Borders are Meant to be Crossed
Life on an international border is fascinating. On the cusp of two nations you live two languages, two cultures, two perpendicular realities. International neighbors less than a mile from each other can live lives that seem universes apart. This is particularly, sometimes painfully, true in the border where I live.
I’m a freelance journalist. My workspace is the largest side by side border metropolis in the world: El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. I was born on the American side, the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants. I wish I could say that as a reporter I have the opportunity to explore this wide swath of urban desert without limits. But everyday I face limits. And everyday I work to overcome them. That’s how stories are born.
This site is my attempt to share my experience as a bilingual, bi-cultural, multimedia periodista in this dynamic corner of the world. Here you can read all that doesn’t fit into a news report. But most of all I hope to reveal something of others’ lives. Show the point of view of a stranger. Allow you to meet people whose paths might not cross your own.
Learning another’s story may make you more grateful for your own story. Maybe it will inspire you to make yours better. But more importantly, I hope it will teach you to care about the other, that the other’s story matters.
Monica, I just saw your blog and I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. At a time of self-censorship along the U.S. Mexico border because of threats from drug traffickers, I applaud your efforts. I just wished I could hear you more on NPR. When will you be full time?
Your blog is fascinating. Firsthand accounts of those affected by the border violence are rare. Your blog however serves as a rare, yet shining example of relevant journalism filling the void. If you know of any other sources providing English based information on El Paso/Juarez, please share. I am researching the border culture and security situation. Thank you for what you are doing and I will be an avid reader this day forward. On the other hand, maybe I could interview you!