Nothing yelled “culture shock” to me like my eight hour
drive up north to college. Coming from the “melting pot” that is Miami and
moving all the way up to a whole new world in Tallahassee, I was instantly
faced with a very different cultural scene.
For the first time in my life, I’m not greeted in Spanish when I go into
stores, I can’t go to the beach whenever, and Cuban food is significantly
harder to find. While Tallahassee has become my home away from home, there’s no
doubt that these are some of the things I miss most about the 305.
1. The social norm of Cheek Kisses
In Miami, when you meet someone for the first time or see friends and family, you greet them with a hug and cheek kiss. In other places, however, you get weird, confused looks at the attempt. Having come from a city full of “besitos” and hugs, my natural instinct is to do exactly the same to people I meet and see in Tallahassee. I’ve started to realize who my true people are when I’m greeted just that way, even in North Florida, but other times, the weird looks I’ve received when I habitually greet someone with a hug has allowed me to realize that people just aren’t as forward when they don’t come from Cuban influenced Miami.
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2. The beach being a very short drive away
Every time I tell people I’ve met in college that I was born and raised in Miami, their first response involves asking me if I go to the beach everyday. While even back home, I had to plan ahead and couldn’t go nearly as often as I hoped, the beach was still easily accessible any time. The many days spent tanning in the sand and swimming in the ocean, though not daily, are a huge aspect of Miami that I miss immensely.
3. Chicken Kitchen and Pinecrest Bakery (in that exact order)
Nothing says “home” to me like Chicken Kitchen curry sauce on top of a very filling chop-chop. However, the only thing that might possibly be slightly more Miami-like to me is walking into Pinecrest Bakery at any time of day or night, with the ability to get any Cuban pastry that my heart desires. Because who doesn’t crave croquetas at three in the morning, am I right?
4. Beautiful sunsets
There is nothing more beautiful than a South Florida sunset, creating a sky that is pink and orange in color and covers the multiple cities for miles and miles. Everyone knows to go look outside when 100 people’s Snapchat stories share basically the same photo of the sky. Even Miami’s well-known terrible rush hour traffic is made significantly more tolerable by the views in the sky.
5. Yeah, no means no. No, yeah means yeah. No yeah for sure means absolutely.
If you didn’t understand this, you’re probably not from Miami. The lingo that makes up day-to-day conversation in Miami is some that can’t be used up in Tallahassee. I miss the days where other people used the world “literally” half as much as I did, or when I’d overhear a conversation where someone attempts to use the word “irregardless” in a sentence, even though its not an actual word. The more frequent “ya’lls” and the less frequent Spanish speaking has definitely been quite a shock to me.
6. Running on “Cuban time”
If something in Miami starts at 6, it actually starts closer to 6:30 or 7. In Tallahassee, and every other city, honestly, my well-known Cuban time does not exist. Living in a world where things actually start at the time they’re supposed has been most shocking to me, having come from a place where I was truly expected to be running a little late to everything.
