Down the Only Road I've Ever Known

Moving back into college life has been a funny transition. I'm mixed in with tons of people who are as much as 5 years younger than I am. It's not really so much an issue except considering where I've been, what I've seen, the things I've done, and experiences I've had, the differences between me and a recent high school graduate are pretty huge. I don't consider myself high and mighty at all; I'm just trying to point out one of the ways college life is different for me now than it was during my 4 years at Denison. A friend of mine shared some words of wisdom with me recently, reminding me that this shouldn't be like Denison; there's no point in comparing the two because there is something unique to be taken away from both. If Miami was the same as Denison, what would I be getting out of it? There are great people here and I continue to make friends.

The only “complaint” that I have at the moment is that I'm not busy enough. I am very involved in the Christian scene on and off campus, have a lot of time invested into music, am taking 3 full Marine Science classes, going to ultimate frisbee when possible, and still manage to spend hours on the internet every night. I am still pursuing research/volunteer/lab/field/work opportunities for professors at the Marine Science campus and will keep posted what comes of that.

As for this weekend, I'm headed off to Campus Crusade's Fall Retreat. I'm not sure what the schedule looks like while we're there or what we'll be doing but I hope to come away cleansed and refreshed from the inside out.

Life has been having clear ups and downs but overall I still believe I'm where I need to be doing what I need to be doing.

Facelift

For those of you who've been keeping up with the blog, you probably notice a couple obvious differences. I've not only put up a travel map to give a better idea of where I've been but I changed the entire design template of the blog entirely. I think the new look is a little more sophisticated and the colors are more pleasing to the eyes. Feedback is always welcome!

I'm having mixed feelings about Miami. For some reason, I can't seem to stop juxtaposing it with Hawaii and the only ways Miami has a clear win over our 50th state is that it has a school that I like much more and I can drive more than an hour in the same direction without going into the ocean. The most important thing is that I'm going to the right school. I know I'm in the right place even if it's taking me a little time to warm up to living in a big city. The next couple months might also improve my relationship with the location as everyone back home is covered with frost, snow, and ice and I'm still going to the beach. Then again, not the most important thing.

West Palm Beach bike ride in June

I've been looking into options for internships, jobs, careers, unpaid temporary experience-based positions, and more school. The theme of the next 2-3 weeks is going to be figuring out my next move. I don't promise to have a post-December plan by then, but I will hopefully be a little closer to knowing what I'll do.

Living room at Rafael's house - the setup constantly changes

In the mean time, I'll keep making friends (which is going very well – I often surprise people when they discover I've only been in the state for less than a month), continue the school work, looking ahead, and updating the blog with pictures such as this one of the main living space in the house. On second thought, it turns out my computer will not read my card so you'll have to settle for this old picture from when I went bike riding in West Palm Beach (a couple hours north of Miami) in June.  Aha!  I finally got the picture to come through.  I'll leave it to you to figure out which is which.

Make Yourself at Home

I'm finally settling into life here in the farthest Southeastern corner of our grand country. I'm getting a feel for the area, becoming acquainted with classes, slowly making friends, working my way into the nearby dive shop's staff, and really getting into a groove. The University of Miami is a great place to be.

The big question still remains: will I stay here beyond December? At this point, I cannot answer. As I've said, everything is going well, but there are little things that I do notice. I often equate my time here to the 2 months I spent in Hawaii. The school here is a far better fit for me, hands down. However, the city has little on Oahu (I say Oahu instead of Honolulu b/c Miami is about the size of the whole island). It took me until 23 years of age to determine that island life is indeed different than anywhere else. Everyone is very high-strung here in Miami whereas island life is completely worry-free. It's still early, but my instincts tell me that I belong on an island.

Everything still seems to be going my way so I have no real complaints. I'm having serious struggles in the very high-caliber orchestra which is having its first concert this weekend. It comes not three weeks after classes began but it is going to be the highest quality performance I've ever been a part of.

Ultimately I guess my time in Miami is going to teach me how to be a real-world adult. I have an unofficial part-time job, I'm essentially a full-time student (living off campus and not being a real undergrad makes it nothing like my time at Denison), and I am completely responsible for myself. Those things alone aren't much of a big deal, but combine them and throw them into downtown Miami and it feels like the most "real-world" life I've ever lived.