Southern Journey

My life’s new chapter: From Alaska to Texas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alaska. You might think that everyone lives in igloos, ride polar bears to school and use dog sleds. These misconceptions, along with many others, are false.

I should know. Until August Alaska was my lifelong home. My “igloo” was a two story purple house, my “polar bear” was an ugly yellow school bus and my “dog sled” was a pickup truck.

I am an outdoorsy person. I thrive in the wilderness. Hunting, camping, hiking, climbing mountains and fishing for the world’s best seafood is my lifestyle. The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, shine as beautiful as anything I’ve ever seen.

 

Then came the news. Mom’s job transfer would take us to Texas. After a couple of long plane rides I found myself in the heat and heart of Texas.

To say it’s different would be an understatement. I kind of knew what to expect of Texas but some things were still a culture shock. In Alaska the vast majority of people are Native Americans. In Texas there are many Hispanics. The people in Texas are mostly very genuine and nice while in Alaska people can come off as very cold and reserved. It’s crowded here, unlike the isolation of Alaska that I’m so used to.

I found that moving from my isolated, colder home to a place like Texas took its toll on me in more ways than one. Making friends here has been more difficult than I imagined because most people have lived here their whole life. In Alaska making friends was easy because of the isolation. You made friends just simply to have someone to hang out with.

Texas also takes its toll on my body. The air here is much harder to breathe. Alaska’s air is clean and crisp and breathing comes easy. You can taste the freshness in the air. In Texas the air feels stuffy and polluted and it makes me yearn for the beautiful state I call home.

In the end though, just like that old saying, I suppose, “all in all, I’m just another brick in the wall,” and who knows, senior year is only just beginning. There are people to meet and places to see and my new life is only just starting and though Texas is different, and I haven’t been here long, the truth is that Alaska was, and always will be, my home.

 

09.19.14