Op-Ed: Are Californians fleeing en masse to Texas? The reality is complicated
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SAN FRANCISCO —
When you make the big move across an ocean — or across vast swaths of desert — with nothing more than enough money, a few years to buy a few extra possessions and a suitcase or two, you’re bound to have some trepidation or anxiety.
This was certainly the case for me, and not just because I was about to cross the border from a country where virtually everyone had a car and many had a driver’s license.
Like many other people who have made the move from the United State to the state of Texas, I was anxious about the long hours, the new language, the weather and the fact I wouldn’t be able to vote.
But, at the same time, I was a little stunned about how quickly I had to jump ship after just making that cross-country move.
After getting my green card, I was in and out of the state in just 30 days.
Then came my three-hour-plus drive from San Diego to Houston on Interstate-45, followed by an overnight stay in another state before another drive to Dallas to check in.
Finally, the day came to take the ferry over to Port Isabel, just a few blocks up the road from Houston.
I was ready. I had my suitcase, my new wallet, my cellphone with all the numbers of my Texas friends, my laptop, and my clothes — everything I would need to pass the time of day in the new place that made me feel strange and a little bit afraid.
I looked up from the table, where I was reading the newspaper.
Just then, a young man and woman walked over to me. They introduced themselves, and began to chat, first about the weather, then about where