Things to Do When Moving to a New Home

Dr. Pui Kelly
Dr. Pui Kelly

Moving to a new home can be tough, getting acclimated to new surroundings, and even adjusting to the new culture. One of our newest professors at CCPA, Dr. Piyawan (Pui) Charoensap-Kelly, shared her experience moving to Texas and even her favorite things to do when moving to a new home!

What was your move like to Texas?

It was an interesting experience moving during a pandemic. We had to cancel our initial house hunting trip mid Spring 2020 with no clue about when we could reschedule. We spent the quarantine time working with our real estate agent remotely and making a list of houses we wanted to see. Fortunately, we were able to come to Dallas early May and go straight to those houses on our list. We stopped as soon as we found the one we loved, which is our current home. Less than two months later, we moved into this place. Overall, the move was somewhat hectic at first but ended up going quite smoothly. To be fair, I must give a shoutout to my husband for his superb logistics and organizational skills!

How different is Texas from where you moved from? What did you have to adjust to?

I lived in Huntsville, Alabama for about two years before I moved here. Before that, I lived for seven years in New Orleans, Louisiana. Since I have always been in the South, I don’t see a big difference between my previous cities and Texas in terms of climate or culture. It does get colder here in the winter for sure (and what an “unprecedented” winter storm we had earlier this year!). I also miss authentic Cajun food in Louisiana sometimes and the beautiful mountains in Huntsville. However, I love many uniquely Texan things like the beautiful blue bonnets in the spring, the wild sunflowers in the summer, and the fun Cowboy atmosphere.

What are your favorite things to do in Texas?

Hmm, I don’t know yet. The pandemic has limited our options. I would say gardening has been my favorite hobby so far. We started an herb garden and I have enjoyed picking fresh mint or basil for my home cooking. I look forward to visiting different places in Dallas/ Fort Worth this summer and the Fort Worth Stockyards is on my next-to-visit list!

Do you have any food recommendations based on the restaurants you have been to in Texas?

You know I’m biased toward Asian food but if you are looking for authentic, delicious Thai food, I recommend Too Thai Street Eats in Carrollton. I was so amazed by their real Thai dishes and ambiance. If you love Vietnamese food, Pho Envy right across the street from our SMU campus is also a great choice!

Alex Brody
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