No number of warnings from fellow Northeastern natives could have prepared me for the obscure culture shocks that greeted me when I moved to LA. I was not met with the stereotypical California culture, but rather minuscule differences that I didn’t even notice were part of my own Pennsylvanian way of life. If you’re originally from California, here are five character traits you probably don’t even know about yourself. And, if you’re an out-of-state student like me, you can probably relate to these five culture shocks I have experienced at UCLA:
- No ONE J-Walks
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I honestly thought J-walking was a base human reflex. On my first day of Rush, I was shocked when a mass of 30 girls simply stood on the sidewalk waiting for a green light, even in the absence of all cars in a one mile radius. Everyone stared at me in disbelief as I quickly strutted across the desolate street. I am not condoning breaking the law, I am simply wondering how Californians have time to wait at every stop light for the full duration. I honestly don’t think I would ever make it to class on time if I waited at the Bruin Walk stop light for the full 3 minutes of red, but I guess that’s just the northeast in me talking.
- The PROMINENCE OF WATER POLO
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My high school did not even have a pool, yet when I ask people what sports they play, nine out of ten people will say they play water polo. On the east coast, this is an obscure sport with hardly any fans. I had never met someone who engaged in water polo in person; but in California, it appears to be more common than soccer. Someone, please explain the rules to me so I can begin to be included in conversations!
- everything has avocados
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The first day I walked into a dining hall, I noticed an avocado toast station set up all by itself. I thought this was the most hysterical scene, and I proceeded to post it on my private story. In Pennsylvania, avocados are solely for smashing into guacamole. In California, nearly every bowl, sandwich, salad and even dessert item is topped with cubed avocado.
- la Slang + accents
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I was extremely confused when my floor mate described his vacations to “Brazo” and “Indo.” I thought I had missed some crucial lesson in a geography class. I then learned these were common SoCal references to popular surfing countries. You will never hear these terms on the east coast. LA accents are not only limited to funky vocabulary, but also slow, drawn out speech. Everyone here thinks that I talk at a mile a minute, but I guess this just reflects the constant stress and tension strung into the northeast’s soul.
- working out is a religion
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An upperclassman used this exact phrase on my first day at the gym when it was so crowded that you had to wait 20 minutes for each weight you wanted to lift. I was convinced the crowds in the gym would die down as school started, but they never did. It’s not just the gym, however. I have never been offered so many free yoga classes or seen so many people at one school actually own yoga mats. Even the nightly dance performances on BruinWalk reflect LA’s constant need to be in motion.
I’m still getting used to LA culture, but I fall in love with it more every day. There is a relaxed mentality that comes with being in California that I don’t ever want to lose. So mom, dad, if I come home with an intense valley accent and a bag of avocados, I’m not sorry.