California Girls

Dear Whoever You Might Be,


      Remember when I promised that you would be the last to know my future plans? Well, I am upholding that promise and I am here to tell you my plans. I've already told my friends and family and Facebook....and since you probably fall under one of those categories, I apologize for the redundancy. But here it is:
      I have been accepted into the M.A. English Graduate Program at Loyola Marymount University for the Fall 2014. This school is in Los Angeles. I was also interviewed for and awarded a prestigious fellowship. I have accepted my acceptance and, at the end of summer, I will be headed West.
      I do not think that I have quite wrapped my brain around the reality of my future yet. For the past few months, "California" has been a dream, an idea, an intangible concept floating around with all the other things I was applying to. I have lived on the East Coast my entire life. Though, I have been to California before, I was nine years old and don't remember too much of it. Now, I am planning on spending at least the next to years of my life there. It's kinda terrifying and exhilarating.
      I cannot help but ask myself the most important questions involved in moving to California.... Will I be the palest person in the whole state? Is my fashion sense too "city" and not enough "beachy"? Do I need to watch reruns  of The Hills so I can become BFF's with Lauren Conrad when I get there? I should be worrying about things such as cost of living, classes, roommates, U-Haul's, etc. But like I said, the reality part has not yet kicked in. It is a dream come true to be accepted to this school and to be moving to California and I couldn't be more thrilled. Somehow, I need to realize that this is no longer a dream come true, but a plan that I need to start preparing for. **Insert stomach butterflies here**
      In The Grapes of Wrath, my dear friend John Steinbeck wrote, "Why don't you go on west to California? There's work there, and it never gets cold. Why, you can reach out anywhere and pick an orange. Why, there's always some kind of crop to work in. Why don't you go there?”   Though I won't be working in crops, I look forward to the work, the oranges, and (Most Importantly) the never getting cold part. I think the best way to prep for California is to read more Steinbeck and listen all the millions of songs about California on repeat.
      California....Here I come!


                                                                    Sincerely,
                                                                             Me