FI is going to Houston, TX for two months next winter!

[anchor31]

Hey all! I wasn''t sure how to post this... I figured the Hangout might be best to get more responses from Texans!

My FI has been asked by his company to go to Houston, TX for January and February to help their TX branch with an important project. I''m so proud of him, and I''m thrilled because it will be a big learning oportunity for him! It will allow him to
- improve his English a LOT, possibly become fluent,
- have his first experience out of the country (out of the province even!) for more than a few days,
- have his first experience away from home for more than 6 weeks,
- put the money he''ll make aside for our future house (in 3 years, maybe?! *crossing fingers*), since all expenses are paid,
- travel and see what''s out there, which is something he longs for.

So it''ll definitely be good for him. So I''ve been wondering if you could tell me about things he should expect, things he should or shouldn''t do, things he should watch out for, customs he should know about, stuff he should see, or even absolutely not miss...

TIA!

 

[elsie]

Hi Anchor!

I first wanted to say that I just loved reading how excited you are about your fiance''s great job opportunity. I dunno why, it just made me smile. Guess it was nice to read about a supportive couple that has their priorities straight.

Anyway... I was in Houston for grad school for two years, but I unfortunately never got to explore much of it. I can warn you that driving on the 5-lane freeways was a scary experience at first (and I''ve lived in New Jersey, which is infamous for horrible driving!). I''ll let others give you better guidance on Houston, but off the bat I would suggest going into Chinatown for cheap, good food. Also, explore the museum district, which is nice.

I also suggest that he go visit Austin, which is a 3-hour drive away (I lived there too). It''s a bit more scenic than Houston, and there''s great food, music, BBQ, outdoorsy stuff to do there.

Tell him good luck! I''m sure he''ll have a blast on his business trip. Keep us updated too!

 

[gailrmv]

Anchor, you're so nice to be so supportive of him being away for 2 months! Do you think you'll get to visit him there? I've visited Houston a couple times. I thought it was a nice city, but driving was very confusing - maybe he should study a map before he gets there. What language is he most comfortable in? I know that a lot of people speak Spanish in Houston. I enjoyed going to Galveston at the coast, which was a short trip from Houston.

 

[TravelingGal]

Sounds good! Tell him that it''s OK to leave food on his plate. Our giant american portions might get you double your lovable fiance!

(this comes from personal experience by the way. My aussie man made himself sick when he first came to America because he was always taught to clean his plate. He has since given up trying!)

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 11/9/2006 10:40:08 PM
Author: gailrmv
Anchor, you''re so nice to be so supportive of him being away for 2 months! Do you think you''ll get to visit him there? I''ve visited Houston a couple times. I thought it was a nice city, but driving was very confusing - maybe he should study a map before he gets there. What language is he most comfortable in? I know that a lot of people speak Spanish in Houston. I enjoyed going to Galveston at the coast, which was a short trip from Houston.

Heh heh, It sure is confusing! The last time my Fi was in Houston I got a distress call late at night. He''d been driving around all sorts of random freeways and was totally lost. He couldn''t find his hotel and he couldn''t understand the hotel reception lady''s accent when he called for them for directions. Thank G for google maps!

Congratulations to him! It sounds like a great opportunity.
I''ve never visited my texan neighbors although they certainly come visit us! So I can''t b e too helpful, but I can tell you that they tend to be very friendly people. Texans also don''t think small, and there''s plenty of room to spread out.

 

[ladykemma]

he will need a rental car. and tell him to bring warm weather clothes. it was 88 yesterday.

 

[anchor31]

elsie - He was so supportive of me when I went to study 400 miles away for 18 months... I can''t imagine being anything less for a 2 months business trip! 2 months seems so short after being long distance for 18 months! And I know what you mean by not seeing much even if you studied there for a while... I didn''t see much of that area I was in either! Thanks for the suggestions!

gailrmv - I won''t be able to visit him because I''ll be in school; I wouldn''t have the money for the trip either, between school and saving up for the wedding. My FI and I are from Québec, Canada, so our first language is French. I learned my English young at home, but he didn''t get that chance. His English is pretty rudimentary, but he''s a quick study.

TG - Haha, that made me laugh! My dad did tell me once that "everything is big in Texas". It would be rather unsettling to see J come back twice his size...

Indie - If Texans are as friendly as the PSers are, then I''m not worried!

ladykemma - That made me laugh too... We''re from Québec, and for us 88 is HOT!!! We''re used to lower than 30 degrees in winter here, and down in the negatives is pretty common in January and February! And yes, he''ll be renting a car.

