‘Nice but not kind’ vs ‘kind but not nice’ — A Californian’s take on California vs New England
Ever since my wife and I returned with our baby to Marin County, CA back in February of this year following our delightful two year stint in New England, we often get asked what we loved most about it there; more cynically, we get asked whether we returned because we didn’t like it.
The truth is, while we love being back here and this was definitely the correct choice for us now, we were very bittersweet to leave. (Long convoluted story as to why we returned.)
We loved it there very much for many reasons, most of which, the sincerity and warmth of the people (i.e., no “fakeness” like we Californians are so universally criticized for); New Englanders’ complete inability to sugarcoat everything they say like we tend to do here (you knew who loved you and who hated you); and their striking ability to disagree peacefully, find common ground, and to learn from each other.
A family to one side of our home was very liberal politically; the family on the other side voted for Trump. We all got along and loved one another, and I have no doubt we’ll remain friends forever; there were many tears when we left, and we already look forward to the day we can host them here, or indeed, visit them there.
