We flew in to Tallahassee from Charlotte, North Carolina, to bright sunshine at about 7pm...
The moment we got off the plane on to the jetty... it was like being back in Mumbai.
I've never been to this part of the world at this time of the year...
Usually we visit in April or May and there is usually a slight nip in the air... somewhere...
If it was slightly disappointing to miss the blast of cool air as we stepped out of the airport in New York, it was positively shocking to be assailed by heat and humidity in TLH...
To be entirely honest, I'd been warmed about humidity in TLH but I was feeling cocky about it. Having lived in Mumbai... there's nought much that can scare me as far as heat and humidity go.
Yet... with this sort of preconceived notion, it was a smack across the face when we arrived here.
The heat isn't unbearable. Honestly, it's not even as bad as Mumbai.
If you stick to one place, then you're going to be hot and bothered but if you move, do something or there's the slightest breeze, it's all quite comfortable.
One thing that will take getting used to, is this amazingly bright sunshine that they seem to have here. In talking with dad and discussing how the latitudinal position of Florida shouldn't really affect the brightness of the sunshine as much (straight v. slanting sun rays), he happened to mention that there is less pollution here... less fog and haze... hence the brightness. Good point.
Tallahassee is small.
Quite small... though it is somewhat strange.
We're staying at a hotel which is within 5 and 15 min (walking distance) from practically every pat of the campus I will need.
There are tons of food joints nearby. Downtown is a bit of a hike, yet the utilities office is around the corner.
All said and done... the malls and grocery stores are sort of out in the boondocks!
The apartment where I will be staying is roughly 2 miles from campus.
We are looking at getting a bike for me. I could even walk (or bus) but the bike seems to offer most flexibility and least tedium.
Yet... if I want to go grocery shopping, I foresee requiring two buses, a friend willing to drive me around or... stealing a car...
This will be interesting...
This place was called rubbish by some cousins of a friend. These cousins live in Orlando, big party place about 5 hours away by road, and I don't doubt they'd think this town is a bit of a one horse place... for the first two days that we got here... there was not a soul to be found anywhere around. With people on vacation, not even the lone tumbleweeds meander through here... unlike old westerns...
Yet...
There are trees and trees everywhere.
From all my previous trips to the US (and even as we mused on it whilst in the plane)... I've learned that this country is pretty plain and flat. The Rockies are about the only exciting part and those, too, are limited to a few states.
Having been around a fair bit in the region of the US known as the Midwest... well... that is nothing but corn,wheat and cows.
TLH... has no mountains... yet tons and tons of trees. And it's absolutely splendid. There's actually a national forest somewhere nearby and that's what we flew over as we landed at the airport (8 flights, total, in a day I believe...) and it was pretty neat... for some reason...
One hears about the famed southern hospitality in the US.
Yet... one also experiences/wonders about a certain amount of xenophobia when visiting a foreign country but after nearly a week here, I think I can conclude that the people here are genuinely friendly...
Lots of smile, Hi-how-are-you?s, people easily willing to help or just a nod whilst walking on the street. It is... refreshing? heart warming? endearing? contagious??
On sunday, dad and I went about for a stroll in downtown TLH and returned empty handed... not a ghoul whispered on the wind and I was wondering what the deal was... yet... as move in day nears (the 20th - tomorrow) and residence halls prepare to open... we saw a number of families at the Wal-Mart yesterday... doing precisely what we were... shopping for a new year... for a new experience...
I've already had a sampling of the new experience.
I registered for my classes yesterday and there is an online tool called Blackboard, which is a mix of communication, teaching, learning and repository of information for courses here...
One of my teachers has already opened up some material for viewing and the experience promises to be new, interesting, stimulating, challenging.
For now... I am excited!
The moment we got off the plane on to the jetty... it was like being back in Mumbai.
I've never been to this part of the world at this time of the year...
Usually we visit in April or May and there is usually a slight nip in the air... somewhere...
If it was slightly disappointing to miss the blast of cool air as we stepped out of the airport in New York, it was positively shocking to be assailed by heat and humidity in TLH...
To be entirely honest, I'd been warmed about humidity in TLH but I was feeling cocky about it. Having lived in Mumbai... there's nought much that can scare me as far as heat and humidity go.
Yet... with this sort of preconceived notion, it was a smack across the face when we arrived here.
The heat isn't unbearable. Honestly, it's not even as bad as Mumbai.
If you stick to one place, then you're going to be hot and bothered but if you move, do something or there's the slightest breeze, it's all quite comfortable.
One thing that will take getting used to, is this amazingly bright sunshine that they seem to have here. In talking with dad and discussing how the latitudinal position of Florida shouldn't really affect the brightness of the sunshine as much (straight v. slanting sun rays), he happened to mention that there is less pollution here... less fog and haze... hence the brightness. Good point.
Tallahassee is small.
Quite small... though it is somewhat strange.
We're staying at a hotel which is within 5 and 15 min (walking distance) from practically every pat of the campus I will need.
There are tons of food joints nearby. Downtown is a bit of a hike, yet the utilities office is around the corner.
All said and done... the malls and grocery stores are sort of out in the boondocks!
The apartment where I will be staying is roughly 2 miles from campus.
We are looking at getting a bike for me. I could even walk (or bus) but the bike seems to offer most flexibility and least tedium.
Yet... if I want to go grocery shopping, I foresee requiring two buses, a friend willing to drive me around or... stealing a car...
This will be interesting...
This place was called rubbish by some cousins of a friend. These cousins live in Orlando, big party place about 5 hours away by road, and I don't doubt they'd think this town is a bit of a one horse place... for the first two days that we got here... there was not a soul to be found anywhere around. With people on vacation, not even the lone tumbleweeds meander through here... unlike old westerns...
Yet...
There are trees and trees everywhere.
From all my previous trips to the US (and even as we mused on it whilst in the plane)... I've learned that this country is pretty plain and flat. The Rockies are about the only exciting part and those, too, are limited to a few states.
Having been around a fair bit in the region of the US known as the Midwest... well... that is nothing but corn,wheat and cows.
TLH... has no mountains... yet tons and tons of trees. And it's absolutely splendid. There's actually a national forest somewhere nearby and that's what we flew over as we landed at the airport (8 flights, total, in a day I believe...) and it was pretty neat... for some reason...
One hears about the famed southern hospitality in the US.
Yet... one also experiences/wonders about a certain amount of xenophobia when visiting a foreign country but after nearly a week here, I think I can conclude that the people here are genuinely friendly...
Lots of smile, Hi-how-are-you?s, people easily willing to help or just a nod whilst walking on the street. It is... refreshing? heart warming? endearing? contagious??
On sunday, dad and I went about for a stroll in downtown TLH and returned empty handed... not a ghoul whispered on the wind and I was wondering what the deal was... yet... as move in day nears (the 20th - tomorrow) and residence halls prepare to open... we saw a number of families at the Wal-Mart yesterday... doing precisely what we were... shopping for a new year... for a new experience...
I've already had a sampling of the new experience.
I registered for my classes yesterday and there is an online tool called Blackboard, which is a mix of communication, teaching, learning and repository of information for courses here...
One of my teachers has already opened up some material for viewing and the experience promises to be new, interesting, stimulating, challenging.
For now... I am excited!
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