Sunday, August 28, 2011

9 Days in the Desert: Day 1

Day 1: No Turning Back Now

We arrive at Byrd Camp (called so because it sits on children’s book author, Byrd Baylor’s property in the town of Arivaca) around noon and begin a third round of training and orientations. We are introduced to the med tent—a tarp tent with a swinging door that holds a red cross emblem on the outside attached to an old motor home. Medical supplies are stored in the motor home with a row of cots laid out inside the tent. I suddenly feel like I’m in an episode of M*A*S*H without the theme song. From there we are introduced to the kitchen and “office” (another tarp tent attached to an old trailer), the dining area (a row of three picnic tables beneath a tarp cover), the water tent, the dirty dishes station, and last the bathroom that sits at the end of a stone-lined trail where we find a bucket placed below a standing toilet seat next to a green metal cooler filled with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The day before I had heard the words “poop bucket” which sent a quick panic through me and now here I am facing it.

After the tour, we get training on GPS and maps, search and rescue (though recovery is more likely) protocol, and medical procedures where we learn how to look for and treat heat exhaustion and dehydration, and how to dress a blister. We are also introduced to “lightening position,” and what to do if we see mountain lions, rattle snakes, tarantulas, scorpions, and centipedes as if ranchers, minutemen, and Border Patrol with guns aren’t enough to worry about.

After dinner we circle around the fire pit to talk camp roles. A part of this experience feels a lot like summer camp, but just as I am comforted with that thought Davey, a person on the “Leadership Team,” darts out of our circle and into the darkness. All discussion ceases as we hear him speak to the darkness in Spanish, “Come in. Come in. You are welcomed here.” He is assuring someone that this is a safe place. And then the wailing begins. Loud, high-pitched sobs of a woman break the night and my reality. Her screams are long, full-body, and desperate. I want to cry with her. I take a quick look around the circle and everyone is shocked mute. No one looks anyone else in the eye. This is not summer camp.

Someone within the circle proposes a medical person goes out to meet Davey (there are four people in camp with either EMT or Wilderness First Response certificates), and Jason goes out into the darkness. The woman continues to wail and Kennedy (a woman who works with the group, but lives in town) proposes a woman goes to meet them. I try to imagine what it might be like for this woman to find a strange camp in the dark, frightened, perhaps injured, desperate, only to be met by two men. I picture her flagged by them. Sonia quickly removes herself from the circle to meet them. Jason returns to the fire and asks that someone warms up food, and another person leaves into the darkness. By now her wailing has calmed and we listen to the grumbling of conversation. Davey invites her into the med tent.

“Should we continue?” someone in the circle suggests, and we return to the doling of camp roles as if nothing has changed, but of course everything has. Davey returns with an update: There is a man and woman in camp with us. They were split from their group by Border Patrol and chased by dogs. She is very scared of dogs. They have been lost without clean water or food for two days. They are trying to get to Florida. We will be checking their vitals and caring for their injuries. Their names are Francisco and Yessica. Don’t be afraid to say hello when you get a chance.

Don’t be afraid to say hello? But I am afraid. I gulp back the round, dry lump in my throat and stare out into the darkness. I don’t think I am ready for this. I’m not ready for it to be real. When did I become this person? How did I get here? I didn’t know it would be so quick. I didn’t know I would thrown-in without warning. Suddenly, I am (we are) responsible for the well-being of two people and I should say hello. To say hello means there is no turning back. There is no turning back now.

I wonder if this is what war feels like.

8 comments:

  1. Whoa, Xoch. This is truly compelling. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. You're doing such good work.

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  2. You are very brave for doing this and for writing about it.

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  4. I wont compare it to war but everything that is different of what we are acostume to is scary in a way. A few years ago I went to watch a movie in LA about the debt of Africa...people were astonish and asked if they could do anything to help as if they heard that story for the first time...I thought they were joking...really?this people dont know what is going on in the world? Some of my friends went to Africa, where there is nothing and all you can have belongs to everyone, electricity is on and off and you have to shit in a hole. They learn how to appreciate what they have and accept a different culture...When I went to China I might say I was looking for something different that could amuse me, and I found a different culture that I still not understand but I know I have to respect. I come to Spain and I found in my own country that we are about to end just like Argentina with this recesion. You go to Arizona and experience just what you needed to experience, and the best part, you can write about it cause I am sure very few people know what is really going on so close to them...you dont need to go far to agree that some things are wrong and someone has to do something about it. I dont think people are "prepare" in life to do certain things but the important thing is that you go for it anyway. I do believe that life has its own ways and missions for each of us. Remember E.T???? It all starts with a "HI"...so Im proud of you for accepting this challenge and almost return feeling good for doing the right thing and sharing with others. THANKS to YOU.

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  5. Xoch, you are truly an amazing and inspiring person. People (including myself) say all the time that we're going to do something to change the world, but you are out there doing it! I want to use your blog entries to do some kind of program for the teens at the library where I work. Would that be ok with you? I have no idea what it would look like now, but I think it's definitely something they should be exposed to.

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  6. Wow, Xochitl, just wow. Looking forward to reading about the entire trip. Sounds as or even more intense than my trip to Kenya!

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  7. Thank you everyone!

    Dallas, where are you working? I would love to do a writing workshop.

    Cass, from now on I will think of E.T. Haha. I think you are right about not being a war. And you are also right that you don't need to go far. I guess that's why this feels so important to me. I want people to know that this is happening right here in our country. Love ya!

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