Here's another thing about being a foreigner in Miami. You have plenty of visitors over. It doesn't matter how well they know you or how strong is the relationship between you and them. Miami is a great destination for visitors.
The good news is that, since it is not easy to have a great social life in Miami (at least not the way Europeans define social life), you always have company.
I was living in Zurich for 5 years and believe me, the amount of visitors who have booked a flight to Miami in the next 6 months is higher than those who actually visited me in Switzerland in the last 60 months!!!
Now, the common mistake they make is to come over during the summer, when they normally are on vacations. They do not expect the weather in Miami to be like it really is. So watching their faces as they leave the airport terminal and the humidity and the heat hits them is quite funny. And then the storms. It rains every single day here during the summer. And sometimes, it rains real hard. And hurricane season coincides with the summer season, so I won't be surprised if some of our visitors had to live through a hurricane with us here.
Somebody said that there is one thing worse than being a European in Miami. And that is being a European in Miami with a spare room...
But the truth is, bless you all. Thank you all. Our visitors.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The best place to ride a motorcycle (NOT)
You would think, wouldnt you? that Miami is a perfect place to own and ride a motorcycle. Well, pay attention, you might change your mind after reading my post.
1. The weather. It is not nice weather. It is too hot and humid to ride a bike. The heat during the summer months makes it almost umbearable to ride your bike. Heat comes from all angles: down from the pavement and the engine and up from the sun. It is not a very pleasant experience... I cant wait for the winter to arrive though.
2. Traffic. You would think a motorcycle would spare you the jams. But here in Florida it is illegal to zig and zag through the traffic jams. So, even on a bike, you will have to suffer Miami's traffic jams.
3. License. You need a separate license for your motorcycle. And the test is both written and skills. The skills one is a circus like exam where you will have to perform all sorts of incredible stunts which are very unlikely to occur in real life.
4. Place to keep it. If you dont have a garage of your own, where do you park it? Well, I tried in my condo's parking lot. There was no specific place for bikes, so the manager told me to park it in "that blue area over there". Some neighbor, without a life and very very bored (nice way to say an asshole) called the cops and ALL the bikes in the lot got parking tickets. Great neighborhood feeling.
5. Rust. Watch out for the chrome parts in your bike. The humidity here will rust them out. Charming.
Having said all this, I must conclude I am enjoying every single minute I spend riding my bike, which, by the way, to go against all odds, it is NOT a Harley. it is a Triumph, so I can still keep in touch with the European in me
1. The weather. It is not nice weather. It is too hot and humid to ride a bike. The heat during the summer months makes it almost umbearable to ride your bike. Heat comes from all angles: down from the pavement and the engine and up from the sun. It is not a very pleasant experience... I cant wait for the winter to arrive though.
2. Traffic. You would think a motorcycle would spare you the jams. But here in Florida it is illegal to zig and zag through the traffic jams. So, even on a bike, you will have to suffer Miami's traffic jams.
3. License. You need a separate license for your motorcycle. And the test is both written and skills. The skills one is a circus like exam where you will have to perform all sorts of incredible stunts which are very unlikely to occur in real life.
4. Place to keep it. If you dont have a garage of your own, where do you park it? Well, I tried in my condo's parking lot. There was no specific place for bikes, so the manager told me to park it in "that blue area over there". Some neighbor, without a life and very very bored (nice way to say an asshole) called the cops and ALL the bikes in the lot got parking tickets. Great neighborhood feeling.
5. Rust. Watch out for the chrome parts in your bike. The humidity here will rust them out. Charming.
Having said all this, I must conclude I am enjoying every single minute I spend riding my bike, which, by the way, to go against all odds, it is NOT a Harley. it is a Triumph, so I can still keep in touch with the European in me
Driver's license. Part 2
And just when I thought the drivers license nightmare was over... I bought a motorcycle (of which I will write a separate post). And I had to take another written exam and a skills test for that too!
