The End is Just the Beginning

As Border Beat comes to the end of the semester, I will take with me what I have learned from myself as well as from the others in my class.  While running this class as a live news website, I feel that I have grown as a journalist more than I had expected.  Together as a class, we tried out new kinds of social networking, live blogging, and other kinds of multimedia.   

Each teammember had to do presentations on new websites and concepts that could benefit BorderBeat as a whole publication, and with each of our own unique talents, skills and interests, I believe we did better Border Beat.  We all aimed for the same end result, and everyone brought something different to the table.  I saw Border Beat come together as a real news outlet.

As student journalists, I believe that we see the world differently than professional news organizations.  We produced some really interesting stories, especially ones specific to the Mexican culture.  I’m sad to leave the Border Beat publication, but excited to see what fresh ideas next year’s students bring.  The technology is quickly changing in this day and age, and I wonder what new kinds of multimedia will be introduced to classes in the future.  I feel proud that students can keep up with, if not be leaders in the technological advancements.  The journalism industry is changing, as I hold on for the seat of my pants.  I’ll be ready for whatever comes my way, but even more, I’m experienced enough to know that I need to be aggressive in my journalism endeavours and attack first.

It’s been a pleasure to write and produce stories for this publication, and under Jay Rochlin.  I’ve enjoyed all the different personalities and the strong work ethics of everyone in the class, and I’ll be standing right there with most of them in a week at graduation.  I wish them all the best of luck in their future, and I know there’s a good job for each one of them out there!

Signing Off, Nikki Helms

Tucson Protests the New Immigration Law

The immigration reform rally on Friday, April 23, was definitely one to remember.  While peaceful, unlike some of the rioting taking place at the state capitol building in Phoenix, I didn’t see one face on the corners of Granada Avenue and Congress Street that was for Arizona Senate Bill 1070.     

The protestors had pretty strong opinions, and pretty loud signs as well.  Standing on the side of the road on all four corners downtown, students of all ages and adults in the community held up signs and yelled at cars, who would honk back in return.  Some signs had pictures with Nazi and white supremacist inferences, while others simply said “Veto SB 1070.”

By the time that 1:30 p.m. rolled around, and people started hearing that Governor Jan Brewer signed and passed the bill in Phoenix, Tucsonans were not ready to quit.  Words were tossed around that people were not going anywhere and their fight would continue.  One Arizona native said,  just because it’s a law doesn’t mean that it’s right. 

People that I talked to were hopeful about the support that the community was showing against the bill.  They were impressed with the amount of people, especially students that were there, and they didn’t show doubt that they would lose a fight with that kind of support from the community. 

All the rallying and protesting has shown that communities in Arizona care about our state, but they have not shown legal advancement away from the passage of the senate bill.  We’ll have to see what kind of legal battles come of this bill, and also how many more protests will arise.

To see some of the protesting and people’s thoughts against SB 1070 from Friday, watch this video.

Foreign Fun over Summer!

Only a few weeks are left of school, and the anticipation of summer is gaining speed.  The question on everyone’s mind is ‘what to do over summer?’

Now, there are many options.  Something educational, something  fun, or something that involves both?   How about a foreign fluency summer-day camp?

Parents, this is a great way to encourage your children to start speaking Spanish early.  For $150, this camp is calling for all ages of children, at all levels of Spanish.  The camp will immerse you in the language that’s spreading over Tucson, and it’s not just boring class.  You get a t-shirt and a water bottle too.  Call (520)591-3665 if interested.

A similar day-camp is called Amiguitos Spanish Camp.  The price of this one is not listed, but it sounds like a lot of the same fun activities.  Plus, the Spanish focus is the same- a refresher on the local language can never do a Tucsonan wrong.  For this camp, call (520)904-3055.

Here’s a video of an Amiguitos Spanish Camp that took place in Oregon.

Another program is offered through the International School of Tucson.  Call (520)406-0552.  This camp is a longer version of the previous two, and it offers more languages than just Spanish, plus a wider variety of activities to entertain children ages 3-9.

This is a fun way for younger students to spend their summers, now I’ll have to go look for kids my age!

Feet that Help to Cure Cancer

This weekend, people from all over Southern Arizona raced for the cure! …for breast cancer, that is!  Over $1 million were raised at Race for the Cure, and I was proud to be one that contributed!  This was the first race I’ve done for any sort of cure, and it was so well organized for the large amount of people there, that it wasn’t even overwhelming.   

