My name is Andrea, I am from the Marche region although I lived in Bologna thirteen years before leaving to volunteer with ASCS. By training I am a biologist, although in recent years, out of passion and vocation I would say, I have thrown myself into community work, advocacy and social justice. Through these latter activities, I began to approach the world of migration and advocacy on the move, turning my life around, which is now made up of this as well. We could say that I started with ASCS in 2019, when in search of something different and moved by the experiences of friends who had taken a similar path, I participated in the course for international volunteers, in that year also held in Rome. The course itself was a great experience, an important prelude to whatever experience one might decide to do next, motivating and humanly upsetting. After 2 years, finishing my doctorate and academic commitments I decided to leave with ASCS, wherever it was needed. Tijuana was proposed to me, and with enthusiasm I accepted. It was to volunteer in the Casa del Migrante en Tijuana, a shelter for people on the move in the famous border city. I left for Mexico on Oct. 16, 2021, with a very vague idea of what I would find, but with a great desire to find out and make it all a little bit my own.

I left with the idea that I did not want to come back as the same person. We could say that was the case, or we could also say that I still don’t know , because I never really came back. The dream I had was to know, and to know myself. I wanted to know a different context and world, to know people and stories pero also to know myself, my limitations, my abilities in this new world. The experience of volunteering in the migrant house was extremely positive from so many points of view. I found a family, consisting of the other volunteers, with whom we organized in our work, solved problems together and had fun. I got to know so many people with whom I could share something, even just a brief chat the short time of their stay in the center. I have learned to work together with others even when you have different interests and don’t necessarily share the same point of view on what would be right or wrong. A world opened up to me that I didn’t know at all, I learned a language that I practically didn’t speak, I began to come into contact with those who passionately work in Tijuana in the most diverse manners the issue of migration and rights, I experimented and did things with creativity that I had never thought of doing, and that I didn’t know I was capable of.

I left to stay only six months, eventually staying in the Migrant Home one year. Probably for so many reasons, the magnitude of the experiences I was having, the people I met with whom you establish a deep connection, and maybe even a little fear of returning. By the end of that year I realized that the difference between before and after ASCS would be even more pronounced. I realized that the experience with ASCS in the Migrant House would be the basis for everything that would follow. Somehow I decided to stay, immersing myself in the work of other organizations and shelters in the area and continuing to frequent the Migrant House and the people who were part of it. To this day I am still in Mexico, living a new life that definitely began when I boarded that plane in October 2021 with ASCS. The beginning of a second life and a second me. I remember my first day in the Migrant House. Luis, a guest at the center with his family displaced by violence in the state of Guerrero, approaches me, trying to exchange a few words with me. He must have seen me lost and bewildered, everything was totally new: I remember the large patio of the migrant house, the heart of the house, noisy yet quiet at the same time. Luis asked me if I was new, what my name was, where I was from, with a big smile. I think I will never forget that attempt by him to make me feel comfortable, welcome. A friendly relationship was built that lasted the entire time he stayed in the Migrant House. They spent many months in the center until he and his family managed to arrive in the United States and apply for asylum. In the Migrant House I discovered what a “corridor” was. For International Refugee Day, an attempt was made to produce something creative with the residents, and it turned out that a very young boy from the state of Michoacan who was a guest of the center with his family played the guitar beautifully, and a gentleman from Honduras who had recently arrived with his partner had an incredible voice. Someone else brought out great composer skills. They wrote a ballad, a “corrido” about the migration policy of the United States. It was called “Titulo 42,” the law that at the time allowed the United States, under the guise of a pandemic, to reject and ignore any asylum claim at the border, violating international conventions and agreements. That’s what the song was about, how the system violated rights, how unfair the politics were. With them I organized to record a video and edit it so that it could be disseminated to raise awareness of the issue, which was a fun, touching and meaningful experience for me. And I had discovered what a “corridor” was. I remember the discomfort I felt in the early shifts in the kitchen, feeling all the burden of having to provide everything so that everyone could eat and everything stayed in order. This lasted until I realized more strongly that I did not have to do everything myself, that there was always someone to help, that the real meaning of everything was to work and do with others and not for others. Understanding this was fundamental to living differently in all the experiences to follow. Shifts in the kitchen became the quietest and most fun, a space for sharing, valuable chatter and gossip. The shifts, conflicts and problems could be grueling if one decided to face them alone, like the heroes in the story. There was no need for heroes or someone to save the day, there was a need to listen, to cooperate, to decide together, and even to just be. Everything would have been much more fun, enjoyable, enriching. I wish ASCS that it can continue to provide this opportunity to so many who like me perhaps are looking for something, who are willing to put themselves out there, to be creative, and above all to question themselves. I wish ASCS that it can continue to be the seed of change, both in its actions as well as in the lives of those who decide to be a part of it even for a short time. I wish ASCS not to lose the energy and drive to continue promoting to support its projects, and to always be able to count with a base people with a heart and sense of justice, with a desire to do and change. Best wishes.