A Texas Awakening
The Texas Story Project.
Born in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Mr. Jürgen’s came over to the U.S in 1997 at just 6 years old. He was unfamiliar with the history and geography of Texas. This is his story.
One thing to quickly warm my heart from being away from my home was some good Texas Bar-b-que. One, I have never tasted anything like it because in Germany everything was home cooked by my father but usually, he would prepare me some schnitzels-pork steak- and my mother was a traditional holiday cooker she would prepare all the homemade dishes. My childhood here in Texas was far different from an ordinary Texan child but soon it would be no different. As a young kid trying to adapt to this new society was quite tough for me.
During the interview, I said, “I had never been to a place so hot in my life.” As a young boy, I enjoyed my time outside but not knowing the climate here in Texas i was ultimately always sunburnt. I also am super grateful to be a part of the Texas community and its culture because of its beautiful nature and people. As a growing teenager, I always had problems speaking English because my first language was Spanish due to my mother’s Panamanian background. I quickly began to realize who I could and couldn’t talk to due to many people not knowing how to speak Spanish. During the interview, I said, “transitioning was hard due to the weather being extremely rough and people not being able to understand me.”
What helped me to begin to love Texas was my family. Being that I was nervous in this new environment, my family was always by my side every time I needed them. My dad and mom would always encourage me to engage and have fun with my peers so a group of my friends and I would always spend time hiking at parks and adventuring to State Parks such as Enchanted Rock or Palmetto State Park. Coming from another country was rough but with many significant people to make it a lot easier I have been enjoying my time here. Personally, I never owned a pair of cowboy boots until some of my friends pulled them out for a sporting event and since then I have liked them to where I now have two pairs. The Texan Culture is like none other. Many will talk and criticize how Texas isn’t what it says to be until one lives and fully grasps this great community. I hope to continue to build my future here because to raise my kids in such an environment is all I hope for, so they have a wonderful childhood.
Texas isn’t where I’m from, but honestly, I feel like I have never been away from home. All of my new connections and friends have been a blessing and if it weren’t for my parents moving here, I do not know where I’ll be.
Ryan Garcia is a freshman at St. Mary’s. He is from San Antonio; Texas and is majoring in accounting to become a financial assistant. Some goals of his are to financially help his family after college and create an organization to help less privileged children enjoy college opportunities.
Posted September 17, 2019
TAGGED WITH: St. Mary's University, stmarytx.edu