So you bring your own bike and you have to go through the same process all over again. Touchscreen tests where you can only fail up to 5 questions out of 25 and a circus like skills test.
I must add I have just passed my test and I can now ride my bike legally. Hassle free... or not - read my next post...
So you bring your own bike and you have to go through the same process all over again. Touchscreen tests where you can only fail up to 5 questions out of 25 and a circus like skills test.
I must add I have just passed my test and I can now ride my bike legally. Hassle free... or not - read my next post...
Monday, July 16, 2007
Driver's license
Ha! Thats another shock...
No matter how long have you been driving for, no matter when you took your first drivers license test back in your home country, no matter how old are you or your accident history (or lack of)... I had to go through the same process to get my Florida drivers license as a 15 year old.
And you HAVE to have it. For ID purposes and because if they catch you driving with your non-US license 30 or more days after you landed in the US, you are in trouble. Big trouble.
One good thing I have to say about this is, that compared to Europe (or at least Spain) it is almost free to take your license and it is very easy. I still have nightmares with my test back in Madrid, the amount of money it costed and the lengthy process.
And here it is like a credit card, as opposed to the paper blanket we had back in Spain.
I am dreading the process to get my Spanish license back when and if I retunr one day.
So, not everything is bad.
No matter how long have you been driving for, no matter when you took your first drivers license test back in your home country, no matter how old are you or your accident history (or lack of)... I had to go through the same process to get my Florida drivers license as a 15 year old.
And you HAVE to have it. For ID purposes and because if they catch you driving with your non-US license 30 or more days after you landed in the US, you are in trouble. Big trouble.
One good thing I have to say about this is, that compared to Europe (or at least Spain) it is almost free to take your license and it is very easy. I still have nightmares with my test back in Madrid, the amount of money it costed and the lengthy process.
And here it is like a credit card, as opposed to the paper blanket we had back in Spain.
I am dreading the process to get my Spanish license back when and if I retunr one day.
So, not everything is bad.
Hurricanes
Now, speaking of shocks...!!!
I havent gone through a hurricane yet, but living in South Florida it is more likely that I will shortly.
This last weekend I asked if there is a chance that this year we wont have any hurricanes... Well, the answer was that, in the last 100 years, there has only been 3 years without hurricanes, and last year was one of those.
I dont know what is worse, a hurricane or the thought of it (and all the things you have to do before and after). People tell me they are way worse than what you expect. But then you see other people acting pretty cool about them.
Reality is that they are vicious and that you'd rather be prepared. Mentally and in your appartment. You actually have to stock up on supplies (water, food...) because you are most likely to be without electricity and water after a hurricane hit. Check that out!!! For us Europeans that sounds like the war! Isnt that shocking!?
Again, I havent been through one yet, so stay tuned for my post after a hurricane.
If the Internet connection stays up, I promise to write from my bathroom, which is the only room in the apartment without a window...
I havent gone through a hurricane yet, but living in South Florida it is more likely that I will shortly.
This last weekend I asked if there is a chance that this year we wont have any hurricanes... Well, the answer was that, in the last 100 years, there has only been 3 years without hurricanes, and last year was one of those.
I dont know what is worse, a hurricane or the thought of it (and all the things you have to do before and after). People tell me they are way worse than what you expect. But then you see other people acting pretty cool about them.
Reality is that they are vicious and that you'd rather be prepared. Mentally and in your appartment. You actually have to stock up on supplies (water, food...) because you are most likely to be without electricity and water after a hurricane hit. Check that out!!! For us Europeans that sounds like the war! Isnt that shocking!?
Again, I havent been through one yet, so stay tuned for my post after a hurricane.
If the Internet connection stays up, I promise to write from my bathroom, which is the only room in the apartment without a window...
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Consulate and its procedures
I could talk about lots of things you have to wrestle with when you land in the US as a foreigner, like getting your Social Security number, getting your driver's license, having no credit history and trying to get a credit card.... But all these are common to all the cities in the US.
