JENNY KACZOROWSKI Palisadian-Post Intern On New Year’s Day, I stood on the edge of Will Rogers State Beach, staring out at the vast expanse of ocean, watching the sun set on the first day of a new year and, in many ways, my new life. After getting married on December 20, my husband and I drove across country so I could join him here in Los Angles. For 21 years I lived through the viciously cold winters of Cleveland, Ohio. Around mid-November, winter seizes the area in her icy claws and doesn’t relent until April. The term ‘lake effect’ means waking in the morning to a foot of snow over a thin layer of ice on the car and the roads. Walking across the campus of Kent State University feels like an Arctic expedition. It seems reasonable to wear three pairs of socks at once. Everything green or growing disappears. How strange then to suddenly find oneself living in this land of ever-blooming flora and fauna. The palm tree, a symbol of all things West Coast to those of us in the Midwest, mingles with ficus trees and calla lilies. Amazing. I went for a walk through the Temescal Gateway Park in the Santa Monica Mountains and was delighted by the variety of vegetation. My husband joined me for a venture into Temescal. We na’vely set our sights on climbing through the canyon following a sign that told us we would find a waterfall. We’re young. We could do it. Yeah, right. Huffing and puffing, we almost collapsed at the ‘waterfall,’ not what we were expecting. Despite the trickle we saw before us, we were amazed once again by the breathtaking vistas and vivid green moss covering everything. Exhausted, but exhilarated, we headed down again. Such a different world from the Midwest. In Cleveland we have an open market called the Westside Market. It’s a conglomeration of ethnic food, delicatessens and fresh produce. Nonetheless, I have never been to anything quite like the Swarthmore Farmers’ Market on Sunday mornings. The flowers spilling over, berries in February, every kind of potato imaginable. Even with imported fruits and vegetables available year round in Ohio, nothing beats homegrown strawberries or asparagus. Somewhere between the fresh food and ocean views, it’s easy to forget what winter means to most of the world. When it began to rain this winter, I found myself surprised and almost offended. How dare rain threaten to keep me inside? This is Southern California! But in many ways it was refreshing to have a taste of different weather. Dare I say the perfect blue sky can get boring? And watching the container garden outside our apartment drinking up every drop, it certainly seems worth getting a little wet running back and forth from the car. Since moving here at the very end of December, I’ve eaten ice cream outside. I’ve taken walks in nothing more than a T-shirt and jeans. My husband can ride his motorcycle all year round. This is the kind of place that can really spoil you. I heard myself complaining to my parents back in Ohio that it got down into the 50s one day. They were not sympathetic. We live in a 400-something-square-foot apartment and pay over $800 a month. My apartment in Ohio was twice this size and only $300 a month. But we’re here in Los Angeles chasing our dreams for me to be a photographer, and for my husband to be a cinematographer. I still giggle in delight at the sight of oranges growing on trees. The mountains take my breath away and the ocean amazes me. Ohio can keep its snow and ice and wind chill. I’m a California girl. (Jenny Kaczorowski has been taking pictures for the Palisadian-Post since January. Her internship is enabling her to complete a photojournalism degree from Kent State University.)
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