As much as we hate to admit it, there are many ways to tell that someone is from Orange County.
There are so many stereotypes about anywhere anybody lives. In Orange County, there seems to be a lot. Some are true and some are false. An example is the fact that we see famous people all of the time is false. Here are some true examples of Orange County residents.
1. Every time that you meet someone that is from somewhere else, they will ask you if you live next to the beach. Sometimes you will say yes, because you don't want to explain that you live 20 minutes away from ocean water.
2. Shopping with friends? Always. But the hard part is choosing which mall to go to. Do you want to be quick and go to Mission Viejo? Do you want to shop all day at South Coast Plaza? Do you want to be outdoors with a beautiful environment at Fashion Island or Irvine Spectrum? So many decisions.
3. If you grew up in Orange County, I can take a guess at your first job. Wild Rivers. The only place that would hire kids under 16 with no job experience. If you didn't work there, you were bound to have your lunch order taken by one of your classmates.
4. You would often ditch classes to go to the beach, off-roading or hiking with friends. Memories were clearly more important than learning how to do matrices.
5. On your way out of the high school parking lot, some 16 year old would be driving a Panamera, others drove BMWs. Most kids even got their cars before they got their licenses or even their permits.
6. People spend a lot of money on their pets when they are sick, or something is out of the ordinary. If surgery is needed, there are no questions. Surgery it is.
7. When people call California, "Cali," it drives you insane. We are from California. You do not refer to Orange County as The OC, and nobody calls PCH The PCH. Dead giveaways that you are a tourist!
8. Spray tan salons have business year round. Even during the summer, we enhance our tans with a quick spray every couple weeks.
9. Growing up, the eggs in your Easter egg hunts would have money in them. All the kids would fight over the eggs with money.
The thing is, the Orange County bubble is unfortunately very real, but we aren't helpless when we exit. I like to think that we have an appreciation for places outside of Orange County because it will feel very different. Whenever I go other places, cities, or other states, I really love looking at how other people live their lives. Everybody has their own way of doing things, and there is no right or wrong. Wherever somebody grew up, they will feel accustomed to, and always have their strange quirks that they will bring with them wherever they go.
