A Caravan trip across the U.S.-Mexico border was not something we expected to plan during our first semester in this role. But when it comes to the innate desire for exploration, Caravan is a community whose determination knows no boundaries and exceeds possibility. Picture five of us — Niko, Montse, James, Emily, and Lexie — huddled around a congested dining table, desperately piecing together logistics like a jigsaw puzzle. In moments when our fateful plans inevitably went awry, the unceasing hospitality of the Urbina family and the zeal of our members is what made this trip possible. 

Mexico is a multifaceted destination for college students; while some book their all-inclusive resort stays for a spring break trip, many have familial ties and heritage they return to. Layer this with the influx of political headlines that floods our present rhetoric, and you’ll understand the preconceptions we sought to unravel during our short stay in Baja California. Over the course of four days, we absorbed everything we could, navigating our way through the livelihoods of Tijuana, Rosarito, and Ensenada.  

If you let it, travel across international boundaries can evoke a paradigm shift. Foreign modalities and language barriers expose the privileged visitor; familiar trademarks and corporate symbols remind us that we may not be so different after all. When we return home, we have a choice: revert to the blissful ignorance of the American mindset, or contemplate the endless flow of money, labor, and culture that define the global and environmental contexts under which we all persist?

The Baja California Issue is unlike anything Caravan has created thus far. We encourage you to read through this magazine as if you’ve stumbled upon a collection of journals, viewing every article, photograph, and design as our entries. We hope our storytelling compels you to embark on a journey of deep reflection as we did together during our most ambitious trip yet. 

Safe travels, 

Alexandra Jade Garcia and Emily Langton 
Co-Editors in Chief