Coming to Sarasota, I knew things were going to be different. Please. Between the cornfields of Illinois and the beaches of the Gulf, things had to be different, didn’t they? Just my luck; they are. There are so many things I love about Sarasota. And there are some things that I’m not so fond of in Sarasota. But anyone can feel like that about anywhere that they live. For me, Sarasota is my brand new adventure. This is the thing that I am doing on my own, and I think because of that I see everything that glitters as gold. I’m not naive enough to not see the faults that this city has, but for the most part things are pretty amazing here. I’ve been here for four weeks and one day (but who’s counting?), and I love it just as much as when I first arrived.
The biggest positive difference is that I am almost never more than fifteen minutes away from a beach. Sarasota is home to the famed Siesta Key Beach, but there are a few hidden gems besides Siesta. I was able to visit Siesta this past week, and I loved it. I felt like a tourist (because.. well.. I kind of am?) but the white sand was so fine that it felt like I was walking on powdered sugar. There were a lot of people there, which made it feel full without feeling crowded. There was this random sandbar in the area of the ocean that we had camped out at, so it was pretty cool that I could go over one hundred feet out and still be standing no deeper than my chest. Another beach that I have frequented both day and night is Lido Beach. Lido is in this beautiful little town (read as: tourist trap) call St. Armands, and it’s almost as beautiful as Siesta. It’s never been as full as the single time I’ve been to Siesta, but I’ve also gone to the beach at various times throughout the day. That is another huge perk of living here. If I need to clear my head or just want to get out of the house, I go to the beach. Right now, I know that my time here in Sarasota is limited, and I want to soak up every ray of sunshine, step on every grain of sand and feel every wave available crash against me while I can. But the beach has become more than just a place to lay out or swim. It has become a place of solitude and friendship with my fellow interns. Going at night when the beach is basically deserted can be one of the most relaxing experiences in the world. I can think with nothing to distract me. Having the soundtrack of my thoughts be the waves rolling in and rolling up the beach is peaceful beyond measure. When I am at the beach, I feel free to think and say the things that scare me, or excite me. I get to reflect on what being in Sarasota and what working in theatre means to me. There is nothing as beautiful as that.
Of course, things aren’t always sunshine and rainbows here. My first couple days here made me see the differences between being raised in a rural community and living in a city. The biggest difference I noticed were homeless people. In Farmington and Macomb, homelessness was never a visible issue. One of my very first days here I saw a man walking down the street with no shoes on. He was staring out directly in front of himself as he shuffled along and was talking aloud. I could tell that he felt he was talking to someone, just from his gestures and body language. That was heartbreaking. I wanted nothing more than to pull over and help this person. I wanted to give him a dollar or buy him a cheap pair of shoes or anything, but I didn’t. I care about people, but I can’t save every struggling person that I meet. I will give change away whenever I have the chance. I want to make a difference, but right now the obstacle seems enormous and I feel small. Hopefully that can change in my time here.
So now that we have covered the good and the bad, let’s cover the strange. Back in Illinois, I am used to seeing squirrels running around constantly. That’s just what Illinois has. Don’t get me wrong, there are squirrels here, too. But the squirrels here are like a quarter of the size of an Illinois squirrel. If I brought one of our squirrels down here, it would look like a small cat in comparison. Strange. But do you know what Sarasota (and Florida, apparently) does have crawling all over the ground at all times? LIZARDS. There are lizards that literally scurry everywhere, all the time. The first time I saw one I almost panicked, but then I noticed they were everywhere! My Florida friends don’t seem to understand that in Illinois, a lizard is a pet. It belongs in a tank. Here, they wander around as they please. I’ve seen lizards fight. It was some crazy stuff.
Anyway, I don’t think it should come to anyone’s surprise that Florida has been full of surprises for me. This adventure is one that is changing me and the direction that my life is headed in, and I am so thankful for that. But today was just another day, and tomorrow has another set of surprises in store!
shutupchristopher 