On Mexi-Cowboys and such

2 months ago I moved to Houston.

1 month and 3 weeks ago I turned on the AC and haven't turned it off since.

1 month and 2 weeks ago I started reading Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne. Houston + Claiborne, you can see where this is going.

1 month ago I bought cowboy boots. That night I went Country Western dancing and met the tight-panted, Latino, rich but living simply, orphaned, bike-riding, tattoed, man who wants to foster children of my dreams. Or maybe that actually didn't happen. What maybe did happen was this:

A girl walks into a bar. After noticing the disco balls in the shape of saddles, she walks to the other side of the skating rink shaped dance floor and greets her friends. Her friends happen to be talking to some boys who ask her if she knows how to Country Western dance. To which she replies "no, I just moved here from going to school in Chicago and pretty much the only Country Western dancing done in Chicago is at gay bars." Boy #1 laughs. He says, "Maybe half of 1 % of the guys at my school were gay, and if you were you certainly didn't tell anyone. Also, you didn't tell anyone if you were a Democrat." Boy #2 walks up, boy #1 turns to him and says "Describe Obama in three words." Boy #2: "Marxist, incompetent, and self-absorbed"

3 weeks ago my aunt sent me a pair of TOMS. I was pretty excited after driving my car a LOT that week and struggling with what Shane Claiborne has to say. I put the TOMS on, read the tag, and sadly, they are made in China. Yay TOMS for being cute, for donating to children in Africa.......and for manufacturing your shoes in compliance with local labor laws. Thankfully China has really great labor standards.

2 weeks ago I was driving behind a pick up truck that said "We can achieve change. Palin 2012"

1 week ago I decided that in order to begin assimilating to Texan culture I no longer think hunting is a bad thing to do, and am ok with other people doing it and eating what they shoot. Yum.

3 hours ago I went to the auto parts store to get a new tail lightbulb and air filter for my car. The guy called me baby and installed everything into my car just to be nice and asked me all about my job and where I was from and told me I didn't sound like a Yankee.

So maybe I don't sound like a Yankee with my accent, but my inner dialogue is definitely still Yankee and I'm experiencing culture shock much more than I thought I would. In Chicago I was conservative, in Texas I'm crazy liberal, and learning to be loving and live simply is nearly impossible no matter what state you live in. Thank God for grace, for wonderful people who challenge me, and phone conversations with Hannah Foster.