Moving Away: What I Will Miss About College Station, Texas

By Delaney Couri

In three months, I am moving for the second time in my life. I spent my first 18 years in Oklahoma in my family home. Then, at 18 years old, I moved to College Station, Texas for an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. Ten years later, an undergraduate and masters degree in education, and an upcoming PhD in communication, I am ready to move on to my next adventure.

College Station is the biggest small town in America, and while it has given me a run for my money with its horrible traffic, constant construction, and terrible weather infrastructure… It also holds the key to my heart. All of my major “firsts” happened here. My first love, first loss, first heartbreak. My first job, first apartment, first pet. I owe who I am today to this place and the people who call it home. So, as I prepare to make a new home in a brand new state, I thought I would make a list about all the things I am going to miss about College Station, Texas.

Things I Will Miss About Texas

1. HEB. I would be remiss if I didn’t start with the biggest heartbreak I have moving from this state (apart from leaving friends and family of course). I buy all HEB brand groceries and love wandering their holiday aisles to see the ways they incorporate Texas themes into something as unconnected as St. Patrick's Day. I will miss you, HEB.
2. The cultish level of pride that Texans have about their state. Listen, we all know it is true… What other states have waffles in their state shape or play a Texas themed song for the seventh inning stretch? I will miss this loyalty and state pride.
3. The speed limits and drivers. This is controversial I know, but I love the way Texas drivers navigate the roadway boldly and with little regard for state law (kidding… sort of). I always have driven too slow for this state, but it doesn’t mean I won’t miss waving at people as they fly past me on the highway.
4. Whataburger, Buc-ee's, etc. The more I think about leaving Texas, the more I realize I will have to give up my beloved honey butter chicken biscuit and iced coffee making station. I plan to load up on as much beaver merchandise as I can before I head out East.

Things I Will Miss About College Station
1. The proximity to Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Galveston. I will have made a trip to each of these places at least once in the past six months. I go to Houston for concerts, Dallas for events, Austin for friends, San Antonio for weddings, and Galveston just to walk along the water. Being this close to some of my favorite places and favorite people will be a hard adjustment.
2. Texas A&M sports. I think this is fair to put in this category. I will miss Davis, Olsen, Kyle… Mitchell, Reed. All of my favorite haunts with their cheap student tickets and overpriced beverages. I have to learn to fall in love with another university's sports now, which is both exciting and emotional.
3. The local restaurant scene. There are a few restaurants I have only seen in College Station and another handful I have only seen in Texas that I will be sad to lose. From tiny cakes to chicken and waffles, there are places I know I will crave when I make my move.
4. Aggie Park. I think I may have taken for granted being able to walk over a bridge, past a family of ducks, and by a small field of wildflowers on my way to work. I am soaking up as much time as I can outside in my favorite spot by the pond before I leave Aggieland.

While I am going to miss everything on these lists, the thing I’m going to miss most is my community. I have friends and loved ones here I consider family and it breaks my heart to have to move away from them. My church community who fed and sheltered me on hard days. My old work colleagues who helped me get into my PhD program in the first place. The professors in my home department who constantly uplifted me and believed in me more than I believed in myself. Everyone I met through Aggie sports or in my classes.

I’ll miss seeing familiar faces as I walk the campus I know better than the back of my hand. But most of all, I am going to miss my fellow graduate students who cried with me, laughed with me, and made graduate school something much bigger than just a place to seek a degree. I am leaving a piece of my heart in College Station, Texas. May the love I’ve found here carry me into this next journey and through the rest of my life.

And to my beloved A ggieland, there’s only one thing left to say…Thanks and gig’ em.