Geographical Experiences

I’ll never forget when I stepped off the plane in Doha, Qatar. The heat hit me like a blanket and I thought it must be the exhaust from jet engines. With a few steps, I quickly realized that it was simply in the hottest weather I had ever experienced. Never go to the Middle East in August. My flight arrived after 10pm, so at that moment I could only imagine what it would feel like in the day. It was worse (120 degrees +).

For the next few days, I explored the city and was mortified by the lack of color. Besides being a desert, all of the houses (actually palaces) were painted either white or light tan. There were very few plants, most of which were behind large walls in private gardens owned by Europeans. Even the clothing of locals was lacking in color. Men wore white and women wore black from head to toe. Everyone was extremely friendly and went out of their way to talk to me. They were often ridiculously accommodating. I was amused by small pick up trucks with large camels sitting in the back, falcons riding around on custom perches in luxury vehicles, and numerous other things.

When I came back to the States, I was bored. Everything seemed plain and ordinary. I moved from Houston to Denver and both were just so normal. I missed my experience in the Middle East terribly.

A year later, I moved to Miami and the visual was exactly opposite. As I drove down I-95 into Miami, I looked down on houses painted in millions of different shades of loud colors. The houses were clumped together with all kinds of plants growing up through the nooks and crannies. It was a bright sunny day and I remember thinking it looked hot, but it was January.

As I explored Miami, I discovered cultural flair, interesting little shops, insane drivers, and a lot of people who in general were overly defensive and proud. It is easy to say they are rude, but more accurately I think they just worry too much about defending their rights, when most of the time nobody was stepping on them. I have lived in several areas of Miami (near the zoo, by the Falls, in the Gables, and on the beach). I have become accustomed to the oddities in each location, but I am still fascinated by the strangeness.

As I prepare to go back to Houston, I am looking forward to that normal boring life. However, a part of me wonders if I will miss some of the craziness. Only time will tell.