There is a book called “Honeymoon With My Brother” which in synopsis is about a groom who was stood up for his wedding, and decides to take his brother on his honeymoon. They have a wonderful time, and decide to sell all of their possessions and travel the world. The last chapter is a summary about what you can expect to learn from such a trip. His point is that you will learn that the world is poor, that having a job is a priviledge, and that the circumstances that you and I might find horrible (like a disconnected cell phone call) really don’t matter.

You can relate this chapter to Nuevo Laredo. The people wander and try to find shade. The schools are full and so are the churches. The worst part about the city is that it is right across a small river to the United States. They see Americans with cell phones and digital cameras come through everyday. They take candid shots of the people sitting there, and think, “Man, are they dirty and lazy. Why don’t they go get a job?” Well, what jobs are avaliable?

Any problem we, as Americans, have with Mexican bordertowns is entirely our own creation. We bring with us stereotypes when we visit their city, and instead of learning what it is like to be happy about aquiring a loaf of bread, we try to teach what it is like to be discontent. America is the land of discontent. We can’t learn from them, so we try to blame them.