What's a Breakfast Taco?
Victoria, Texas: a city with a population of almost 68,000 that is 120 miles southwest of Houston.
That’s where I moved to start my first adult job after graduating—a small town that is 10 times SMALLER than the city (OKC) I grew up in! I had been to Victoria when I was younger to visit my family, and even back then, I knew that there wasn’t much to do there. How was I going to survive?
I started working as a Process Engineer for a plastics company the June after graduation. I didn’t know anyone in the department, and I was placed in an office far away from the other engineers, down by the women’s restroom, because there were no other open office spaces! I ended up sitting by myself for a few weeks since there were no other new hires, and I honestly dreaded going to work every day because I felt like I was isolated from everyone else.
Things outside of work weren’t going anywhere either since all I did after I got home was eat with my family and then maybe go out to walk at the nearby school track. On the weekends, I’d escape to Houston to see my friends from school.
A few months after moving to Victoria, I decided to join the local YMCA, which was super close to my house. I started to attend the group fitness classes and spend more time at the gym, meeting new people. At work, I began talking to other engineers and operators and got more involved in ongoing projects. Things were looking up!
That’s where I moved to start my first adult job after graduating—a small town that is 10 times SMALLER than the city (OKC) I grew up in! I had been to Victoria when I was younger to visit my family, and even back then, I knew that there wasn’t much to do there. How was I going to survive?
I started working as a Process Engineer for a plastics company the June after graduation. I didn’t know anyone in the department, and I was placed in an office far away from the other engineers, down by the women’s restroom, because there were no other open office spaces! I ended up sitting by myself for a few weeks since there were no other new hires, and I honestly dreaded going to work every day because I felt like I was isolated from everyone else.
Things outside of work weren’t going anywhere either since all I did after I got home was eat with my family and then maybe go out to walk at the nearby school track. On the weekends, I’d escape to Houston to see my friends from school.
A few months after moving to Victoria, I decided to join the local YMCA, which was super close to my house. I started to attend the group fitness classes and spend more time at the gym, meeting new people. At work, I began talking to other engineers and operators and got more involved in ongoing projects. Things were looking up!
Change is hard. It took me a few years for me to find a group I could join, and there will always be new situations you encounter where everything is unknown. But if you keep an open mind—and a big heart—you will be able to find your happy place with your breakfast taco-loving friends.
Victoria may not be able to offer the hubbub that Houston or Oklahoma City can offer, but I’m okay with that because I finally found my place in Victoria, and now I consider it my community.
Victoria may not be able to offer the hubbub that Houston or Oklahoma City can offer, but I’m okay with that because I finally found my place in Victoria, and now I consider it my community.
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