Miami is a very bizarre city and I still haven't quite figured it (the city) out yet. The Miami Herald wrote an article (found here) about how Miami was recently dubbed the #1 most vain city in America. The article referenced the poll that was used by saying, "the survey found that half of Miami respondents consider themselves an 8, 9 or 10 in looks." In an area of the country that looks so beautiful, it appears people are trying to do their best to look better. I pass advertisements every day for breast augmentation, liposuction, cosmetic plastic surgery, tummy tucks, butt lifts, botox, the list goes on. Even so, Miami is not only about looking good but it's about having the lifestyle to match:
"On top of that, a Prada dress doesn’t have to be covered up by a parka, or those Christian Louboutins traded in for lug-soled boots. 'You can always wear expensive high heels in Miami, and the worst thing that is going to happen is they get rained on,' she said. In fact, Miami consistently ranks as one of the largest luxury car markets in the country, and local designer shops generate top revenue, thanks to high-net-worth residents and visitors who are willing to shell out for high-end goods."
For a country that has gone through a recession, true colors shine through when priorities are made apparent. People in this city will willingly put themselves deep into debt to buy things they cannot afford whether it's clothing, accessories, cars, boats, mansions, or cosmetic surgical operations.
Yes, all of this is true and I've seen it with my own eyes. That being said, the city has tons of good things to offer, starting with the natural beauty that I alluded to earlier which brings me finally to what I did this weekend.
One of my students last semester is in his 50s and has a yacht which he used to take the diving class for a field trip to the Bahamas for some dive training (and of course a great experience). He is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth, fun, and generous guys I know. Since his wife works or volunteers with Teach for America (TFA), he is involved by association, something he is not unhappy about. Last week he invited me and Christina to come join him in leading a beach cleanup project for 9 TFA teachers. We met him at the marina at 8 and hopped on his 50' boat to pick up the crew. Highlights of the trip include the stunning land and seascapes that we were surrounded by during the entire trip, the smell of the ocean which was more present than usual for some reason, and running aground. That's right, since Biscayne Bay is so incredibly shallow and the boat has a draft of just over 3ft, we pulled up about 200 yards away from an island to clean and the boat waited while some of us hopped off and swam ashore to see how much trash needed to be picked up. While we were there, the boat had managed to plant itself on the shallow sea floor of very mixed substrate (hard, soft, sandy, gooey, slippery, spiky, spongy, etc). When walking through the 3ft murky water there was no telling what texture(s) you would feel with the next step. After trying to free the boat with its own power to no avail, Steve asked for volunteers to get out and push so of course I was the first one back in the water. After a lot of grunting, pushing, heaving, straining, slipping, and straining, we managed to free the boat about 30 minutes later. By the time we dropped everyone back off, they were endlessly telling us how thankful they were to have had the opportunity to see the city from a completely new and exciting perspective.
After dropping them off, we went immediately to RSMAS where we picked up a good portion of our former dive class and Steve took us all out for a swim in the bay and a joy ride around Key Biscayne and a little bit of downtown Miami. On such a beautiful day, I cannot describe the happiness I was feeling of being on the water in such a stunning place with such a fantastic group of people. We eventually dropped off the rest of the class after which Steve took us back to the marina where my car was waiting. Christina and I drove back home and temporarily parted ways to prepare for the night.
One of the students in the class last semester (who was on the boat) recently got engaged to a guy named Alex. Alex had a birthday and invited us to his fiesta-themed birthday party on Key Biscayne which we went to and had a fantastic time.
Today included church, working on Wednesday's lecture, following up on the housing search, pizza, more working, napping, then briefly visiting Christina around dinner time. Tomorrow is back to work as usual which of course I love.
Yes, Miami may be the most vain city in America and perhaps even in the world. It might be fake, it might be plastic, and it might be obsessed with image. Even so, it has a lot to offer. It is a city with a character unlike any other place in the world. It is a city with rich diversity. It is a city overlooking a large fraction of the country's coral reefs. It is a city that honestly is gorgeous on the outside. It is a city surrounded on both sides by national parks. It is a city that offered me a job. Furthermore, for now, this is the city I call home.
"On top of that, a Prada dress doesn’t have to be covered up by a parka, or those Christian Louboutins traded in for lug-soled boots. 'You can always wear expensive high heels in Miami, and the worst thing that is going to happen is they get rained on,' she said. In fact, Miami consistently ranks as one of the largest luxury car markets in the country, and local designer shops generate top revenue, thanks to high-net-worth residents and visitors who are willing to shell out for high-end goods."
For a country that has gone through a recession, true colors shine through when priorities are made apparent. People in this city will willingly put themselves deep into debt to buy things they cannot afford whether it's clothing, accessories, cars, boats, mansions, or cosmetic surgical operations.
Yes, all of this is true and I've seen it with my own eyes. That being said, the city has tons of good things to offer, starting with the natural beauty that I alluded to earlier which brings me finally to what I did this weekend.
One of my students last semester is in his 50s and has a yacht which he used to take the diving class for a field trip to the Bahamas for some dive training (and of course a great experience). He is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth, fun, and generous guys I know. Since his wife works or volunteers with Teach for America (TFA), he is involved by association, something he is not unhappy about. Last week he invited me and Christina to come join him in leading a beach cleanup project for 9 TFA teachers. We met him at the marina at 8 and hopped on his 50' boat to pick up the crew. Highlights of the trip include the stunning land and seascapes that we were surrounded by during the entire trip, the smell of the ocean which was more present than usual for some reason, and running aground. That's right, since Biscayne Bay is so incredibly shallow and the boat has a draft of just over 3ft, we pulled up about 200 yards away from an island to clean and the boat waited while some of us hopped off and swam ashore to see how much trash needed to be picked up. While we were there, the boat had managed to plant itself on the shallow sea floor of very mixed substrate (hard, soft, sandy, gooey, slippery, spiky, spongy, etc). When walking through the 3ft murky water there was no telling what texture(s) you would feel with the next step. After trying to free the boat with its own power to no avail, Steve asked for volunteers to get out and push so of course I was the first one back in the water. After a lot of grunting, pushing, heaving, straining, slipping, and straining, we managed to free the boat about 30 minutes later. By the time we dropped everyone back off, they were endlessly telling us how thankful they were to have had the opportunity to see the city from a completely new and exciting perspective.
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| Moving the boat. Photo: Steve |
After dropping them off, we went immediately to RSMAS where we picked up a good portion of our former dive class and Steve took us all out for a swim in the bay and a joy ride around Key Biscayne and a little bit of downtown Miami. On such a beautiful day, I cannot describe the happiness I was feeling of being on the water in such a stunning place with such a fantastic group of people. We eventually dropped off the rest of the class after which Steve took us back to the marina where my car was waiting. Christina and I drove back home and temporarily parted ways to prepare for the night.
One of the students in the class last semester (who was on the boat) recently got engaged to a guy named Alex. Alex had a birthday and invited us to his fiesta-themed birthday party on Key Biscayne which we went to and had a fantastic time.
Today included church, working on Wednesday's lecture, following up on the housing search, pizza, more working, napping, then briefly visiting Christina around dinner time. Tomorrow is back to work as usual which of course I love.
Yes, Miami may be the most vain city in America and perhaps even in the world. It might be fake, it might be plastic, and it might be obsessed with image. Even so, it has a lot to offer. It is a city with a character unlike any other place in the world. It is a city with rich diversity. It is a city overlooking a large fraction of the country's coral reefs. It is a city that honestly is gorgeous on the outside. It is a city surrounded on both sides by national parks. It is a city that offered me a job. Furthermore, for now, this is the city I call home.
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