Living Life in
California
A
person can change physically, mentally and emotionally sometime in their
life. One night, I overheard my parents
talking to each other about moving somewhere far away from Virginia because
they don’t like the environment there. I
can barely understand Tagalog, but I get the idea on what they’re talking
about: we’re going to move to California.
I have mix emotions of excitement and anxiousness. I was a little excited because I’ve always
wanted to move to California. A lot of
my friends say California is an awesome place to live. But I’m also anxious because I was afraid I
won’t be able to make new friends there, as much as I hate to admit it. Before I moved here, I don’t know why but I
sometimes get this idea that people from California are not welcoming to people
from the east coast. Throughout my life,
I moved around a lot, which is a normal thing as a military brat. But this particular move really changed me,
surprisingly. I can’t really explain why
or how, but when I moved here, I suddenly became a better person.
When I moved to
California, I became free from stress. I was stress-free because of the weather
is always sunny and I’ve always hated cloudy or rainy weather. With this sunny weather, I go outside more
often compared to the other pIaces I’ve lived in. I had a fun time because there are so many
things to do here and many cities to explore.
I’ve met a lot of new people here and they’re much better than the ones back
in Virginia and the Philippines. These
friends I’ve made are the ones I can rely on, talk to and bond with whenever I
feel down. When I’m having a hard time
in school, there are always there to help me out, and there are there to
motivate me and get me back on my feet.
With my friends around, I have confidence to get through all my subjects. Back then, I wasn’t really responsible in my
academics like I am now. I used to be
lazy and unmotivated enough to get decent grades I expected to have. But when I moved here, I became more
responsible in my academics, my GPA has improved significantly and the teachers
here were nicer. Unlike in the
Philippines, they’re subjects are way too advanced for me and teachers are busy
and I have to be on my own. I felt
really happy being here and I’m so glad I don’t have to move anymore.
When
I got to California, I felt ecstatic by the view and sounds. There’s nothing like this back in
Virginia. There are so many places to go
to and many tourist spots. The streets
are crowded but people here are full of life.
When I arrived to the streets of Los Angeles, The first thing I hear is
the mariachi band. I hear musicians playing
some classical songs and everyone around them is having a good time. I also see some street performers and
attractions such as “walking statues”, some celebrity doppelgangers, singers,
and musicians. I also walked around the
streets of Hollywood and the view is breath-taking; I came to California at
night and I see some beautiful lighted-up buildings, somewhat similar to Las
Vegas. The streets are filled with
expensive restaurants, advertising themselves with beautiful colored lights and
busy waiters fulfilling customers’ orders.
There are also many places to eat, hang out, kill some time, etc. California has so many beautiful beaches here
too, every weekend I always go to the beach with my friends and go boogie
boarding. The water is cold but in
perfect temperature, the sand is soft, I can sleep on the sand all day.
People in
California are very nice and interesting to hang out with. I always try to convince myself that people
here are decent and they’re much nicer than I anticipated. Everyone is so relaxed and mellow; they don’t
care what’s going on around them. People
here won’t tolerate drama with other people or to each other. Whenever someone starts talking about them
behind their backs, they simply brush them off their shoulders. I hanged out with so much that I’ve adapted
to their personality. Back then, I don’t
really care about what people think of me, but they sometimes know how to push
my buttons. I used to get mad really
easily, and some conflict being made between me and my friends. However,
there are a few problems going on when I was about to move here. It’s hard for me to say good bye to my
friends and relatives, leaving them behind.
What’s even worse is that I won’t be able to see them again. But I’m fine with that, because many close
friends come and go. This is one of the
things that changed me; whenever friends leave, it’s time for me to let go.
Moving
to California has to be one of the greatest decisions my parents ever
made. Not only have I changed, but my
family changed as well. My mom and dad
have found jobs that fit their interest, and my sister has been going out a lot
instead of staying in her room.
California is full of happiness and excitement. There are so many activities to do here, and
for once I was really happy. I haven’t
been this happy since I was living in Japan.
I was confident in my academics, I became more active than I was back
then, I became more independent, and I was looking forward to a lot of things
like traveling, meeting up with old friends, etc. I finally found place where I belong.