I'd rather focus on those things that make Miami unique when it comes to cultural shock.
One thing that is different to any other place is the procedure to register yourself in your consulate. I have done this at least once before, in the Spanish Consulate in Zurich and, although it is not an extremely pleasant experience, it is something you need to do, get over with and move on. The process in Switzerland was quite easy.
But the uniqueness of the Spanish consulate in Miami resides in the fact that many Latinamericans are trying to claim their Spanish origin way back in their family tree to get a Spanish passport.
So, if you want your passport to be renewed in the Spanish Consulate in Miami, even if you are a Spanish national with a previous Spanish passport, you still need to bring your birth certificate with you!
Lesson learned, carry ALL your official and important documents (even if they go back back in time) around with you.
... I guess I am the only one not doing it...
I'd rather focus on those things that make Miami unique when it comes to cultural shock.
One thing that is different to any other place is the procedure to register yourself in your consulate. I have done this at least once before, in the Spanish Consulate in Zurich and, although it is not an extremely pleasant experience, it is something you need to do, get over with and move on. The process in Switzerland was quite easy.
But the uniqueness of the Spanish consulate in Miami resides in the fact that many Latinamericans are trying to claim their Spanish origin way back in their family tree to get a Spanish passport.
So, if you want your passport to be renewed in the Spanish Consulate in Miami, even if you are a Spanish national with a previous Spanish passport, you still need to bring your birth certificate with you!
Lesson learned, carry ALL your official and important documents (even if they go back back in time) around with you.
... I guess I am the only one not doing it...
Cultural Shock
I was really excited when I learnt that I was going to move to Miami. Hey, it sounded great! (and it is, don't get me wrong...yet)
I thought, of all places in the US, Miami must be the closest to home, Spain, due to the Latin influence. I couldn't imagine how wrong I was...
Don't fool yourself, Miami is much closer to the US than to Spain (or Europe). As a place, a phisical location, it IS the US, and that is a big statement.
OK, ok, the people here are probable the less US, but still, they morph and blend in and start adopting American behaviours, losing, whether they (we) like it or not, the roots.
On this first post I will focus on the geographical set up, for starters.
Miami is not a town, or a city. It is just a sum of spread out suburbs. This is something that does not happen in Europe. Even in the biggest cities you have a downtown area, an old town part, a "barrio"... where you can feel part of a community, you can walk around and find the things you need within walking distance. Don't you?
Downtown. What a word. They like to use it for anything. If you could only see what they called Miami Downtown... Where's the people walking around? Where are the cafes? Restaurants and bars?
I dont intend to bitch about Miami. I am loving it. I guess it is just a matter of managing expectations; I thought it was going to be a 10 and it is an 8. But, hey! 8 is still GREAT!
More European experiences in Miami to come. Stay tuned..
I thought, of all places in the US, Miami must be the closest to home, Spain, due to the Latin influence. I couldn't imagine how wrong I was...
Don't fool yourself, Miami is much closer to the US than to Spain (or Europe). As a place, a phisical location, it IS the US, and that is a big statement.
OK, ok, the people here are probable the less US, but still, they morph and blend in and start adopting American behaviours, losing, whether they (we) like it or not, the roots.
On this first post I will focus on the geographical set up, for starters.
Miami is not a town, or a city. It is just a sum of spread out suburbs. This is something that does not happen in Europe. Even in the biggest cities you have a downtown area, an old town part, a "barrio"... where you can feel part of a community, you can walk around and find the things you need within walking distance. Don't you?
Downtown. What a word. They like to use it for anything. If you could only see what they called Miami Downtown... Where's the people walking around? Where are the cafes? Restaurants and bars?
I dont intend to bitch about Miami. I am loving it. I guess it is just a matter of managing expectations; I thought it was going to be a 10 and it is an 8. But, hey! 8 is still GREAT!
More European experiences in Miami to come. Stay tuned..
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