Friday, June 24, 2016

El Paso 2016, Day 6 June 24




On our 6th day of being in El Paso we started off the day by eating breakfast, then making our way down to the agricultural center. A husband and wife, creating a place where field workers would be fed, and housed, established the agricultural center in 1983. This center helps over 100 workers per day, helping increase their salary, giving the proper basic needs, and a safe place to go home. The normal working day would be as followed: waking up at 12 a.m., going to work via bus (this could take up to 3 hours), getting to work at 5 a.m., and returning to the center at approximately 5 p.m. The Agricultural center has doctors come every Thursday to make sure the people staying at the center are not spreading pesticides or other diseases. The people who are housed at this center are not required to pay for their stay/visit, but they usually donate a dollar or two. The most they make per hour, in the El Paso area is about $7.25, but to compared to places, such as California, they make about 9 dollars an hour. (Unfortunately, many make far less)



 
The founder of the agricultural center, Alicia Marentes with Alejandro Marquez on the left.


Leaving the Agricultural center, we then needed to start to head back to the Annunciation House. On our way there we ended up stopping at a local convenient store, picking up two soccer balls for the kids at the house. We also got to explore with some new glasses! We also saw the bridge that connects the United States to Mexico, and a fantastic mural that was painted by a man who goes by the name of Werc. The reasons behind this painting are that he was a kid to grow up on the boarder and he wanted to show it through something more than just a book.




Going on with our day, we then walked to Annunciation House for lunch and played with the children one last time. This may have been one of the hardest parts of the trip so far to El Paso because the kids gave most of us a reason to look forward to our day. We will miss them all.

After going to Annunciation House we headed back to Casa Vides, and continued working on our service project. The people who were not painting cooked an amazing meal for the whole house.

After the amazing meal we went to a local concert at Al Fresco Friday with the whole house! The band that was playing was called Sobredosis Del Sabor. This was one of the best cultural experiences that we got to witness on this trip. Connecting with the Hispanic culture and dancing with the group, we would say that this was the best way to wrap up a final goodbye with everyone in the house.
The Concert we attended (A free concert in the park)…It was Salsa Night! (Almost everyone danced…)
We then said our final goodbyes by having a candle light circle expressing what we will be taking with us, and what we will be leaving behind. Saying goodbye is the hardest part, but the memories we have created will last forever.

See everyone tomorrow!

Yours truly,
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The progress we have made on the mural