welcome to california

I made it to California. 

After two weeks of long car rides, books on tape, periodic bathroom stops, hotel and hostel sleeping, and countless interstate signs along the road, I am back in Southern California. It's funny to me how much scenery changes across the states I traveled through -- from the Nautica/polo-preppy attire of Cape Cod and manicured homes along the beaches of Massachusetts, through the vibrant green trees aligning the roads in the south, to the bare-landscape of the interstate leading to Searcy, Arkansas where there were homes just "here and there" for miles and miles, to the insane heat of Dallas, Texas, to the cactus-hills of Arizona, and then to the hazy fog of mornings in San Diego. On one side of the coast you see signs for Waffle House and Dunkin' Donuts and then finally you reach Arizona and the sign for "In-N-Out" miraculously appears. I wonder how when someone from another country decides to visit the US how they go about picking their exact destination.

I am thankful to be here. And I am thankful that I can say that confidently, even though I sometimes wonder if I fit in with Southern California culture and wonder what it's going to be like as I make friends here and make this my home again. 

Highlights from the trip:

(1) Being with my mom and friend Allison (P.S. Check out her blog - she has tons of sweet photos). You can't do a drive like this with out someone sitting in the passenger side, or driving while you take a nap. We passed the time together by listening to books on tape, enjoying the scenery, reading books to each other, chatting about things like the upcoming election and gender roles and weddings and jobs and work and figuring out life (and lots in between - including a very short game of 20 Questions).

(2) Friends and family along the way. It was really special to see family in Virginia and friends in Arkansas and California as we traveled. Plane flights are expensive, schedules are busy, and reconnecting across the miles is difficult. Hence, road tripping proved to be the perfect way to just be together - by eating meals, enjoying the pool, making crafts, and driving around their respective towns. It was fun to meet some of Allison's family along the way and to hang out in San Diego with our friend from the semester in Costa Rica. And I got to see one of the families I hung out with during my week in San Diego for spring break. That was so so SO special

(3) McDonalds: this is more of a confessionary point. I think I went to McDonalds almost every day during this trip. Before you freak out and assume I have gained 30 pounds, let me clarify that usually the stop was for iced coffee (and sometimes for a fruit n yogurt parfait as well). I always looked for those golden arches as we drove along the road - it was the perfect bathroom/coffee stop. 

(4) The South. In Virginia I saw the city of Richmond which holds many stories from the Civil War, in North Carolina I ate grits and fried okra, in Arkansas people wore high heels to church, and in Texas I heard the long accent drawl "how are youuuuuuuuuu?" The south is different and fun, and while I'm not sure I would want to live there, I enjoyed being there -- and I really do love that accent.
(5) My car, Charlie (pronounced Chah-lie). He was a champ. Despite a few minor hiccups along the road (climbing hills was a bit difficult at some points and my hazard lights decided to randomly go off 

at different points throughout the trip), my car did great and I am incredibly thankful for that!

the end!