And the stress really kicks in....

...the count down to finals has begun and I am really beginning to feel the true pressure. I am graduating in one month and still have so much to do. The one thing I now find is that when I set aside a specific amount of time for myself I seem to be able to unwind. This weekend that time was once again spent reading Devil's Highway. The book has introduced the Wellton 26 and given us very detailed account of the lives of the coyotes or better yet the "gangsters", which they prefer to be called. They do not view themselves as thugs or gang bangers, but more of Bonnie and Clyde's of the frontera. There is an entire subculture within the coyotes. We see this in the way they act and praise their actions almost like Robin Hood's. We are also able to see the higharchy of the coyote enterprises. There is a great deal of work that goes into pulling this off. Many Americans view the immigrants as ignorant, but the reality is they are intelligent and know just what to say to the Border Patrol when caught. The guias or guides dress the same as the illegals and try to blend in if they are caught. There is an unspoken rule to never give up who the guia is. The guia will respond to the Border Patrol agent with "si señor" or "no señor" and simply be bused back to Mexico to try crossing again. Another thing that amazed me were the amount of agency and people gaurding the border besides the Border Patrol. The zone is militarized in a sense. Well, I hope to read more at the end of this week and I will keep you posted....