I grew up in a small suburban town called La Cañada Flintridge (often shortened to La Cañada), which falls on the outskirts of Los Angeles. For those unfamiliar with Spanish, it’s pronounced La Canyada.

In general, the only people who are familiar with my hometown are the people who either live there or not too far away. There’s a good reason it’s unfamiliar to so many: the people here are content with not being widely known. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it makes telling someone where you’re from much more of a challenge. La Cañada is a very suburban city, but I didn’t realize this until I moved to San Francisco.

When it came time to apply for college, I had a hard time decided where I wanted to start my life. All I had ever known was my quiet hometown, which made a lot of other cities sound like a whole new kind of beast. I wanted to shake things up a bit, and decided to apply to the University of San Francisco. A big part of that decision was rooted in my desire to study architecture in a city rich with a nuanced history. I didn’t have a clue what living in a city would be like, but I was eager, and scared, to find out.

After my first semester in San Francisco, I’ve come to see just how different the city is from my hometown. San Francisco may not occupy that much space, but the population density is very high because of how close and packed in all the residences are. Whereas La Cañada has a population of roughly 20,000; San Francisco has a population of roughly 800,000. On top of that, throngs of tourists flock to San Francisco every single day. After meeting people from all over the world, with a variety of perspectives, I feel like my connection to the world around me has expanded tenfold. To me, San Francisco is the gateway to the rest of the world.

Transitioning into the hustle and bustle of a big city hasn’t been the easiest for me, but it certainly has been interesting. While I miss the peace and quiet of my hometown, I’m never bored in San Francisco like I was back home. There’s always somewhere new to explore, a new event to attend, and new people to meet. There is no shortage of opportunity in San Francisco.

Making the jump from the suburb to the city gave me a unique perspective on both types of living environment. It’s much easier to understand the way a place operates if you’re on the outside looking in. While it can be annoying to talk about where I come from, I’m not ashamed of it in the slightest. If anything, I’m proud to come from La Cañada. It tells people that I’m not afraid to take on a something completely foreign to me with an open mind.