The Real Reason California Is A Culture Shock

Midwest Minded

Growing up in the Midwest, California was described with some negative stigmas. Ohio locals threatened us of earthquakes, wildfire and liberal mindsets that would undertake us if we ever visited. Thankfully, we weren't afraid of this Westcoast world and our curious nature enticed our travel-bound minds.

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We made it back to Cleveland alive and have big news to share. This may come as a surprise but California isn't a violently shaking burning land of debauchery. In fact, we believe that California is widely misunderstood. Sure, wildfires take down cities, earthquakes cause major damage and overall the state is known to make bold choices that tilt left, but those things don't define Californians. In fact, those who make up the diverse culture don't seem to care about your definitions of them at all. Their laid-back lifestyles mean more to them than fighting generalized opinions. California was the most amazing culture shock we've ever experienced - in a good way.

Beautiful Mosaic

From the other side of the country, we see a melting-pot of people lacking boundaries while hosting crumbling foundations of personal faith and morals. The truth is, while merging these diverse attitudes, races, religions and political beliefs have the potential of divide, Californians are far from divided. Their approach is different. While we see a soupy melting-pot, they act more of a beautiful mosaic.

"California isn't a violently shaking burning land of debauchery."

The people of California have somehow managed to individually maintain their own personal beliefs and strong cultural roots while learning how to understand those of others. We see how this can be intimidating for some. If you're not carefully protective of fragile foundations, then shattering is inevitable. However, if your roots are strong, you can accept that we're all different without getting them all tangled up. It's the same idea of eating spaghetti with a side of tacos - you may appreciate each delishious dish on their own but they may leave your belly confused if you eat them both together. Does that mean tacos are better than spaghetti? Some may argue yes while wisdom would tell they can't be compared because they're completely different.

We've found that the misconceptions towards California seem to be heavily based on fears rather than facts. If we, within 8 short days of experiencing life in California could return to Cleveland with a deeper understanding of what a mosaic culture actually looks like, you can too. In fact, if everyone visited, maybe we could learn how to live in a multicultural environment without the threat of a civil war.

United

We left California feeling renewed. Tanned skin and a large dose of Vitamin D wasn't the only thing we brought back home. We were gifted a hope for our future. We realize, overall, our God-fearing ways may not be a popular choice in California but not one single person questioned it. We weren't shamed when publicly praying before dinner. We weren't looked down upon for our traditional marriage views. We weren't judged for our sunburnt skin. We weren't excluded while eating tacos with Spanish speaking people. We weren't united because we were all the same. We were united because of our differences. Unity and respect go hand-in-hand and it's only after we gain respect that we can change the world.