With the World Cup finally underway, millions of Americans and I have collectively delighted in the experiences of Europeans traveling to the U.S. to experience our bizarre, perverted, sugary but still somehow wonderful culture. Specifically, I’ve been obsessed with watching the most notable of these tourists, a German guy named Freddy, take a road trip through the American South on his way to watch Germany play Curaçao in Houston. And in keeping tabs on my internet friend Freddy, I’ve remembered why I love my home so much.
It can be very hard to love the South even if you’ve lived here your whole life, as I have. I was born in North Texas and lived in Mississippi briefly before moving to College Station as a youngin’. I spent some of my youngest years around my dad’s family in Memphis, Mississippi and North Arkansas. The South is the only home I’ve ever really known.
This is complicated by the fact that as a queer trans woman, I’m not necessarily somebody the South wants in its house. I’m not alone in this. I’ve seen friends who are gay, trans, Black and brown all decide that Texas, and the South as a whole, is not a place they want to live long term. I can’t blame them; the region has a deep, entrenched history of white supremacy and bigotry that still lingers today. It’s not an easy place to be different. The political can often overwhelm the mundane, and you begin to wonder why you live here at all.
Don’t forget the incredible cuisine that our region offers visitors from across the pond. It turns out the European mind can comprehend the sublimity of a late-night trip to Waffle House and a weary pit-stop at a Buc-ee’s, and they like them quite a bit! Maybe once the Beaver has a gas station in every state in America, they should consider going international. Willkommen, Buc-ee’s!
Above all, what I think has really captivated me about watching this German guy with a profile picture of Christian Ronaldo tour through my neck of the woods (and god, I can’t wait for him to get to Space City) is witnessing just how stoked and welcoming we have been to these people both online and in real life. It can feel at times like the South is a place where the most odious people imaginable rise to the top. Who better, then, to welcome Freddy with open arms than Texans legend and all-around Good Guy JJ Watt?
To see visitors to the region take in the things that I love about it feels heartwarming, life-affirming, even. The things we take for granted, the stuff that fades into the background of our lives are delightful to those who have never seen our state universities’ massive football stadiums or the absolute madness that is Bass Pro Shops. When I visited Mexico for the first time earlier this year, I realized just how big the world is and that I’ve only experienced a tiny part of it. I imagine that may have been how Freddy felt as he tubed down the Chattahoochee River.
Live in a place long enough and you can become acutely attuned to its drawbacks while numb to its blessings. Sometimes, to fall back in love with it, you need to be able to see your home with fresh, new eyes. And once in a lifetime, when a global sporting event comes to your stomping grounds, those new eyes come in the form of a German guy who has never seen a Wal-Mart.