Canada

Heh. I'll use that term (and various others), but usually with my tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Yeah, buddy buddy.

It's so bizarre, isn't it? Having grown up exposed to American media (news broadcasts spilling over the border from Buffalo, as an example), I didn't expect there to be such a difference. Beyond a couple of linguistic things, eg, "zee" vs "zed", I mean. I've learned that it's best to keep some thoughts to myself, things that would have been fine to say in Canada.

My best friend here is a big gun buff. I won't call him a fanatic, as he is extremely disciplined about it, including having been a certified instructor. His breath/depth of understanding the gun laws here is pretty wild. He's invited me to go with him to the shooting range 2-3 times over the years. He's shared a few stories, I'll say it that way.

An old HS bud of mine ended up in Florida. His business is focused on the sale, install, maintenance, etc of software solutions for dental offices. His family was one of what I suppose I could call the "early arrivals" in the Toronto area, originally from Southeast Asia. He adopted an English first name after arriving in Florida, for obvious reasons :/

My sister's bestie (also originally from Toronto) apparently moved to Florida. I'll spare you the details; it wasn't because of a love interest, it was because she related so hard with the MAGA culture. I think my sis is still in disbelief that someone she knew so well for decades made such a dramatic shift into the deep end. And no, I have no idea what visa she's on, if any. It sounded like she just packed up and drove/flew down.

Also, am I the only one that gets irritated when someone says "Canadia"?

I do have fond memories of my one trip to Florida many years ago. An old friend's parents owned a condo there; he invited me to stay with them one time back in our university years. So I wrapped up my finals, flew down and stayed for a week.

There's no shortage of good BBQ, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Salvadoran food here. Japanese and Greek restaurants exist, but are less common. And pizza places aren't nearly as common as back home.

I don't miss the unbroken months of snow/salt/sand/slush. Although it would be nice to not have to deal with weeks of stifling heat/humidity. Something a little more balanced would be nice, lol. I decided early on that it's better to pay someone to cut my lawn than to do it myself.