My first year in Texas
I've been living in San Antonio, Texas for just about a year now, and sometimes I feel like I have to have been here longer than that, and other times I feel like I just got here. I guess it depends on how my day is going.
I have a couple of observations about this new town:
There are a lot of things about San Antonio that are similar to the city in Ohio where I was born and raised. Both are small towns that grew up into large metropolises, and they each retain some of the characteristics found in their origins. But they both also host a brand new population of people who come from all corners of the globe.
With that varied population come some challenges. The only obstacle I'll mention here is traffic. Folks who arrive from different corners of the world obviously learn to drive differently. I thought the drivers in Ohio's state capital, my hometown, were bad. That was until I arrived in San Antonio. I have cars pulling out in front of me from all directions, and none of them actually looks in my direction to see if there is any oncoming traffic. At other times, drivers will realize at the last possible moment that they're about to miss their exit on the highway and instead of continuing to the next exit and backtracking, they veer across my lane, just feet in front of my bumper, forcing me to slam on my brakes in order to avoid a collision. I'm just waiting for the day when the car behind me fails to notice my brake lights in time.
Of course, the first year hasn't been all bad. I've eaten a lot of good food, and I actually have avoided gaining weight ... amazing, considering all the yummy tortillas and tamales I've scarfed down in just 12 months time.
One final observation for today ... while San Antonians hide inside during the summer months, Ohioans take every 80-degree-plus day as if it's the last day of their lives. We cherish every second of sunlight. Meanwhile, summertime in San Antonio is like winter at home. No one dares face the heat of a 100-degree afternoon. So, it's kind of nice as we head toward November to see so many people hanging out at parks, while I know at home they've begun cranking up the furnace, just knowing that the first snowfall is right around the corner.
I have a couple of observations about this new town:
There are a lot of things about San Antonio that are similar to the city in Ohio where I was born and raised. Both are small towns that grew up into large metropolises, and they each retain some of the characteristics found in their origins. But they both also host a brand new population of people who come from all corners of the globe.
With that varied population come some challenges. The only obstacle I'll mention here is traffic. Folks who arrive from different corners of the world obviously learn to drive differently. I thought the drivers in Ohio's state capital, my hometown, were bad. That was until I arrived in San Antonio. I have cars pulling out in front of me from all directions, and none of them actually looks in my direction to see if there is any oncoming traffic. At other times, drivers will realize at the last possible moment that they're about to miss their exit on the highway and instead of continuing to the next exit and backtracking, they veer across my lane, just feet in front of my bumper, forcing me to slam on my brakes in order to avoid a collision. I'm just waiting for the day when the car behind me fails to notice my brake lights in time.
Of course, the first year hasn't been all bad. I've eaten a lot of good food, and I actually have avoided gaining weight ... amazing, considering all the yummy tortillas and tamales I've scarfed down in just 12 months time.
One final observation for today ... while San Antonians hide inside during the summer months, Ohioans take every 80-degree-plus day as if it's the last day of their lives. We cherish every second of sunlight. Meanwhile, summertime in San Antonio is like winter at home. No one dares face the heat of a 100-degree afternoon. So, it's kind of nice as we head toward November to see so many people hanging out at parks, while I know at home they've begun cranking up the furnace, just knowing that the first snowfall is right around the corner.
posted by A Buckeye in Texas @ 11:03 AM
1 Comments:
At October 25, 2008 at 1:15 PM ,
Unknown said...
I also managed to not gain wait so far in my stay in San Antonio. I've been here 4 years now, and I love the differences between San Antonio and my home town (Lubbock). I do forget the difference sometimes though -- for instance, I bought a down comforter last year. I have no IDEA what I was thinking! :)
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