It’s “San Francisco”, not “San Fran” – From a California Kid

This is one half of a two part series with writers Arnav Patel and Zachary Alfaro. Both Arnav and Zach are members of Kappa Sigma and have become great friends throughout their time at MIT.  They wanted to share the details of a fun “state” rivalry they have with each other - their own stories about where they come from and where home really is.

Whenever I meet new people at MIT, I am always impressed by the answers to the second question that I usually ask: “Where are you from?”

To me, it’s an easy answer – “I’m from the Bay Area in California specifically about 40 minutes outside of San Francisco.” Hearing, however, the various answers to this question from “Ghana” to “Alaska” to “Singapore” to “North Dakota” to “I moved around a lot – I don’t really have an answer to that,” has always been interesting. Within my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, alone, I am constantly amazed by just how diverse our community is with regards to home states and countries - people from all over the US and around the world. There is always a tinge of pride when people answer the question. I know for a fact that I have that feeling when I share.

In my first couple of years on campus, I struck up a friendship with the one and only Zachary Alfaro, another writer on this blog and a fellow brother in Kappa Sigma. He’s from Texas. I’m from California. No one knows when our rivalry started regarding our home states, but I don’t remember a time where Zach and I did not debate who was from the better one. Obviously, the answer is California, but throughout these conversations, it often made me think about why exactly I thought California is the best state.

Is it its beautiful nature, the diverse population, the “start-up” culture, the chill vibe, the informality of everything?  California offers a lot – it could stand alone as one of the largest economies in the world. It’s the breeding ground of impressive ideas and successful entrepreneurs. It’s known for its ability to lead the conversation on sustainability and climate. It has strong agricultural connections juxtaposed with urban ingenuity. It has Hollywood. It has Yosemite. It has In N’ Out (yes, technically they expanded to other states but it still is ours).

But at the end of the day, I think California is the best state for more selfish reasons – it’s quite simply “home.” I was determined to leave California and not come back after I graduated from MIT. I needed to explore. I needed some adventure. I wanted something new. And yet, here I am, starting my full-time job next fall in San Francisco. California always calls me back.

I was born in Kansas to two immigrants of Indian origin who worked at Sprint’s now-moved headquarters in Overland Park. I don’t remember anything about Kansas – we moved when I was a year old to the Bay Area in California. After hopping around for a bit, we ended up in a city called Fremont, located about 30 minutes from San Jose. Fremont has some of my earliest memories – playing with my brother and cousin outside, riding bikes around the neighborhood, developing a passion for sports and music, and realizing that I loved reading books more than anything in the world.

Fremont was a town full of Asian immigrant families. I often joke to many of my friends that it’s “Mini India.” In fact, if you ask most Indian immigrant families if they have heard of Fremont, literally 90% of them say yes. Being in Fremont at a young age was a good thing for me. I was close to my heritage with all the Indian people and events going on. For this reason, California is just as much as a place that connected me to my cultural and ethnic roots as anything else.

Every now and then, my parents would take my brother and I into the city to explore and have fun! We needed a break from Fremont occasionally.

When I was in late elementary school, we moved to Pleasanton, another suburb in the Bay Area that’s about 10 minutes away from Fremont.  Pleasanton is where I honed my love for science and math. I was incredibly privileged to be part of a community that invested heavily in its schools, gave me exposure to STEM due to its proximity to Silicon Valley, and provided a stable and safe environment for growth. I went to a public high school that was the union between the children of immigrant families and the children of families that had lived in California for many generations. We were proud of our school, and we held ourselves to high standards.

As I gave a speech during my high school graduation, I was determined that I was leaving California behind forever. I guess I didn’t realize how hard it was to actually leave.

Among all these life events, California offered me the opportunity to have a crapload of fun. I went camping in Kings Canyon, watched a Philadelphia Eagles game against the Niners at Levi’s Stadium (I’m an Eagles fan by the way – more on that later, maybe another blog post?), tried the spiciest sample at the hot sauce shop in San Francisco, went with my buddies on a trip to Disneyland, traveled to the Fresno tournament with my high school tennis team – the memories are endless.

The last hurrah for me and my high school buddies when we went to Disneyland for Grad Nite. It’s a rare occurrence to see all of us together since then. Hopefully, coming back home will change that.

The unifying thread between my childhood experiences in Fremont, my academic ventures in Pleasanton, and my fun throughout my teenage years is that so much of it happened in California. California was my ultimate teacher. She taught me to adventure and look for new experiences. She taught me to love all people of all colors and backgrounds. She taught me to be proud of my heritage. She taught me to challenge myself. She taught me to work hard and play a little bit harder. But most importantly, she taught me what a home should really be like. 

I know that not all of my peers from California share the same opinion. I don’t blame them. We all have different experiences.  I was lucky and privileged in many ways, and I recognize that. Even so, I still hold dearly to the idea that California has the potential to open up so many opportunities to people and provide a home to everyone including myself.

And at the end of the day, even if California burns down because of government ineptitude and our country’s refusal to fight climate change, I still will always say California is the best state. Because I have to. It’s my home.

So Zach, I’m sorry buddy, but you will never convince me Texas is a better state. I would suggest you stop trying. 

But hey man, I don’t blame you for loving where you come from. Or for that matter, any of my brothers in Kappa Sigma. It makes me happy that one of my core communities on campus has people that not only come from all over the world but are proud that they come from all over the world. We draw strength in each of our cultures and heritages. We draw power in the manner by which we understand and learn from each other’s beliefs, culture, and values. Home for me is California. But I know I have another home here on campus as well. 

Oh, and just cuz I don’t like ending on a sappy note, I just wanted to share one last tidbit for the readers out there. I’ve literally heard no one, and I mean no one, from the Bay Area call San Francisco, “San Fran.” (and I know people say this outside of California call it that). That’s because calling it that is stupid. So stop it :)