Josh went to college at University of Washington in Washington State, but he originally came from San Diego. When he first arrived he was really struck by how the two places, even though they’re in the same country and not really that far from each other, had such different cultures, especially when it comes to culture focusing on the climate and environment

He described a practice called “branching” that’s kind of an initiation ritual that’s often done to people who “fall asleep” or pass out from drinking. “Because there’s so many trees and branches” in the state, he said that it’s customary in the state of Washington to take one large branch or many branches and pile them on top of the sleeping person. Then you take lots of pictures to “document” the experience. He described it as every new person tends to get initiated into the “UDub” (a colloquial term for the university) by being branched.