How to overcome your fear of Phoenix as a young person


Being young and new in a strange city, like Phoenix, can be horrifying. If that's you, unfortunately, you won't get much help, and you won't get much sympathy. Most of the people who have settled in, and figured stuff out, have long since forgotten what it was like to be young. I'll never forget, and I sympathize with you. I'll see if I can help.

At age 19, after my first semester of Junior College in Minneapolis, I set out to find my way in the West. I had a tiny little car, a map, and not much more. I had heard that there were places that didn't snow, like Phoenix, but it was just a fantasy to me. I had no idea what to expect. There may have been sand dunes there, or cowboys and Indians shootin' it up, I really had no idea.

My secret weapon is that I could read. Now hold on, I don't mean that everybody can't read, but I was very good at it. If you handed me a map, or a newspaper, I could make sense of it, and it would guide me. I didn't need to walk up to someone and ask a bunch of stuff. I could read, and comprehend.

I joke a lot about it now, but I could read signs that said, "No Parking". And with this super-power, I read the driver's manual for Arizona and passed with flying colors. I took it upon myself to learn how things worked, basic stuff, like how to find an apartment, how to use a grocery store, how to find addresses. I found the grid pattern for Phoenix particularly easy as compared to the jumble that I had left back east. I memorized the major streets, I learned the difference between Avenues and Streets. I recommend that you do the same.

Yes, things in Phoenix are different than in Minneapolis. There are palm trees, and cactuses growing right out of the ground. But there are many similarities - people drive the same cars, etc. In fact, there are so many similarities that I just focused on that, and didn't let the differences freak me out.

So I'll leave you with this - hang in there, if you're feeling a little overwhelmed, that's perfectly normal. Focus on what you're doing right, and learn more about how the world works. Take the time to learn more about local laws, nothing fancy, but civic laws, which can be so overwhelming that most older people don't ever bother learning them. And that's why you really can't ask them - they won't admit it, but they probably don't know.

This is your adventure, and you shouldn't expect to be perfect. Just do the best you can, which will be more than enough! Oh yeah, and go sign up for some classes at your local Community College!
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