－Omid-X to Agamem-X (his father) and Esperan-M (his mother)－
Dear lifegivers, I have now been in this seemingly paradisiac Miami and especially Miami Beach for over 6 weeks－as measured by earth time. During this time, which is the cold, Winter season in the northern hemisphere, this area is buzzing with people from all over North America who try to escape the cold in their homes and cherish a few days, or weeks, or even months, in sunny and warm Florida.
Among those who come here are people named ‘snowbirds’. These are Canadians－citizens of the country that has Vancouver as one of its major cities which I visited in the early days of my arrival－who are wealthy and want to escape their country’s cold weather in the Winter. Most of these snowbirds are older people who seem to have a lot of extra money to spend and no young children to take care of, so they flock to Florida. Actually, the state of California, especially southern California, also hosts some of these snowbirds coming from Canada’s west coast.
Another group of short stay people of interest during this period is that of college students who come to spend their week-long break during the Winter months, which in most places is actually called ‘Spring Break’! The idea is that once they have spent a couple of hard Winter months hitting the books, classrooms and libraries, the students come to sunny Florida for some rest & recreation, before attacking the second half of the term and the final exams.
Unlike on our planet, however, these holidays and the entire area is overflowing with alcohol, Cannabis, decadence, and food. There is so much entertainment, joy seeking, and rowdiness, especially among the younger college students, that I wonder if these youngsters do not go back to their classes even more exhausted than when they left. Again, my beloved lifegivers, do not worry, I did not indulge in these habits. In fact, it was the main reason I did not morph myself into a college student; I wanted to stay away from these frivolous activities and not betray my lovely Hopesoo by shacking up with strangers of the opposite sex. A common practice among the young college students, called one-night stand on earth.
I have to say that I find Florida, especially this Miami and Miami Beach area, is full of contrasts. You see older visitors such as the snowbirds hanging out on the beaches with young college students－probably reminiscing, with a bit of nostalgia, about their youth when they did the same things. It is also a place where you see much sexuality ‘marketed’ one way or another, in a state whose government has enacted restrictive laws about morality and school education. Laws that I would consider to be about giving the ‘freedom to restrict and control’ reading and thoughts. The vibe and the energy I find here, however, is an incredible kudo to the region. It is also a temple of diversity, which may some day rid itself of these restrictive laws.
From Miami Beach, Florida - 10 March, 2024 (Earth)