I posted a guest blog on J.L. Clark's website (click here to view the post), and promised her readers that I would make my next blog post a story that involved her. So what better story to tell than the story in which we first became friends? Brevity is not a strength of mine, so prepare for a hilarious lengthy story. For those who know me, I love volunteering. I believe giving back in any form possible is something EVERY fortunate human should take part of. While in undergrad, I was lucky enough to take part of a great organization; Alternative Spring Break (though we called it Alternative Service Break, but now the entire organization is called Impact). The MO of ASB was to allow a group of college students to participate in a service project, somewhere far from their college, for a week during their school break. You pay a small fee to participate/pay for housing/gas and you either hit or miss on having a good time. I participated in 4 trips in undergrad, and had a blast on all 4 trips (despite the personal and relational hardships) and would suggest anyone to become a member of the organization.
My first trip was to San Juan, Texas; a border town of Mexico. Allen and Bradley was going on the trip, along with 4 other girls whom I had never met until the first meeting. Although we met during the meetings and got along, it wasn't until the trip actually began that we bonded. The trip started on a Sunday. Looking back, I remember going out to the bar until 2, then staying out partying until 4:30 then driving at 6. Not for the light hearted. I'm sure Annette is going to love knowing this. Don't worry Mom, I was fine, and it was 6 years ago, what are you going to do about it now?
I would never talk to Annette like that unless I'm 600+ miles away; when even then I'm not safe, but have a good enough head start to live for about 4 more months.
Sunday morning, Bradley, Allen, and I show up to the parking lot with Bradley's and my Mom's cars, ready to load up for the trip. I'm not 100% sure who rode in who's car on the way to Texas, but I do remember leading (due to the shear fact that Antoine don't play). I also remember seeing a copious amount of cars towing other cars with the words "In-Tow" painted on the towed vehicle. We found this to be quite amusing and still get a good laugh out of seeing them. Here is one for your amusement.
This is not from the trip, but the last "In-Tow" I took and promptly sent to members of the group
Once we arrived, we made it to the site of the LUPE organization. Their goal was to help the residents of San Juan and the surrounding area to get all of the assistance they could get to stay legal and gain citizenship if they so desired. Very noble cause, and a great working model. We're staying on site, in a dorm/cabin. It had two sleeping rooms, full of bunk beds. Our group takes one side, and a group from Wisconsin had the other side and had been there for a week. Time to make some new best friends. They weren't coming back until the next day, so we had to bond with ourselves. And it begins
The guys, already being best friends, didn't have much share with each other. Bradley and Ferniz were site leaders and had been on a trip together before, and were already close. JL bonded instantly with Anna due to their common interests in English and other things. And well...there was MG...have no idea what happened there. Actually...I think I do...
Spoiler Alert
The girls and guys (minus MG) bonded over two of the guys homosexuality. Which is probably why MG was not down with the bonding. Oops; Not Sorry.
After a myriad of commonalities being shared, buffet being ate, and inside jokes being made, we were ready to work the next day. Our first day of work consisted of us going to the border of Mexico and passing out flyers about services that LUPE offered to Mexicans crossing on a work visa. Bradley was our resident Spanish speaker though he was not the MOST effective, he was what we had. Love youuuu. We did our job for the day, and went with the Wisconsin group to a cabbage farm where many migrant workers tended to the land. We got to talk with them, through a few cabbage boxes around, then returned back to the site where we finally got to meet and greet the Wisconsin group. The Wisconsin group consisted of 9 girls and 1 guy, which the guy and another girl were dating (and are now married with children).
This trip was filled with estrogen
Back at the site, we got to participate in LUPE's daily gathering to just talk about the progress of the organization and share stories with some of the community members, and then...IT happened. They put on music, and gave everyone the words to the song that we were to sing along to; De Colores. Never in my life have I been enamored by a song. Literally a kids song talking about the colors of the spring, but somehow the fact that it was in Spanish made me want to dance on rainbows and drink copious amount of Nehi Peach.
As we walked back to our bunker, all I could do is hum this amazing song to myself...very loudly for the world to hear. I remember that night being interesting because, for some weird reason, they let me take the top bunk. Naw its cool, I'm clearly the most gigantic person on this trip, I'll take the top bunk. For those who know me, this was around the time the infamous leg/back issues were starting, so sleeping was very tough for me. I also grew up sleeping on the top bunk, and used to just jumping down gracefully and doing what I need to do. However, just jumping onto the floor was not the best idea as the whole bunker house shook when I did this, awaking not only my group, but the Wisconsin group as well. Oops, not sorry. It was better than me stepping on the head of whomever was below me (which happened often).
The next day, we got to cross over the Rio Grande via tug...raft...ferry? This particular spot, there was a ferry raft that was hooked to some ropes that crossed the river. A car would drive onto the raft, and the passenger would be pulled across the river by men literally pulling on the rope to pull the raft on the other side. I want in on this. When we crossed over, we took pictures and had to take the raft back over so we could get another car.
Me: Excuse me sir, but I really want to pull this rope. Damnit, he doesn't understand me. Someone please translate the urgency of me needing to pull this rope to this nice gentlemen.
