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Home » You can take the girl out of Hippie-land but you can’t take the Hippie-Land out of the girl

You can take the girl out of Hippie-land but you can’t take the Hippie-Land out of the girl

Whenever I go home to West Coast for a visit, I inevitably slip into “West Code Mode”. I start talking slower, my west coast drawl re-appears, things like hippie vans, restaurants with menu items like “The Feel-Good Balancing Soy Burger” and overheard conversations about “soul travel” & “astral projection”, stop seeming out of the ordinary as I gradually sink back into the laid back pace of life in BC. Usually I’m having such a good time that I don’t really notice this happening. The only problem is that when I get back to Toronto I sometimes forget to turn off “West Coast Mode” and I have conversations like this on the first day back at work:

Coworker: “So, what did you buy your boyfriend for Christmas?”

I got excited and started to tell her that I bought him (among other things) this amazing Therapeutic Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamp.


Coworker: “Um, what is that?”
Me: “Oh they’re really awesome. It’s basically a giant rock of salt with a lamp inside. When you turn it on and the lamp heats up it neutralizes the air by creating negative ions. They’re meant to give you a feeling of peace and wellness“

Coworker: *blank stare*

Me: “I mean, its not really a rock…its more like a giant crystal“

Coworker: *blank stare*

Me: “…. and the crystal is supposed to make you feel good and put you in a good mood“

Coworker: *blank stare*

(what my coworker is probably thinking)
Me: (realizing I’m not going to win this one) “They’re really popular in BC. They sell them at the mall”

Coworker: “Hmmm. My boyfriend bought me a Tiffany’s necklace?”

Me: (Sigh) “Yeah, me too”

I may have also mentioned that my neighbors in BC like to smoke their own salmon in their backyard & something about composting toilets. Insert more blank stares here. Accidentally leave “BC Mode” turned on when you’re not on the West Coast and run the risk of convincing your co-workers that you are stoned at work. Which I am not. I swear. Really.

I’ve been back in Toronto for a few days now and I’m happy to report that I more or less back in the swing of being a slightly jaded, over caffeinated Torontonian.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a crystal lamp that needs turning on.

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