When I was in high school, I mapped out my post-graduation life as if I actually had control regarding where I would end up. If anyone were to ask what school I was going to attend, my answer would always be, “I don’t know exactly where I’ll go, but I know I’m going out of state for college.”
Fast forward to now. I am a freshman currently attending FSU and my original plan clearly did not pan out. I would always imagine my undergraduate experience perusing the streets in Manhattan or representing UCLA’s Blue and Gold colors, but I never would have thought I would have still resided in Florida. My mindset was completely erroneous and I solely have Miami to blame. If you have lived in Miami your whole life, you have an innate presumption to believe that Miami is not even a part of Florida. Which by the way, that presumption is absolutely correct.
So, in a way, I did go out of state for college, just not in the way I imagined. Tallahassee and Miami have nothing in common except for the Miami/Cuban culture that has somehow wriggled its way in. Don’t believe me?
Gordos always knows what’s up.
And for us Miami people, this culture is all we are used to, especially if you are Hispanic and a majority of the individuals you came in contact with your whole life were also Hispanic. But living in Miami no matter where you originate, you are aware of how people act, dress, speak, eat and where they’re going out on the weekends. To put it plainly, just because I am living in Tallahassee, does not mean these predispositions went away.
So, let me inform my non-Miami audience what the struggle of living in these “northern” lands is like.
If I see practically anyone I know from my hood, even if they are solely acquaintances, this is what is going down: How to Cheek Kiss
No side hugs, no awkward waves, no forced little smirks that are the most lifeless way of acknowledging someone’s presence. People from Miami kiss each other all the time. If I had to guess how many times I have kissed another person’s cheek in Miami, I would probably average around 1.5 million in my lifetime. I move to Tallahassee and this habit of mine is forcibly squashed once my greetings become this: I attempt to kiss someone who is not from Miami, they immediately deflect me because they do not understand what is happening and I am left awkwardly shaking their hand.
“Sorry! I’m from Miami…” is always what I will say. I forget where I’m at sometimes.
Another concern of mine is that my language choices might be a bit much. For example, when you hear the word “bro” you might stereotypically assume that boys in a fraternity would be throwing out a nice long “brooooo” in almost every sentence.
Well, Miami people do it too. You see your girls out at the club? You say this: “BRO!”
You agree with what somebody just said? This is how you respond: “Bro, I know!”
You have a great story to tell? This is how you start your sentence: “Bro, let me tell you something.”
Is it a bad habit? Of course it is. Will I stop? Maybe someday. You can tell if somebody from Miami is comfortable with the people they are surrounded by based on the number of “bros” they use in one sitting. This varies per person, obviously.
Another struggle that we Miami inhabitants have to endure is the food we consume here in Tallahassee. As a freshman living on campus, my food options are extremely limited. You want Latin food? Better luck next time. Head on over to Pollo Tropical to eat the closest thing to your mother’s authentic arroz y frijoles con pollo. And sure, you can Yelp the closest Cuban food restaurant in the area, but will it really be as good as La Carreta or Sergio’s? (For non-Miamians, these Cuban restaurants are the regular shindig.)
And if you were not already questioning the decisions Miami people make, nothing excites us more than when we receive a beautiful package of croquetas, pastelitos and empanadas in the UPS mail from our families because we are deprived of goodness. Yes, if we are lucky enough, we receive shipments of food and it is amazing.
The last and probably the most important, universal struggle is the seasonal changes that occur in Tallahassee. I might be the odd-one-out when I say I love the cold weather, but I have never witnessed so many people from Miami rejoice when Tallahassee has its 1 or 2 days of hot weather during the spring. My personal belief is that people from Miami can only function if they have a tan, and that is on South Pointe, Miami Beach.
But let me make this clear about people from Miami, we are hands down the most welcoming people around these parts of Tallahassee (biases included). To specify, we are constantly having a great time and we want to make sure others are too. This may not always be the case, especially if you catch some Miami attitude from people that are just loudly expressing themselves, but you’re likely to know a resident of Tallahassee that may be just a little bit different than the locals – in the best way.
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