Living in Orange County, California almost my whole life has shown me that I can adore a place and also resent it at the same time. Seemingly, I am the textbook girl from socal: I attend a private Christian school, play a varsity sport, and have blonde highlights. However, living in the Orange County ecosystem involves a great amount of nuance. At times it feels like a ginormous bubble, and that some do not have awareness of the world around them because everything was handed to them. I am extremely fortunate to not have financial struggles, but I know that is because my parents did and found their way out of them. My parents are 1st generation immigrants and worked hard to give me an easier life. People here come from money, this leads to secrecy and even toxicity at times. It’s the reason why it’s so easy to have so many ”friends”, but so difficult to have a friend.
It is because of situations like this that I struggled to find people I can really trust, but they were found when I looked in the right places. The right places are what make us so blessed. I live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, but it‘s not the beaches and mountains that matter most; it’s the local In-N-Out, that has an hour line after our football games, and it’s Tru-Bru cafe where we go to “study”, but end up talking the whole time. These places are special because they hold amazing memories, but more importantly reflect the interconnectedness of OC. They bring many people together and form our teenage experience. Memories in places like these make living here the enjoyable experience it was, despite my feelings towards the occasionally entitled perspective that many carry.
Photo Credit: Learn California
