Up with People Cast B 2010 On Tour

Viva la Gente Banner in Reynosa, Mexico

After all the sadness of not going to Mexico and the excitement about the tour we had instead, cast A 2009 finally got a taste of Mexico. Well, it was only one day, but to point this out: Better only one day than never!

So, on this sunny Sunday we crossed the border to see Reynosa, which is right next to the border. We were invited by the city to spend the whole day, and everything was perfectly organized. Our schedule that day was very tight because they wanted us to experience as much as possible of Mexico.

Cast A in Reynosa

The first stop was a baseball stadium where the commissioner of tourism of the city of Reynosa welcomed us. Before we left we made a group picture. After that, we spent the rest of the morning at a mexican rodeo, which most of us haven’t seen before (expect the Mexicans in our cast, I guess). It was interesting to see this kind of sport, though I felt sorry for the young bulls. But nevertheless it was an unique experience to see this.

At one o’clock we departed for a restaurant in the city. It was owned by the mayor of the city Reynosa, and we were very thankful for his donation of an original Mexican meal which was really good.

After lunch we had some free time to discover the city and also to promote our Mini Show at 6 o’clock at the city’s main plaza. We did our best to get as many people as possible to see our only (small) show in Mexico this semester. And we succeeded with it because we had a lot of people not only watching, but also enjoying our performance. Just to mention: It was a sunny day with a temperature of 104°F (about 40°C) that made it very important to drink a lot of water. It was quite tough to just stand on stage, but after dancing two dances my pulse was at a 180 – no kidding! But I can also tell you, that I enjoyed every single minute of our single show in Mexico. It was unique for all of us. And finally, we were able to get the “taste” of a Mexican audience – they were just really good and excited about our show.

Right after the show, we had to load the buses to go to our last stop. We had dinner at a great place out in the countryside. The Rio Grande River was right next to the (open) house we were at and we were very thankful for the great dinner we were provided with. Real Mexican tacos just taste the best in Mexico.

We finally crossed the border back to the US at 9pm without any problems, which I was happy about. We were thaught about the issues of the US-Mexican border in San Diego with all the illegal immigrants. It totally reminded me of that while we were in that area. For me, borders have a kind of “negative” taste, no matter on which side – which country – you are at.

That leaves the question, what I would prefer to do: Going on a tour through Mexico or visit Hopi and the Navajo Nation? I can only answer, that I would like to do both, because wherever we go (or have been) as a cast, it has always been a great experience for all of us.

-by Gregor Pollehn, Germany