Wisconsin girl translates for me.
Ferry Rope Puller: Oh, I speak English, I heard him, and sure that's no problem.
Me: YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
So I get instructions on how to steady the raft while pulling the rope, and many other decided that pulling the rope seemed like fun so they joined in. Needless to say, with the work load quadrupling, it took very little time to cross the river. After finishing our job, we high fived each other and went to our next task.
Our next job was to go into a neighborhood and flyer the houses with important information. It had something to do with...citizenship classes? Don't remember really, but I do remember all of us being split. Although I was a driver, I somehow didn't get to drive, and instead got paired with one of LUPE's helpers who only spoke Spanish; Off Road Astro Van Lady. She was great and had been very interactive with us, and was clearly a talker. SO AM I! However, with us in the car alone, it was hard to communicate.
Astro Van Lady: So...habla espagnal?
Me: No....je parles francais
AVL: Ahhh frances, mi comprendo!
That's all I needed. Back then, my french was fresh so I decided to try them out on her. It actually worked. There were awkward pauses to try and digest what the other said before responding, but it was a crowning achievement. Not even a language barrier was going to keep me from talking to people.
After the flyering, we were treated to lunch at someone's house in the neighborhood, who LUPE's Habitat for Humanity built the house (Proyecta Aztecta) for. It was authentic Mexican food and it was fantastic. We stepped outside the house and Anna spotted this cat, with whom she quickly fell in love with. As she picks up the cat, we realize the cat has a multitude of dingleberries hanging off of its backside.
Anna: Oh my gawd I LOVE this cat! Its so cute!
JL: Ummm, what is that hanging off of its butt?
Anna: Oh no! kitty has dingleberries! Gonna put you down now. But you are still very cute.
Dingleberry cat, you will always be our friend.
That evening, a friend of the organization decided to take us across the border for some fun in Reynosa. We all hope in our cars, and head to the border. We park at a strip mall, and walk across the border (easier transition and less hassle). We cross over and the first thing we are told is to "not drink the water". Some of the girls from Wisconsin had done study abroad in Mexico, and were not in the least afraid of Montezuma's Revenge. Whatever, just don't keep me up with your belligerent bubbly guts.
We go and do a money exchange, then we go and eat at a local shop. We start to disperse, and I just hang out with whomever I see. One of the rules in our organization is that there is to be no drinking on the trip. However, that did not stop Wisconsin from getting sloshed on 50 cent beers and $1 tequila. I'm....kinda jealous. As the night went on, Wisconsin all got bolder and better at Spanish? We were certain that only 3 were fluent in Spanish, but 3 hours into this excursion across the border, all 10 were fluent native speakers. That must be some fantastic tequila.
One of our members wanted to buy a bottle of Mexican tequila, which was permissible, so a few Wisconsin girl, Bradley, Allen, and myself accompany her to purchase the tequila. While they were in the store, the rest of us sat on the curb and chatted.
Wisconsin Girl #1: So...are you guys gay?
Me: What kind of question is that? You're bold...and I like it.
Wisconsin Girl #2: We were just wondering, and we figured we'd ask and not make assumptions
Me, Allen, and Bradley looking at each other trying not to laugh
Me: Dude, don't look at me
Bradley: Yeah...I am.
Wisconsin Girl #1: Well, duh. I already knew that.
Me & Allen: BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!
Wisconsin Girl #1: You're not, are you Allen?
Allen: Yeah, I am.
Wisconsin Girl #2: No way! Seriously? That sucks
Allen: Umm, thanks?
So after that hilarious back and forth, we go back across the border and return to our bunker to have a freaky dance party. Still drunk, the Wisconsin group exclaimed that we must attend the club the next night because it was worth it. I'm down for Latin club shenanigans. Count me in, and I'm driving.
The next morning, the entire crew went off site for some light flyering. While on the drive back, a conversation ensued.
Wisconsin Girl #4: So, I heard Allen is gay. Is that true?
Anna and Me: Ummm......
Me: I seriously don't know how to answer this question. Because the last time I was asked this, I said what I thought was right, and this girl ended up crying and Allen got mad at me and told me just to tell people if they were to ask. Oops.
Anna: That's hilarious.
Wisconsin Girl #4: So he is? Oh that's really cool, I want to talk to him.
Me: He REALLY likes Tim McGraw
That conversation actually held a lot of significance and was a precursor to a great relationship between her and Allen.
Later in the day, we did work on the site itself. The first thing we got to do is watch a house frame be put up at the Proyetca Azteca lot. It was pretty cool. Then, the site needed some landscaping work. Oh yeah.
The site leader and Off Road Astro Van lady were giving us orders. 4 days there, and the only terms I learned were "todos" and "vamanos", which mean "all" and "go" respectively. We were to weed their garden, pick the saffron, mow the lot, and did some painting at the end. We all split up, and JL and I went with Off Road Astro Van Lady.
Astro Van Lady: Aqui, todos.
Me: Wait, she wants us to do take out all of this?
