Leaving your neighborhood

With five years of living on the east coast, I am now more convinced than ever that I will always be a west coast Angelino so to speak at heart. This was often emphasized by the fact that by my third year at Howard University. I had only one pair of close-toed shoes and the rest of my closet contained open-toed sandals that I was determined to wear throughout the year.

And yet as hard as I tried my sunny, golden complexion that I had always maintained year-round in California was no competition for the stiff winters. What I'd been convinced of as my true color, gradually gave way to a less golden complexion than I normally was used to.

Yet despite a few changes (major as they were) in climate and culture nothing could have stopped me from pursuing my dream of living on the east coast and experiencing the subways and theater and fast-pace lifestyle that had always fascinated me from books and magazines.

Growing up, my parents were always on the move. Always refusing to settle, always working towards the goal of their vision of what the American Dream meant to them. For me this meant, changing neighborhoods and schools about every four years. I wouldn't call these moves upsetting, but they meant that I was always forced to make new friends and acclimate to new neighborhoods and environments, which forced me out of my comfort zone.

When people tell me that they've grown up in the same house, in the same neighborhood and gone to all the neighborhood schools from elementary through high-school, I can't relate and always feel that they've missed out. In spite of this sometimes I've wondered what my life would have been like growing up in the same house and neighborhood and having childhood friends going to the same schools our whole life. At times, I regret never having a steady circle of friends.

As I headed to DC for college, I was excited. Philadelphia was only two hours away, New York [my main attraction and focus] was only four hours away, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware were all neighboring states easily reachable and the public transportation was fantastic, especially compared to Los Angeles.

I was equally enthused by the thought that many people I would meet from the area would definitely be familiar with NY and Philly and know all the places to go and explore and my weekends would be spent all over the eastern seaboard.

In fact hardly any of the "locals" had been to NY or Philly and were hardly familiar with it. Many of my friends from DC hadn't even visited the national monuments and museums which I’d visited back in the eighth grade.

Most people hardly left their own neighborhoods to visit within their city and state, let alone a neighboring state no matter the close proximity. There was a whole world out there, three blocks up and most people choose to stick to the familiar and not venture too far in case of what? getting lost? This attitude perplexed me and I was set on getting to the bottom of it.