Southern California. The land of Disneyland, movie stars, and great beaches. The land of a flip flop wearing people who pull out their winter jackets if it dips below 65. The land where water usage has been restricted because of the drought and where nobody has any idea what rain is.

When you’re from Southern California and you end up in a place where liquid precipitation decides to fall from the sky you’ll probably have no idea what to do with yourself. Rain is an experience, and you’re definitely going to learn some things as you go about your day.

1. When it says it’s going to rain, it’s probably going to.

Unlike the weather reports that bring false hopes of rain showers during the day, here in Indiana when my weather app says it’s going to rain, it is most definitely going to. Last week even though the weather app said it was going to rain, I had decided it wasn’t going to. One soggy rainstorm later, I stood corrected. My cold toes have not yet forgiven me.

2. Rain means it’s going to be cold.

On the slight chance that it did rain in SoCal, I really wouldn’t alter my attire. Here, that’s a big mistake. When it rains, it’s cold. And when it’s cold, you should alter your attire. This means a nice warm rain jacket is a really good idea. And to my fellow Californians if you don’t know what a rain jacket is because you’ve never seen one in a store, I know you know what Amazon is.

3. You can’t wear your flip flops anymore.

This, perhaps, is the worst blow of all. But if you want to keep that leather in good condition on those Rainbows, they’ve got to go. But don’t fret! You can go out and buy a really cute pair of rain boots! Yay!

4. You have no idea how to walk with an umbrella.

Walking with an umbrella should really be an Olympic Sport. Tokyo 2020??? I pulled out my brand new umbrella for the first time this past week and it was pretty difficult to use. It didn’t even come with an instruction manual! I may need to take lessons. I can drive a car but Proficient Umbrella User would not make it onto my resume.

5. Puddles are a lot deeper than you expect them to be.

This knowledge comes from personal experience let me tell you. When you do finally get those cute new rain boots, you’ll definitely want to go splashing through puddles so you can use them. But beware! Not all puddles are created equal. I think my socks are still drying…

6. You’ll most definitely overreact.

Rain is a completely new experience and you’ll be so excited you’ll put on your brand new rain boots and rain coat and get your umbrella. But when you walk outside and see people in shorts you’ll be self-conscious. Am I overreacting? It said it was going to rain, I promise!

7. You kind of like it.

Sure, the rain’s not something you’d love to live in, you still prefer those sunny days in SoCal, but, for now, a little bit of rain is okay.