Sense of Place - Some Like it Hot!

A birds-eye view of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, taken from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Saopaulo_copan.jpg

I am a very adaptable person. I try to find my sense of place wherever I go. However, I have thought about this before. I think everybody does. Would you rather live in a big city or small city? Up north or down south? Near beaches, etc.? I have come to the conclusion that I do not like cold weather. If it goes lower than fifty degrees here in Southwest Florida, I am usually very irritated. I therefore have no desire to live up north permanently.

Don't get me wrong, I am very willing to try things. I wouldn't mind working on Wall Street in New York someday, but at this point in time I am perfectly content to live in moderately-populated Southwest Florida. I enjoy warm weather. I don't mind either being drenched in sweat or enjoying a cool breeze from the Gulf of Mexico. It makes me feel healthy and alive.

The tropical foliage in warmer climates is also something that appeals to me. I would love to venture into jungles in South America...well, at least provided that I can avoid the dangers.

The location of my work is also a good example of sense of place. I enjoy being outside handling luggage at the airport, come rain or shine. Another advantage of working at the airport is my exposure to people from different cultures. I feel pretty at home in a place like that.

However, when I'm not outside working, I am most comfortable just hanging out at home. I'm a homebody...with an adventurous streak from time to time. But I am just as happy to be relaxed at home as I am to be anywhere. I like to have food, books, TV, and the Internet at hand. This may not sound very environmentally related or interesting to some, but to me, that is paradise.

My professor brought to my attention that I could work in a more a large city that was more suitable to my tastes than New York. Hong Kong was suggested, which could be a possibility. Considering my interest in Latin languages, and Spanish in particular, other ideas that I have entertained are Miami, or perhaps Mexico City or São Paulo, Brazil. In fact, I have taken up learning Portuguese lately in addition to Spanish, so the latter sounds nice. Mexico City I believe has a stock exchange, but really any large city will necessitate accountants. Who knows, I feel pretty comfortable right here in the United States too!