A Day in the Life: Tijuana edition

This is a little belated, considering it's my last week here, and a little poorly timed, considering I only have about ten more minutes on the computer and I should be working on my project, but I want to give you a more concrete idea of what the past four weeks have been like:

I usually wake up around 7, earlier if we have a field trip. I read a little, write a little, eat breakfast, drink a small cup of coffee, and get myself ready for the day.

And, you know, I brush my teeth and stuff.

Then, Eugenia and I head up the hill to the university (it's near the big cross, which is part of the Jesuit retreat center on campus.)


I have class from 9 to 1 in the library. We usually have two guest speakers (most of the lectures are in Spanish), and I usually have a really hard time paying attention, despite how interesting the topics are. Some examples: border literature, the feminization of poverty, the right to migrate, homosexuality in the border region, impunity and justice in Mexico.

Other days, we have field trips, and visit places like a local hospital, a needle exchange program, a bilingual school, a maquiladora, downtown Tijuana, etc.

After I have lunch at school, I usually head back to the house with Eugenia at around 2 or 2:30. We hang out with the dogs and ferrets on the patio for a little bit, and then she goes back to work. I usually spend a few hours relaxing - reading, showering, listening to music, doing crossword puzzles online, maybe even napping.

Then, eventually, I scrape together something for dinner and I get started on my homework, which is usually a lot of reading (which takes me especially long when it's in Spanish) but lately, has mostly been work on my research paper (on the history of Mexican migration to the U.S.) and my presentation project (about the differences in holiday celebrations in both countries.) Then, I go to sleep, and repeat the process the next day.

And sometimes, on the weekends, I make it down to this place. It's been a pretty good life so far.