Resist

My form of resistance is a silent one.  One that is common when living in a bordertown. It is one of sadness and hope.  It is that of the border wall and a drug war.  Both are things that seem like they have no solution.
I’ve lived in Los Angeles, San Diego & Tijuana, MX.  Out of all three, my favorite place of all was Tijuana, MX.  Many view it as a party town, but its not.  It’s more than that.  It’s an explosion of culture. A world within a city. It is a fusion of new and old. It is truly a concrete jungle.  But its a beautiful one full of life and movement.  There aren’t many places where you can view the contrast of the rich and poor like this place. 
Tijuana has been long known as the largest port of entry.  Millions of people cross that border everyday from Mexico to the US to go to work.  But there are also people who cross the border by foot, in fear, with hopes of getting a job in the US.  Most of these people don’t make it though, all thanks to a metal wall that was constructed, to claim their lives.  If you live around the border, you hear the stories about how there was another life claimed while crossing illegally. And if you have family in Mexico, you’re constantly hoping that its not a loved one. If you don’t, than you’re blind to the fact that this ever happens, so it doesn’t affect you. 
Seeing that wall is one thing, but feeling that wall, with your own hands in another. It brings a feeling of sadness.  And you think of all of untold stories about it. 
Being a kid and going to the beach where that wall stretches out to, was weird to go to.  Why? because, you got to experience what those who couldn’t cross, felt inside.  That feeling of being so close to a dream of a better life and yet so far away from it ever happening.  Kind of like a dream lost.
Tijuana has been plagued by another problem now. 
Every summer the streets used to crawl wih tourists.  The centro used to be filled with people looking for unique things to buy.  A little something to remember Mexico.  This doesn’t really happen anymore though.  The drug wars have created fear and panic in tourists and even us living just on the other side of the border.  Now, all of those who who used to work in the centro, Tijuana’s main shopping spot, can no longer count on making a buck.  They’ve lost their jobs because there are no tourists.  And so now the struggle of life is even harder.
A wall and a war… it sometimes feel like Germany. But this wall has yet to be torn down and that war is far from being over.  We wonder if the US and Mexico governments will work together to find a solution.  We hope that one day things will all change for the better.  Some say that all of this negative change is irreversable.  I don’t agree.  I resist in the idea that a positive change can’t happen and embrace the idea that it will happen.  Hope is never lost.

Anya Meave
San Diego, CA
you can contact me at ponkeros@hotmail.com
or resistencia_13@yahoo.com :)