The Land of Dreams

by Shanghai Kaye

California is the land of dreams, the land of sunshine, the land of the free, and the land to make your dreams and inspirations run wild! The lush, verdant fragrance, the fresh and fertile environment of orange trees that are full of flowers. Imagine the state of beauty in Los Angeles, but imagine the state of beauty in Los Angeles. The entertainment capital of the world, the city of dreams, is a luring statement that becomes linked with disappointment and defeat when arriving in Los Angeles. The glittered tales of the history of cinema that little such glitter. LA is romanticized by so many and criticized by others but what really makes LA great? 

The food, culture, and fashion, dreams do run wild but it doesn’t come easy. It always comes at a higher expense. Los Angeles holds many rich and diverse cultures with those cultures, comes rich, creative and varied and ingenious cuisines. Creativity really runs wild when it comes to food. One can easily tell if a restaurant has that simple yet unique component to spice it up. Los Angeles’s vary from delicious and affordable Mexican foods to three-month ahead reservations at highly expensive restaurants for mediocre food.

Currently, going out for dinner has become luring because of the appeal of aesthetics that represent the food as a whole. La La land is always hyper-glamorized in film and TV; its tall and towering palms and endless amount of sunshine! Almost guarantee a lifestyle nothing short of perfection. You’ll be healthy because everyone drinks green juices and eats salads, you’ll stay fit because everyone hikes Runyon Canyon, and your skin will have a heavenly glow all year round because sunny days are in abundance. LA has a certain lifestyle but it is not as easy to live up to as one would think. 

Los Angeles has a laid-back demeanor, yet for the majority, it contrasts with a hard-working mentality. Be prepared to struggle for what you want to achieve here. This could entail holding multiple jobs, working as an intern, or attending a night class such as photography, acting, singing, etc. 

As a teen in LA, a very popular thing to go to is themed parties. Themed parties build a sheer community they perpetuate. Dressing up each weekend to have fun or have a meaningless fling gets old after a certain amount of weeks. Creating some feeling of meaningful human connection, even if it’s by way of a Jenga night, and that’s pretty awesome.

Another thing is LA’s standards. Living in Los Angeles is similar to experiencing sensory overload because of the city’s abundance of gorgeous, wealthy, and famous individuals. This can be draining on the mind. Due to this environment’s appearance of excess, it’s very simple to unintentionally create unreasonable expectations, which can lead to failure. People’s identity and self-esteem come based on comparisons to others. That has been demonstrated in research over and over again. Therefore, if the majority of the people in our immediate social circle are wealthy and attractive, it is likely to make us feel inferior and lower our self-esteem. 

Living in the City of Angels for the arts and entertainment adds another degree of complication because doing so requires you to meet and mingle with the influential people in the area, but doing so does not guarantee anything and can frequently present challenging social dynamics. Being constantly in flux while being unaware of a direct result of one’s efforts is exceedingly difficult on the human mind. LA takes EVERYTHING to the next level. For instance, shopping; clothing stores, restaurants, salons, spas, and specifically;y grocery stores. One example is Erewhon. 25 dollars for a cart of strawberries, 45 dollars for a jar of unflavored apple sauce labeled sea moss, and 20 dollars for plant-based milk? At this point, it is not even for the taste of the food, it’s for the pleasure of the experience. Being in the store walking around with a loaded cart. Checking out, while your credit card company decides whether or not to call you up for fraudulent behavior or excessive behavior. It is all because of standards. 

Overall LA is the place for experiences and dreams to run wild. But, on the other hand, it can be demeaning to one’s self-esteem and start looking and being like other people. At the end of the day, it’s up to one’s self to know their worth, and moving to LA can come with so many ups and downs!