I grew up near the sea in British Columbia and San Francisco, and lived in Malibu and Fiji for years. I get uncomfortable being too far inland.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I'm from an island, so I've always been near the water. I don't think I could live somewhere far from the sea.
I go down to Newport and Huntington a lot. It's more crowded than where I grew up on Phillip Island, but I think it's helped me adjust to life in America - getting into the water as much as I can.
I've always lived by the ocean, and I always will. There's nothing like taking a walk and being able to smell the ocean breeze.
I live on the beautiful Northern California coast. I have always loved hiking, whale watching and being outdoors.
When I first arrived in America, the very first place I came was California, and I rented a house in Trance, which is about half an hour from Malibu.
Growing up in northern California has had a big influence on my love and respect for the outdoors. When I lived in Oakland, we would think nothing of driving to Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz one day and then driving to the foothills of the Sierras the next day.
I have two houses in California, and they're both within a couple of minutes from the beach. So, I definitely feel at home in California and by the ocean.
I enjoy a four-seasonal climate and wide-open spaces, so being on an island 2,500 miles into the South Pacific made me feel a little claustrophobic.
I grew up in the Midwest, quite far from any ocean or any beach, a million miles. I think for kids who grew up where I did, the idea of California, surfing and beach life was so exotic and glamorous.
I'm a coastal person. I grew up in Long Island and lived in San Diego. I felt landlocked in Pittsburgh. Psychically, it just wasn't the place for me.