We have landed in this new country, I have found others that have made the trip from Opole, these people here speak a tongue not familiar to us, they seem to speak a Spanish and American and other languages all mixed together, will we ever understand them.

It is easy to find those of our group and those that came before us and are waiting for us to make the trip to our new lands in this wild new territory. The people here seem to stare at us, they have never seen anyone from Selesia? One of the older men here told me to keep alert and control of our ladies, as the local people here seem to be fascinated with the shortness of the dresses here, and looking at the other local ladies I see the difference. Our ladies dresses are shorter, up above the ankle, the local ladies have long dresses dragging the ground, strange, what a waste of material, being worn and dirtied by dragging like that.
 
 

We have a rather long way to go here, the guide has told us that the trip is nearly one hundred and fifty miles, over a road called the Camino Real. We will soon start on this road, I am looking forward to the trip, we start tomorrow, I can barely sleep.
 
 

We started today there are many of us, all from the Opole region, we speak the same language and are very comfortable with each other. As we talk we discover that there are several areas that we are headed, my group is going to a new area named Pana Maria, others going to other areas I have never heard of. Our group is lucky because Pana Maria is very close, compared to the other areas.
 
 

I have never seen insects as there are here, a biting little devil as irritating as the Ukrainian Steppes, the local people call this a misquotoe a real nuisance, it makes a buzzing noise, and then when it lands on you it draws blood, when you kill it with a slap of your hand, it splashes your blood all over. As we move inland we notice that many of the trees and brush have thorns, everything here has thorns, we saw a lizard that has horns covering it's entire body. We saw a bed of huge ants, red color, and they bite hard, but the horned lizard went on top of the nest and ate the red devils and seemed to enjoy it.
 
 

Today we came out of the thickets and looked across the horizon, what a sight, the grass was as high as a man standing, we became worried if we might be separated, and lost in this sea of grass. I climbed a tree, the guide said was an Oak, and looked as far as I could see. I saw this sea of grass, it swelled and shrank with the breezes blowing, like a green ocean with islands of trees. Such a site I have never seen, there are no mountains no towns.
 
 

After a week of travel we arrive at a small clearing, with huge Oak Trees there, I see a Priest, it is Fr Moczygemba, I know him, he is greeting each of us, and asking of latest news from home, we give him what we have. Fr. Moczygemba, gathers all of us, and offers a Mass under the Oak Trees.
 
 

The people gather in meetings, deciding what needs to be done, one of the things is a cousin, Gervas Gabrysc' (later to be spelled Gabrysch, in the new country way) a StoneMason, who will work and build the new Church. He has also been retained to build a stone building for a store to supply us with the needs we have for every day living.

Snoga Store, the original building in Pana Maria

Finally the family has been given our land to farm. The land is partialed out much as it was in the old country, in long narrow strips, easier to plow and fence. Building a house is afirst priority, but it is very hard to do, we have so little in wood to work with, but we go back to our ancestor and build as they did many years back. A dugout, a house set into the earth, half in and half out, the dirt dug out from the house is piled on the sides and top, to create a house, that keeps out the hot summer and the very cold windy winter. This must last until we can get our new fortunes started.
 
 

This country is truly strange, my Mother has become deadly with her hoe, there is a snake here, which is a consort of the very devil himself, it will bite you, and if it does not kill you, it will make you very ill. Mother kills several each month, some have even been brazen enough to come up to the house, but only once, as Mother can sever their head in one sweep of her hoe. We stay close to Mother who protects us in this wild country.

The weather here is so different than where we came from, it is very hot in the summer I have seen men fall ill, and even die from the heat, we must wear hats at all times outside. The rain comes only in the Spring and Fall, and rarely in the Summer. We must manage with what we have as far as water, to keep the garden alive we must pull water from the well and carry it to the garden to keep food on the table. In the winter here, it is not like the old country, where it snows, and gets very cold and stays cold. Here there are winds bringing the cold with it, it seems that the winds come from the very heart of Siberia, and cut to the bone. Talking to the local Mexican people here I have found out that it does snow here but only every score of years. Mostly it freezes, rains and freezes or just very cold.
 
 

I have been able to travel to the local towns, with these people called Texains, they are a strange people, they speak, what my cousin said, English. They are not a very nice people at all, it seems that since we do not speak their language, we are a lesser person. But we do not let this deter our lives. Some of our people are learning this English.

One thing that is strange, the people who speak English tend to look down at us, while the Mexicans seem to want to learn our language, as well as teach us theirs. There is much more exchange of goods between them than the Texians. There has even been marriage between them and us.
 
 

I must finish for now, but will continue with more later, this whole new country is so unique so different, and amazing.

If you like the story, please let me know and I shall attempt to continue this story for your entertainment.
 
 

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