July: the Real Summer Month

Have you noticed that? I don't know what it is, but July says Summer like no other month. I remember when we lived in Curaçao and this was the month everyone that could......went on holiday!!! Curaçaoans are great travelers...and because they live on an island, they have to! Anyway, back to July.... people take vacations at this time of the year, schools are out and life on the island comes to a standstill. Never saw anything like it!

In Miami, July is a very hot month. The days are humid and somnolent, slow and oppressive. IYou have to do things in the morning before the heat of the day really hits. In Curaçao is hot too, but dry. A different kind of Summer altogether. Still, July is the month that says Summer out loud on the island.

It starts on a similar note: there, July 2nd is Flag Day (Dia di Bandera) which means this weekend is one big celebration. With Holland playing Brazil on Friday.......everyone is on a party mood! Here is 4th of July Weekend, celebrations will abound and people will take the time to see friends and family, enjoy the outdoors and the fireworks.

In both places, the rest of the month there will be beach days, picnics, bar-b-cues, long days melting into nights. Everyone that stayed home, didn't go on holiday, would make the best of this time. This when people get inventive and where things are different. In Miami, it seems that staying indoors most of the time is a must. Trips to the movies and the malls would be expected. There will be Summer Camps and Day Camps. That not withstanding, life in the big city stays basically the same: no allowances made because is Summer.

In Curaçao, everything seems to come to an end. There is a sense of suspended animation, when everything just stops. I don't mean children's activities...I mean everything!!! Clubs suspend meetings, nobody plays bridge, certain businesses close and others have Summer hours, people leave work earlier, going out for a drink becomes a must, it is absolutely wonderful!!! I miss that.....but I am trying to enjoy this too.

The view from our balcony is great, the afternoons and early evenings are not too hot up here, so you can sit outside. There are trips to the library and books to read, lazy days by the pool and delicious fruits to eat. Yes, you can definitely enjoy this too.