JL: I think so, she said todos
Me: Umm, attend...todos? (Pointing to a flower bed and the area around it)
Astro Van Lady: Si, todos! Vamanos
JL: Well, I guess she wants us to do it all.
Me: I'm going after the cactus! I'm gonna take it with me when I chop it down!
My thoughts were to take out the biggest thing then the little things would be easy aka I WANTED THAT CACTUS. I didn't have any proper cactus chopping tools, so I decided a back ho would have to suffice. So naturally, I start hacking away at this cactus while JL pulls weeds, then from the distance I hear "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!". The site leader did NOT want the cactus to be tampered with. Oops, RIP cactus, for I know you died maybe a week later.
Because I was unsure of what to do, I decided to just "supervise" (Being lazy is an art form). While I was "supervising" everyone, in one of my crowning moments of life:
Me:Hahahaha look, its like...reverse slavery.
I'm awesome.
After all the site work, LUPE had a presentation and luncheon to thank both us and Wisconsin. We wrote a poem, danced, ate cake, and had a grand ole time. Wisconsin went off to do their own thing for the rest of the afternoon/evening, so we decided to have a quiet evening at home and cook. Something that was failed to be mentioned was the idea that because there were many vegetarians in the Wisconsin group, that almost all of our food for the trip was meatless. We were extremely excited by the idea that we would get to cook and eat meat. After discussion, we decided spaghetti and meatballs would be our poison. After we finished cooking, we sat down to eat. While eating, the site leader came to talk to us and asked if we would hang out with her grandchildren. I looooooovvveeee kids!
The children entered the house, and we offered them food. Two of them took bowls of spaghetti, while the third was reluctant to eat our feast. Ferniz offered her meatballs, and gave her one, and she nibbled on it for a bit. Then she went and got more meatballs. Like a mound. She was probably 5, and the amount of meatballs she ate was kind of out of control. Anna, great with nicknames, aptly named her Meatballs.
After dinner, we decided to go outside and play with the kids. After little debate, we chose to play Red Rover. We split up, each of us taking kids on both sides. We came to the unspoken rule that when kids ran through, we would let them break our arms. This wasn't a "being nice" thing more of it being a "don't clothesline the kids" thing. We were having a grand ole time running back and forth on the lot. At one point, one of the kids ran through and we let him break our arms. He swiftly runs back to the other side gleefully.
Todos: Who do you want Joe? You got to pick someone.
Joe: Ummm....I WANT THE BROWN ONE!
He was talking about me
Me: I love this kid.
Todos: Laughter
After Red Rover, I turn on the car and start blasting some De Colores because what better way to have a children's dance party. We dance until the site leader comes to take the children back home. We say our goodbyes and go back into the bunker. Very soon after, Wisconsin returns, and they are ready to go to the club. Only Anna and I want to go, so the rest of our group stays behind. We take my car and a Wisconsin van, and we head out.
The club was called Graham Central Station, and it was a large club with 7 different rooms: latin, hip hop/r&b, dance, karaoke, country western, and two others that escape me. All of the rooms were packed with people, and it was a complete blast. We stay out for a while. When it was time to go, there was a shift in riders. Then, the awkward ride commences.
Wisconsin Girl #2: Antoine, do you have a girlfriend?
Me: Ummm...no. Do you? Haha
Wisconsin Girl #3: I think she needs to tell you something
Wisconsin Girl #2: I have a big crush on you, I just wanted you to know. You're just really cool
Wisconsin Girl #1: We were gonna tell you in Reynosa, but we needed to make sure you were single
Me: I'm flattered...also this is awkward.
Wisconsin Girl #1: Why is it awkward, Antoine? Are you not interested?
Wisconsin Girl #2: Antoine, if you don't like me, you can just tell me. Why don't like me?
Wisconsin Girl #3: Yeah Antoine, what's wrong?
Me: Wow. (Censored)
Wisconsin Girl #2: Yeah we figured that, we just wanted you to admit it. I don't really have a crush on you.
Me:You. Guys. Are. Awesome. Fine, you win. Lets go to Dairy Queen.
We did not go to Dairy Queen, literally made me sad.
We go back to the site, and sleeping ensues. The next day, we say goodbye to Wisconsin, and pack up ourselves to leave. We stop by the Wal-Mart and pick up a few cases of Apple Fanta, because its delicious and we couldn't leave it behind. We make the 10 hour drive back, stopping at gas stations for dance parties, blasting Beach Boys, counting the number of In-Tow cars, and making sure that the cops didn't pull us over.
After the trip, we all became extremely close to one another. Many nights at the Mexican restaurants with Ferniz, Allen, Bradley, and I all went to JL's wedding, pretty much as VIPs, Anna promptly moved to New York for law school, but Facebook is great for keeping up with awesome people. Also, we're still trying to figure out what happened to MG. We know for a fact that JL had an awkward run in with her because she worked with her brother, and she came into the workplace once and pretended like she didn't know JL. Oh no MG, we know who you are, don't pretend.
I would do that trip all over again with no changes. Actually, I would blast more De Colores. Even though I don't know the words. Not sorry. ~!Antoine!~
