Something that has enticed me for as long as I can remember is the concept of the unknown. Growing up, I was always the one in my family that begged to travel somewhere new every summer, and because of that, I was able to see many unfamiliar and interesting places. This infatuation that I’ve had for seeing new things is the biggest reason I decided to leave my comfort zone of North Carolina. I didn’t know anybody in or anything about Arizona, so coming here a little over a year ago was quite the culture shock for me. In this article, I’ll be highlighting some of the differences that I’ve noticed since moving here.

The Food (I could write the whole article on just this):

Arizona fast food absolutely demolishes any sort of competition, in my opinion. For me, there are few things on this planet better than the taste of Canes and I will go to my grave claiming that it is the superior fast food. If there was a way for me to inject Canes sauce directly into my blood stream, I would. But even without Canes, Arizona fast food is incredible. Coming from the East Coast, I had never had Whataburger or In-n-Out before. I had no idea on what I was missing out on. True, Arizona doesn’t have the southern delights that I still hold a place for in my heart like Bojangles and Cook-Out, but it more than makes up for it. Mexican food in Arizona has spoiled me to the point of no return. You can walk into any old hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint and have some of the best chorizo or carne asada fries you will taste in your life. Arizona’s Mexican food has made it nearly impossible for me to enjoy Qdoba or Chipotle to the magnitude I once did.

The Weather: “But it's a dry heat”

To all of the people that told me “Oh, its only a dry heat, it doesn’t feel that hot” before I moved down to AZ, you are all liars. While the lack of humidity is just about the only saving grace in the scorching Arizona heat, it simply isn’t enough. In a place where the average temperature for November is almost 90 degrees, you have to really do everything you can to protect yourself from the heat. On that note, another thing that I am still baffled by to this day about Arizonians is the fact that they will wear jeans and/or a jacket in any type of weather. Just the other day, as I was walking to class, I spotted someone wearing a leather jacket and black jeans. It was 96 degrees that day. Need I say more?

Haboobs (I will never not chuckle when saying that word):

There is a ton of dust in Arizona, that is for certain. Because there is so little rain, dust has a habit of collecting and can basically be found anywhere you go. Due to the substantial amount of dust, haboobs and dust storms can be quite common. According to the Weather Channel, haboobs are giant walls of dust gathered up, usually due to some sort of rain or cool air. On the other hand, dust storms are much lower to the ground, and don’t usually last as long because they don’t have the support of any cold air or rain. Although haboobs can be a year-round occurrence, they are more common during monsoon season. Regardless of which one occurs, it will force everyone to stay inside. Being outside during a haboob was one of the biggest mistakes I made when first living in Arizona. It was the first week of classes, and I didn’t even know that there were frequent haboobs, let alone what they actually were. I went to the library following my last class of the day, and stayed there for a few hours. Upon walking out of the library, I noticed there was nobody around. I saw the conditions outside and foolishly thought to myself “What’s the worst that can happen? It’s just dust” and began my walk home. Long story short, I couldn’t even finish the walk back and had to wait out the rest of the storm in a public bathroom while shaking dust out of every nook and cranny I had. Moral of the story: check the weather app frequently.

The Sights:

Growing up in the Southeast, I didn’t exactly have many extraordinary landmarks that would leave me in astonishment as to how they were formed. Although there are some pretty remarkable things to see in North Carolina, they don’t stand a chance when compared to the likes of the Grand Canyon or the red rocks found in Sedona. Last Spring Break, I was lucky enough to explore the incredible red sandstone formations of Sedona firsthand on a camping trip. I was mystified by the scale and the rich red hue of the rocks, everything I saw seemed to be straight out of a postcard. Camping under the stars in such an unbelievable and photogenic place with some of my close friends was something that I will remember for many years to come. Experiences like this were exactly why I wanted to move to Arizona in the first place.

The People:

The inhabitants of Arizona, I’ve found, are a very diverse and interesting bunch. You have the native Arizonians, who are either very proud or are sick and tired of the only state they’ve ever called home. There’s also the people who moved from much colder climates (usually the Northeast, you’d be surprised how many people from New Jersey live here) who simply couldn’t shovel their driveway one more time. Along with that group, there’s also the “snowbirds”. These are the older, typically wealthier people from colder states who flock here for the winter, to enjoy the best time of the year for Arizona weather. The natives have a lot of angst towards these guys, as one would expect. Arizona also has its fair share of immigrants from Mexico, whom we all owe a great big thank you for the many delicious restaurants they have blessed us with. The conditions in Arizona can feel a tad bit extreme from time to time, and that does bother some of its occupants. But one thing is consistent throughout all of these different types of people, and it’s that they all feel very strongly about the Grand Canyon State. For better or worse, Arizona is sure to leave a strong and lasting impression on those that call it home.