On the Road Again

"Wide Open Spaces" keeps playing through my mind.  Being in Texas always feels like coming home, but that doesn't mean I don't get culture shock coming back here!  I wonder how much adjustment my taxi driver, Joseph, went through when he first got here.  After talking with him for a few minutes as we left the airport, he paused and said, "I don't understand it, but I've never had anyone ask about my family before."  For a man from an African culture that is very family-oriented, similar to those in Latin America, that was a shock.  


We talked at length about the minority language he grew up speaking and the story of how his family fled his hometown because of violence.  "Driving a taxi is better than pumping gas," he said about the job he's had for 10 years.  At the end, he refused my tip, saying I'd already blessed him enough.  Did Texas feel a little more like Africa & Latin America for a few minutes?