By Terry Burton
Saturday, May 14th, 2022, San Antonio held a Taco Fest which completely engulfed Travis Park, where our bus station patrons usually spend the day. IWC had arranged with Travis Park Church to use their basement during the day for migrants waiting for their bus or making arrangements for families to buy tickets. I was the volunteer who was stationed at the door of the church to monitor the entries.
While I waited, I was joined by a man who had arrived earlier. I asked him where he was from, as he said that his Spanish was not very good (kinda like mine). He said that he was from Guinea and spoke French. I used my Google Map to see where that was in Africa. When I showed him, he verified that it was his country. He asked if there were many from there coming through San Antonio. I told him that there were many more from Angola or Congo but also Sudan, Niger, and Nigeria. I helped him get WIFI on his phone and pretty quickly he was in conversation with his uncle’s friend in the Bronx, New York, who began arranging his travel to New York. It was nice to see him smile as they spoke on the phone.
Not too long after that, one of the volunteers came over with a small group of migrants from the bus station who entered and then proceeded down the stairs. They appeared to be from Cuba or Venezuela––where most of our arrivals are from these days.
Then I heard the man from Guinea say “America” as they passed by us. I smiled thinking “Yes, but it’s not always this way.”
Instead, I said “Sí, Bienvenidos. Welcome!”
My new friend reminded me that this is what “America” really stands for: Welcome.
