U.S. Border Patrol

Dear United States Border Patrol,


What gives?
Was it our polite answers or genuine smiles that first made you suspicious? Or was it the obvious fact that we had been camping – unshowered hair, a trunk full of camping equipment, mildly exhausted faces – that struck you as out of the ordinary? OR was it that we didn’t have our story straight?

Let’s recall how that went:

Unsmiling Border Patrolman: Are you bringing anything across the border that you gained in Canada?
Alissa: No
Leah: Nope.
Julie: Just some candy bars for friends!
Unsmiling Border Patrolman: I’m going to need to you to pull over up there and come into the office.

Now, I’m going to assume that perhaps we were merely the result of a random “check”, but nonetheless, I was disappointed on the lack of welcome by my fellow countrymen. I was welcomed with open arms into the beautiful land of Canada, and what was my ‘welcome back’ experience? 25 minutes of repeated questions, detailed search of our belongings, and withholding of our passports.

So maybe I’m being a little dramatic – it really wasn’t a big hassle. And, I respect you for doing your job and keeping your citizens safe, but I’m beginning to wonder what the U.S. government has against me, because this isn’t the first time I’ve been temporarily detained while attempting to return to my motherland. Hmmm….
Until next time,
Julie