There are a lot of firsts for me on this journey. I’ve never been on an organized trip before, with a group. I’ve never written a blog about it (shame, shame, I know). I’ve never been a tourist in the States, or traveled much in the States at all, for that matter. I’ve ever done group research, and that is something that really interested me about this trip – when else will I get the chance?
One of the things I was concerned about going into the trip, is how to interview people about things they talk about every day, difficult, nuanced, delicate things, and how not to seem like we are using people’s misfortune and hardships as an opportunity for tourism. On the very first day, the very first person we talked to, proved me wrong. Granted, this was just our first day, and we got very lucky with the person we talked to – pure serendipity. But I am very curious, now, about how this will continue. And I am no longer so concerned.
Sunday is an unfortunate day to conduct almost any kind of business in the States, much less meet with people who have offices and business hours. So our merry group of seven set of on a mostly unplanned day, beginning with the Dolores Mission for a Jesuit service, which was conducted primarily in Spanish. I found myself both engaged and struggling with the language, because with my limited amount of French, I could understand juuuuuuust a little to see how much I didn’t know – about the service, the Jesuits, and the community. After the service we caught up with one of the leaders of the service, and asked him to come talk with us a little. He 
agreed, and so I had to face my small fear of imposing.
I found, instead, that he talked to us freely, because we, in our current role as researchers, were the best listeners, eager and asking questions; and because most people want to be validated and heard. And in return for facing my small fear of asking about those things, we found many answers, answers that revealed much about the invisible roots of the community, much like the exposed roots of this majestic tree I found, not far from the Mission.
