Lesson 8
Crossing The Border: Practicalities

Objective: Students will understand the realities of daily life in both the U.S. and Mexico, and consider the complexities and subtleties of "crossing the border," that is, of international interaction and cooperation.

NCSS Standards Met By This Lesson: I, III, V, VII, IX

Introduction: This lesson is a subtle introduction to the concept of "traveling" as opposed to "vacationing."  A lot of people vacation in Mexico in places like Acapulco and Cancun, but these kinds of trips require little or no adjustment to Mexican culture.  Traveling is low-impact living within a culture to experience what that culture is really like.

This distinction may have to be discussed beforehand if this lesson is to make sense.

Once we are agreed as to the purpose of this lesson, this is a practical, hands-on group activity.

Materials/Preparation: The teacher is advised to check out some travel books from the public and/or school libraries.  In addition to any and all books about Mexico, also check out books about travel to various regions of the United States.  General books on travel might also be helpful.  Of particular usefulness would be The People's Guide to Mexico, which has extensive chapters on cultural and linguistic and practical matters.  These books could also be supplemented by Internet research; for example, there is a Hungry Hitchhiker's Guide on-line to various Mexican cities/regions.  In addition, The Lonely Planet series of travel books accommodates low-income travelers.

Strongly consider the idea of having a person who has traveled extensively in Mexico visit the class and discuss their experiences.  This would be a good prelude to lesson 8.

Instruction/Practice:

Part 1 -- Group Research

Divide the class into two large groups.  One-half of the class will be planning a trip for a citizen of Mexico to travel within a certain region of the U.S. (it could be the borderland or anywhere the group decides).  The other half of the class will be planning a trip for a citizen of the USA to travel to a certain region of Mexico (but not a touristy area).

To keep things interesting, we will assume that neither traveler knows anything about the realities of being in the other country, and has only a basic grasp of the language--enough to get by.  (Or, to put it another way: let's assume the travelers have enough language knowledge "To get into trouble and to get out of trouble.") The traveler may take along a phrase book, verb book, dictionary, or any other language tools which will help him or her manage.

In addition, set parameters for the traveler: amount of money for travel, length of stay, etc. The exercise may go into detail on the traveler's name, gender, age, occupation, etc.

Within the two larger groups, subgroups may be formed to expedite the work.

Part 2 -- Group Write-Up

The final goal of the lesson is to have each group develop a short report, or comprehensive list, of what their particular traveler needs to know in order to survive and enjoy his or her travel experience.

Possible subgroups/considerations:

· Language: Helpful phrases, slang, do's and don'ts
· Customs and manners: Dating, respecting certain people, politeness, do's and don'ts
· Getting around: Dealing with buses, trains, planes, taxis, hitchhiking, etc
· Money: How much money does each traveler have to spend?  Making a budget, converting pesos to dollars (how is this done? what is the exchange rate?)
· Laws, rights, and responsibilities: What are the legal rights that travelers have within each country?  What kinds of problems could result?
· Interacting with locals: What advice would you give?
· Illness: What do travel guides recommend in case a traveler becomes ill in another country?
· Documents: What documents must one have to cross the border?  How long does it take to get them, how much do they cost?
· Trouble: If one gets into serious trouble (loses money, legal problems, arouses the anger of an entire family or village), what options does one have to get back home safely?
· Aesthetics of travel: Does one live in a hotel, seek a room with a family, live in a shack, camp out?  Does one have a romantic relationship, or avoid such a thing? How does travel in a "low impact" manner?
· Clothing: What to wear in another country.  How do Mexicans view gringos in shorts & Hawaiian shirts?  What is acceptable tourist/traveler wear in the U.S.?
· Sightseeing versus hanging out: Would you recommend planning out a detailed itinerary of sightseeing or invite travelers to just wander around and see what happens?
· Other things: What makes for a good traveling experience?  What can ruin a travel experience?  How does one call home, send mail, etc.?  What should you? pack.

Many students might have experience with vacationing rather than traveling.  Again, it would be helpful to set a time frame such as two months of living in another country, and give each group a certain amount of money to spend and budget.

Other fun questions to consider: What if one ends up in trouble with the police or in jail?  What if one falls in love and wants to marry someone from another country?  What if one loves the country so much one wants to stay and work for six months or a year?

Closure/Extensions: Like other lessons presented here, this activity can be kept very simple or expanded into a longer, more involved study.  At a minimum, groups should present their comprehensive lists of suggestions.  Groups may be given more time to develop more detailed reports or plans.  Or an individual may research and develop a workable travel plan which they might actually use.  This last option may become a final Border Project

Suggestion: Traveling not only requires skill and knowledge, it is something of an art.  For additional study, experienced travelers may come speak to the class about their travel experiences.

Updated October 2004.