This time last year, I was already on the 25-hour drive from Colorado to Florida. I was born in Florida and had lived in the same city up until third grade. After that year, I briefly moved across the country to Kansas until I landed in the beautiful state of Colorado from fifth grade up until the end of my high school career.
I had traveled back to Florida a few times for vacation, but I always had planned on coming back for college. After living here for almost a year, there are a few things that you just don't get to experience when vacationing in Florida.
1. Your hair will never be the same.
If you're a curly-haired girl like me, you know first hand how difficult it is to find reliable hair products that work with your hair texture. Well if you're living in Florida, throw that all out the window. My hair has never dried the same twice and takes exponentially longer to dry in the humidity. Oh, and you thought it would be a good idea to leave the house with wet hair? Mother nature has other plans, and the minute you step outside - frizz.
2. The humidity is no joke.
It's common knowledge that it's humid down here, but just how humid is it? Imagine taking a shower, drying off your body, and feeling like you need to hop in and take another one.
I do not understand how people can survive the summer without blasting the air conditioning wherever they go. Oh, and you thought you could simply walk outside for five minutes without working up a sweat? Wrong!
And nobody tells you how the humidity makes hot feel hotter and cold feel FREEZING. I lived in Colorado where 60 degrees is shorts-wearing weather, but down here? Time to take out the winter parka and snow boots.
3. "Snowbirds" are VERY real but seasons are not.
For those of you who don't know, "Snowbirds" are described as people who reside in the northern-states states during the warmer months but migrate south for the winter similarly to, well... birds. You can tell when "winter" is approaching because a quick trip to the store, that would typically only take 30 minutes, now takes you an hour and 30 minutes.
Us Floridians truthfully don't even know what month it is most of the time because unlike states further north, we don't have four seasons — we have two: wet and dry. I went through my first semester in college thinking it was September the whole time.
4. Alligator riding is 100 percent a thing.
I thought it was just a joke at first, but we really do ride gators! I rode my gator, Chomp, to and from class everyday. They are a lot cheaper than cars, especially when you only need to go short distances.
It's actually a remarkable sight to see everyone on campus on their gators. It is a sight you just have to see to believe!
