A walk to the mall

June 30

We have no internet in the convent so I went for a bit of a walk today to a coffee shop in Tucson Mall that has Wii-Fii. It was a bit of a hike, 1.4 miles to be exact.

The temperature outside I am told is approximately 38 degrees Celsius. One interesting thing I noticed was the almost complete absence of people outside, there were a few waiting at bus stops and a lot of cars driving by but it seems I was the only one walking.

I would occasionally stop and ask people at bus shelters if I was going the right way. Fortunately I was and they confirmed, but everyone was asking me why am I walking, don’t I know it isn’t safe when it’s that hot outside. I was wearing my hat and kept walking, but after about 40 minutes I started feeling a bit strange and went to a K-Mart and bought a Gatorade which I mixed with water. By the time I got to the mall, sweat was pouring off me and I felt extremely sunburnt. It was a bit less than an hour (I did get lost for a while). I got to the mall OK and am perfectly fine but have to say I was struck by how much of an effect hot weather can have on you, especially if you aren’t prepared for it.

It was a good thing because it was a bit of a preparation for our work in the desert. I now understand why NMD insists that patrol members keep themselves hydrated with water and wear hats. Walking through Tucson in this type of heat is one thing, it will be another navigating through terrain that is filled with rocks, cactuses, and desert animals.

I was going to say this helps me understand what the migrants go through, but that would be too much of a stretch. Their experience can’t be that easily replicated. I had drink with me, and could always stop and ask people for directions. I am not running at night and hiding under rocks and desert plantlife during the day. I am not traveling nonstop for several days. If I stumble or fall and twist my ankle, someone will help me and I will not be left behind by my fellow travelers and a human smuggler who is making a huge profit. My arrival or failure to arrive will not effect whether or not my family will have enough money for adequate food and shelter or whether I see them again. I am not being hunted by people whose mandate is to arrest me, lock me up and then deport me (and whether or not I am treated as a human being in the process depends on the discretion of the officers in whose custody I am). I am also not seen by cartel members, drug smugglers, gangsters or criminals as a walking target, because they know they can do what they want to me and I can’t complain to law enforcement. I am not traveling with my wife, or the kids who are mostly likely in pain from the blisters and sunburn and are either crying or are too dehydrated and tired to say anything, and are most likely to be among the bodies left in the desert if things go bad.

Everyone I have spoken to, from Ruth to the NMD members, describe the terrible ordeal these people go through. It is hard to even begin to imagine.

I am almost finished my blogging for today and will either walk back or take the bus, we’ll see.