From Arizona to California… so nearby and so different…

In one day I’ve come across so many differences going from one state to another. Below some impressions based on my recent trips.

Phoenix seen from the sky

Phoenix has a very specific architecture. It’s build in the desert and you can tell that men got to design the areas where people work and live. Those areas are primarily square and everything is equally divided, like lights and the distance between houses for instance.

Furthermore Arizona primarily consists of mountains and that doesn’t change upon entering California. The architecture is not longer that extreme rigid, even though it is still sort of architectural.

Cultural differences

So everywhere I go there are different kind of people to be found. For instance in Phoenix there are areas with African-American people and also areas with hispanic people (like the area directly located next to the Arizona Grand Resort, Guadalupe. Even the roads over there have a different name. Instead of S Avenue it’s S Avenida del … Now how do I know this? Cause the first shop which I thought was open was located there).

Now the homeless I have seen were primarily fair-skinned. They don’t stand a chance against the heat over there. As for the people working, you can come across basically anything. That’s actually pretty cool. The people at the convention were also from all walks of life, young and old, disabled and healthy, with every skin type and shape of the eyes and eyelids imaginable.

So over here in California there are all these people from India, so everyone is asking me if I’m from India too. That’s not a big surprise to me as I know that I also have some Indian features in me, although we still do not know where and how they ended up in the mix, except for that it must have had something to do with the Indonesian side. For the record, no one has ever accused me of looking like a Dutch person, except for those abroad who hear my Dutch accent. Ah well…

Temperature

The difference in temperature is huge. During daytime it’s pretty doable. Airco is on and all. During nighttime though it’s the complete opposite. They put on the heaters. Since my jacket got lost at the airport in Tampa, I’m not prepared for the difference in temperature. Fortunately, I do have long pants and long sleeved shirts, but that thin leather shawl/poncho like crossover won’t do.

Surroundings

The surroundings are a big difference too. From sitting outside on the grass/porch in Phoenix, I went to sitting most of the time in the Lanai in Florida. Next I sat mostly outside at the Arizona Grand Resort in a quite luxurious surrounding and now I do have a decent hotel room, pretty similar to the one in Phoenix, but it’s quiet and somewhat grey. This environment invites me to watch tv and play games, not do any work.

Note: Fortunately Denny’s does, which is a good reason to combine food with work. So still some similarities after all…