When people think of California, the state they imagine is characterized by places like San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego. You know, fairly hip and happening places. Even the people who live here think like that.*

Trust me, however, we have small hick towns just like anywhere else in the world America, they're not all in the central valley, and I grew up in one of them. Despite the fact that I now live in one of the most liberal and multicultural areas in the US, I come from a town that is conservative, homophobic, and doesn't particularly like anything out of the 'norm'. Imagine my parents' confusion on how to react when I tell them I'm trying to move to Berkeley.

* You mean there are places in California where not everyone has internet access? They've never heard of online dating? They've never seen two men walking down the street hand-in-hand? Open relationships/marriages aren't becoming normal? You can't find good Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese food at 3 a.m.?