Matamoros, Mexico is the sister city to Brownsville. Literally speaking, the museum is a five minute walk to the bridge to get to Matamoros. The US Consulate's house is about five more minutes just off the main drag once you get into Matamoros. Why I was in Matamoros...at all. There was a concert at the US Consulate's house that was pulled together by Fernando Zamora (one of the BHA programs people) and he had 10 invites to pass out to members of the board, and his family/friends he thought would enjoy the event. Rhi and I were pretty much the only 'not quite adults' on the invite list. AKA: he wanted someone he could talk to at the event. Basically the who's who of Matamoros was invited and about 80% of the invited actually came to the event.
Now, why am I even doing a post on this whole thing. Good question. Considering I've been to more dangerous places in Bahrain. This was a walk in the park for me. We were escorted by black suits with Ray Bands and ear pieces--it kind of felt like overkill. But it proved to be a great excuse and a bit of a realization that I'm never going to be an adult...so why bother trying.
...when in Texas...
Since you obviously didn't get the point of what I said on facebook, I shall try to make this explicitly clear:
ReplyDeleteNo one could physically stop you from going to Mexico. I suspect if you'd told people & described the security you'd be given, that would've helped alleviate any fears.
What I take issue with is the fact that YOU TRAVELED OUT OF THE COUNTRY WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE. Got it? The violence in Mexico is spilling over to American Consulate workers, Army bases, etc. Do you listen to NPR at all? It's not going away, and it certainly isn't isolated to a few places. You may feel safe because you're so close & you haven't seen anything yet, but that means absolutely nothing.
I don't leave Phoenix without letting Sharon & Larry know I'll be out of town. This has nothing to do with me not being an "adult." It is simply a matter of being prepared for the WORST CASE SCENARIO. It's about being responsible. What if something did happen? How would we know you were in trouble if we didn't know you'd even crossed the border? There is absolutely nothing childish about making sure someone knows when & where you'll be traveling. What's childish is your attitude about the whole thing.