I’m a California girl, through and through. I love Hollywood aesthetics: days of endless sunshine, palm trees silhouetted against vibrant sunsets, waves crashing on the shore. I love growing up in San Gabriel Valley, one of the biggest Asian ethnic enclaves in the nation. I love the laid back vibe, the taco trucks, the Asian supermarkets.
So why did I choose to go to a college so far from home, on the other side of the country?
It was certainly not an easy decision for me to make. My family was understandably worried–my mom would anxiously pack and re-pack my items while my dad ordered a hefty stack of heat packs in preparation for the cold. They wondered: Who was going to help me move in and out? Who was going to take care of me when I’d get sick? Who was going to bring me freshly baked cookies when I’d get homesick?
It was certainly not an easy decision for me to make. My family was understandably worried–my mom would anxiously pack and re-pack my items while my dad ordered a hefty stack of heat packs in preparation for the cold. They wondered: Who was going to help me move in and out? Who was going to take care of me when I’d get sick? Who was going to bring me freshly baked cookies when I’d get homesick?
But I assured them I wanted to go through this process on my own. I wanted to become independent and develop courage, grit, and resourcefulness to face whatever challenges thrown my way. And I did–I tasted both the sting and sweetness of independence. I also realized that just because my parents weren’t within a stone’s throw didn’t mean I was alone. The Yale community filled in those roles and became family: strangers helping me carry heavy suitcases up and down five flights of stairs; suitemates bringing me medicine and tea in the dead of night; friends surprising me with macarons they made from scratch.
Beyond character growth, I was itching to experience the East Coast. Mainstream media (thanks, Gossip Girl) fed me numerous impressions of New England, but I wanted to put those depictions to the test. Moving to the East Coast, pace of life was indeed a culture shock in comparison to easy-going vibes of Californian surfers, but within a few weeks I was thriving off this new rhythm. There seems to be a productive pulse built into the culture of the East Coast, and I fell in love with the rush of efficiently completing projects one after another. Plus, living on the East Coast has challenged me to step up my fashion–the aura of put-togetherness and stylishness in the heart of NYC and on Yale’s campus is definitely inspirational!
I also was thrilled to experience beautiful seasons. There’s nothing like a New England autumn, the magic of a first snowfall, or the budding of tulips and cherry blossoms. You can read about how I faced my fears of dealing with winters as a Cali girl here (hyperlink).
But beyond the weather, East Coast living isn’t really that different than the West Coast. Though I did miss authentic ramen and Mexican food that SoCal has basically perfected, this just makes returning home all the sweeter. Currently, while I’m treasuring my time on the West Coast, I sincerely cannot wait for the day I can return to Yale’s campus and masquerade as a born-and-raised East Coaster: gripping a cup of Dunkin’ coffee and jaywalking across Elm Street, my chic trench coat fashionably swishing in my wake.
