My memory of our high school senior class trip to Juarez, Mexico, has become somewhat blurred over the years.
But three things prevail:
- A stop in New Mexico for a tour of the Carlsbad Caverns. I remember first, the strange smell of the huge underground caves; we purchased sandwiches somewhere in the depths and it seemed to me they tasted of the odor. There was a constant dripping sound which is how the stactites (hanging) and the stalagmites (rising) were created over many years time.
- Then shopping in the border town of Juarez, Mexico, was exhilerating! I bought a huge sombrero to hang on my wall, shawls and blouses, huaraches and probably smaller things I don't even remember. I was, however, unable to haggle as some of my friends were. The proprieters all seemed to know that if they just said 'no' I would pay their price. But it was fun.
- When we began the trip home the whole bus-load realized that our years together were coming rapidly to a close. Confined as we were, we became a huge family and the closest of friends. Spontaneity ruled. We even had a wedding! I was the bride and a handsome young man, the groom. When the bus rolled to a stop in front of our school, "THE END" flashed on the screen and the curtain closed. I climbed into the backseat of my parents' car and cried all the way home.
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Today it is difficult to see how conditions have changed in Juarez:
