Texas is big, various and colorful.
And when I say it is colorful I do not mean it is red as proven in the elections that just took place.
Texas has many flavors and many colors.
Texas is infinite spaces, freedom, fun.
Every time I used to see a movie or even just hear about Texas, I lit up long before moving here.
Texas is many things.
It is impossible to describe this State with just one adjective. It is huge, multicultural, multi-ethnic, hostile, colorful, flat, fun and, above all, very very conservative, it is no secret.
Texas is also unforgettable. Just think of its flag: it is everywhere here, in all dimensions and it is impossible to forget. The Lone Star, this is the emblem of the flag and also the nickname of Texas, a large white star on a blue background, between a white stripe and a red one and for me it represents perfectly what Texas is: a large lonely star, united yet independent and unique.
And its inhabitants are unique too.
The Texas flag has three colors: white, blue and red (just like the American one after all) and it has a large white stripe, which represents purity.
For me, it represents the immense cotton fields along the road. I first saw them along the route to Padre Island when I first moved here. From afar, I noticed this large white area that clashed with the clear, blue sky.
Contrary to what I thought, they are not soft at all, they are very hard and they also have long spiky thorns!
And the ranch fences are also white.
You know there is a ranch nearby when you spot a mailbox, which appears there, alone, apparently in the middle of nowhere to remind you that there must be a ranch nearby. I always think of the effort that the postman must make here. And I also think about homeschooling as in fact many kids in Texas do as too far from local schools.
Another stripe of the Texas flag is blue, the blue of loyalty. Blue that for me represents the immense, clear and perpetually blue sky above this State.
The sky ‘feels bigger’ here due to its immense spaces, its never ending plains.
The last color of the Texas flag is red, the red of courage.
Red is a color that perfectly represents Texas, for me, because it is the color that you see everywhere. The red of the bougainvillea flowers, of the roofs of the buildings, of the bricks of the old houses. The red ribbons that adorn the hats of the cowgirls. The red and black checked shirts of the cowboys.
And red reminds me of the heat. In Summer it is really scorching. Hot everywhere and hot even at night. Heat that not only can be felt on your skin, but that could be seen…just look at the asphalt and you will see the heat coming from the ground.
Despite being a truly conservative State Texas is colorful and many people from the most diverse backgrounds live here: Hispanic, Asian Americans, African Americans and Europeans. Texas just wants to be loved and respected and overall Texans are more welcoming than what people may think. They just demand respect for the people and for the rules and unity under one big flag whether it is the Texan one or the national one.
Nowhere else I have found people who are so kind but, on the other hand, nowhere else I had found people who were so strict when it comes to rules.
Just go with it and you will notice the rainbow above Texas.
