Experience as an African Moving to The Rio Grande Valley

In 2001, my husband and I came to visit my in-laws for Thanksgiving.  They were living in Mercedes, Texas at the time.  That was my first visit to the Rio Grande Valley.  It was a very long plane ride from Massachusetts but once we got here, we forgot all about the fatigue.  We had dinner at Logan’s in McAllen and the sight of those peanut peels on the floor made me realize that this place reminded me a lot about my native country, Uganda. 

In Texas, everything is big!  So we are told.  However, as we drove by some of the housing developments, some of the houses were very small.  The small houses are typical of Ugandan real estate.  However, I noticed that most of the homes were brick homes or had brick veneer.  A look I have grown to love since bricks are made and sold at my father’s property in Uganda.  Although I do not speak Spanish at all, I was glad to be in a multicultural environment because my children are multi-cultural. 

I felt right at home even if I have not been fortunate enough to meet other Ugandans in the Rio Grande Valley.  During our visit, we went to the mall in McAllen and at one department store, the store clerk asked if she could touch my hair.  That was a very warm gesture.  She made it possible for me to realize that there are very few Africans in the valley, but this is not a negative because the people here are eager to learn about other cultures. 

When we returned to Massachusetts, I begged my husband to move down here. We decided to move to the Rio Grande Valley in September 2003.  We have since lived in Harlingen, Texas.  I have never regretted it.  Immediately, a few of my goals were accomplished.  I wanted to raise my sons in an atmosphere that did not apologize for recognizing their faith in God.  Believe it or not, I never saw a huge poster by the highway stating one or two sentences about God for the whole 12 years I spent in Massachusetts!  This area has exactly the same weather as in Uganda.  As a matter of fact, my family in Uganda does not totally believe it is that warm here because they were used to my ceaseless complaints about the cold winters in Massachusetts.  I definitely do not miss the cold weather in the North East! 

The schools here are excellent too.  I am currently employed at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen and I can definitely vouch for the technological advancement that college offers.  My husband and I have realized that lots of businesses move down to the Rio Grande Valley every year.  This is definitely a nationally recognized growing area.  I can without hesitation say I have finally found a home away from home.  My sons are happy to be so close to their grandparents who continue to spoil them every minute of the day!  I can not thank my husband enough for deciding to move to the most southern tip of Texas and the US!  It takes us fifteen minutes to get to Mexico and experience a whole new culture.  Can’t beat that! Since we have moved here we have noticed a significant increase in the African population. Get to know us. We make great friends.

By Sylvia Odoms

***Sylvia Odoms holds a bachelors degree in Computer Science with a background expertise in Access Databases. 

***Uganda is a county located in East Africa bordered by Kenya. It has roughly 20 million people and was called “The Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill. Their main export is coffee.