Austin, Texas

It's Tuesday night, and I'm safe in San Antonio now. Austin was amazing. I'm trying to find a way to summarise my experiences here, and I simply can't. So much happened between flying in Thursday and boarding my bus away from Austin this afternoon.

I walked for hours and hours every day. I talked to so many new people. I climbed into the cars of people who had, not long before, been complete strangers. (Just pretend that sentence never happened, Mom.) I crashed meetings and shared stories and even played some Quidditch on Saturday. I laughed at complaints about the traffic ("If you're moving, it's not traffic."), drank more water than ever, and probably learned more about Austin than I know about my own hometown.

Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas
(I insisted it was a river, but the locals call it a lake anyway!)

The people were wonderful. After sprinting in the Texas heat and humidity to catch a bus (and thus literally dripping in sweat), the bus drive said kindly, "I wasn't going to leave you! Come on in and cool off." Those words have stuck in my mind ever since.

As I explored town, one woman told me about her 48 years working in public education and how she insists on riding the bus, despite having two cars, because it gives her a chance to help others—and be helped by others, too. It was a reminder to me as to why I try to take the bus—not just to "save the planet" through reducing fuel consumption but also to connect me with my community in ways driving simply can't.

I talked with a cashier at a small shop at length about social justice and Quidditch and community. A priest and I discussed the similarities and differences in the ways Los Angeles and places in Texas gentrify neighbourhoods and force the poor and homeless further and further out of sight and away from resources. It's always nice to know that it's not just a couple of people in Los Angeles who care.

Unintentionally, I found myself in a group, meeting on the roof of Whole Foods, which sought to reduce waste and over-consumption and build community by regularly coming together with items and stories to share. We talked about all sorts of things, from car-sharing programs and composting to different religions and their historical roots (yes, I absolutely did tell the condensed history of the Episcopal Church). "Hey, you should start a group like this in L. A.!" I remember someone suggested.

Some ridiculously kind people took me out to lunch when I was tired and hungry and far away from the centre of town, which turned out to be a fascinating meal—there was a police standoff just down the street, and I can now say I've seen both the Austin SWAT team and their bomb squad (Ignore that, too, Mom)—with people who were even more interesting than any police standoff and much warmer, too.

Someone else offered to drive me home when it was late, took the long way, and showed me a great deal of the city, complete with history and other context to help me understand all that we travelled through.

People offered up their homes and their hospitality just about everywhere I went. I'm not yet sure if it's an Austin thing or a general kindness-to-travelers thing, but either way, I have met some pretty incredible people, and I have learned so much about myself in meeting them.

I was sad to leave Austin, but I am so looking forward to my time in San Antonio and beyond and all that I will learn along the way.