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Bayou Bend Gardens, not far from there, are a burst of color in springtime, when Houston weather is at its best. Even more dramatic—and a mustvisit in my opinion--is Brazos Bend State Park, with its lakes, swamps, grasslands, and majestic oaks hung with moss. And all this natural splendor is only about 50 minutes southwest of the city center. What my family likes best about Brazos is that it is an alligator reserve. Walking along the lakeside trail, we’ve sometimes seen up to forty gators, often only twenty feet away. In the beginning I was nervous. (I remember asking the ranger at the gate, “Will the gators try to eat my children?” causing him to burst into laughter). I soon realized why: the gators are really rather lazy, more interested in napping in the sun than anything else! But perhaps the most important aspect of Houston for me has been its multicultural nature, and its welcoming of diversity. Coming from California, I’d been concerned because Texas has a reputa-
tion for being conservative. But Houston is a cosmopolitan city. At the University of Houston, where I teach, we host students from 126 countries. The city’s international festival spans 10 days and features over 400 artists, many of internationally known—but the organizers also invite local children to perform. The festival website claims that “hundreds of thousands” of people attend each year. The last time I visited the festival, it certainly seemed that way! On my own quiet, suburban street, we have Asian, Caucasian, African American and Hispanic neighbors, in addition to Indian families. My children’s friends include Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Jews—and everyone thinks this is quite natural. Houston isn’t perfect. It’s still hot and humid; the only hills you’ll find around here are the gigantic anthills that pop up overnight on your lawn; its mosquitoes could be mistaken for mini-bombers; but it has helped my children grow up as global citizens. What more could I ask for?
Chitra Divakaruni teaches Creative Writing at the Univ. of Houston. She is the author of 16 books; her latest novel is the international bestseller One Amazing Thing. In 2011, along with Salman Rushdie, she received a Light of India award. She invites HUM readers to join her at HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/chitradivakaruni” \n _blankhttp://www. facebook.com/chitradivakaruni for literary conversation. Her website is HYPERLINK “http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/”www.chitradivakaruni.com.