The Outer Bands of Ike

Welcome to sunny Miami! Wait, scratch that. Welcome to…cloudy, steamy Miami! Yep! That’s more like it. I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale yesterday afternoon and was enjoying the sights inside the chic airport; lots of turquoise, funky carpeting, starfish and seashells, even a rum bar complete with mast and main sail from a real sailboat, thinking that this was another city I’d add to my list of possible homes. Then it hit me. As soon as I took one step outside, the humidity combined with heat. The next thing I did was set down my bags and knot up my hair. By the time I made it to the rental car I was sopping wet. I had also decided that I packed way too much.


The plane ride wasn’t too bad if you consider that we were flying into the outer bands of a hurricane. The pilot informed us that we would be encountering 35 mph winds and to make sure to stay seated and that the flight attendants would be doing the same. As we got closer to the ground and I was able to see the highways lined with palm trees I wondered if the people in the cars below could see our plane bouncing around in the air. At one point, another passenger let out a shriek and the next thing I thought of was being at the county fair watching little children wearing crash helmets riding bronco sheep. If you’ve never seen anything like that you really should. It’s similar to a cowboy riding a bronco but much cuter. Anyway, that’s what I felt like, one of those little cowgirls on a crazy sheep.

I also got a chuckle when one of my friends, who apparently has been chasing around his four children instead of watching the weather channel, replied to one of my emails where I was commenting on the possibility of missing my friend Ike. He was telling me not to worry, that more than likely I’d make other friends. I wish I could have been there to see his face when he finally realized that Ike was a hurricane and not a boy. I was also glad to know that it’s not just me that tends to check out on the world occasionally. But he is right…I am going to make other friends and very quickly.

I made it to South Beach without any problems and checked into the Clay Hotel/Hostel which is a place my Uncle Raymond recommended. It’s a very pink, white trimmed, Latin style building located in none other than the Historic Spanish district. How’s that for an omen? I’ve already had great fun. I have three roommates, all from Europe…Germany, Italy, and I’m not sure where, as she hasn’t really spoken yet. The first thing that Katharina, the German asked, is if I had an Oklahoma coin. Her brother asked her to help him finish his coin collection. Of course, that wasn’t on my list of things I needed so I’ve promised to mail her a quarter when I return.

I don’t have any pictures to post yet but I thought I would officially kick off my blog today. So far, I’ve just been wandering around South Beach which kind of reminds me of Venice Beach. The people watching is great and eavesdropping on conversations is equally entertaining. Miami is definitely a melting pot. You’re just as likely to hear any language in the world here as you would be to hear English. I love to see cultures mixed. On the corner you can hear Spanish (of course), Italian (ciao Bella…my favorite Italian phrase), Russian, French, Greek, and anything else you can imagine. It makes me want to learn them all. Spanish is first on my agenda though.

That’s it for now. The next time you hear from me I will be a temporary resident of South America. How exciting!

Author's note: At press time, the unknown roommate had a name...Nicola. She's from England, she just worked a summer camp in New York for disadvantaged children (her third year) and will head home on Monday to find a nine-month job so she can return next year. I knew I'd make friends...