Under the Miami sun

We are in the middle of our third week in Miami Beach, finding our way around la playa and the busy, noisy, complex, diverse, and totally fascinating city. It seems that no one here speaks English. Mostly you hear Spanish, but there are plenty of other languages in the air as well -- German, French, Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish. I met a big group on the bus last week who were speaking Danish. It's a favorite destination for todo el mundo. Maybe it's just that the English speakers don't talk so much.


I spent last week in an immersion class to brush up on the Spanish I learned 20 years ago. A lot came rushing back and now I'm enjoying classes in grammar, literature, and conversation. I feel so much more comfortable now, able to chat with people in stores, restaurants, the streets, the gym, the laundry. It's all fun and festive here, especially when the sun shines, about 90% of the time. When the temperature drops to 58 degrees, everyone exclaims, Hace mucho frio. If only they knew what Massachusetts feels like right now...



Our friends Heather and Stephen, our neighbors in Pittsfield, are showing us around and helping us feel at home. Stephen and Alex play golf together, and Heather has introduced me to the Dance de la Soul group. It's an intense modern dance class twice a week that feels like a party. I stumbled around for a while and now am beginning to get in step, at least part of the time. Another favorite class is the anti-gravity yoga using a hammock hanging from the ceiling as a prop. Sometimes you're standing in it, suspended from it, or swinging in it. It feels like flying and the savasana at the end encased in the cocoon of the hammock is muy delicioso.



We're surrounded here by all things Latin -- the food, the music, the dancing, the language. Miami is south of the border, right here in los Estados Unidos. In spite of the language and cultural barriers, people here are friendly and bright, eager to welcome you and help you find your way.