more on Texas

Well, it's been an interesting time here... I got really sick with a throat infection and actually took myself to the ol' western medical doctor (that is the pharmaceutical dr, not the wild west doc, however cool that would have been...). He was very impressed with my beefy, pus-filled throat and gave me a shot of the same antibiotic we used to treat gnorrhea in Haiti, but 4 times the dose, and gave me 10 days of oral amoxicillin, which I just finished... I've basically been recovering since then, with the exception of a (foolish) 25 mile bike ride in 95+ degree heat, which certainly set me back a few days on the road to recovery.

We made one trip up to Austin, but had poor timing and were there just in time to catch a lot of traffic and thus didn't have as pleasant of an adventure as hoped for...since then we've been considering moving to San Anton instead. (Other days we toy with the idea of moving to Iowa City...) Tomorrow though, we are giving it another shot, and will spend a couple days up there checking it out more thoroughly. I am really excited about the abundance of yoga, dance, kirtan, amazing restaurants and food, outdoorsy activities ETC there, so I don't want to give up on it yet, though we have also had a nice time biking around San Antonio and getting to know it. Justin grew up on the SE side and like most east-siders, so I hear, hasn't left that side of town much (till now), so he is equally enjoying discovering ol' San Anton.

In other activities, Justin bought a little 1999 Toyota truck, so that has made us feel right at home in Texas. In addition we have been wearing our cowboy boots out for special occasions (like Church with his grandma), and even went Texas two-steppin' at a dance hall called Cowboys a couple nights ago. We also went down to Pleasanton to visit his grandma, where we took her to a Czech mass and festival and also learned how to can/pickle jalapenos. Yeeeehaw! Aside from watching a million movies and reading, we've also spent a couple glorious days up in the hill country. We saw hundreds of thousands of bats emerge from an old train tunnel over a period of about 9 min near Fredricksburg (an old German town) and we wandered around the Cibolo nature center, where we saw an armadillo, watched a snake eat a large tadpole, waded in the river, sat in some cedar trees, and saw several deer and hawks.

Czech festival food

Justin Robert looking like a proper cowboy

Shiner beer is the local favorite

Our beautiful dill pickled jalapenos

Hanging out with Grandma Shiller in Jourdanten

Writing: My Anti-Swine Flu

I feel the need to exemplify a little further how far removed I am from my idea of America here in the Rio Grande Valley. I keep reminding myself that I am in America (because seriously it's basically another world down here), and what I am experiencing is in fact very American. Afterall, our country was cultivated by immigrants. The funny thing here though is that many people are not immigrants: they have lived here for generations (back when Texas was Mexico!). However, many people still speak only Spanish or maybe Tex-Mex (a wonderful sort of Spanglish), and they maintain Mexican traditions of family and religion. For example, many women after giving birth wear cotton balls in their ears and stay at home for 40 days.

Other observations of "The Valley"
Lizards and big bugs everywhere! And babies and small dogs as accessories.

The tap water is terrible--I assume the cause being that it's a big agricultural valley and also down-stream from a thousand miles of farm land. Because of this, every few blocks there are water stations where you can buy good water for 25cents a jug. Water Privatization is here folks!

I'm basically sweating from the time I wake up until I fall asleep.

You may have to pull out your Spanish at the restaurant or gas station, or driving down the street, as most signs are in Spanish and many people do not speak English. Though Ojo! (look out): A lot of people look like they speak Spanish, but they don't!

Breakfast tacos are the best. Before 11am or so you can get yummy warm tortillas filled with eggs or beans or something else bettered by the fact that it's wrapped in a home-made tortilla! Ojo: it's either made with trans-fat or lard. Pick your evils (Lard for me!)

Colonias: basically little slums where people were mislead by developers to believe if they bought homes or land to build on, they would receive water and services like electricity and sewage, but more often than not, never did. (illegal!) Families of 8 or more are often living in 3 room homes (*I did not say bedrooms)

On the weekends places sell barbacoa, which is slow-roasted (either underground or over a fire) pig, cow, or sheep. Menudo is also popular, which is a dish made with cow stomach/intestines, and is apparently a good hangover cure (I'll chance the hangover, thanks).

The RGV (Rio Grande Valley) is set up along "the express way," so you find yourself driving down the same fast food and Walmart lined road all the time. Whataburger, Sonic, and McDonalds are HUGE here.

People appear to have no regard for environmental conservation and they're not very good at picking up after themselves. Public bathrooms are often a disaster. And everyone is always eating out of styrofoam with plastic utensils. I've yet to see a recycling bin, and when I bring my own bag to grocery shop, people are like, "Why??".

Palm trees and tropical flowers

Texas is the worst state ever and there are no sidewalks to ride my bike on, which is sad. Because there's no way I'm riding in the streets when the drivers are so dumb that they need shoulders the size of standard lanes. Oh yes, and everyone drives pickups.

I'm pretty sure there are no laws here.