Autumn for a First-Timer

The season is finally here: fall! Time to watch Gilmore Girls, drink pumpkin lattes, and enjoy as the leaves change their color to red-orange tones. In the case of Pebble Beach, autumn may not be as strong (I’m still waiting for the leaves to fall off the trees), but you can definitely spot a difference from previous months. For someone who has never experienced a stereotypical season in her life, even the mildest change in the Starbucks menu is a reason to celebrate.

Growing up watching movies and TV shows that exploited the use of seasons to advertise goods explains why many who, like me, live in countries where seasons do not exist, use our imaginations to create huge expectations around them.

Photo taken from: Netflix.com, 2025,

Early on, I remember learning about seasons. It may have been at school, but my most vivid memory was from my childhood TV shows, like Looney Tunes or Masha and the Bear, which allowed people in my country to learn about autumn. A wonderful, colorful season, a bit chilly but exciting as the orange tones take control of every scenery. The smell of pumpkin and cider is in the air as every protagonist takes a stroll throughout a park where leaves fall every second. With that in mind growing up, I never questioned how unreal it might seem.

Pumpkin patch

I came here to Stevenson at the beginning of the school year with all of the ideas my childhood gave me. I was truly expecting to find a pile of leaves to jump into every day before class. I’m not sure I’ll ever find such a pile of leaves, but still, I’ve found traces of autumn here. Pumpkin patches just like the ones on TV exist in real life, with their own scarecrows and everything. Trick or treating was also what every movie promises: houses filled with candy and great costumes. Finally, the air does get colder, and we end our days at 6 o'clock when the sun goes down. So I may not be strolling in a beautiful park full of orange and red hues, but I am enjoying the change in weather as I go around Pebble Beach. 

To me, autumn is a transitional period given to us so we can prepare for my favorite time of year, Christmas! If you come from a Latin American country, you know Christmas is that space where we can breathe and see how much we have worked this year. It is a time of dancing, singing, and having fun with all your family. Not having autumn did not bother me, and to be honest, I did not think I needed it. I would describe Colombia as a working country with a touch of “vivo,” one could say. In other words, Colombians such as myself do not like breaks we are not accustomed to. We are hard workers, smart and alive. But that type of lifestyle may get tiring at one point, so I am grateful to be experiencing it in Pebble Beach as a first timer. Not too harsh but also not too soft. 

Yet, I was curious to know if other Colombians share my view of autumn; therefore, my solution was to ask my dad. His response fulfilled me as he stated, “Autumn is a transition between two extremes (summer and winter). If you relate to us humans, one could say it’s similar to growing up, when you stop being young but you are not old yet.” This period is a transition, yes, but it is also a type of intervention of a sort. It is giving you time to close a cycle in our lives. Who would say I needed it in the first place? Because, as my dad says, “fall means growing, your best moment.” 

Photo Taken from: Pinterest, 2025

Growing... something every teenager fears but expects with enthusiasm. At first, I did not understand why my dad connected us humans to a season, but I believe he was asking me to slow down. In my dad's words, fall is my best moment, because for once, there is a break where I can concentrate on myself and what I love. Living in a place without seasons is beautiful, but it does rob us of a certain feeling. It steals us off simply enjoying the end of a busy and a bit exhausting year. Autumn is teaching me that endings can be calm and warm, even if they’re not that orange.