“I love Cali in the summertime.”
Yes, that is a verse from a famous rap song, but it is true. I do love California in the summertime.
Who doesn’t?
The weather is beautiful. The beaches are the place to be.
Nights are even as warm as the days.
I have lived in the South Bay my entire life.
Born in Hawthorne and now living in Lawndale, the beach has always been a place to go regardless of the time of year.
When I was 15, I visited family in Wisconsin for a month.
Being so far away from home wasn’t the strange thing.
It was being so far away from the beach.
The weather was a lot more humid.
It got really hot just because of the humidity.
When it rained at night, it didn’t cool down.
Living in California, we all have the privilege of going to the beach every day, regardless of the season we are in.
Southern California is unlike any other part of the country.
It only has two seasons: fall and summer.
It does not get cold enough to be considered winter and the same goes for spring.
A few years back, I was ready to move away.
Sick of the same thing every day and ready to get away, I almost moved to Denver.
I had a job set up, a place to live and family that lived out there.
My decision was made. I was ready to go. Then someone said something to me that made me think about what I was doing.
“Think about what you’re leaving. Think about what you won’t get to do. California is the place to be,” he said.
And he was right. Two years later, I do not regret staying in Southern California.
Moving away would have been a complete lifestyle change. That is something I was not ready for.
Starting all over is something I didn’t want to do then.
The older I get, however, the more I see that the beaches aren’t going anywhere.
It would not have hurt to move away in the long run.
My grandparents moved out to Los Angeles from New York. They knew this was the place to be.
Fifty years ago, California was not as populated as it is now.
While I am not planning on moving away from the South Bay in the next few years, I do think in the long term about where would be best to raise a family.
My parents did what they thought was best for me, and I want to do the same for my children.
I look around and see a great place to be in the summer.
The school system here is great, but personally, I don’t see Los Angeles as a place to raise a family anymore.
Being only 24, I still have time to decide where I want to raise that family.
For now, I will enjoy the idea of not having to worry about where to raise that family.
When that time comes, I know I will make the right decision