Yesterday I headed to my tattoo artist (if I could be so bold as to title him in such a way…) and got Mexico crossed off the list of flags I adorn.  It occurs to me that this particular place is one I will need to visit again.  I had no plans when visiting aside from setting foot and seeing what it really looked like on the other side of the “wall” which was just a crazy sturdy fence where I was.

Obviously where I arrived was not a true picture of the country or the people, it was a sample that was clearly geared for selling stuff.  (We are just as guilty of it here, though.)  I strolled a few blocks, taking in the scenery, then made my way back to the border.  I made the mistake of trying to just walk through the vehicle entry and two armed border patrol guys approached me to stop me and let me know to hit the pedestrian entrance instead.  They were on edge but I get it.  I still think it’s hilarious that the control has to be such that a citizen can’t walk in however he pleases with the proper documentation.  They didn’t even care to look at it, but again, just two guys doing their job and wondering what the hell this random dude was trying to pull.

So I made my way down to the pedestrian crossing line and it was the better part of a mile.  I saw signs all over for Sentri pass entry, a thing I possess, but literally no indication which line it was or how to circumvent.  Once I was about 300 feet from the gate, I saw a border agent and was like “Is that a Sentri lane?” to which he said yes and asked if I had Sentri.  I showed him and he said “Yeah you didn’t have to wait in any of these lines.  You can go up there now if you want.”  Lesson learned, I suppose, for this one border crossing… Just act like you own the place, got it.

In all honesty, though, I’m glad I spent the time in the line.  I was able to see families and individuals, young and old, who wanted nothing more at that moment in time than to come see the United States.  Presumably they had friends and family on our side but it lifts the spirits to know I live in a place that is still a place sought out by others for whatever reason.  The media makes it difficult to see this fact by painting with a broad set of brushes but I for one welcome people to see what it’s all about.  We get painted with the same set of brushes on this side of the fence so do your best to not assume, as some of us do.

Thank you for the glimpse, Mexico, I shall return with more plans in mind next time.