One man is representing the Rio Grande Valley across the world.

Esteban Lopez published a book and created start up in Japan, all while staying true to his roots.

"I came and I was here for seven years, and then I went back to the States," Lopez said. "Now I'm back for good, so basically it's a total of 14 years."

Lopez graduated from PSJA High School in 1991 and attended the University of Texas, where he decided to study Japanese. Years later, he ended up in Japan. 

"Where you start doesn't define where you are going to end. So basically this book is my catharsis. It was my way to find my answers. Japan is not easy," Lopez said.

Moving to a different country, with a different language and culture, came with its own challenges. Lopez turned his experiences into a book called The Long Way Home: A Memoir of Reinvention.

"Writing this book is about my fatherhood, my love, my grief. The hardest part was that my mother passed away recently, April 30, and I was here in Japan when that happened," Lopez said.

Lopez said he wrote the book to come to terms with that loss, the distance from home, and the ongoing challenges of living abroad.

It was published in June and is now available on Amazon.

"So 'Go Gaijin' I made for foreigners who first come to the country for the first 90 days and what not," Lopez said.

He said there are different rules when it comes to getting an apartment, a phone, or just trying to live in Japan, so he created Go Gaijin, a resource designed to make life in a different country easier for visitors.

"So what I did was I made it easier. So I basically listed health care, English speaking health care, like in all 23 wards of Tokyo, and as well as guarantors and special realtors for foreigners," Lopez said.

While success has come Lopez's way, he has never forgotten the place that has made him into who he is today.

"I am the Valley, no matter where I go. The lessons that I learned are from the Valley and I'll take those everywhere," Lopez said.

Esteban Lopez is made in the 956.