It's not that I want to live here forever... this isn't where I want to raise my children or start a career... but it is where I want to spend my 20s. All 5 1/2 more year of them. But alas I have less than 4 months to spend in this wonderful tropical paradise.
While this is true, Ohio still holds a special place in my heart... but when I say Ohio I mean a OH/KY combo, where I'm from isn't strictly Ohio, but it is home all the same.
Temperature:
Ohio - It's hot in the summer, freezing in the winter, and you never know what you'll get in spring and fall. We have used both the AC and the heat in the same day.
Grenada - constant. HOT & humid.
Landscape and wildlife:
Ohio - where I live is the "foothills of the Appalachian Mountains" so it's hilly and beautiful. So many trees, streams, lakes, and the Ohio river. Wildlife - deer, squirrels, rabbits, opossums, raccoons, mink, coyotes, frogs, turtles, birds, etc...
Grenada - Mountainous, thick jungle, fruit trees and flowers everywhere, and the Ocean. Wildlife - monkeys, lizards, iguanas, mongoose, manacou, and mosquitoes.
Culture:
Ohio - fast paced. life revolves around work & family. Kids are important - school, sports, camps, hobbies. Divorce rate is high, average family probably has 2.5 kids. Important to have a nice house and car. Football reigns supreme, life in the fall revolves around high school, college, and NFL football games.
Grenada - slow paced. life revolves around having a good time and having enough money to provide for tomorrow. Divorce rate isn't as high b/c people don't get married as much, average woman has probably 4-5 children. Important to have a nice cell phone and clothes. Cricket and soccer are popular sports.
Religion & ethnicity:
Ohio - Christian, mostly protestant, some Catholic, very little else. Majority are Caucasian, followed by African American, then Hispanic, and Asian.
Grenada - Mostly Catholic, but a lot of 7th Day Adventists, as well as protestants. Small population of Rastafarians. People are of African decent, from when the British and French decided to kill all the native Caribs & then bring in slaves to produce sugar cane.
Food:
Ohio - Meat & potatoes kind of people. Eating out is big; fast food, pizza, steakhouses, mexican, chinese, etc.
Grenada - Chicken & rice with local fruits & vegetables. It is the "Isle of Spice" but I find the food to be pretty bland.
Me:
In Ohio: I work, I drive, I run around all over the tri-state, hang out with family and friends, go out to eat a lot, I buy things I don't need because they are cheap, I am comfortable, and I sometimes forget to appreciate the beauty around me.
In Grenada - I volunteer with kids, I go to the beach, I go to lots of social events, I pretend I'm still in college, I stay busy but a fun busy, I only ever buy groceries, I am hot and sweat buckets, and am constantly in awe of the nature around me.
Both places have their pros and cons... but right now in my life, I'll take Grenada.
3 comments:
Aw...this makes me miss Ohio. I must agree that Grenada is really starting to grow on me. I love the landscape,the beach, the laid back atmosphere, the people... I can't believe that I actually like it as much as I do! Maybe I will be sad when we leave the island too...in two years!
I have a feet photo fetish, and i totally love this one! the bright blue sky background is great. Very lovely!
My mom was from Ohio...you paint a much kinder picture of it than she did (but then she moved there in the middle of her senior year of high school, so that colored her view).
I've found it's hard to ever know a place until you've lived somewhere else. The differences clarify what makes it what it is.
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