Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Will We Ever Cross The Border?

House is built!  We’ve accomplished what we, as a team, set out to do.  

Generally at this point we would head over to the Casas storage area and return the tools to their rightful places.  However several of our bunch wanted to visit the house they built last year.  

Which doesn’t sound like much of a time commitment.  Except that the site of this house was, generally speaking, way out to Timbuktu and back.  

Plus Carolyn wanted to make another stop in order to give an isolated medical clinic some supplies (another of our trailer contents that we had no intention of taking back to Kansas).  At least the medical provider was in the same general area as last year’s house.  

Then, finally, we return the tools and other construction implements.  But my desire to move along is thwarted when several of our gang linger in the T-shirt (and other items with the Casas Por Cristo logo) shop.  I do go in there with an open mind but none of the items really grab me.  Geoana chooses a long-sleeved shirt.  

Wait, wait, wait.  After a time everyone else finishes their purchases.  We say goodbye to Jason and prepare to drive to the downtown shopping district.  

Carolyn does a thorough job of explaining our time limit (one hour) and that we are to stay in groups of at least three.  

Geoana and I stick with several others and we venture through several tiendas.  Geoana does see a liter bottle of vanilla and accepts the deal for a mere 5 American dollars.  (Turns out we could have joined Carolyn’s mass order for $4 per bottle but decided even before we left Kansas that we didn’t need a liter of vanilla.)  Geoana convinced me by making one statement:  “Dad, do you know how much better my cookies will taste if I use that stuff?”  

Sold!

What do I buy?  Six half-liter glass bottles of Coca-Cola.  That’s right, the same stuff I enjoyed on our runs to Oxxo.  One of the other teenagers with us follows my cue and buys himself a 2-liter bottle of something called Joya.  

Our group is observant enough to return to the church vans before the hour is up.  Can’t say the same for the others.  In truth just about everyone does show up on time.  Save for two folks--a mother and daughter.  Apparently daughter is having a bracelet made and it’s taking more time than expected.  

More wait, more wait, more wait.  

During this time I get a call from Geogal.  She knew of the original schedule indicating we cross back over the border sometime around noon or 1 p.m.  But that didn’t take into account us having the house dedication this morning (instead of yesterday afternoon or evening) or the visit to last year’s house, or taking much longer than expected with just about everything today!!!

One of my character defects is I tend to go from just a little impatient to warp-speed annoyance.  No middle ground.  To say I’m doing a slow burn at this point doesn’t do my mental state justice.  

I explain to Geogal that since I’m with a group I simply have no power over when we will cross back over the border.  She’s peeved and I’m apologetic.  Doesn’t help my mental state.  

So Geogal and my father continue to knock around Del Rio while I play the waiting game.  

The mother-daughter duo finally arrive and then it’s time for us to head for la frontera?  

No, not yet.  

Jim (the other trip leader and husband of Carolyn) decides he wants to stay “hi” to a vendor acquaintance.  “Just let me out, take a quick spin around the block and I’ll be back on your next go-round,” he promises.  

It actually does go according to plan but I’m still fuming and wondering when (perhaps if) we ever will get back to the Great State of Texas.  

Finally, the border is in sight.  Going through the Mexican toll area takes no time at all.  

Over the Rio Grande, then it’s sit in a long line of vehicles waiting to pass through the immigration checkpoint.  

An hour later (no exaggeration) we’re through!  They didn’t even motion us off to the side or anything.  

And then I see my own vehicle.  Meet them, then wait for the other church van.  Greetings and hugs all around.  


Nice to be back in the States.  Finally.  

No comments: