Coming to UC Irvine as an out-of-state student from New Jersey was a truly transformative experience. From the culture shock of diverse food cuisines to palm trees and 70-degree weather in January, I felt as if I entered an entirely new country.
However, what truly caught me by surprise was the level of unpreparedness that local Californians had whenever the weather was not sunshine, rainbows and unicorns outside. What also fascinated me was just how avoidable the crisis was if they simply used the weather app. I mean, it’s literally free and built into all modern smartphones.
It never fails to shock me whenever it’s a rainy day on Ring Road and I see dozens of fellow Anteaters in shorts, T-shirts, open-toed shoes and without an umbrella or jacket, completely soaked from head to toe.
Sometimes I wonder if Californians even know that umbrellas exist. I yearn for the day I wake up to this headline:
Breaking News: Californians discover umbrellas for the first time. The Golden State advances 150 years overnight.
What’s even more dumbfounding is seeing someone in waterproof Timberland boots walk around a puddle instead of through it. The puddle is often no more than two millimeters deep. It’s as if their footwear isn’t meant for genuine torrential downpour. It’s just utterly flabbergasting, truly.
After some time, I began to ponder why Californians seem unsure how to act when there is a light mist. In my home state of New Jersey — where our weather is diverse with all four seasons distinctly present — we all get in the habit of waking up in the morning and checking the weather app so we can dress accordingly. There, it’s possible to wake up one day to an apocalyptic, soul-sucking 23-degree snowfall and the next day experience 57-degree sunshine with a faint birdsong in the air, suddenly fixing everyone’s problems.
Checking the weather app is a habit I brought with me to Southern California, even if it’s 74 degrees and sunny basically every single day. I’m currently writing this on the grass in Aldrich Park, and guess what? It is 74 degrees and sunny — and I’m pretty sure I just saw a pegasus glide away in the distance near the Social Science Tower.
I concede that the reason many Californians don’t check the weather in the morning is quite evident. California is consistently named as having one of the best climates in the country. It’s no wonder many don’t feel the need to check the weather app.
However, on those rare days when it rains, my fellow Anteaters can’t seem to accept that their beloved weather is taking a few days off — and I find myself back to square one.
Californians also tend to complain about the rain, wishing it never occurred. But all of this rain is saving California. Scientists have recorded that in recent years, California is now drought-free for the first time in decades. Every time a Californian complains about the rain, a reservoir cheers.
To my California friends, an umbrella will change your life. Please consider investing in one. I promise it won’t make you look goofy. If anything, walking around campus shivering and dripping as if you just showered with your clothes on looks goofier.
If umbrellas are simply nonnegotiable, rain jackets will also provide a drastic quality-of-life improvement. I recommend them as well.
Please start checking the weather app so you can dress accordingly. It’s free — and it even has a widget you can display on your home screen if you have an iPhone — so you don’t even have to open the app.
I thank you all for listening to my out-of-state insights. Many people may know next to nothing about New Jersey other than the mythical New Jersey accent. No, I do not have one, and neither does anyone I know in New Jersey. Regardless, from this New Jerseyan to all the kind-hearted, welcoming and lovely Californians, I promise you will become unstoppable once you discover the weather app. All of your dreams will materialize. The crops will flourish. Your GPA will hit 4.0. That weather app unlocks superpowers.
Alexander Randall is an Opinion Staff Writer. He can be reached at arandal1@uci.edu.
Edited by Isabella Ehring and Kailee Kim
