Sorry it took so long for an update, I've taken my time getting acclimated.
Update:
Everyone here is extremely nice and polite. Many people that I've met have gone above and beyond in order to make me feel comfortable and at home here! The town is extremely small, it totes a Walmart and HEB (Which I'd never heard of until I got down here) and a Whataburger (I'm hooked) There are also a ton of Mexican restaurants, I've mostly avoided eating out because it's cheaper to cook at home!
I've been able to explore some of the nearby areas, Frio River and Neuces River are gorgeous for floating/tubing/swimming in - if anyone is going to be visiting this area soon, I highly recommend floating the Frio. I've spent some time in San Antonio - but haven't really got to walk around and find out all of the nooks and crannies yet.
The hospital I'm working for is really nice, but extremely small. I didn't believe that I was in the right place when I arrived at it for the first time because it's just one floor! Everyone I work with are nice, polite, and are willing to go above and beyond for each other. Texans are really as polite as Canadians are.
Most people are very openly religious and for the most part I just smile, nod, and move on with my life. I've avoided joining a church group, but have made friends with another transplant(from Mississippi) and we tend to try new things together. It's common for people to say, "I'm praying for you," or refer to God and Jesus in casual conversation which is something I'm not used to at all. Obviously things in Canada are a little bit different, everyone has different religious beliefs but for the most part they keep it to themselves and don't try to recruit you. I've experienced a lot of disbelief from coworkers who are appalled that I am not Christian/Catholic etc. Someone tried to refer to me as their "Sister in Christ" and I had to correct them and say, "Hey I really like you as a friend and coworker, but please don't refer to me that way." Mostly I keep my head down and just smile and nod when people talk about church or Jesus etc. Funny story there is something called the "Cowboy Church," I've been assured that it is officially called that and it's not just a nickname. Also people are very open about their opinions on the election - but let's not go there.
I ended up getting a couch from a coworker for free and he even dropped it off and set it up in my apartment for me. Besides a couch, I have bought blow up mattress which has done the job for me, and I doubt I'll be buying any other furniture in the near future. Almost every weekend someone is holding a garage sale, so I've been skimming those for a side table, but so far no luck! There are also atleast 5 different antique stores in town, but the furniture at those places is pretty expensive.
Where I work is 1.6 miles away from my apartment, so I've really not been spending a lot of money on gas. Because I work 12 hour shifts I haven't mustered up the energy to walk to work, but it's something I'm going to try to do when it cools off.
Everyone was right about the sun, I feel like my skin gets crispy every time I'm outside. I try to wear spf all the time, but it's starting to cool off at this point so I feel better about going outside without sunscreen. I asked why everyone here wasn't sunburnt, and the general response was, "we don't go outside"
I've yet to start up a mini garden, I find the task to be somewhat daunting and I'm not sure what I should start out with. I'm thinking maybe peppers and tomatoes..
I ended up getting a phone plan with cricket that covers my needs, I'm actually going to downgrade my plan because I have more add ons than I really need. Bad news is, my phone recently broke and I'm exploring different options for replacing it. Anyone have any ideas?
I feel like there's so much to cover that's gone on in the last few months, did I miss anything?
I've finished orientation at the hospital so I'll be getting differential pay starting this week, which I am extremely excited about. For those who don't know what that means, because I'm working night shift, I get an extra $3/hour on top of my base pay for working nights, plus $5/hour for working on weekends.