I'm from the Midwest, northern Illinois suburbia. No culture, no downtown, endless houses, have to drive to get anywhere. I moved to California about two and a half years ago for a job. The California I moved to however, was filled with cows, farms, heat, and pollution. I moved to the San Joaquin valley, South of Fresno. It reminded me of the Midwest if you took away all the water and green (granted, there has been a severe drought).

The people were a strange mix of burnouts, Mexican families, wealthy Republican ranch owners, people who weren't able to get away, people who had kids too early, and transplants. Most of the friends i made were from elsewhere. Even in the Central Valley there is a present disconnect between the Haves and the Have-nots. The large houses with their Romney signs (many still up by the way) and the billboards pleading to stop the "politician caused" water crisis. California is a strange place.

Now I live in the Bay Area due to finding a new job. California is still strange. People here seem much more aware and concerned about the drought even though it rains more than twice a year here. There is even larger income inequality. Finding a place to live that I could afford was a challenge, and even then 100 people would show up to the open house. Instead of conservative people are liberal, sometimes in a way that seems like a parody.

This isn't really going anywhere other than to say that California is strange, huge, diverse, and has some of the most gorgeous parts of the country. I feel a disconnect here and I can't shake the weird feeling I have here. I don't know how long I will stay, but I do know that I am often very aware that I am not from here.