Saludos de Miami

Erica along Biscayne Bay at FIU
Tomorrow will be my first official and complete week living in Miami and it's been pretty dang swell. Technically, I live in Hallandale Beach, just a mere 7 minute walk to the sandy shores, and a 30 minute drive to downtown Miami (not to mention, 50 miles from the Bahamas!). I have spent the past week unpacking and organizing, and even though everything had a neat little place at the start, my room is already a total disaster. I keep thinking that if I obtain more functional furniture that my space won't be such a mess... but this is doubtful.

Erica traveled the 1,100+ miles down with me to stay for a few days. It was great to have familiar companionship and an excellent navigator during my neurotic attempts of driving in Miami traffic. I never could have done it without her. While she was here, we had the opportunity to visit many great places that I might otherwise not have had the opportunity to be introduced to so soon. One of my favorite places we went to was the Wynwood Art District, where a group of over 100 graffiti artists from all over the world have dedicated much of their time into molding the cultural esthetics of the neighborhood through art (www.primaryflight.com).


We also had the opportunity to visit Bayside in Miami to enjoy some great latin music, Cuban food, and Domican beer. It's an outdoor festival marketplace located along Biscayne Bay where many cruise ships come to and depart from port. Later, we spent the evening on Ocean Drive, where I could have sat on the South Beach shores all evening long. The weather becomes perfect here in the evenings, especially by water, which seems to be wherever you go. A handful of drinks later, and a few postcards from the News Cafe, we ended the night peacefully at a hometown Dairy Queen. Couldn't have really gotten much better than that.

I finally had an opportunity today to get my school initiatives in order. One more meet with my counselor and a Transfer Student Orientation in July or August and I should be set. My plan is to join a work study program at some point, and assist a professor with data collection and research on whatever marine work they happen to be partaking in. I know of one professor that specifically works with endangered sea turtles and takes annual excursions to Australia for monitoring. It would be another amazing opportunity.

I've always promised in the past not to make this your typical blog with journal-like updates about whatever ruckus I may be getting myself into during my travels. I can still promise you, it won't be this way. Now that you've been updated, it's back to business. Now more about those cheeky Miamians...