A Trip to Texas for SPSP 2017

I am back. I have jet lag and I need to detox. But I am back.

Back from a trip to the US, all in the name of personality and social psychology. I was there to present a poster on the definition of self-esteem at SPSP2017 (available to download from the open science framework here). The poster is about a meta-analytic investigation of what self-esteem is to personality and social psychologists. The project has taken the best part of two years so far. The short story is that self-esteem is defined in a number of ways, but primarily as one's overall evaluation of their own worth or value. Don't ask me how I got in to this topic--it's a long story--but it’s helped me to understand things a little better and I hope that it helps others too. Some of the feedback I've had on it so far makes me think that it will.

I went to some great talks and had some great conversations with people about their research at the poster sessions. I particularly enjoyed the symposiums or symposia (I don't know) on replication research in grad school, conceptual and empirical issues in narcissism, the one about the future of social and personality psychology, and the alt-ac one about jobs outside the academy. I learned a lot and I got to meet a few of my academic heroes. It was certainly a productive three or four days.

It was also my first time in the US, so I tried to make sure the trip was not just an academic one. I didn’t want my adventure to be all ps, ts, replications, and coffee, so I flew out early and stayed late, in the hope that this would allow me to explore Texas a little bit. I spent the first three days in Houston and the next five in San Antonio.

I was a little bit taken aback by the place if I’m honest. In a really good way. Houston, at least Downtown Houston where I stayed, is a big, bad, ultra-modern urban jungle type place. With more blocks of skyscrapers, high-rise car parks, and sports arenas than you can shake a stick at. The parks around the city are either quirky or grand. Sam Houston Park, to the east, contains old-style Texan buildings, immaculately preserved or restored by the local historic association. Being on the edge of Downtown, they have this surreal metropolitan back drop to the West, which creates a contrast of architecture in the extreme. Hermann Park, to the South, is much larger, and contains a couple of duck-filled lakes, as well as one of those ultra-American reflection pools. Hermann Park is where the dinosaur museum is, which I recommend having a look around. They have four T-Rexs, which is pretty damn impressive. But also complete overkill. T-Rex fossils are not like drinks, you don’t need a few to get you going.

Sam Houston Park

San Antonio, on the other hand, is a different kind of place all together. The weather improved drastically when I arrived in San Antonio, which I think served only to enhance the contrast with Houston. The city has a meandering river (well, I think it’s been modified enough for it really to be called a canal) running right through the middle. It’s banks are covered in bars and restaurants, and the streets above are too. The Alamo is right in the center, and the associated missions (think fortified churches) are dotted along the San Antonio river. I walked a few miles out of town, via the William Street historic district, and then hired a bike to reach the impressive San Jose and Concepcion missions about 10 and 5 miles down the river, respectively. These places are definitely worth a visit, especially if, like me, you had no idea about the interesting history of the area. All in all, San Antonio is a lot more relaxed than Houston, without the imposing blocks of sky-scrapers, and a heavy Mexican and European influence that made me feel like I was in fact in Europe. But with all the good bits of the US thrown in.

Mission San Jose

As a bit of a nature nerd, in both places I was surprised at the diversity and quantity of the wildlife. It’s strange, instead of straining to catch a brief glimpse at a distance of a couple of hundred meters as in the UK, Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Cormorants, Herons, and even Vultures will sort of seek your company. It’s very flattering. It’s like they’re human-watching. Which makes your bird-watching a bit of a redundant enterprise. There are turtles all along the San Antonio River too and the Parks in Houston are alive with sound of frogs at the right time of day. You get a sense of it somehow still being the New World, somehow still teaming with life even though it's now teaming with people too.

San Antonio River Walk & Mission Trail

A few of my colleagues from Southampton were in attendance at the conference, but for the vast majority of the trip I was on my own. I was, to get poetic, alone in the lone star state. But really I wasn’t. Despite the testing times in the US at the moment (let’s not get in to that), I couldn’t have felt more warmth.

So, all in all,Texas is pretty much my new favorite place. When do I get to go back?

And for anyone who goes to Texas from the UK I have the following tips.

•  To “close-out” is to settle the bill or pay for the tab.

• When you pay on card in a restaurant or bar you get a receipt that you have to sign. You have to print the bill and tip yourself.

• Entering your pin number is not something that seems to happen often. It’s all about the swipe, even at train stations and other automated ticket machines.

• In Houston walking around town is not a pleasant stroll. The grid system means you only ever walk about 200 metres before having to cross a 6-lane road.

• It’s called a crosswalk and you have to wait for the man (who is white, not green) to cross the road. Then there is a countdown until the traffic starts again.

•  There is not as much “health and safety”. The tram and train lines do not have barriers. The only safe-guard is the drivers reactions. You’re on your own so have your wits about you.

• Although a lot of Texans (and Americans in general) seem to find the idea of taking the bus utterly horrifying, the bus is really cheap and very comfortable by UK standards ($9 from Houston to San Antonio if booked in advance). The bus stations may be a bit hectic. The bus drivers may actually be nice to you.

• When you speak to Texans they may initially struggle to understand you. I’ve been told that it’s probably the surprise of the British accent, to which they have to adjust.

• Don’t use too many very British phrases. The catch-all word ‘alright’ is not so ubiquitous as in the UK. It’s not an adjective, a question, greeting, response to a greeting, and other things here.

• Texans will speak to you.

• When they do, they will probably speak their mind. They will let you know when they are happy and when they are not. They may comment on what you do (someone passively-aggressively remarked on my purchase of a $2 bottle of water, which he apparently felt was an absurd amount of money to spend on water).

• Clothes and food are real cheap. So buy and eat.

• The food portions are huge. It is not a myth. It took me 40 minutes to eat a Caesar salad. And I eat really fast.

• The cars are huge. The very smallest cars you will see are BMW 3-Series, which are probably considered quite large cars in the UK.

•  Usually there a free refills on glasses of Coke and perhaps regular Coffee, so take advantage.

• There isn’t a Tesco Express on every corner like in the UK. In the Downtown areas it may be slightly difficult to buy food and drink other than from a restaurant.

• Starbuck’s look and feel exactly the same as back home. So as weird as this sounds, if you’re missing home then go to one.

•  Free Wi-Fi pretty much everywhere. And good Wi-Fi at that.