I'm Back

Dinner with friends in Miami

Well it's been exactly 3 weeks since I have officially been off the island and 2 weeks since I've been trying to get settled in my apartment in Miami, FL. It was definitely a bit nerve wrecking waiting for the final scores to come out but once they did, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy some time with family and friends. I then took the 20.5 hour journey down to Florida by myself (which was actually a lot of fun for me).

So now here I am. Life is very different in Miami...definitely different from Dominica, but even from Ohio. I'm glad I'm here and glad to have this experience but so far it's pretty evident that Miami is not somewhere I could ever live long term. According to some of the locals, the hispanic population has expanded tremendously in the last 2 years which has led to what I call "little Cuba." Every store within a 5-10 mile radius has only hispanic workers, some of which speak English but most of which do not. (Even greeting cards are all in Spanish. I had a hard time finding English ones.) As you can imagine, that was quite an adjustment, but now seems like it's a way of life. The traffic is awful here, with no traffic only seen between the hours of 9pm and 5 am and which makes me wonder where people are going and why they are not working. It's also very hectic in general here which is to be expected in a large city, but I honestly miss the simplicity of island life...sometimes, I miss Dominica. Yes, I know, crazy, but I sometimes I do.

People are also very fake and mean around here which is strictly different from the midwest. And to prove that I am not crazy, I recently met a neighbor who is from Indiana and going to PT school here and he said that was the first thing he noticed too. I have seen more BMW, Masarati's and Lamborghini's in a spam of 10 minutes than I have ever seen in a lifetime (TV not included of course). It's like you have to be part of a club to live here and have your own personal plastic surgeon because everyone is "perfect" and rude. Again, very much not something I relate to well. In a nutshell, I would describe Miami in these few words: Fake, Rude, Hectic, Upscale, EXPENSIVE, and fun if you let it.

But it's not all that bad. I mean I AM in America, the weather is usually very nice and I'm really glad to be having this experience overall. I have spent time exploring a little and there are some very neat places so I'll let you know things as I discover them. Currently, I'm studying for my comprehensive exam and school starts Monday, so life will also pick up a little with that, and I have enjoyed the variety of cuisine from a variety of cultures. Oh and I forgot, I also began experimenting with cooking now that I...wait for it...HAVE MY OWN KITCHEN!!!

As time goes on, and as my blog title change states..."Time will tell."

Until next time,

Barbara