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My New Home vs. My Old Home

I had been in the passenger seat of my parent's rental SUV for 17 hours. My legs ached and butterflies were fluttering in my stomach the entire way. We were making our way to Los Angeles where I would be living while I attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

It was around 9pm when we finally pulled up to our hotel. We could have been there sooner if we hadn't been lost for 45 minutes driving in circles. I took one look at my surroundings and my eyes began to water. The hotel was an old white building that looked as if it was going to crumble any minute. Several homeless men stood by the front door begging for spare change and groups of intoxicated men and women stumbled out of the restaurant that was connected to the hotel. All I could think was what am I doing here? This isn't the glamorous Los Angeles from the movies I had pictured. Where are the clubs, nice houses, celebrities, and red carpets?

The street was poorly lit, and covered in trash. The air reeked of urine and puddles of mysterious fluid covered the sidewalk. An eerie song played in my head as though it was the soundtrack to my death. I was prepared to be shot, jumped, or car jacked at any moment. My school is on the next street over and I had no idea how I would survive living in this neighborhood. I was ready to call it quits, turn around and go back to my safe and familiar surroundings in Portland.

Four months have gone by and I have become used to the chaotic city. I am more comfortable passing by the psychotic bums who constantly beg for change and the ghetto streets of downtown feel less like a garbage dump and more like home. Living here has made me realize the differences between my hometown of Portland, Oregon and my current home in Los Angeles. In Portland it rains constantly and because it rains so much, the locals can easily shift into rainy weather mode with no hesitation. In L.A. the second a rain drop hits the ground it seems as though everyone goes into a chaotic frenzy. Suddenly, no one knows how to drive and news reports turn into nonstop weather updates covering this weeks "big storm". A high light of living in L.A. is the exciting night life. You read about it in magazines, or see shows about it on the E! channel, but there is something so spectacular about experiencing it first hand. Portland isn't huge on extravagant nightly soirÐ"©es. There are clubs, but they don't compare to the lavish "VIP only" locations on the Sunset Strip. You are more likely to chill with a group of close friends in a low key location. The trends and styles in Portland are terribly outdated and very relaxed compared to the fast paced fashion scene in Los Angeles. Physical appearance is a priority in L.A. People do fake and bake to get a bronzed skin tone like those who are from L.A., but not nearly as many people flaunt tainted skin from UV rays like they do in southern California. In L.A. people spend way more time preparing their physical appearance by working out, tanning, and having the latest clothes.

My first week back from Christmas break was a complete shock because of the pouring rain that had welcomed me back to my once sunny city. My roommate and I took a trip to Pomona and witnessed a lack of driving skills in the rain from the L.A. locals. The roads were slick from oils spills, and flooded with water. Cars wove in and out of lanes and slammed on their brakes as they began to hydroplane. On street corners, men had buckets full of umbrellas for only 5 dollars a piece. Pedestrians fought against the

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wind trying to control their umbrella from turning inside out or blowing right out of their

hands. That entire week, the news bombarded us with weather coverage. I had never seen a newscaster do a story on rain because it rained all the time in Portland. It wasn't like a volcano had erupted, it was just