By: Divya Bhardwaj

When I headed to Miami over winter break, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the city. I’d never been there before, but I thought it was just a typical beach town. Little did I know that Miami would actually become one of the most interesting places I’ve ever visited. Here are three unexpected things that I learned about Miami. 

  1. Everyone speaks Spanish
    Maybe this one is obvious, but personally, I was shocked that literally EVERYONE speaks Spanish. Of course, I knew there would be a higher percentage of Spanish speakers, but didn’t expect everyone I met to speak fluent Spanish and English. It really made me wish I hadn’t quit Spanish; it’s such a useful language to know there.

2. It’s not super hot all the time

I went during December, but stil, I expected Miami to be sunny, have temperatures in the low 80s and high 70s, and just resemble more of a Caribbean climate. Instead, I was greeted with cloudy skies and temperatures ranging from 67 to 72. While that’s definetly not cold, especially coming from Cleveland, it wasn’t as hot as I expected and not ideal beach weather. 

3. There is way more to the city than just the beach!

While the allure of the beach is no doubt what draws many to Miami, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Miami is actually much more than just that. The city is also called the business capital of Latin America. Due to its central location, bridging the gap between the US and the Caribbean and Central and South America, Miami is quite an international city.