/ˌekspekˈtāSH(ə)n/
noun
a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.
Ever since I was 13, I was convinced by movies, tv shows, and popular YouTubers that one day I’d leave Minnesota and live in Southern California. I don’t know if it was the palm trees, the sunshine year round, or the sense of youthfulness, but all I knew was that I was ready to move out there after high school. I expected to rediscover myself in college in LA and grow parts of myself that I thought Minnesota couldn’t nurture.
That didn’t work out. I ended up going to college down the street because of scholarships. That’s not the point of this post, however. That’s for another day.
Stuck in my hometown, I vowed to visit LA one day to find out why my soul ached to live there.
I was able to save up money to go as a spring break trip. I’ve got a world map in my bedroom back home with a gold thumb tack indicating my hometown, black pins indicating where I’ve visited in the world, and white pins for the places I want to go. I keep this as a visual reminder to explore the world and as a reward when I return home and remove a white pin and put a black one in its place. Yearning to mark the West Coast as my territory, I booked tickets to Oakland and Los Angeles.
In another post, I’ll explain the deeper purpose of my Spring Break trip. But for now, I went with a dream and some expectations (because my cardigan didn’t fit in my carry-on), but these were the realities I faced once I got there.
1. Warm weather year round, in Theory
I was so surprised by how damn cold it got in both SF and LA. I was so excited to swim in the ocean at Santa Monica, but I hate cold water and the air wasn’t warm enough to combat that. As a Minnesotan, I shouldn’t have been shivering the way I was. To be fair, some people were wearing full length parkas in 65 degree weather, so I wasn’t the only one.
2. So…Many…Homeless People
This was a really heart-breaking to see. On a religious note: God didn’t put me in the middle class so that I could thank Him for not making me poor. I think He did it so that I could use my position to call out injustices. Of course, LA is an expensive place to live and it’s easier to survive its winter nights compared to Minnesota’s, but I’m appalled the magnitude of the issue. Basically California: Do Better.
3. Beverly Hills Cliffs
I was never scared of heights before this trip…at least I don’t think I was. On the first day, we drove around the 90210 to see all it had to offer, and I’m glad we survived the twisting roads to see it. I tried to find pictures online to show you but nothing came close to what I was searching for, so you will just have to believe me. Mulholland Drive is great to see the views of Beverly Hills, but don’t drive too fast because the turns are constant and quick. Any wrong move or distraction will send you tumbling down a cliff to your death. Yes, cliff. You can easily walk up a hill. I’m not sure if you can walk up these “hills”. Someone really thought “Let’s build a wealthy neighborhood in a mountain range and overlook the poor on the flat land” and went for it.
4. The “California Dream” gets crushed by Capitalism
Classism is a major vibe in LA, and I’m surprised I felt it stronger in LA than in Berkeley or SF. In places like Beverly Hills, it’s hard to not look like a tourist when you’re driving a Toyota Prius and not a BMW, and holding onto your keys on your school lanyard and not in a Gucci bag. If this makes you feel some type of way, avoid Rodeo Drive. The constant energy throughout the whole trip was ‘enjoy this vacation because you’ll probably never afford to live here’. Not very inviting, I’d say.
5. It’s like everyone wants to be famous…
To end it off, it seemed like everyone I met in LA wanted to be an actor, or a writer, or some other creative. There’s nothing wrong with creatives, but this is the very reason I don’t see myself wanting to live in New York City. It’s inspiring that so many people want to fearlessly chase their dreams in such a competitive industry, but if everyone wants to be on Broadway, or model, or make YouTube videos, who’s gonna be the doctor, or the legislator, or educator? There’s no variety in everyone wanting to be famous, and friendly competition in the entertainment industry ain’t always friendly, so I’ll pass.
By the end of my trip, I felt a plethora of emotions, good and bad. I was happy to finally seek what was calling me, but Cali life isn’t picture perfect. It’s sunshine, palm trees and ocean breeze, carelessness, skateboard culture, and shaking the sand out of your wallet when looking for your ID and boarding pass at LAX. It’s also 30 minute drives on the 405 just to get anywhere in the city, litter practically everywhere, spoiled teenage girls taking pictures for their instagrams outside of the overpriced, mediocre, and overhyped trendy cafes, and the urge to show off how much better your life is than everyone else’s. The way international students on my campus make me feel (wearing $800 Canada Goose jackets and Balenciaga sneakers to their 8ams) is how I felt in LA. Granted, I saw such a small part of LA during my stay, so hopefully I’ll be able to give it one more shot in the future. Overall, California was a great experience, and I’ll tell you more about it in a future post.
Carpe Diem – Seize the Day!
Manyi.