BIENVENIDO A MIAMI

" ... never leaving an opportunity pass you by.

You’re never allowed to feel tired.

There is always something new to do."

The moment you finish your studies, you realize you have the freedom to do anything you want. The past is now the past. It is time. For the future. Some serious planning. A conventional job? A busy 9-9 routine in a busy city? Join the masses? Is that it? Are the fun years over…or not?

I decided to get a job. But not in my home country (Greece). Or any country I have lived in to date. It will be somewhere new. Somewhere fun.

I opened the map for inspiration (that’s how ‘open’ I was about all this). The USA! Does the American Dream really exist? Time to figure that out for myself. Will Smith on Spotify was welcoming me to Miami. So why not? This is the point when friends and family start thinking that you’ve lost your mind. Which makes you want it even more. I flex. I will make it happen!

The day I received my passport, complete with working visa, was the day my life started to move fast. There was a lot of planning. So much. Flights. Accommodation. Loans. Rental Viewings. Packing. Did I mention packing? What do you pack for a place where you are going to live (and work…hopefully)? But everyone one else knows it as ‘vacation’. I would be staycationing.  

It’s New Year’s Day. I arrive. (Will Smith wasn’t there to greet me in the arrival hall). The immigration officer asks you what is the purpose of my visit and right at this point I felt the thrill. The excitement. The first day you drive to work. After sunny breakfast at your new flat. You realise this is your new life. The new reality. This brave new world. Thousands of miles from home. From what you know. I was determined to get the most out of it.

Miami never sleeps. The city is constantly calling you. To get out and enjoy life. Finish work for the day. Leave the office. Drive to the beach Meet friends for sundowners. Spend the evening shooting the breeze. Life is good. It doesn’t feel like a working day anymore. You suddenly feel supercharged. Full of energy. Full of get-up-and-go. To dress up and hit the town.

Dancing on air literally! On the 50th floor with the whole city at your feet. That is thrilling. The music is superb. The crowd know how to party. And the 360 view takes the experience to a whole new level.

What’s next?

The weekend beckons. A friend suggests joining a boat party on Sunday. Another friend has a friend who has his own boat. Result! On Sundays, boat owners gather at a specific spot in the sea. Between the mainland and Miami beach. We all party with music and drinks for hours. But not only that. There is water skiing, jet skiing, fly boarding…you name it! We do it!

The bottom line? Grow your friend circle. You never know where ‘the friend of a friend of…a friend might take you next time ;)

Miami is awesome. It teaches you how to live your life. It is all about having fun. About never leaving an opportunity pass you by. You’re never allowed to feel tired. There is always something new to do. To spice up your every day. Routine? What routine?

Never Stick (to a boring life always), twist!

By Fotini, The Movie Shaker