2 years in Florida: My Canuck lessons learned

2 years in Florida: My Canuck lessons learned

Since I haven’t posted for while, and it is coming up on my 2 year anniversary for living down here in Florida, I thought I would take a minute and provide a bit of feedback and a few observations that might prove useful or just good to know. Here goes:

1.      Most down here won’t understand if you ask for a double- double with your coffee, same when asking for “pop”, they call it “soda”. Though It’s not Tim Horton’s,  if you’re driving past the Krispy Kream when the “hot” sign is lit up, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better donut, right out of the oven!

2.     Yes, you will get the odd clown fish, and the typical “eh or aboot once and awhile (like it’s funny for the first time)! I usually don’t waste much time giving it back though “ Y’all  speak amerkin down here” I might say. Contrary to popular belief back in Canada though, most people down here (in Florida anyway), are just as nice, or maybe nicer than in some parts back home! Most folks down here generally tend to have a good sense of humor and fairly thick skin!

3.     There is absolutely no equivalent to Canadian Tire down here, so just give it up and move on! Yes, you can get a new tire or an oil change just about anywhere, but getting up-sold on a bunch of stuff you really didn’t need

 (by a truly awful mechanic), just won’t have the same feel to it!

 

4.     You pay for gas up front here, and the pump won’t turn on until you’ve either paid inside, while guessing the amount needed, or you try to pay at the pump and fill it!  In doing so however, you will likely notice that your debit card is incompatible and your credit card requires you to enter a ZIP code beforehand. If that happens however, here’s a little trick:

Enter the numbers from your postal code (for wherever you Credit card statement comes to), and replace the remaining 2 spots with zero’s. For example, if your postal code was K2K 3J4, you would then enter 23400 for the zip code. *I have personally done this many times in the past, and it works just fine!

 

5.     Even though you will most likely never find it truly cold here, even in the dead of winter, the very second that the temperature dips below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 Celsius), every store clerk and waitress will be telling you to bundle up and stay warm out there. I’d likely get mad if someone told me that back home, as December through March, it’s likely not gonna happen!

 

6.     The minimum wage here in Florida is $7.79, but service industry workers such as waitresses and bar staff etc, are paid considerably less than that

 (4.79 hr), as they are classified as tipped workers. Please remember to tip well; as you are not just making a statement about poor service when you don’t tip, you’re most likely just sticking it to the server instead of the company!

7.        Costco and Sam’s Club down here are basically the same type of store. Members can get cheaper prices when they buy in bulk, and the gas prices at their pumps are probably a few cents cheaper than the average price as well. Remember to make a stop at their liquor sections too, usually a bit cheaper as well. If you’re just looking for beer or wine though, any corner or grocery store will likely suffice just the same. And yes, your Canadian membership will work just fine at the Costco down here.

8.        If you are a sports fan at all, Tampa is an awesome place to live! You have the Bucs for football, the Rays for baseball, and the Lightning for hockey (who have some of the best ticket prices in the league). This is not to mention all of the baseball teams that are within the area during Spring Training as well!

9.        Thanks giving in the states is amazing, by far my new favorite holiday. Yes we celebrate a similar day in Canada, but not in the same context or even in the same ball park.

10.     In Canada, many people drive an old beater for a car, especially in the winter. Down here though, people in general tend to invest more in the appearance of their automobiles (mainly because of the weather I think), as driving around in the sun with a dirty car, just seems to stand out a lot more than in a harsher climate. On that note as well, it is nothing to still see an actual “car wash” like we had back in the 70’s and early 80’s (much more modern now though of course)! You still pull in and drop your car off while a bunch of people work on it, but now you can also go inside and have a cappuccino or surf the internet while you’re waiting for your car. 

11.      Oh and one last point before I forget, and in case you didn’t know. It can get pretty freaking hot down here in the summer, and I’m not talking normal hot either, I mean middle-east type hot! People stay trapped in their houses or at the mall (anywhere with air conditioning really) from June to Sept, just like we do back home during the winter months (running to and from the car so to speak). And finally the rain! In the summer here, you will open the window and see a beautiful day, then decide to venture outside for a walk. Once you do however, it is not unusual to have a perfectly clear sky, suddenly turn into a black Schleprock cloud over your head, pouring down bullets, like it clearly hates you! No worries though, 15 minutes later you will probably be safe to go back to the pool or the beach. Can’t say that won’t happen 3 more times before the day’s out though. Welcome to Florida, eh!


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