Many people have talked about going to live in California. Even the name itself is attractive. There’s a theory that says that the name came from a Spanish novel from the 16th century. It says that there was an island named California, where beautiful women from the Amazon were rumored to dwell, and the single resource was gold.
Also, there’s the fact where people went to California during the Gold Rush in 1848, and the Great Depression in the 1930s.
California is the currently the most crowded state in the United States.
I moved to the Silicon Valley in California and ran a blog, “Moving to California with no Money.” People from different parts of the world begged other people for help because they desperately wanted to go to California. It is crazy that the desire to go to California can make individuals act this way.
I have lived in California for six weeks now and slowly working on developing this blog to help others interested in moving to California as well.
Living in California
Individuals living here:
- The smartest people live here. I am amazed at the people I near. They are really humble. I’m learning a lot from people living in California.
- They use professional words.For example, my workmates use the word “bandwidth” rather than “time.” There was a time in the past where I received an email stating, “I’m limited on my bandwidth usage this week, so would you be interested in assisting me in this project?” In an average conversation, it would be “I’m busy, and I don’t have enough time this month.” Does bandwidth sound much cooler? For me, it does!
- The “dope kids” are residents of San Francisco.Many young people in their twenties want to live in San Francisco. I guess it’s because of the lifestyle and other extreme things which I don’t like. It’s impressive that many of my workmates are residents of San Francisco that commute in heavy traffic every day.
- Supreme technology.It’s incredible to me how technology has developed. There are more iPads than I have ever seen before. Priests read their notes in church using an iPad. The public libraries use Google Chromebooks! In California, people are making fun of things like Internet Explorer. I just pretend that I understand the joke and laugh.
- They have an excellent way of life.There are enormous amounts of different ethnicities around me, which is incredible. Often, when I’m walking around, I usually hear different languages spoken by different people. It stops close-mindedness. It shows us that Earth is enormous, and it is ready to be explored. Also, I can visit the Filipino places such as Goldilocks bakery that I previously thought was only in the Philippines.
- Everyone here is “working” on a new idea.The other reason why I love this place is because of it motivates me. Everyone here thinks that he/she has the most fabulous idea ever, which is impressive. I like being somewhere where there are significant innovations, and creativity is encouraged.
- Everyone is working for big companies like Facebook.Most of the people here are working either for Google or a famous company, which is pretty awesome.
- Everyone else loves to be here too.Everyone here loves to live here. I have not met anyone who wants to leave. I have also met people who were previously residents of California, and were saying, “I’m eager to return to California.”
Environment and Climate
- California has a little bit of everything.California has everything you can think of; beaches, deserts, mountains – name it. I mostly like the Bay Area since there’s a variety of activities available within driving distance. I enjoy going to the ocean, which is breathtaking and absolutely free.
- It’s amazingly cold.The Bay Area is very cold! The weather conditions are fine during the day, but at night, it goes below 50.
- It’s always sunny.In Florida, I was experiencing heavy rain without seeing even a raindrop. Amazing!
- Rare usage of A/C.Most people roll their windows up while driving. I rarely see air conditioning in the houses.
Food
- Fresh groceries.Many fruits you buy are mostly from California. I can actually taste the freshness of the fruits compared to where I previously lived. Markets are everywhere too.
- Organic food is preferred.Everything in California seems to have a natural alternative. Recently, I saw natural Heinz ketchup. Making organic ketchup could be a good change since it is overloaded with sodium and sugar.
- Gardening is well-liked.The houses have been landscaped very well. No one has those boring regular lawns of grass here; instead, they have plants that are new to me.
- Most people are vegetarians.I’m becoming a vegetarian because of interacting with others. Most of my workmates are vegetarians. Because of this, I eat the same food they are eating. Also, most restaurants advertise vegetarian meals. I can’t disagree since it’s also delicious.
- Healthiness and Environmental Friendliness
- Exercising is recommended.Walking, running, and cycling is recommended. Bike paths are very wide, and also there are pedestrian bridges.
- Can that be recycled?In Florida, recycling was a big problem. It wasn’t easy. In California however, everything is entirely different.
Accommodation
- Houses have many windows.I am residing in a house that has a lot of windows that let in plenty of natural light. It is beautiful that I don’t need to switch on the lights during the day because plenty of sunlight enters my house.
- Rent is amazingly high.The rent and the living standard in California are very high compared to Florida. The total cost of living and the rental situation will be addressed in a separate blog. Stay tuned.
Driving
- Luxury cars.Everywhere I go, I see an expensive car. It’s super awesome. My car, is a Nissan Altima, and is not as expensive as the luxury cars I see on the streets. Everyone in my apartment has an expensive car compared to me.
- Traffic is culture.The traffic in California is not that bad compared to before.
- So there you have it—life in California, in a nutshell. I give it two months before I’m on some gluten-free, vegan diet, driving a hybrid car, and building a multi-million dollar tech company in my garage.