Bienvenidos a Miami

I just arrived in Miami this past Thursday after a horrendous experience at the airport (my mom and I sat on the plane on the runway for 3+ hrs before taking off). I started moving into my apartment and pretty much have everything set up in terms of furniture and decorating except for food. I like my apartment more and more as I see it coming together a bit more everyday--I just want it to be cozy and an escape from the stress of school and the lab though I'll have to resist the urge to over-decorate since I'll most likely be looking for another apartment for next year. I also realized very quickly that I am the youngest tenant in the 30 apartments in my complex since everyone else is pretty much a retiree which means I'll have a bunch of new grandpas/grandmas. Two of my neighbors have already told me I can knock on their doors if I ever have a problem (i.e. needing to borrow a cup of sugar or use their phone if a hurricane knocks out cell phone reception) probably because I remind them of their grandchildren. To explain the overrepresentation of the elderly, there's actually a clause in my contract that says that at least one of the occupants of the each unit must be at least forty (and to think I thought I didn't look a day older than about 15). But the condo association already approved me so I hope they don't try to throw me out.

There is also a hurricane threat in affect for southern Miami as I write this entry. It's just my luck that I would arrive here and within three days there's a preemptive state of emergency declared. Tropical storm Fay should make landfall sometime tomorrow afternoon and may become a category 1 hurricane but the native Floridians don't seem to worried so I guess I shouldn't panic--everyone's saying it'll just seem like a really bad thunderstorm. At least I'll be getting my first "big storm" under my belt; hopefully there aren't any Andrews or Katrinas looming in the near future (knock on wood).

Here are some overall first impressions of my new home. I should preface this my saying that I came here expecting the worst (I've developed a glass half empty complex for various reasons about starting grad school) so that should explain things if my thoughts seem a little negative.

-It's really, really humid!! I mean my glasses fog when I step out of the car and for the most part maintaining straight hair would be a nightmare. It's a good thing I've gone back to my curly hair.

-There are lizards everywhere. I have a habit of developing irrational fears just for fun and one of my new ones is that my new apartment will become infested with little lizards. I know they don't bite but anyone that knows me knows how much I would freak out if I were to let's say come face to face with one in the shower.

-I feel like I'm in South America. Granted I knew Miami was 2/3rds Spanish speaking but it didn't really hit me until I was in WalMart yesterday and I swear I didn't hear a word of English the entire time I was there and it took three salespeople to explain to me where to find an umbrella in English. It was a little uncomfortable but it made me realize that I'm going to need to start really practicing my Spanish. There's such a disconnect though between what it sounds like in my head and then what it sounds like coming out of my mouth. I can write you a 20pg essay about autorepresentacion de la identitad indigena (self-representation of the indigenous identity) but sound like a 5yr old when I speak. But hopefully people will find my broken Spanish endearing and want to help me.

-Lastly I feel like I don't belong. It's strange because I've been to Miami so many times in the last four years visiting Ansel (I mean I'm living two buildings down from his old apartment building) so I get this weird sense of deja vu being in the same places we used to go together. It feels like that since we're not together anymore that I shouldn't be here. The feelings are hard to explain but I know I'm going to have to try extra hard to make everything my own and build my own life because being here without him made me realize that he really was my only friend here so I'm going to have to focus on not feeling isolated.

All in all, moving in has been stressful and hectic but it's been nice spending time with my parents and extended family that live in Florida. The past couple days has given a ton to think about in terms of what I want the path I take to be like (school, career, relationships, etc.). Well if I survive Fay, I start orientation on Friday which should be interesting and will probably be decisive in whether I decide to like it here or not, so wish me luck.