California Immigration: Day 5

 Day 5 by Jo and Kareena:

To finish off the amazing journey that we had in San Diego we were all able to have a chill yet reflective day. At the beginning of our day we met with an artist named Carlos, who is a photographer but also makes films. He was able to tell us about his family and the places that he has been through his exhibit. Carlos talked about his experience with immigration, and the future impact that we need to make as the next generation. He was able to reflect like many of the other people that we were fortunate to meet. This was something that sat with us because we were able to indulge in the beautiful photographs. After looking through the art, we were able to visit Coronado. This was an amazing beach and a flourishing town with many shops. Coronado was a great way to finish out our last day in San Diego. We were also able to learn a lot about marine life through the sting of stingray. At dinner, we were all able to have some local tacos with vibrant music. We all talked about this past week reflecting on the experiences we had and the people we met. Many of us commented on the bonding time that the group had together. We all agreed that this was an experience that was perfect for the group we had. All of us are very grateful for the access to this opportunity and we will keep this experience with us forever. To end the night we all went on a chilly beach walk to soak in the last few hours of San Diego. 

California Immigration: Day 3

 Day 3 by Julia and Lakelyn:

Today we started our journey back to san diego, but before we could head to the waves we had a few stops first. This morning, we learned about how indigenous peoples were affected by the wall. We first went to the Imperial Valley Desert Museum that was dedicated to bringing to light the culture of the Kumeyaay people. Before the wall was built, Mexican citizens came to California for church services and to do their shopping, but this became impossible to do, causing a major shift in routine. Most of the other indigenous people in the area who also relied on traveling through different biomes depending on the season could no longer do so. We found it so impactful that these people had no say in the destruction of their culture. We did learn that with the help of the museum, there has been a resurgence in Kumeyaay culture. Our next stop was a winery found along the border, which was also directly affected and influenced by the border wall. We were given a tour of the vineyard and drove along the wall that overlooked the owners property. We were given the chance to talk to the owners who shared their experiences with the border patrol, which they had good relations with. In addition they told us about how they have witnessed refugees rush through their land in hopes to make it past the border. The father recalled times when the border wall was not there and he would head across the country “lines” to have meals with friends. He shared that before, relations and sharing cultures with people from Mexico was very accessible, but now with the fence… it’s impossible. After meeting with the tour guide at the imperial valley museum as well as the winery owners, we were given two very different, yet important, perspectives of how land along the border wall has been affected. We finished the day with watching the sun set and reflecting as a group about what we learned.

California Immigration: Day 4

Day 4 by Brenna and Isa:

Today our group met with Mario Torero, a Chicano artivist (activist through art), who showed us around Chicano Park. He explained how art brought together Chicano people after the new boarder was created and how people can be Chicano regardless of what side of the boarder they live on. This was interesting because it showed a lot of unity in the community despite the boarder being a physical barrier. We also heard from a local business owner who explained the concept of gente-fication, the process of rebuilding a community based on its people and history, as opposed to gentrification where the community gets completely wiped out. This was great to hear about how the area, Barrio Logan, was able to preserve the history of the people there through art and local businesses. After we went to a mission to learn about how religion played a role in influencing indigenous people. Lastly, we went to a Mexican super market to get some fresh tortillas and ingredients to make our own tacos for dinner.

New England Cuisine Day 5: Portland

Today we made the trip across Maine to Portland, a wonderful city. We parked the bus and immediately high-stepped it to our first stop. We arrived at “The Holy Donut,” with quite the appetite built up. To put it simply, the donuts did not disappoint. 

Ranked as one of the top 10 places to get a donut in the country, the potato styled treats were delicious. With what appeared to be an endless amount of flavors, people went simple with Vanilla and as wild as Chocolate Coconut.

After devouring the potato donuts, the group split up across the street. Some headed to Old Port Sea Grill and Raw Bar, while others trekked across the street to Ri Ra, a traditional Irish pub. While one group tasted a variety of seafood, the Ri Ra group sampled traditional Irish fares like fish and chips and Irish Curry Pot Pie. 

After both groups had finished, we continued to look around all the nooks and crannies of Portland. 

Creating Music: San Francisco - Day 4

    Day 4 of San Francisco was the last of the studio grind. The day started out with last minute tweaks to three songs and then started the mixing process. At this point many members of the group who haven't made their way into the city left to explore little Italy and pier 39.

