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Dia de viaje (travel day)

General, Snapshots

The morning of any travel day is always so hectic! It usually involves scrambling to pack last minute items and going over a mental list (several times) to ensure that nothing gets left behind. Below is an example of items that our team leader, Dr. Latham suggests to bring during days of search and recoveries. Not something you think about every day.

The team meets early at the Indianapolis International Airport. We haven’t seen each other since the beginning of December so it was nice to catch up and hear about what everyone was up to during the holidays. There was a lot of out-of-state traveling to see family, a majority of the graduate students in the human biology program are not from the Indianapolis area. It seems as though we all equally value any time off from school to be able to spend quality moments with family that we don’t get to see often.

Once we check in and go through TSA we grab a quick bite to eat and huddle to discuss soft plans! I refer to them as “soft” plans because anything is subject to change. It is important to have a rough outline to make the most of our time but, equally as important to remain flexible. I cannot emphasize enough how trips to the Texas borderlands are unpredictable. The only thing we can expect is the unexpected!

I got a window seat during our first flight with a destination to Dallas-Fort Worth airport. I look out the window to see snowflakes and think to myself how lucky I am to be escaping the 18° degree weather. I took advantage of the first flight to catch up on some sleep as I barely got any the night before.

Remember mentioning the need to be flexible at the beginning of the post? Well when we got to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport we were met with a delayed flight of two hours to San Antonio. We passed time by people watching, sharing jokes, and talking. We finally boarded, I played four rounds of expert level sudoku and the next thing you know we were landing in San Antonio. This is not our final destination though, we still need to make a three hour drive to Falfurrias. We accomplished such with the help of our trusty, fancy rental car that was not what we originally booked (another challenge) but turned out to be a pleasant surprise. At first it took several minutes of trouble shooting to get adjusted because it is a high tech vehicle. The rental is also very sensitive, it literally sounds like it is about to detonate if any seatbelt (even if the seat is not being occupied) is unbuckled. It is so nice though, there is lots of leg room and big windows to look out of and gaze at the sunset. Eventually the night sky took over and we were able to see a waxing crescent moon and the planet Jupiter.

During our roadtrip to Falfurrias, we kind of just scanned through different radio stations, singing along to whatever songs were playing. We also talked about several movies that have made us cry, and concerts that we have attended in the past. It has been such an amazing time getting to know each other more. We checked into our hotel and made our way to H-E-B, a local grocery store where we grabbed food, water, and snacks that we will be consuming throughout the week. After, we grabbed dinner at Whataburger which was so good… nothing beats the spicy ketchup! We ate in our room and had a group meeting where we discussed what the plan is for our first day and were assigned different roles to be in charge of while in the field.

All-in-all it was a very long, tiring but fun day. It is a little scary knowing that this is supposed to be the day we get the most rest. I remain excited to see what the rest of the week has in store for us!

–Tanya

Almost time

Reflections, Snapshots

This semester was a whirlwind of highs and lows, and it felt as if January would never come. I was so busy running around trying to wrap up the semester that it took someone asking me what day we fly out to realize the trip is just around the corner. That was also when the anxiety and panic set in. In a little over a week, I will be in Texas having an experience that I know will change many of my perspectives of the world.

I am the type of person who loves to know what to expect and is terrified of being unprepared. I have been slowly packing all of the gear I think I will need, as well as the things previous team members have suggested. I feel somewhat prepared but also wholly unprepared at the same time, and I have come to accept the fact (and actually become excited) that I need to be ready to face, explore, and embrace the unexpected. While I know I am just a tiny piece of a very large puzzle, the ability to make a difference in at least one person’s life makes the entire trip and the work we do worthwhile.

Reading through past entries on this blog and speaking with prior team members makes me excited to have my own experiences. I want to meet new people and hear their stories. I want to work with the people I have heard so much about, and see how we – as forensic scientists – can work in a humanitarian context. I am also excited to apply what we have learned at school, learn new techniques, and work with the team. This experience will form lifelong relationships and memories that I cannot get anywhere else. And, hopefully, the knowledge and experiences I can share with others after the trip will bring more attention to the crisis occurring at the border.

