Well, it has been a brutal uphill battle, full of tears and multiple all-nighters, but it looks like this semester is finally winding down to a close. As some of you may recall from my post about when New York kicks your ass (the one with the multiple Kierkegaard quotes, since I was in a melancholy mood), this has been a rough semester for me. Looking for a new apartment while trying to find a new job and do well in school was a juggling act that nearly killed me, but I'm happy to say that things are starting to look up. Only things left to do are edit a few final papers, take a few finals, and then it's over. Then, after I get back from China, I get to back to California!
Now don't get me wrong, I still love New York City. Even after all the heartache, from the brutal real estate market to the rat living under my stove being the worst roommate ever, I'm sure I will look forward to coming back here after some R&R in my hometown. However, this time around I don't have as much time to spend there, so I need to start planning how I'm going to spend my time now so that I don't waste it. So here are the first things I'm going to do when I get home, and if you're a returning Californian like me, I highly recommend you do the same:
1. Eat a Big, Fat, In-N-Out Burger.
It's the first thing I make my family do for me when I return. My siblings and I will go to the closest In-N-Out (it's not that hard since it's SoCal), shove an animal style burger and fries in my mouth, and wash it down with a neapolitan shake. It sounds basic, but who cares? Shake Shack just doesn't cut it after a while: I need my fix of In-N-Out, man.
2. DIDNY LAN!!!!
Yeah I've already been a million times, and you're damn right I'm going again. Every Southern Californian I've spoken to agrees that we cannot get enough of Disney Land, no matter how often we went back when it was a quick drive away. You just never outgrow the rides and the nostalgia, and you're never too old to get your photo taken with the cast members. There's also Knott's Berry Farm, which is nice too.
3. Bar-hopping at the Packing House.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the Packing House in downtown Anaheim is one of the greatest places ever, and I'm not just saying that because my dad is the architect. There are a ton of bars inside, and the Anaheim Brewery is a short walk away, making it the perfect place for a either a classy night of food and drink, or a crazy night of bar hopping with your buddies from high school. I'm going to opt out for the latter of the two.
4. Go fishing.
Being in the city for so long can make you kind of soft, so it's important to make rigorous outdoor activities a big part of your trip home. The first thing that comes to my mind is going out on the ocean with a pole and coming back with dinner. There's nothing quite like fishing: the wind in your hair, the sun at your back, the blood and guts on your hands, it all just feels so natural. I firmly believe that there is a part of us that craves a relationship with nature, and I believe fishing satisfies that inner desire quite nicely.
5. Have a bonfire on the beach.
It's one of my favorite pass times for as long as I can remember. There's something about an open fire on the beach that feels like home. Almost every special occasion I've been at ends up at the beach at some point: graduations, birthdays, family gatherings, first day at a new job, last day at a new job, or really anytime the weather is nice. It acts as sort of a hard reset, like a vantage point in which to observe life from an outside perspective. It's been to long since I've been to the beach, and it feels very good knowing that I'll get to see it soon.