 

[appletini]

Let us know what area he will be in and then we can tell him all the hot spots (with directions).

 

[metro]

I''m a native Houstonian, born and raised!

The best advise I can give is - don''t panic on the highways! There is A LOT of construction going on in Houston, and sometimes driving on the highways can be scary.

And everyone will refer to our freeways by two different names -

Hwy 59 is called the North Freeway. Hwy 290 is called the Northwest Freeway. I-10 is called the Katy Freeway, you get the idea. So it can be confusing when you''re asking for directions.

The parts of Houston I would stay away from is the Eastside.

FOR SURE, Houston has AWESOME Tex-Mex!

And yes, everything is bigger in Texas

If you have any questions, please don''t hesitate to ask!

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 11/10/2006 3:55:21 PM
Author: metro
I''m a native Houstonian, born and raised!


The best advise I can give is - don''t panic on the highways! There is A LOT of construction going on in Houston, and sometimes driving on the highways can be scary.


And everyone will refer to our freeways by two different names -

Hwy 59 is called the North Freeway. Hwy 290 is called the Northwest Freeway. I-10 is called the Katy Freeway, you get the idea. So it can be confusing when you''re asking for directions.

Yes, that was a part of plea for help from my fi. None of the numbers and names matched up with what he''d been told.

 

[Ann]

Date: 11/10/2006 3:55:21 PM
Author: metro
I''m a native Houstonian, born and raised!

The best advise I can give is - don''t panic on the highways! There is A LOT of construction going on in Houston, and sometimes driving on the highways can be scary.

And everyone will refer to our freeways by two different names -

Hwy 59 is called the North Freeway. Hwy 290 is called the Northwest Freeway. I-10 is called the Katy Freeway, you get the idea. So it can be confusing when you''re asking for directions.

The parts of Houston I would stay away from is the Eastside.

FOR SURE, Houston has AWESOME Tex-Mex!

And yes, everything is bigger in Texas

If you have any questions, please don''t hesitate to ask!

- 59 North is the Eastex Freeway

59 South is the Southwest Freeway

45 North is the North Freeway

45 South is the Gulf Freeway

Yep, it''s crazy here! Very easy to get confused.
Please tell him to relay any questions to us, we will be glad to help.

 

[LizzieC]

Anchor- let us know when he''ll be here, and we can give him any info he needs (and take him out for some Tex-Mex too!)... DH is an ex-pat, and I asked his opinion... he said be prepared for crazy drivers on the roads and the very warm/humid weather (even in Jan/Feb it can be pretty darn warm). He also said that people are very nice as a whole... I think that''s definitely true. It''s also a really diverse city in just about every way, which is something that people might not expect from Houston. You''re going to have to come visit him and all us Houston PSers!

 

[ladykemma]

he will need a sweater and a coat. one or two days out of the year we wear a coat. mostly we layer, because it can be 30 in the morning and 75 by the afternoon.

 

[anchor31]

Thanks for the tips everyone...

He was told on Friday that he may be leaving in two weeks!

So, if he can get his passport papers and stuff in order he''ll be there in December, January and February, minus 2 weeks for the Christmas and New Years holidays and 3-4 days in late Jan/early Feb. He also says that he thinks he''ll be in the downtown area... He''ll be working for a company called Bechtel.

 

[AGSHF]

Hi,

I''m a Texan and (at the risk of having others in TX disagree with me) I think that Houston has more of a "good old boy" culture, meaning:

strong, firm handshakes
pick up trucks
plenty of barbeque
Tex-Mex
fast highway (or anywhere else) driving
C&W music

If I remember correctly, Bechtel is a steel company (?) in which case, more of the above.

However, Houston is also home to the Museum of Fine Arts, a wonderful ballet company, the De Mil collection, a good opera, a very vibrant Asian community, has great shopping and is within a short drive to the LBJ Space Center. The River Oaks and University areas are wonderful.

And, definitely, dress for warm weather.

 

[firebirdgold]

Bechtel is an engineering and project managment company, does some goverment work etc... I don''t know if its home base is in Houston, but there are branches all around the country.

 

[anchor31]

Update - FI is leaving Sunday for two weeks, then again in January for 3 to 6 months... to Edmonton, Alberta.

Apparently, the Houston project didn''t work out, but we''re excited he''s still going on a business trip. If all goes well, he could come back with enough $$$ for a downpayment on a house by our first anniversary!

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice, I''m a little sad they won''t be put to use (yet

).