The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

My first impression of Miami was that it's very large and very crowded. This is probably because we were driving in on a major highway, with construction, approaching rush hour. However, I am under no illusion that it is any less crowded- the Miami metro area encompasses around 5.4 million people. That puts it around 7th in terms of the largest metropolitan areas in the US (and 44th in the world). I think the big difference is that I am much less overwhelmed than I was that first afternoon. And I really don't mind it. I am learning my way around, and I also rarely have to get on a highway to get somewhere. And I just allow for a little more time to reach my destination. I don't understand why people are always in such a hurry anyway.

My other first impression of Miami is that the weather is beautiful. Everyone was telling me how hot it was going to be, and I think I mentally prepared myself for it to be an absolute sauna. Then we got here, and I realized that yes, it's hot. But, it's not any hotter than a hot day in Ohio (especially recently, where it's been hotter in Cincinnati than it as been here with that heat wave), but it's just a little more prolonged here than it is in Ohio. Or maybe consistent is the word I am looking for. It's consistently warmer here, yes, but it's not that bad. The one thing that helps a LOT is that it isn't as humid as it is in Ohio. We've had some bouts of humidity, but they are few and far between. And the sunshine here is amazing! It is sunny, or at least partly/mostly sunny, almost every day. It rains often, but usually not for very long. We have had days where it rained 4-5 times for a total of maybe a half hour or 45 minutes. It's not that different than Ohio, just sort of the opposite: here you plan your indoor activities for when it's really hot instead of really cold.

One of the things that I noticed quickly and has since held up is that Miami is extremely clean. I have never been in such a clean big city. And when I say clean, I mean everything is clean- outdoors, indoors, wherever you go, it's clean. It sounds like a little thing, but I actually really appreciate it.

Before moving here, I knew that Miami had a very large Latin population, but until I looked at the numbers, I didn't realize just how large it was- 69.4% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. And in 2004, the United Nations Development Project named Miami as the number one city in terms of the percentage of residents from outside the country where it is located, at 59%. And it is certainly evident. There are whole shopping centers where not 1 sign is in English. When I go out, I hear Spanish spoken more in casual conversation than English. And often times, people will address employees of stores or restaurants in Spanish first (and to date, I haven't heard one employee that didn't answer back in Spanish). It is quite different than anywhere I lived in Ohio.

Another thing I have noticed here is that the style of dress is much different than Ohio. People dress up on a much larger scale here. When you go to a restaurant or a store, you see a lot more leggings, gladiator sandals and cute tops than girls in shorts and flip flops. And the guys too are all well groomed and dressed in polos or trendy t-shirts at the least. And after living in Cincinnati, the one thing that is really noticeable is the lack of the "thug" style. I haven't really seen guys in oversized white t-shirts, baggy pants sagged so low they might as well not be wearing any, big chains, and straight billed hats. I'm sure they exist here somewhere, but even when we drove through some of the more run down areas, they weren't any homies just chilling out in front of their houses or on the corner like they did in Cincinnati. And after being exposed to people's underwear on a daily basis, that is one thing I certainly do not miss.

So, after all of these observations the question is, what do I think of Miami? And the answer is, I love it! I have always been a big city girl. I love the upbeat, fast paced atmosphere. I love all the people and the diversity. I love that there is always something to do or places to go. And the opportunities to learn and work in large cities are always growing and changing. And pair that with sunshine, palm trees, and beaches, and you can't beat that, can you? At least, not in my opinion. I also happen to love Latin culture. The food is fabulous, magical realism is one of my favorite styles of literature, I have a growing appreciation for the music, and there is just something so fiery and passionate about the people. I am really enjoying being immersed in it.

So, I know this wasn't the most exciting post and it's a little disjointed, but I wanted to get my initial impressions of Miami down. I promise my next post will be more interesting (read: have more pictures). I hope everyone is enjoying the blog. I know that Brian and I are having a good time writing it, and we look forward to your comments.