I once experienced culture shock. We had moved from the Chicago area to Tampa, Florida.
Right in the middle of a cold harsh Midwestern winter, we loaded up vehicles and started the trek to sunny Florida.
The Sunshine State
One of my first impressions of Florida was the light. Everything was so bright … sunlight infused the atmosphere everywhere you went. White sandy patches surrounding every parking lot. Blue water with sunbeams dancing on the waves. White seagulls and egrets. Even the buildings in Tampa all seemed to be big blocks of cement stone in varying shades of cream, white and peach. Flowers abounded and the air smelled heavenly.
Our new subdivision was like a monopoly board of little one-storied pastel stucco houses on carefully laid out streets bearing names like Hiawatha and Minnehaha.
Seriously. Our first home in Tampa was on Hiawatha and my uncle and aunt’s home was on Minnehaha. I am not making that up.
What a contrast!
Imagine living near the old Elgin Watch Factory (a huge dark old multi-storied building) and hilly brick streets, walking two blocks to the old brick historic Lincoln school, October through March with snow boots, snow pants, mittens, hat and the inevitable knitted scarf I was always seeming to lose somewhere. Running home on my lunch hour to find Granny had made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, gobbling them down, and heading back to school. Sometimes it was beginning to look dark when I walked home after the last class.
In Tampa, I rode my bike eleven blocks in January wearing a fluffy pink angora sweater over my school clothes to a new modern school with outside hallways. I stayed there all day, eating lunch in a cafeteria, and eating such unfamiliar things as Cuban sandwiches and red beans over rice.
An important part of my life.
There have been a lot of changes in my life over the years; but it is safe to say none have been as epic as when I went from being a native Illinoisian to a transplanted Floridian. I lived there nine years and wouldn’t trade a minute for all the adventures I had. It truly was a magical experience. Now, of course, I see God had a plan for our family coming to Florida. Each of us would not be who we are without those years in the Sunshine state.
[My 5 minutes are up!]
Have you been the new kid on the block?
I bet I’m not the only one who has had to adapt to new circumstances. Maybe you didn’t move to a new part of the country; but you had to “fit in” to a new group, school or workplace. Enjoy the wonder of the experience! Yes, there were major differences between my two environments; but perhaps unconsciously I looked forward to what was new. I didn’t look back wishing for the old. I do realize that is much easier to do when you are eleven than when you are a thirty or forty something.
If you are a believer, you know the Lord orders the footsteps of His children. You wouldn’t be going through this experience if it wasn’t in the plan for you. He is never taken by surprise. He is going to bring good from it. Trust Him and see!
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This post was written in response to the prompt, “from,” found at Five Minute Friday, a place I join on the regular to stretch my writing muscles. Our hostess, Kate, took the prompt from a poem by George Ella Lyon, “Where I’m From.” Interestingly, in 2014, I had written my own “Where I’m From” poem, and did not feel I could improve upon it; therefore I’m offering a different perspective, still from my own life.
I hope you enjoy both!
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You might enjoy reading my previous post: Living a life of blessing, coming and going