Summer has arrived!

Yes! The last days we've had like 30 degrees, it has been very warm, for a change. It is very nice after the cold winter, although sometimes it is just too hot to stay outside, and we end up hiding in the house for coldness :) I know, we ask for too much, 20 degrees the whole year, it's never going to happen. But it is a big change in comparison with Germany, I don't remember so many sunny days in a row, normally after the sun, there comes the storm, and stays over our heads for days. So that way, it reminds  me more of Spain.

And talking about the weather, it is very interesting, being in such a big country, to know that there are so different climate zones within the States. And the difference is not only between the interior regions and the coast, there are several other influences that identify the regions. See picture below.

As you see, Michigan sits between two climate zones, both are humid continental climates, light blue has warm summer, and dark blue has cool summer. Luckily for us, we're in the light blue :) But there are other interesting areas, like the mediterranean climate region, in California (although when we went to San Francisco it was colder than what I remember as mediterranean, but OK). Other regions, like Florida, have much more humid climates, which are good in winter, but in summer it's known for extremely humid and sticky. Even the southern tip of Florida is known for having tropical conditions (That must be why in Miami they all just wear bikinis and shorts!). And the yellow region is where we want to go this year for our holidays, the desert! Why the desert? I know it sounds weird, but we have seen so many beautiful images of those places, that it is for us a must-see. And of course, the dream of our lives, spend a night in Vegas (just kidding). But we'll get back to that when the time comes, and no worries, it is not going to be in the summer :)

Well, so many climates kind of defines the differences within people in the country. And over the six months that we have been here already (by the way, almost half a year already!), we have been learning some of the stereotypes. And why not, let's start with Detroit. When people hear "Detroit", in their minds there is a combination of crime, insecurity, guns, abandonment and decay. When we normally say we live in the Detroit Area, people ask us why. It doesn't matter if the city is starting to revive, it will always be understood as a lost city, at least in the next years.

But out of here, there's also a lot of stereotypes. For example, the west coast is known for being much more relaxed than anybody else. California and Oregon are characterized as laid back, open, living and letting live. There is a somehow funny and very freaky show called "Portlandia", named after the city of Portland, known for being very much into organic products, relaxed people sitting for hours in a cafe, full of hippies riding bikes and fighting for animal rights. And when you think of California, well, of course, there's beautiful blondes with worked out bodies, like in Bay watchers, right? But also they're known for their restrict environmental policies, and yet ironically, Los Angeles is also called "the biggest parking lot" for the constant traffic jam all around the city.

Then there's all these Midwest states, they're known for being conservative, large families, young couples getting married, etc. Also, they're huge states with little population, so they're mostly empty, with a lot of houses in the middle of nowhere. So their people are considered farms with kind of empty lives.

Going south from there, the state of Texas is known for their size (everything is big in Texas), the cowboys, and their weird accent.

The east coast is known for being much more direct and cutting than the rest. They also are more conservative in their dressing style, there's a lot of lawyers, and business people in suits. People from New Jersey are considered spoiled children, and New Workers are snob and fancy.

That's a quick overview of the stereotypes in the US, of course there must be loads of others than we don't know yet, but it is fun to see that here, like in every other country, there's significant differences between people, in their culture, their manners etc. I found a nice picture that defines the different regions, that I'm going to use to close this entry. Hope you liked this one, and beware because the fourth of July is coming! We're going to New York (to check if it's true what they say about them :)), and will tell you how the Americans spend their national day.

Lots of love!

Lita&Andres