A question I got asked when I visited my hometown during my yearlong road trip of the country was, “What surprised you?” or “What were the most surprising things?” I tend to keep to myself, and I don’t seem to get involved in nutty situations the way some people do, so bizarre situations were rare. But a few things did surprise me.
In Arizona, I drove through U.S. Border Patrol. When it was my turn, I rolled down my window and a police officer asked me, “U.S.citizen?” I answered, “Yeah.” “Have a nice day,” he said, and motioned me to drive ahead. That’s it? They didn’t want to see any proof? They didn’t want to open my trunk to look for stowaways? They didn’t want to search my car for contraband? I’m not complaining. It was convenient that the interaction went so quickly. But it surprised me how minimal the screening was. I’m in favor of immigration- don’t get me wrong- it just seemed like, What’s the point?