Bellamah ventured to Mexicali, Mexico, a border town about 100 miles east of Tijuana. Life there was extremely different from anything he experienced before. For a hundred miles in any direction was desert. Despite the harsh conditions, Fr. Bellamah relished the learning experience.
Culture there is very interesting.
They're neither entirely American nor entirely Mexican. It's something else. It's border culture. After returning to Washington, D.C., the Dominican House of Studies, Fr. Bellamah remained there until his ordination in 1998.