Crossing Over...El Paso

Approaching El Paso, everyone in the group continued to think this day would give us a rest because it has a reputation as Podunk town. Eventually we would find this is far from the case in a border town. The scene of the area as we drove down the highway produced a visual distinction between Mexico and America as each landscape lied on either side of our van. Even though some areas from each country proved to be completely different with America’s vast developments and Mexico’s great poverty, other areas of the two countries looked frighteningly similar in poverty. This was the first among many aesthetics that point to the fact that El Paso seems to live up to its name which means “Crossing Over” as it proves separate from America and in fact a part of Juarez, Mexico.
Beginning at the El Paso Museum of Art downtown the class began to explore paintings, sculptures, prints, and more that were created from a heavily influenced Mexican-American or El Paso perspective. Sculptures such as Frances Bagley’s The Portrait portrayed a womanly structure made of wire filled with rocks; a place with structured gates filled with pavement and construction. Directly adjacent to this was another sculpture called Border Patrol by Suzanne Klotz which stood about five feet tall. On one side, the statue pictured American flags and graves while its other side was of praying hands and Mexican icons. As I watched each student become more and more involved with the artwork and analyzing it, I grew to see how much art is necessary in life.
Next up we met Lounell Southard, a defense contractor, for a meal at the mess hall at Fort Bliss military base. Entering the base, we began to see more and more of its massive size; later we would discover that it was as big as Rhode Island. How can this belong or fit into the El Paso we had already seen? Mr. Harold and Lounell gave us a tour as we got our meal and told us many facts about Fort Bliss’ history. For instance, they discussed how Fort Bliss has trained every flyer in the world and the different benefits that soldiers get from living on the base. The base had every doctor, service, or product one could want. I began to wonder and feel that Fort Bliss fit into El Paso by not entering into El Paso for much of anything since the military had everything they needed separate from civilian interaction.
After eating in the mess hall, which felt much like a high school cafeteria that had mostly men, we visited the old Fort Bliss cavalry display as well as the Air Defense Artillery Museum. Gazing at each airplane, rocket, and tank on display, Mr. Harold gave us a brief synopsis of what each weapon did. The thought arrived in my mind that these were also pieces of art—but more accurately, these also came from man.
Slowly, we walked back to the van and drove to the Rancho Market for some interaction with civilians we had missed throughout the day. At this point, after driving through the city and knowing that the population is 82 percent Hispanic, the market’s demographic did not surprise me. Mostly everyone was Hispanic, and the whole market had Spanish as the primary language. This was the first time I felt as though I was no longer in America. One woman spoke of how she works in El Paso everyday to make more money and goes back to Juarez after work. Every day she crosses over from one country and culture to the other.
Our next stop was at G & R’s Mexican Restaurant. Lounell and Ray Southard, and Louie (their son) as well as Captian Kaji and his family joined us. I sat near the middle of the table and tried to get a bit from each end of the table. On one side, I heard Louie, a UTEP student, discuss what it has been like to grow up in El Paso. He told us how Juarez has had more deaths this year than the war in Iraq. “Why?” you might ask. Louie informed us that this was due to drug deals gone bad. On the other end of the table, we questioned Captain Kaji about what it was like to be from India and to serve in the American military. We also wanted him to answer the question we have asked of everyone across the country: What is it like to be an American? Captain Kaji responded to both questions with: “I don’t know. I am still asking, after serving in the military twelve years, if I am an American... Even though I understand the thought process, it is still hard for me to know I do not receive promotions due to my race.”
The day ended with the drive down the road that divides Mexico and America. Captain Kaji’s words lingered in my mind. Leading us to the top of the mountain that separates the east and west side of El Paso, our road stopped on Sunset Drive as we climbed out of the van. From this view in Texas, we could spy New Mexico and Mexico as well as the city we had just explored. From the art museum to the food to the military base and finally to the border—our group had an in-depth look at the creations of man. Some beautiful and some disappointingly sorrowful, each piece that man made in this city had given our group an undeniable experience and left me with one question: Are the parts of the world man creates good or bad? My answer is that man’s creations are like people themselves. We are not all bad and not all good. We just represent life.