I moved to South Florida 4 years ago as of 2 weeks ago. I can't believe it has been that long already! Time has certainly flown by. I moved here by myself without knowing anyone to pursue a master's and specialist degree in school psychology at Barry University. I was so excited about the move and I was convinced that South Florida would become my home away from home and I would finally stop moving around. But the past couple of years I've felt this strong longing to move out of here. I've lived in each part of the country (except for the northwest) and my favorite is certainly the west coast. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada so the west will always be home but after living on the east coast for the past 12 years of my life it's confirmed that I want to live in the west again where I feel the people are warmer and friendlier. I'm a free spirit and I adapt to places and new experiences really easily. But SoFlo has been a special case. I've never struggled as much as I have here. Many people here don't understand because they haven't lived outside of Florida before and all of their loved ones are nearby. But when you're an outsider like myself you learn really quickly that this is not a welcoming place.
When I first moved to SoFlo I thought that I would experience southern hospitality since Florida is in the southern part of the country right? Boy was I wrong! I was so shocked by how guarded, abrasive, and cold the people are here. I still haven't completely adjusted to it. I'm used to friendlier people who greet each other when walking past each other but I found out real quick that this is not a behavior that's often practiced here. Now I don't want to generalize and make it seem like it's every single person because it's not. I've actually met some great people here. But I must admit that I am speaking about 90% of the people I've encountered living here over the years. It's certainly made my stay here more difficult than I expected. It's interesting because the people I tend to connect with are not from Florida and always end up moving away within a year of knowing them. Every single year I've hung out with a different person or set of people.
SoFlo is full of young adults so I envisioned myself connecting with a lot of young professionals here and being a part of a large community of young adults who support each other while trying to figure out life together. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred. I never expected this but this has been the loneliest experience of my life. I'll talk about that in another post. But my experience in SoFlo was not what I expected when I moved here. I must admit that I've learned some great lessons here and have grown so much as an individual here. I've learned to be self-reliant, more patient, and to trust myself. I've developed thicker skin now and I'm not nearly as sensitive as I used to be. I've learned to be content and comfortable with being alone more often than not. I've attended so many events and places by myself that it's become the norm. I've also learned so many lessons in not taking people at their word and believing people when they show me who they are the first time.
Don't get me wrong SoFlo isn't all bad. I actually really love it here. I know that sounds weird given what I've been saying, but I really like Florida in general. Let me specify, the state is what I'm referring to. There is so much to do here. I love the sunny weather all year round. This may also sound strange since I was born and raised in the Las Vegas desert. But I find that there is more to do in SoFlo than Vegas. For example, so many music artists come here to perform whether it's at a night club or a full blown concert. There are baseball, basketball, and football games to attend. There are a plethora of museums to visit, a large zoo, theme parks, and Key West. The best part is I have access to so many beaches within 30 minutes of where I live. Those are just a few of my favorite things to do here. There are still places I have yet to explore.
This may sound silly but I feel my experience in SoFlo has been tainted by the people. I've tried my best to make the best of it, make connections, and be content with being alone all of the time (which I'll discuss in another post) but I've not had much success. I pray everyday that my time in SoFlo is coming to an end sooner rather than later. If I had the opportunity to leave today I'd go. That's how strongly I feel about it. I'm curious if anyone else can relate to me.
Have you ever moved to a new city/state by yourself far away from your loved ones? How long did it take for you to adjust? How'd you adjust?
SoFlo is full of young adults so I envisioned myself connecting with a lot of young professionals here and being a part of a large community of young adults who support each other while trying to figure out life together. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred. I never expected this but this has been the loneliest experience of my life. I'll talk about that in another post. But my experience in SoFlo was not what I expected when I moved here. I must admit that I've learned some great lessons here and have grown so much as an individual here. I've learned to be self-reliant, more patient, and to trust myself. I've developed thicker skin now and I'm not nearly as sensitive as I used to be. I've learned to be content and comfortable with being alone more often than not. I've attended so many events and places by myself that it's become the norm. I've also learned so many lessons in not taking people at their word and believing people when they show me who they are the first time.
Don't get me wrong SoFlo isn't all bad. I actually really love it here. I know that sounds weird given what I've been saying, but I really like Florida in general. Let me specify, the state is what I'm referring to. There is so much to do here. I love the sunny weather all year round. This may also sound strange since I was born and raised in the Las Vegas desert. But I find that there is more to do in SoFlo than Vegas. For example, so many music artists come here to perform whether it's at a night club or a full blown concert. There are baseball, basketball, and football games to attend. There are a plethora of museums to visit, a large zoo, theme parks, and Key West. The best part is I have access to so many beaches within 30 minutes of where I live. Those are just a few of my favorite things to do here. There are still places I have yet to explore.
Have you ever moved to a new city/state by yourself far away from your loved ones? How long did it take for you to adjust? How'd you adjust?
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