Who are we?

Eric and Katy at Hueco Tanks, Spring 2011

I feel like I can't just jump into blogging without some proper introductions.


I, Katy Brandes, will be the primary writer, hoping to get Eric involved once and a while. I was born and raised in Minnesota, graduated from the University of Minnesota in Duluth and have spent the last 3 years living in El Paso, Texas.  In El Paso, I was a live-in, full-time volunteer at a shelter for migrants, Annunciation House, and it was quite a transformative experience (I will probably write about it more when we arrive there).  I met Eric there last summer and after hearing about his traveling adventures, I pushed him into committing to go on one with me.


Eric Wright is a carpenter who was born in New York, raised in an intentional community in the Catskills, and considers his home to be San Antonio.  After spending a year in El Salvador, and going on a 10 month motorcycle trip around Latin America with his brother, Eric moved to El Paso to work at Annunciation House where he spent a year.


After spending significant time working on the border, Eric and I knew we wanted to explore it.  “The Border” seems to have its own culture and people, and with that come certain issues and complexities.  We want to see more of this culture, meet more of the people and see more of the work that is being done, primarily in the area of immigration.  In general, we want to travel and see the world, but on this trip we are hoping to visit people who are working for the greater good in border cities in both Mexico and the United States.

Katy and Eric in San Antonio, February 2011