A Stranger in a Strange Land

Big cities are my thing. I was born in one and have lived most of my life in big cities, that is until almost ten years ago when we decided to retire to the small island of Grenada.
Still, our annual trips back to Chicago always felt like coming home, until it did not. I do not recall exactly when the change occurred but at one point, Chicago no longer felt like home, though still familiar and beloved.

I had occasion to spend a week on Miami Beach recently and the experience was not what I expected. The last time I visited was some years ago and though I knew that Miami had grown, I was not prepared for the shock I received on being there. Everything suddenly felt overwhelming. The eight lane highways, the density of the towering high rises –skyscrapers seems an apt name, the noise, the frenzy of traffic, people all come tumbling down on the unsuspecting.

Though Miami Beach is only a strip of land it is no less overwhelming. There is the size of the stores. Every single drug store, or pharmacy, as we call them in Grenada, could fit into one Walgreens or CVS. Same for clothing stores, shoe stores and supermarkets, etc. One is suddenly walking miles to find an item.

Restaurants are another size issue, not only the space but the size of the portions. Our friend explained that people like to take leftovers for another meal, but what about us hotel guests visiting for just a few days? 

There are few quiet hours here. As soon as the traffic, the tourists, the bars stop, the street cleaners and garbage collectors start. After five days, I was ready to go home to my little island. I missed my nightly concert of crickets and whistling frogs, I longed for the stillness of the nights and early mornings, the slow pace.

An island wraps its arms around you and holds you, the ocean soothes you, the slow pace allows you to be observant, to enjoy the beauty, the friends, all close by, the animals, all that surrounds you.

While big cities have an energy, a drive I can still enjoy, without question, I have become an island girl.