Strangers by Yasamin Rastgar and Mattin Rastgar

Yasamin Rastgar is a UTMB medical student and Mattin Rastgar is a UH undergraduate student.

My family is no stranger to Galveston. Every time we wanted a change of scenery, we would pile into the car and make the drive down the beach. There was no strict itinerary, sometimes we would visit the beach, and other times we would eat seafood and watch the waves. It never really mattered to any of us what we did, as long as we could do something together. As my life changed, so did Galveston’s purpose. Our family pictures ranged from me in my stroller to me standing next to my brother in his stroller. I learned to drive on the East end, and there’s a picture of me behind the wheel with my dad in the passenger seat, pure terror in his eyes. Soon after, my brother recreated the picture with his own lessons.

On one Christmas Eve, my grandma was visiting and we decided to go to the beach. We had no intention of swimming in the cold waters but instead wanted to watch the sunset while eating McDonald’s ice cream. I remember the day clearly since I had a horrible cold around that time, but nothing could stop me from missing out on the beach. My mom, grandma, and I walked toward the water and watched our dog happily run around and chase birds. My dad and brother were lagging behind groaning and moaning about how they had to carry everything. My grandma is an artist and has an eye for detail, so she grabbed my mom and me as she described the colors of the sunset reflecting off the ocean. She leaned her head against my shoulder as I breathed in the smell of salt in the air and listened to her describe the way she saw the view. Unknowing to us, my brother snapped a picture of the three of us, three generations of women, looking out toward the ocean. If I look closely, I can see my dog’s tail in the corner of the picture, blurry from movement.

I have no idea what else we talked about that day, but I do remember laughing a lot. My family still makes trips to Galveston, but now to visit me in medical school. Now, my dog is the center of every picture, and we’re pretty close to getting her a stroller, too. Being in Galveston means being close to these memories with my family. I have never felt like a stranger here as it holds a unique place in my heart.