I was born in Stockton, California. Being native Oklahomans, my parents moved us back when I was 3. My Mom loved going to San Francisco and I had heard all the stories of the awesome sites; Pier 39, the seals, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, the Painted Ladies, the steep streets. It seemed like every time there was something on TV about San Francisco, we had to watch it. We decided as a family that our next vacation would be to San Francisco. My Mom plotted our course for weeks. She did not want me to miss anything! From the minute we got there, I saw everything that I’d always heard about. Because I was in track in high school, I wanted to run up and then down one the steepest streets. I did and almost wiped out at the bottom. We saw not only one but two of the crookedest streets in the world; Lombard Street and the one on Vermont and 20th. After the first day and arriving at our hotel, my Mom noticed that I wasn’t saying much; which is weird for me and asked me what was wrong. I had to admit that all of this was just a little too much for me; a 16-year old from an Oklahoma town with the population of 2,500! Whew! I was definitely having culture shock and it was terrific! Everyday of our visit was better than the day before. When we left, I decided I wanted to live there. I can’t wait to go back.
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