Alexis, Michelle and I are minutes away from racing.

My day started at 5:45 a.m. when I woke up to get ready for the big day.  I met my cousin Michelle and her friend Alexis at the El Con Mall parking lot at 6:45 so that we could take the Sun Tran to the race, which started at 8 a.m.  Waking up that early was terrible for so many reasons, but when I saw the line of cars just to get in the parking lot, I realized I was not alone.  We crossed the street to Reid Park, pinned our racing numbers to our t-shirts, and went looking for where we were supposed to be.

The start line for the 5K run, started at 8 a.m. on South Country Club Road, halfway between East Broadway Boulevard and East 22^nd Street.  We ran north on Country Club and then looped around Reid Park, past the zoo and Hi Corbett Field.  It was a really strange experience running on such busy roads as East Broadway Boulevard and East 22^nd Street, because there were no cars on the road, and the runners had all the lanes to themselves.

The start of the 5K, at 8 a.m. Walkers on the right, runners on the left.

I have never seen so many people from Tucson all together in one place at one time.  Every kind of person was there.  There were children running the same 5K I was, and I don’t know how they did it!  They did have encouragement from UA cheerleaders and local high school cheerleaders along the way, though.

The race was a great experience, and I’ve never run so far at one time in my life.  It definitely would have been harder to do by myself. 

The view behind me. Breast cancer survivors wore pink shirts.

 The three of us ran it in 35 minutes, and there was tons of food for the runners at the end.  Yogurt, bananas, oranges, energy drinks, marshmallows with fondue, and eegees kept everyone strong. With all the high spirits around me, I even said that I felt like I could run it again! The adrenaline, support and sense of community were enough to make my morning incredible!

I’m still in awe how thousands of people can come together in Tucson for one cause that reaches so many people around the world with breast cancer.  As many feet as it took to Race for the Cure, I’d sure say we helped accomplish something great that will affect people over borders and more borders.

Children that Inspire at St. Andrew’s Clinic

Some members of our Border Beat class took a trip to Nogales this past week to do border reporting.  We went to St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic, where about 200 children are seen by doctors and volunteers each first Thursday of the month.  These children come from Sonora, Mexico, and they seem to steal the hearts of all the volunteers and doctors there.

I didn’t get to speak with or really get personal with any of the children because I mainly interviewed people that were in charge of running the clinic behind the scenes.  I did, however, hear several heart-warming stories of how children have touched the lives of the volunteers.

One woman volunteering in the pediatric area was telling me how she brings in new strollers from the store to give to parents that need them.  About a month ago, a mom kept walking by the table trying to get a stroller for her son that she was carrying, unable to walk.  Her son was just too big to fit in it, so the volunteer felt like she had to turn her away to save the stroller for someone that could use it properly.  She kept telling the mother that it was unsafe to put a child in a stroller that didn’t fit the child well. The mother kept walking by, looking more tired and worn out each time.  Eventually, the mother just broke down and started crying. The boy was too big for her to hold all day, and she just wanted to put him down.  At that moment, the stroller was hers, and the volunteer wanted nothing more than to help this woman.

Another volunteer told me about a child not more than a few years old who was born without feet and half her legs.  She was learning how to walk on her new prosthetic legs.  The doctors had put pegs on her new legs so she could learn to balance, but she still couldn’t walk and they couldn’t figure out why.  They suggested she get a walker.  As soon as they had one custom made for her petite size, she was running off. 

Volunteers kept saying that it’s miracles like this that make them always come back and help.  Most of the volunteers had been there for several years, and they all said of some degree, “We do it for the children.”

Talking to them was so inspiring.  I wish I’d had more time to get to know some of the children myself, but I look forward to getting to know them through the eyes of my fellow Border Beat reporters’ eyes and ears.  I know we’ll have some pretty influential stories about this group of people to put up soon.

Language Barriers at Home and School

In a city so close to the border, where some families speak two languages at home, it may sometimes be hard for children to become accustomed to language differences at home and school. 

Last year in the Tucson Unified School District, the largest public school district in Tucson, the average number of students enrolled in an English Language Learners (ELL) program was 12.6 percent, according to data from an ELL count on the TUSD website.

My sister, Amber Helms, tutors in Title 1 elementary schools in Tucson and works with students who face these challenges with learning English every day.

Helms works for Adelante, a company that provides free after-school tutoring to any student enrolled in a Title 1 school.  In the Tucson Unified School District, just fewer than 90 schools are considered Title 1 schools this year, which means that a certain number of families in the school must have a low-enough income that they qualify for free or reduced lunches. 

