I have always heard people who don’t live in California talk about it as if it’s paradise. It is the Golden State, after all. But we all know how easy it is to take familiar things for granted. When you grow up in one place, it’s natural to feel like you need to go somewhere far away to see something amazing. I have gone far away, and I have seen amazing things – things that don’t look like anything else in the world. The truth is, though, that we have some pretty spectacular things right here that don’t look like anything else in the world. And somehow, in some ways, leaving home is what made me realize that. They say you learn a lot about yourself when you travel, and that’s true. But I never expected to have a new perspective on my own state.

Don’t get me wrong, I will never not be in love with discovering new places. I will always be driven to travel internationally, and some of my favorite spots on the planet are outside the country. But reflecting on my experiences, I realize they’ve changed my view of my most familiar surroundings in ways I didn’t see coming.

I actually find it ironic the way travel has made me look at my home. So many places I’ve been to have made me think, “This is so much better, or prettier, or more… whatever, than California.” It would almost make it hard to come home, back to “normal.” But then something happened. I began to appreciate things at home I didn’t seem to be affected by before. I have been to lush, tropical landscapes that made me never want to see the suburbs again. But then, it seemed like my eye was suddenly trained on trees. Even small pockets of greenery in the city would catch my attention and make me smile – not to mention our magnificent forests like Muir Woods and Sequoia National Park, which I became even more proud of – and obsessed with!

Growing up near the coast, I have always been a beach baby; it’s my happy place. In my travels abroad, I have been to some of the most stunning and pristine beaches in the world, with breathtakingly blue water, incredible coastlines, and awe-inspiring rock formations, all of which made me adore the beach even more. 

Back at home, I started to see the California coast I have known my entire life like I’ve never seen it before. No, our water doesn’t look quite like the photos I have on my bedroom wall, but when I drive down the Pacific Coast Highway on a day when the water looks turquoise and sapphire, and the light shining through the breaking waves turns them into a crystal aqua green, I have a new appreciation for the Pacific Ocean.

And have you ever been to Catalina Island? The gorgeous teal water looks oh-so-much like those beaches that make me long to travel. The spectacular rock formations in Malibu and the carved cliffs along the Central Coast really do rival those I marveled at abroad.

Even the people I connected with in other countries helped change my perspective. A friend I made in Singapore came to stay with me and wanted to visit national parks like Yosemite. I had always wanted to go, of course, but I never made it a priority until she was here. Seeing it for the first time, with someone who was as awed as I was, was something I will never forget – an experience as unique and thrilling as any I have had beyond California, and it is just a few hours’ drive from my house. That's another thing I've come to treasure about where I live – the array of wildly different sights, landscapes, and experiences that exist within such a relatively small geographic space.

And then there are the matters of food and culture. Travel opens your figurative eyes – and literal taste buds – in so many ways, you know? I have to say that, being raised in the Los Angeles area, cultural diversity has always been my reality, and the availability of a massive range of ethnic foods was not lost on me. This is where I became obsessed with Indian and Middle Eastern food, and where my Russian grandmother and friends from all over the world cooked and took me on culinary adventures at home. I’ve tried authentic cuisines from places I have never been to, like Morocco and Ethiopia. 

Still, travel heightened my appreciation for SoCal, even in this arena. For example, when I moved back from living in Indonesia, I missed it terribly. It wasn’t long before I found an Indonesian restaurant that made my favorite dishes and had a shop next door where I bought some of my favorite staples. I thought, wow, we really do have everything here! The Golden State itself helped fill a little void and ease a bit of homesickness.

I have even come to appreciate the weather more. Everyone says, “It never rains in sunny Southern California,” which, of course, is not actually true. We have some crazy rain – flooding even – and yes, enough snow in our mountains for skiing and snowboarding. On the other end of the spectrum, I grew up where the summers were always triple digits. I didn't love that. Then again, never having lived back east where shoveling snow and tire chains are part of life every year or in the south with its intense humidity, I didn’t have much to compare our weather to. 

I visited New York once when Niagara Falls was frozen (I have never felt so cold in my life), spent two hot and sticky summer weeks in North Carolina, and then actually traveled and lived along the equator where we only experienced two seasons – hot with high humidity and hot with torrential rains. I finally appreciated why everyone thinks SoCal has perfect weather. I mean, it isn’t actually perfect (though in some parts of the state, it is pretty close!), but we are quite spoiled here. 

I could go on and on, but the bottom line, after all is said and done, is that I am truly grateful. I’m grateful for the amazing things I have been able to see and experience in other parts of the world, grateful for the way those things have changed me, and grateful to live in the beautiful state of California. What about you? How has travel, whether to the next town or a distant country, changed your perspective? We would love to hear your thoughts!