Looking Down

Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day.  I took an early flight to El Paso, had back to back to back meetings, then flew home late that same evening.  I haven't had a chance to talk much about my new job.  I'll try to let you know more about it at some point.  It deals with international issues--study abroad programs and visiting scholars.  Needless to say it is brand new territory for me and everyday I learn new things.  I love that part of it.  I love the opportunity to expand my knowledge.  I start my morning by checking various Internet news sites to see what is happening around the world.  I pay regular visits to the State Department's website to see what is happening with visas and travel warnings.  I'm learning things I never thought I'd ever have the need to know.  And it's exciting.

I've been to El Paso a handful of times in the past but always for pleasure.  El Paso has always been a city I don't feel comfortable in and it has nothing to do with size, traffic, or the lay out of the city.  It has to do with not knowing what I should and shouldn't do as far as safety is concerned.  You hear a lot about El Paso and often what you hear isn't good.  It's hard to know what is true and what is rumor.  For me I feel like El Paso is one of those places where America gives way to Mexico...or Mexico gives way to America depending on which way you choose to look at it.  I've never been to any other border town so I don't have anything else to compare El Paso too.  But what I can say is that when flying into El Paso yesterday morning I was struck by the fact that you can look out one side of the plane and see American flags then look out the other side of the plane and see a huge Mexican flag fluttering in the wind.  It's almost surreal to see the two different flags flying so close together.  It can can catch your breath.

From the air there is little to tell where one place ends and the other begins.  And I think that is what really grabbed my attention.  When you approach the border by land its very obvious.  There is a distinct division, enforced by armed officers of the law.  But in that moment, looking down from the air, that lack of distinction caused me to remember that we really are all connected and that realization felt both comforting and motivating. 

Comments

[liz elayne]

i can imagine this job taking you many places...and like bella, i hope it takes you to paris.

love the last paragraph here...about how things look from so far up and the connections you made while looking down at the world.

[bella]

My husband passed through ElPaso on a road trip last June. He said it was so much bigger than what he had imagined it to be. He loved Texas.
How exciting about your job. Maybe one day you'll be traveling to Paris for work? Now that would be a blast!!

[Star]

What a mentally stimulating job you have! It sounds like you're learning more about yourself in addition to all the international details for your job.

[Meg Hatton]

What a powerful connection!