This semester, Helms tutors a 3rd-grade boy named Luis in reading.  His parents are Mexican, and Luis tells Helms that they speak Spanish at home.  Since kindergarten, though, Luis has been speaking English more than Spanish, out of personal preference.  His teacher at Cavett Elementary School speaks both English and Spanish.

“He speaks perfect English and he enjoys it more than Spanish,” Helms said.

Helms said he’s at an age where he can make that decision on his own.  He’s in the tutoring program just to become a better reader, unlike the students Helms tutored last semester. 

Emileth and Yamileth were twin girls in first grade who did not speak English very well. Their parents were from Mexico and spoke very little English.  While Helms was trying to teach the girls to be better readers, she was also finding that she had to teach them some English as well.  They had more difficulty than Luis recognizing basic words in English. 

They were younger than Luis and Helms said she focused more on teaching them phonics because that’s what they were lacking.  Helms said that at their age, the girls often got confused between English and Spanish because they didn’t have a strong reading base in either yet.

Every family has their own story, and children have to adapt to their environment in whatever way they can.  I just hope that as time goes on, school districts close to the border keep supporting communication.  Hopefully an increase in school support will ease families and provide many opportunities for learning and working together to get past language barriers.

Spanish in Unfamiliar Places

Agua Prieta, Son., Mexico-a place where I thought my Spanish would have come in handy.  Boy was I mistaken.

Driving over to the other side of the Mexican border as a reporter has come with a lot more baggage than expected.  On top of having to anticipate who to talk to, what story angles to cover, what photo and video shots would be best, my nerves were running high just thinking about whether I’d even be able to communicate.

I’ve taken five semesters of Spanish in high school, six in college, and studied abroad in Spain for a summer. I am now a Spanish minor, even.   Let me just tell you that Spanish in Spain is a lot different than Spanish in Mexico, contrary to my previous beliefs.

At this health clinic, I attempted to interview a patient named Denise.  She lined up her four children in front of my video camera, while I struggled to fit them all in the frame.  The baby wrapped himself in his mother’s arms at her adult height, and the children stood next to her only three feet off the ground.  The awkward camera angles only led to awkward conversation.

As a reporter, my first question to my interviewee is usually “how do you spell your name?”  I blanked out when I realized I had no idea how to ask that, but an interpreter saw me struggling and came over to help me try.

“In Spanish, they don’t ever spell their names,” he explained.  “Denise is just Denise.”

Good to know, now.  That would have saved me a lot of stress off the bat.  From that initial trouble, though, my conversational skills actually improved.

I continued to interview her at different times throughout her three-hour experience at the health clinic run by the Flying Samaritans.  What I understood most from her was that she didn’t get all the medicine the doctor prescribed her because of a lack of supplies from the UA student-run pharmacy.

Still, Denise was very thankful for the free health care, and she told me she would come back because everyone was friendly.

At the end of the day, I’m thankful for finally getting to know this Mexican women a little bit and for her allowing me into her life for half of the day.

A Valentine’s Tradition

 

 

Just north of the intersection at Silverbell Road and St. Mary’s Road, an orange poster read “$3 and up- Valentine’s Sale.”  I looked around and saw a table set up on the sidewalk with pink, red and white blaring at me.  My curiosity led me to park and find out what the woman at the Valentine’s table was offering.

“It’s a fine chocolate,” Alma Romero said.  “I don’t like to put the cheap stuff out.”

The customer pondered, holding a few different bags of chocolate in her hands.

 “I don’t know if he likes chocolate,” the customer Cassandra Harris said. “Oh well, it’s the thought that counts.”  She was buying a gift for her daughter’s husband.

 As a woman who grew up in Nogales and moved to Tucson seven years ago to raise her daughter, Romero uses the profit from this Valentine’s table for her 7-year-old daughter’s birthday in March.  She buys all kinds of Valentine’s trinkets, mugs, teddy bears, and chocolate, then hand paints some of the trinkets, adds chocolate, arranges them with cellophane wrap, and voila!  They become beautiful gifts!

 Her cousin in Mexico, who owns a flower shop, was the one that prodded her to start a sort of yard sale or personal business like this.  She thought Valentine’s Day would be a good time of year when people are extra friendly.