    Other groups made lunch trips and visited the wharf. They also stopped at a look-out point for some views. The mixing was soon finished and the last group cleaned up the studio and headed to meet up with the rest of the group.

    We finished our day in the district of Haight Ashbury. We got some great street tacos and got to shop around. There were many clothing stores to explore and we even got to see the Grateful Dead house.     

Great Granite State - the Seacoast

On today's trip, the gang traveled to Wallis Sands State Beach for a short walk. Then we went to Odiorne Point State Park to check out some tide pools and visit the Seacoast Science Center to look at different sea animals. 

We then went to downtown Portsmouth and had lunch at the River House, serving great seafood and steak. We closed the day out by shopping in Portsmouth in various shops, most importantly grabbing some boba tea.

PIT MASTERS

 DAY 5: LESSONS FROM A BBQ ENTHUSIAST

Today was a more relaxing day after four days of going on the road and eating at a different barbecue place each day. We had Tripp Cantwell come in and teach us a little bit about smoking meats and had him show us his handmade smoker. After that, we put our pork in his handmade smoker with the dry rubs we made yesterday. We then watched Chef's Table: BBQ, about a couple pitmasters, and learned about their stories and their love for barbecue. Later in the afternoon, we checked on the pork, and watched more Chef's Table: BBQ, on a different pitmaster, and awaited our pork to be done. After, we came back together and ate the pork we made along with some classic barbecue sides.  - Alex Lobdell

California Immigration: Day 2

Day 2 by Maria and Lakelyn:

Today Wednesday March 9th in the Immigration project we woke up in Calexico CA. We went for some breakfast and headed over to Slab city. There we talked to Diana in Salvation mountain, and she talked to us about her perspective about being close to the border and way of living. She stopped at Slab city on her way to SD and she felt a urge to stay at Slab, She taught how in Slab everyone is welcomed no matter their background. Afterwards we moved to East Jesus where we saw many different interactive art pieces. When there, we met a person named Wizard who had been living there for about 12 years. What we took away from him was acknowledging gratitude. Later on we headed back to Calexico to meet with Ismael, part of a non government organization for betterment of Calexico. We helped restock a community fridge for people to treat themselves to food for free. Next we went to meet up with Robert who told us about how it is living in a border city. He introduced us to the mayor of el Centro Tomas Olivia and the mayor of Calexico Xavier Moreno. They talked to us about the issues that have to be faced every day living so close to the border. We learned from their perspectives how they try their best to advocate for immigrants treating them humanly. We reflected on how does law apply for those who enforce the law, taking as example border patrol. We continued that conversation over dinner brought over from Mexicali with Raul, Xavier and Robert.

Great Granite State - Merrimack Valley

The gang explored the Merrimack Valley for the third day of Project Week. Our first stop was in Concord, the state's capital. We got breakfast and got to see Main Street. We piled back in the vans and went to America's Stonehenge, a 4,000 year old archaeological site in Salem, NH.

They even had alpacas!

For lunch we went to Manchester and ate at Waterworks Cafe, then spent some time in downtown Manchester.

Creating Music: San Francisco - Day 3

 


  We started day three with a excellent breakfast in downtown Berkley. Then we were off to the studio to finish song #2 and begin our third song. Our third song only required a handful of students, so the rest of the group took some time to tour San Francisco. 

    Our tour consisted of several famous spots
in city, and saw some incredible views. Twin Peaks, Bakers beach near the Golden Gate Bridge are just a few examples. We also traveled down Lombard Street and stopped next to the Painted Ladies to take a few snapshots. Though the most stunning spot had to be the Palace of Fine Arts, with us learning about the history behind the monumental structure. 

    We all met back at the hotel to regroup before heading to a Poppy concert, thanks to our guest speaking Matt Smith for providing us VIP tickets for the performance at the UC theater. The concert had amazing energy, and the performers blew us away with their talents. Their songs exist in a very unique genre, but doesn't make them any less impressive. 

Great Granite State - White Mountains

 Today the gang started bright and early at 8:45 ready for a day full of fun. We headed towards the White Lake State Park. We went on a nice nature walk and met a friend on the lake. 

We had fun playing on the lake and decided to continue the day in Conway at the outlets. After a long morning we refueled at Fiesta Jalisco and were ready for the afternoon. We started on the Kancamangus Highway stopping at the view points to see the mountains.

 We ended the day in Lincoln at Betty and Barney Hill's abduction site and learned about the United State's first reported alien abduction.