Exploring Enrique's Journey

Annotations:

• Central Question: How do Enrique's descriptions and encounters at each of the following sites compare and contrast with the scenes presented in our Nearpod virtual field trips?

1. Veracruz
   1. Our Comparisons

      Annotations:

      • Enrique's Experiences: From a distance, he describes it as exciting and beautiful. Surrounded by the jungle, the first image the train riders see is a religious statue. That excitement is ruined by the fear of being caught.  The Field Trip Experiences: Most of us pictured rural areas with just a few buildings. Even though he described it as a city, many of us did not picture this beautiful and modern city. The ocean scene also makes sense when we look back at our map. 
2. Mexico City
   1. Our Comparisons

      Annotations:

      • Enrique's Description: His experiences in Mexico City were all terrifying. He was starving, beaten, robbed, and left for dead. The Field Trip Experience: Our first reactions were "wow, this is cool" and then again like Veracruz how modern it is. We are getting only one specific view of these places from Enrique. 
3. Rio Grande
   1. Our Comparison

      Annotations:

      • Enrique's Experience: He was excited to be able to see "America" but talks about how he would go in and cool off in the river to be yelled at through speakers from border agents. Also, he lives in a makeshift camp along the river run by gangs. The Field Trip Experience: To be honest, our first reaction is how is it difficult for people to cross the border in places like this. This is in a national park and contrasts the beauty and simple human made divide between two sides.
4. Our Answer

   Annotations:

   • We need to keep in mind that Enrique could be unreliable when it comes to getting a full picture about immigration, Mexico, Central America, and the U.S. He has a negative view of many of these areas, and if all we do is take his experience as a model for life there, we are just relying on one story for a complex issue and complex cultures.