She picked a good spot too!  She set up right across the street from Carondelet medical facilities and down the street from St. Mary’s Hospital and Pima Community College.  She says she gets to help out a lot of college students who need last minute gifts for their girlfriend or boyfriend.

The gifts range from little interactive pens for $1 to elaborate gift baskets for about $30.

Romero showed me a few of the gift baskets included with stuffed bears and decorated with candy and other trinkets. One bear, dressed like a flapper from the 50’s, sang “I want to be looooved by you, boo boo be doo.”  The song always gets stuck in her head, she told me. 

Many of the Valentine’s Day set-ups around Tucson come and go, but none last like this woman’s story of strength and support for her daughter since their move from Nogales… especially on this heart-warming holiday!

Flying Samaritans

One Saturday a month, 20 members from the University of Arizona undergraduate club “Flying Samaritans” make a trip to Agua Prieta, Mexico.  Three to five local doctors go along and help run free medical clinics out of one of two buildings: El Rosario or Laguna San Ignacio.  They offer free medical services to Mexicans in need.

I came across this club on the UA campus from the Spanish department listserv. It sounded like a really unique trip to take, so I met with vice president Alexis Stone to see what the deal was with the Flying Samaritans.  They are a UA club that also has chapters all over the nation, including a separate one in Tucson.  I was very impressed with the fact that they touch the lives of about 50 people in Mexico each trip they make.

Stone said she has been on six trips, and that they accomplish so much while they’re there.  They set up a pharmacy and fundraise to bring all their own medicine to Mexico.  They hold a triage to help patients right away, and they have students running the clinic and translating for the doctors.  They also educate patients waiting to be treated about preventative health care.

Photos by Fernando Reyes Santos, club member

This is purely an undergraduate club, minus the doctors, of course. The Flying Samaritans try to recruit students to go on the trip from the Spanish department, pre-med and pharmacy school.  Then, of course any other student wanting to help out can join the club for $30 and go too! If you’re interested in joining, you can email Jillian Moore at  jillianm@email.arizona.edu.

Students like me who maybe have a minor in Spanish, but still feel like their accent is very “gringo”, are fine to come along as well, Alexis said.  The doctors are usually worse than the undergrads at Spanish, so they appreciate all the translation help they can get.  This was actually very encouraging news!

Alexis told me she’d love to have me go with them and document the excursion.  I would have to pay $20 just like everyone else.

I was curious as to what kind of health issues the doctors had been treating in Agua Prieta.  Stone said they saw a lot of patients with diabetes and hypertension that needed long term treatment plans and plenty of medicine.  She estimated that 75 percent of people they have seen are diabetic.  Learn more of the studies done on the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in Mexicans.

The trip dates for this semester are the Saturdays of February 20, March 27, April 17, and May 1. 

See where Agua Prieta, Mexico is!

If you want to get involved or learn more about this trip, please contact flyingsamsua@gmail.com.

Donations to Haiti from My Generous School

On the west side of the University of Arizona campus lays a small building with big intentions. Inside that building, donations piled up for a country in a state of emergency. The donated items brought in by students, professors, and faculty would be sent to Haiti in the following few days after its collection. The International Student Programs and Services (ISPS) team at the U of A took charge in housing the donations until they could be taken to Worldcare, a local international shipping company.

Wednesday, January 20, eight days after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti, the donations were ready to be picked up. A pile of first aid supplies, over-the-counter medications, blankets, dry rice and beans, baby formula and diapers stacked up in the entrance of the ISPS building.

The project started off small and just on the international students’ listserv.  The ISPS office watched it grow as UA News picked it up.  Since then, the office has seen a steady flow of students bring in donations bagfuls at a time, said Marie Willard of the ISPS.

“We just wanted to lend a helping hand, really,” Willard said.

At 11:30 a.m., one of the staff members, Joanne Lagassi-Long, had her husband, George Long, pick up the items to take to Worldcare to be shipped off to Haiti. All the staff grabbed boxes and bags and loaded Long’s pickup truck. They all smiled with pride in what good work the U of A had done for Haiti.

Willard pointed out the importance on college campuses of awareness of people, places and events around the world. With all the international students at the U of A, and some from Haiti, UA Wildcats have really shown through their efforts that they want to help out with the disaster.

Willard expressed her thanks to everyone that supported their Haiti relief efforts.

A list of ways to help is posted on the ISPS website.  If you want to donate items, take them to Worldcare.  World Care is also accepting monetary donations  online. 

**Thanks to Garageband by Apple for the audio in the slideshow.