Under rather unfortunate circumstances, I found myself uprooted from Westwood at the beginning of winter quarter, a mere two days after I had flown back from break. This unexpected displacement, however, led to an unforeseen gift: the opportunity to spend quality time with my closest friends in the places that shaped them.
I have visited a few of my friends’ hometowns before, with journeys to Orange County and San Luis Obispo for holidays when I couldn’t fly home, or even on weekend trips staying with my friends’ families. What was different about this time, though, was that it was spontaneous – free from planned activities and a set reason for being there. This time, I was transformed into the lives of my friends’ past selves and their families, catapulted into their daily patterns and routines.
I started off the unplanned trip by staying in Huntington Beach, at the house of my roommate since freshman year. While I had been there many times before, this visit felt different. Without the usual structure of a holiday or weekend getaway, I became immersed in the natural structure of her family’s life. I spent the days making coffee in the mornings before going on a run to the beach, doing my homework at her kitchen table, having dinner with her family, and walking to see the sunset at night. I got to witness and be a part of her family for the week and see how they functioned similarly and differently from my own.
Next, I traveled up the coast to Davis, California, on a 6-hour road trip with two of my roommates. I had been to Davis once briefly freshman year, but never to visit this friend and see it as the place where she grew up. Since I was visiting her for the first time, I got the whole hometown tour: where she went to high school, the local Starbucks that she worked at, and the frozen yogurt shop that she would go to with her friends. But not only did I get the classic hometown tour, I also got to experience the rhythm of her family’s everyday life. We watched movies each night with her parents, learned how to play mahjong from her mom, went to her family’s favorite sushi restaurant, worked on a puzzle together, and ordered in from their favorite Thai place.
Visiting each of these places and staying with my friend’s families in the homes that they grew up in felt like stepping into a living scrapbook with collections of the people, places, and traditions that molded my friends into the people that they are today. These visits not only allowed me to discover new places but also deepened my understanding and appreciation for my friends. I urge you – if you get the chance – take the weekend and go see the places that your friends grew up in. You won’t just see where they came from, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the moments and memories that shaped who they are today.