A NEW EXPERIENCE! AND FUN!

While we were still in South Carolina last September, we were camping at the Air Force Base and ran into a camper who was heading to South Texas, to the exact same place that we were going.  A coincidence, to say the least.  He goes there every year and just loves it.  He recommended a number of things to do here, and some were a must, including going to a ropa.  I had never heard of such a thing, so I was anxious to hear more.  Was it some sort of rodeo???? 
I was told that Winter Texans have a love/hate relationship with ropas.  They seem to either love them or went once and will never go again. Here is what they are:
There are a number of very large warehouses strung along the road between McAllen Texas and the Mexican border.  In them are VERY large piles of clothing, and I mean large...,up to 8-10 feet high.  The clothes are hauled in bale-style to the warehouse and dumped on the floor.  Where they come from... I don't know.  Most of them are used, some are new and some are well...who knows.  People then come in, prepared for an adventure, and climb over, under and around the piles for treasures.  The clothes are not sorted, so clothes for men, women, and children are all fair game. 
We were told to take off all jewelry before we go so that they don't get lost in the piles....heck, I would think that you could lose a child in one of these piles!  Bring a large plastic trash bag, and start digging.  On your way out, your bag is weighed and you pay 25 cents a pound for your treasures.  Many of the items carry very desirable brand names and are in very good shape.  It is much like shopping at a thrift store, but on a much grander scale.
I had a blast and so did the gals I went with......fellow workampers here at the park.  I found some really nice clothes for Tom, including 2 pair of shorts, a pair of Eddie Bauer jeans, a golf shirt and two t-shirts.d  I found some cute things for two of my grandsons and an item or two for me. 
Here at Victoria Palms, there is going to be a Ropa Style Show later on this month with residents wearing their treasures for all to see.
As you can see in the pictures, it is hard to maneuver around the piles and some of us land on our backs.
I hope to make one more trip to Ropa before I leave......it is too much fun to miss!

Lylia becomes our first casualty!

TRIP TO BORDER PATROL STATION

 

 

 

 

Our tourguide, a Border Patrol Agent originally from Boston!

The arsenal

Tom, wishing he had a gun...

 

 

 

 

Well, today the workampers had a little field trip.  We got to go to the Border Patrol Station in McAllen.  There are nine stations in the Rio Grande Valley, and McAllen is the busiest.  They have 500 agents and are hiring 100 more.  Joe told us (in his heavy Bostonion accent, which sounded a little funny in South Texas), that McAllen is the busiest crossing point in the country. Last weekend alone they stopped 600 persons trying to cross the Rio Grande.  And he said that they probably only intercept about 35% of all those trying to cross.  I asked him why so many were trying to cross in McAllen and he said that there is no rhyme or reason, and that it was Brownsville before and now McAllen, which is the largest city in the Valley, about 12 miles from where we are and about 2 miles from the border.  The facility is huge and houses the holding cells where they bring the detainees, which we were not allowed to see.  They can only hold them there for no more than 48 hours, when they go before a judge.  The judge then decides whether they go to jail or get sent back to Mexico.  He said that many of those trying to get into the US have tried it 15 or twenty times, and that most all of them are just coming here for a better life, and normally are not dangerous unless they are trying to smuggle drugs, which is primarily done at border crossings and not by swimming across the Rio Grande.  It was interesting to know that the Border Control is concerned only with the Rio Grande and that US Customs is responsible for the border crossings at the bridges.
The arsenal was pretty impressive and the guys were ga-ga over the guns. 
It was sad to hear that they are all being asked to prepare themselves for a 25% decrease in their pay, which has been looming over their heads for years.  The morale is very low among the agents because of this.  When I think about all that we hear from the federal government about all that they are doing to secure the borders and then they take monies away from border security....it doesn't seem right.  Odd how that works.
All in all, the tour was great and we learned a lot.  It was an experience I did not expect to have here but was glad that I did.

WHERE WE ARE AND WHY WE ARE HERE.....

Where we are staying is about 20 miles Northwest of this spot, which is where a critical battle of the Mexican-American War took place called the Battle of Palo Alto. 

 

Some of you may be wondering how in the world we got to where we are in South Texas, I mean REALLY South Texas.  When we were looking for workamper jobs, we (well, I ) decided that we should go somewhere that we had not been before.  We had two very short visits to my step-daughter Lisa's place when she was here in Texas going to school.  She was in Austin and we have a few quick visits to San Antonio and surrounding areas and I really liked Texas and hoped to come back some day.  When a job turned up in Mission, Texas, we thought we would apply for it and got it.  (The results were not the greatest, as you would have read back in our October posts).  Anyway, we did not end up in Mission, but in Donna, Texas, about 14 miles east and still very close to the US/Mexico border.  As the crow flies we are probably only about 7-8 miles from the border.  I thought it would be really interesting to experience a different culture for an extended period of time and learn about that culture.
Well, we picked the right place.  The Rio Grande Valley is a perfect blend of two cultures since it actually was Mexico at one time.  When we first got here, I was so naive that I would wonder why there were so many Hispanics living here.  Duh!!!!  This used to be Mexico!  (See sign above).  I would go to the grocery store when we first arrived here and I would be the only non-Hispanic in the store...an eerie feeling.  But the people were all SO nice and friendly I did not feel intimidated.
This part of Texas is very poor.  Especially in the summer, when the Winter Texans are not here.  I honestly do not know how they survive from April-October.  Beginning in November, the Winter Texans begin to pour in.  Several hundred thousand people arrive from Cananda (about 60%) and the rest from the Mid-West and other various parts of the US.  The locals love us and could not be any more hospitable.  And they do not try to gouge us by raising prices during the winter months.  The cost of living in this area is very low which makes it very attractive to visitors.  The Chamber of Commerce in the Rio Grande Valley reports that Winter Texans contribute about $600 million to the local economy during the winter months.  This influx of people is truly the lifeblood of the Valley. 
Not only do the Winter Texans help the Valley financially, but they are very philanthropic as well.  They contribute large amounts of money and time to the poor families across the border.  They finance an orphanage in Reynosa, work at free clincs, and sponsor a Christmas for the children in Progreso where more than 2500 children receive food, clothing and toys. 
This has been such a learning experience for me and I am going to be sad to leave in seven weeks.  I am trying to take advantage of every opportunity to learn all I can while I am here and I am so blessed to have so many channels open for to me to do so.  On Tuesday we are going on a tour of the Border Patrol Station in McAllen, Texas.  Stay tuned!!!