I know the trip will be physically and emotionally challenging. While it looks like the weather will be decent during our stay, I still need to prepare myself for the thorns, burrs, scorpions, spiders, snakes, etc. we may encounter. I believe I can handle the vegetation, but I have never been a big fan of creepy crawlies. I am also concerned and a bit apprehensive about how covid and the recent uptick in cases will impact our plans. However, if there is anything the past year and a half (or has it been longer?) of the pandemic has taught me, it is that we need to be flexible and recognize that we are all facing our own hardships. Everything may not (and probably will not) go according to plan, and that is okay. Plans change, but as long I remember to not stress about the small stuff, I know I can face whatever is thrown my way.

As I sit at home and run through my checklist once again, I remember that all of the challenges I face are nothing compared to those the migrants are facing. No matter what, I am excited to see what happens in the coming weeks.

–Olivia

Muchas Emociones

Snapshots

How is it that humans can feel so many emotions all at once? This is my initial thought as I get ready for our trip down to Texas. I am overwhelmed with anxiety, excitement, compassion, frustration, sadness, the list goes on. This will be my second time going, I have been promoted from “Rookie” to “Field Expert” which means that my peers will look to me as I have a little bit more experience navigating the terrain. Still, it feels like I am going for the very first time because I know that it will not be the same – one of the biggest lessons I have learned while being a part of the Beyond Borders team is to always expect the unexpected! No matter how much we plan, how much we read, how many times we get to return to the Texas borderlands, nothing can really prepare us for the emotional and physical challenges that await the team during our time there. These challenges include long, working days that involve several miles of walking through thick, thorny brush that are homes to ticks and rattlesnakes. They involve days that are more emotionally tolling than others, ones that might include interacting with mothers in search of their missing son or finding personal belongings of migrants that walked the same paths we are. Some days we are left with more questions than answers, which is a reality that can be hard to deal with.

Texas brush
Example of the Texas brush

Yet, these challenges serve as a reminder of the privilege I hold as they are only temporary for me. They last for a maximum of five days and then I get to go home, back to Indiana. Migrants making their way through the border might experience these same challenges for weeks, months, or years. Additionally, the turmoil experienced during our time in Texas are still not comparable because the team is equipped with so much gear (snake gaiters, bug spray, camel backs filled with water, salty snacks, etc.) that can deter the dangers living in the brush. This is not a reality for migrants; they can only hold so much before they are forced to leave items behind to make their load lighter. Acknowledging this privilege puts things in perspective, allowing for the shift of my own anxieties aside to be able to focus on the goal of the mission.

Personal items left behind
Example of personal items left behind

While it is not easy, there are many things to look forward to being a part of this opportunity. For instance, you get to meet individuals who are passionate about the advocacy of basic human rights and who work year-round to search and rescue migrants that are in distress or recover the missing. Individuals like Eddie Canales, founder of the South Texas Human Rights Center and Sheriff Deputy Don White, founder of Remote Wildlands Search and Recovery. Words cannot describe how excited I am to see and reconnect with them; they have devoted a big part of their lives to combat the ongoing crisis. It is truly inspiring to work alongside them and hear about their experiences and advice on being a part of such an effort. I am also looking forward to working with some of the peers I admire the most: Izzy, Alex, and Olivia! We all have different strengths that will make for such a solid team. The meals we get to have after long days in the field are so rewarding, everything that we eat is so good!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to do humanitarian work that highlights the ongoing crisis in the U.S./Mexico border. It has been the main motivator in pursuing the field of forensic anthropology all along. As a first-generation Latina whose parents crossed the border in search for a better life, this topic hits close to home. This effort is one that I truly care about and actively want to be involved in to help those that have not been as fortunate as my family. So, I am happy to be able to use the skills that I have acquired throughout my academic career, to help in a very small way.

Tanya