They call California the Golden State. This is the state in which your wildest dreams can come true. Coming from Iowa, this is exactly what I was hoping to find. All I wanted to do since I was in middle school was come to California and live my dream. Now that I'm here, I'm discovering what California really is; I now know what everyone was talking about. I can come here and be a completely new person. I can reinvent myself into whatever I want. I could be nice, mean, funny, depressed, or I could even change my name and be a completely different person. Along with that, dreams and weather brought me to the best state in the United States, California. Ever since I was in middle school, all I wanted to do was be in movies, or participate in movies in any way. or form. Become someone famous or hang out with famous people. The place people always told me to come was on the west coast, in sunny California! This is the state where all the action takes place, where the movies are made, where the celebrities come to be seen. Being from Iowa, you don't get out much. I grew up in your American town. A small town called Orange City where everyone knows each other. Everyone goes to church, no one mows their lawn on Sunday, and no one talks about drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are present in the community, but people do not talk about them openly. There aren't a lot of films coming out of Iowa either. Although my city has made a few low-budget films, none that are notable on any scale, like...... middle of paper...... So far, California was truly the place of my dreams. . I reinvented myself by being the best person I could be. Lopez says it best: "The most important thing I learned was that I could do just about anything I wanted, within reason (16). That's exactly what I try to do now. Be the best I can be. People always said this is the best state to live in. I'm here to say that so far I completely agree with them. Iowa, I'm in paradise! Work citedRawls, James "California: one place, one people, one dream" Californian dreams and realities. Eds. Maasik and Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin: 2005. 11-17.