GEICO has been re-running some classic commercials lately
and one of my favorites is the obnoxious camel walking through the cubicle farm
office on a Wednesday repeatedly asking the workers, “What day is it?” Here’s
the video:
My point is that this weekend is the mid-point of my El Paso
adventure (the “hump”) and it’s time to reflect on what I’ve experienced so
far. I have been here five weeks and I will be here for five more weeks. When I
decided to come here last fall, I was seeking a respite from the cold Ohio
winter that caused me a lot of issues with my chronic allergies and asthma.
On that issue, I can say that things are improved. I have
stopped taking a couple of medications suggested by my allergy/asthma
specialist and my allergy symptoms are much less bothesome. There is one more
medication I plan to stop to see what the effect will be. I still get out of
breath when I exert myself on a walk or climbing stairs, but I think that is
due to altitude. El Paso is about 3,800 feet elevation or nearly 3,000 feet
more than the Akron area.
Health issues aside, I am really enjoying getting to know
this community. This area is known as the “Borderland” and it is a fusion of
both American and Mexican cultures. When I am out in the community or on campus
at UTEP, I hear about as many people conversing in Spanish as English. Oh, and
the Mexican food I’ve had so far has been really good.
On the border security issue, most of the people I have met
want border security, but many of them have family or professional connections
with folks in Juarez and the rest of Mexico. The fact is that thousands of
people cross the border everyday between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, in either
direction for work or school or family reasons. So, they don’t want a large
wall or an overly restrictive border.
One thing I did before I got here was sign up for non-credit
classes through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UTEP. I am
taking three classes and I have really enjoyed them and getting to know my
classmates. I met one woman who was born in Mexico, moved to the US when she
was a child because her father found a job in El Paso. She raised seven
children and several of them have graduated from UTEP. Now, her kids have urged
her to go back to school and she is taking some OLLI courses to, “…get used to
going to school again.”
This past week the instructor in my class “Borderland:
History and Culture” had to cancel class because of a family illness. As I went
back to the OLLI lounge area to wait for the start of the next class, I
quipped: “I know I’m getting old because I’m disappointed that class is
cancelled.” That got a few laughs, but I really meant it.
Instead of staring out at 20 glassy-eyed college freshman in
my speech classes at the University of Akron, this is a lot more fun being on
the other side. I didn’t think that way when I was an undergrad at Miami and I
was always being delighted when a class was cancelled. But now I think the
saying, “youth is wasted on the young” really has some merit.
A great experience I had this week was driving nearly three
hours east of El Paso to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Once I left the east
side of El Paso, I drove about 100 miles through mostly desert including a
fantastic stretch of about 20 miles through the Guadalupe Mountains National
Park. But, if you ever get to make this drive, make sure your gas tank is mostly
full and your bladder empty, because there are no gas stations or restaurants
for more than 100 miles.
The seven-mile access road to the Carlsbad Caverns Park
visitor center is a phenomenal drive though mountainous terrain. There are
several tours through the caverns, and I opted for the least physically
challenging one called the Big Room. After buying a ticket, I took an elevator
ride almost 800 feet down into the cavern.
It is truly stunning, and it took me about an hour to walk the
1.2-mile trail around the cavern, stopping to to look at various points of
interest. The floor area would contain more than 14 football fields and at the
highest point it is about 200 feet from the ceiling to the floor in a couple of
places.
Walking through the cavern was a great experience, but the
stuffy, humid air eventually made it uncomfortable for me. I didn’t feel too
bad though because, when I was catching my breath on a bench about three
quarters of the way through, a guy in his 40s had to stop and rest too.
When I suggested coming here for the winter months to Pam
last fall, I billed it as a sabbatical of sorts along while seeking relief from
my respiratory issues. So, far it has been positive on both counts with the
allergy symptoms noticeably better.
On the mental side, I’ve found time to write about 16,000
words on a novel I have been thinking about for a couple of years. And no, I
won’t reveal the topic until I finish it and it goes to press.
I’ve also read four books since I’ve been here and just
started another one this week. I’ve never read that much in such a short time.
I’m lucky if I read half a dozen books in a year. And, I’ve kept up with my plan
to write a weekly blog about my experiences.
So, what do I think about El Paso? Maybe you remember when
you were younger, in college perhaps, and you met someone went on a couple of
dates and you thought: “Gee, I really kind of like this person.” That’s where I
am at with El Paso. I really don’t know yet if I will come back next year or
not, but this is an intriguing area and I want to learn more in the next few
weeks. And, I’m having fun so far.
See you next week.
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