Almost four years ago I moved to McAllen, TX, from St. Louis, MO. I had pretty intense culture shock. That being said, I’ve learned to adapt and like the Rio Grande Valley.
[Related: NYC to the RGV]
Here are 10 things I learned when I moved to the valley:
- After being taught all my life that birds fly south for the winter, I found out that the RGV is where they go.
- There are cockroaches that have wings and fly (insert about 50 crying emojis here).
- The only kind of tacos are soft tacos. Also, ground beef in tacos really isn’t a thing either.
- HEB is a fantastic grocery store. (Did you know they have an app?)
- Texas is huge. From where we live, it takes about 10 hours to drive out of the state of Texas.
- It is actually possible to feel like you are standing on the surface of the sun. It. Is. So. Hot.
- The winter down here is a dream.
- Splash parks are the best. Even though it is ridiculously hot, splash parks are open almost year round.
- You can grill year round. Yum.
- The beach is not far — and it’s beautiful.
The RGV was a huge shock to me, but my little girl is a valley baby and for that reason, it will always have a special place in my heart.
[Related: Packing Up With a Toddler in Tow]
Have you learned any Spanish? My husband is from Corpus and he still hasn’t learned much!
Nope! No Spanish yet! I would love to, but having a toddler doesn’t lend me to much study time. ?