"Why Illinois though?" "You know it snows right?" "Do you think you'll fit in?" These are the many questions I've had to answer since I signed on to the Lindenwood University Belleville cheer team. A California native who comes from a town with almost 100,000 people onto a small Illinois town half her town's size sounds odd, but it does have its perks. The west coast and the Midwest seem like two completely different worlds and the imaginary venn diagram in my head expands as I'm exposed to more and more things that I'm not used to. We live in a county with 50 states that all are known for their specific attributes, but here's a few of the differences between Illinois and the West Coast (mostly California):
1. No In N Out
This is the most obvious difference between the West Coast and the Mid West, but it's still really strange to me.
2. Lucky's, Raley's, Winco, etc.
Even the grocery stores are different!
3. Rain and thunder in the summer?
I've been to Washington so I've experienced the rain occurring at random times, but as many people like to joke about, California is in a drought. I don't even see rain during the months that it's expected to rain.
4. Flat...just flat.
On the West Coast it's extremely common to have to constantly drive and hike up and down hills. While driving on the freeway you'll always see a bunch of hills to the left and right of you.
5. Everything's not as rushed.
This is a very odd observation, but when you go to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Diego, Sacramento, or Oakland you'll constantly pass people rushing to get to their destinations. There's a lot of walking in California and everyone's rushing each other. Even in Chicago it seems like everything is at a slower pace. I don't think calm and California could even go in the same sentence.
Advice for those leaving home: Though I've come extremely far, it's a great opportunity to see the country from a different perspective. Never let stereotypes, decrease in population, or crazy weather stop you from going off to new opportunities because it opens your eyes to things that you can utilize in your future.
