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As I begin preparing for this trip to Texas, I feel less anxious than during our May trip in terms of packing supplies and what to expect generally. Though our team for this trip consists of multiple returning members, many new lessons will be learned, and experiences gained. Instead of assisting with search and recovery efforts, we will assist Texas State University and other organizations with excavations at a cemetery. This new path causes both anxiety and anticipation. We are traveling to Eagle Pass, Texas, where currently a large number of migrants are passing through. The crisis along the border is ever-changing, and even though we were in Texas in May, the situation is going to be very different. It is difficult to fully prepare for what we may encounter when we arrive. Still, I welcome the opportunity to assist in any way possible. The ability to apply what I am learning in school to a humanitarian cause as significant as this is unparalleled.

I am looking forward to working with new organizations during our time in Eagle Pass. Learning new perspectives from these organizations and how they function differently from us in this environment will be interesting. Though I have some understanding of what is happening in this area, it is very little compared to those we will be working with. These perspectives are valuable as they provide insight into all areas of the crisis we are facing and other groups motivations we may not have thought of in the past. I am also looking forward to seeing how our team functions in this new situation. We all have strengths that will allow us to work well as a group and with members of other teams. We have previously been in situations together where we have had to be flexible and adaptable, which will be crucial on this trip.

Though I will face anxieties and challenges on this trip, it is nothing compared to what the migrants are facing. I have been very fortunate throughout my life and will never understand what those who make this journey are going through. I hope to offer any assistance I can and bring back my experiences to share with those who may be unaware or naïve of the crisis at the border.

Jordan

As I prepare for my third trip to Texas, I find myself just as excited as I was for the previous trips. I’ll be working with Jordan and Izzy again, as well as our rookie, Kaitlyn. I’m looking forward to all of us working together because we all get along really well and have great chemistry. Jordan, Izzy, and I learned how to work together as a cohesive, functional team on our last trip, and I’m ready to test our abilities in a different environment and embrace Kaitlyn into the Beyond Borders team, too.

However, this trip also makes me nervous because we don’t really know what we are walking into. We won’t be returning to Falfurrias; instead, we’re going to Eagle Pass, Texas to work with Texas State University and other professional organizations. We’ll only be about a mile from the Texas-Mexico border in an area with an extremely high amount of migrants crossing the border. Eagle Pass is currently inundated with migrants and medicolegal professionals, so we’ll be entering the eye of the storm.

I’m intrigued that we will have an opportunity to participate in a different type of work than what we’ve done on our previous trips. Instead of line searches on ranchland, we’ll get to learn and utilize forensic archeology skills on this trip while we work to repatriate migrants who unfortunately perished to their homes and loved ones. We also get to work with the Texas State students and faculty as well as other medicolegal professionals. It’s always nerve-racking meeting new people and trying to make different methods and practices flow seamlessly, but I’m up for the challenge. I’m really excited because Deputy White and Eddie will be there, too! I can’t wait to see them again and hear what they’ve been up to since I last saw them.

The weather in Eagle Pass looks like it’ll vary from a little chilly in the 40s to the 70s and sunny, which is a welcome change from the extremely hot and humid weather we had on the last trip in May, but also a lot better than the weather we have in Indy. I’ve already started packing, and I’m hoping I have everything I need without my bag being too heavy (I usually end up cutting it pretty close to the 50lbs cut-off because I’m a chronic over-packer). Everything is currently scattered across the living room floor, and my dog keeps trying to blend into it, in hopes that I’ll pack her too. Unfortunately, she’s too big and fluffy to be packed, but it’s a valiant effort!

Olivia

Being chosen to return to Texas is a privilege I am greatly thankful for. The impact these trips have had on my life is immeasurable. Before the trip, my priorities are to pack efficiently and for any possible scenario. I learned in my trip to Texas last January that, even though it’s Texas, I am still not acclimated to the cold temperatures, so along with packing for warm temperatures, I am packing for even colder winter temperatures. I anticipate we will be learning from a vast number of perspectives from the different teams and individuals involved. I am once again thankful to be a part of a team that takes the time to come together each day and debrief on what happened throughout the day. The difference in our pre-trip posts and our post-trip reflections is usually extremely obvious. As this will be a very new experience for me, I anticipate my post-trip post will include a lot about lessons learned, and I have a feeling there will be many more life lessons than technical lessons reflected upon (also as usual!). The technical skills we learn are invaluable, as well are the life lessons that stay in our thoughts every single day.

Our motto “Expect the unexpected” is already proving true as this trip to Texas will be much different than originally planned. The work we will be doing is vastly different than my previous experiences with the Beyond Borders team. We will be venturing to Maverick County, about two miles from the Texas-Mexico Border, to assist colleagues at Texas State University and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Not only will the team be gaining and expanding their technical skills to assist with good forensic anthropology work but we will also be further broadening our perspective on the humanitarian crisis occurring at the border. The experience Eagle Pass is having with the border crisis varies from Falfurrias in the factors that influence and impact the cities and individuals passing through the cities. We have read a number of articles to prepare for what we may encounter in Eagle Pass, but nothing can truly prepare us for what we will see and learn within the community.

Regardless of the difference in plan, our motivation and goals remain. Stay tuned for more updates!

– Izzy