he reached inside and unpinned a small charm of the Virgin Mary and attached it to his new shirt. He then passed out on the front lawn and Peggy checked on him regularly because she was afraid he would die there. This is what the people of Falfurrias are dealing with everyday and with each story we hear we don’t know how they can deal with death and broken dreams on a daily basis.

Peggy and Bill told us many other stories. We learned more about the ranch and their  families. Peggy’s family founded the town of Falfurrias and started the creamery that makes Falfurrias butter. We talked about the weather, and the plants and animals native to the area. They had 10 baby peacocks (peachicks) on the ranch and we got to see them. They were adorable and not what I expected a peachick to look like! All in all a very relaxing and special evening for the team.

Group picture in nicer clothes with Bill and PeggyFor a short news feature about our work, please see this piece by Nadia Galindo: http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1055564#.U5Z6_CjyS1g

~KEL