Wherever we are in the world, we all have misconceptions about the world we have never yet lived. I know I sure did when I lived in Los Angeles before moving to Oklahoma for college. My first thoughts of the Midwest were closed off, as I described it as flat, windy, and boring. For a long time I didn’t like the OKC area because I never went farther than 15 miles from campus. The state of Oklahoma has slowly grown on me that I now call home.
When I decided I was going to Oklahoma for college all my friends thought, “Oklahoma? So random” and laughed it off. I thought it was pretty funny myself because I always considered myself a city girl for life; nothing was better to me than being surrounded by people and entertainment. Besides living within my school, I was afraid that I was going to have nothing to do, but as my mom has always said, “When you're bored, you can always find something to do. As a child you can give me a rock and a stick, and we’d do something with it.”
The first week setting foot in Oklahoma was not the best first impression. Drivers were completely different from L.A. drivers and people just acted differently; it was a culture shock. I realized I wasn’t in California anymore when I went to a Whataburger and asked if they had a veggie burger. The cashier looked at me like I was crazy and asked, “You want vegetables on your burger?” I shook my head as I was confused what she was asking too. She ended up getting the manager. At that moment I questioned whether or not I should just turn back West.
It takes time to feel comfortable in a foreign environment, some takes longer than others, as it took me until my sophomore year to feel happy with myself and the people I’m surrounded with. I thought I would never meet the people I have met here: genuine, kind, and in general, really great people. It’s now going to be hard to leave the place that I once dreaded to live in since there are some of the most down to earth people I have ever met.
Wherever you travel to, you can always find a little part of yourself that makes you happy. For me, it’s the beautiful Oklahoma sunrises, the unique vegetarian restaurants, and some of the greatest people I have ever met that makes me love Oklahoma or continuing to find happiness in the world.
