Florida: where I freaked out about giant cockroaches but thankfullynever saw one

The line at security in JFK airport, was huge and when I saw the first sniffer dog in my life walking up and down, I almost wanted someone to have something on them, just for a bit of entertainment. The dog was so cute though and the urge to pet it was high, but I didn't want to mess with the serious cop on the other end of the lead, so I avoided that.

The drama didn't end there as we boarded the plane and waited to depart to find the first traffic jam of planes I'd ever seen. There must have been around ten waiting in line before us so we knew that we'd be delayed. Eventually, we began to move...for around thirty seconds before coming to a sudden halt with a thump. "That didn't sound good, that didn't sound good at all", said the lady sitting next to me as we mildly panicked. I was freaked out until we touched down in Orlando. The turbulence didn't help and in my tired and ever so slightly dramatic state, I was convinced that was the last flight I'd be on. Thankfully it wasn't and I made it to Orlando greeted by my lovely friend, Sarah.

Florida was, in very American phrasing, "awesome". We packed loads into the week and I had so much fun. We went to downtown Disney which involved chilling with a beer and live music, one of the happiest places I've been to and it made me want to grow back down and be a child again. We went to Weeki Wachee, a crystal clear river where we kayaked for miles against the strongest current, while Manatees swam beside us and we even saw a turtle chilling in the sun. It was brilliant. This is also where we saw the cutest dogs ever, swimming to fetch their ball. One was dressed in a shark outfit and the other in a Finding Nemo one. It was the most adorable thing. On the last day, we drove to a state park where we hoped to see alligators but due to the hurricane they'd all gone or were hiding. Instead we saw cute Bambi deer, tortoises and an armadillo which I found very cute. 

One of the most memorable (or random) days was when we intended to go to the beach but Sarah's friend had met just the right guy the night before who invited us onto his boat. As we approached the address which was a huge mansion, we felt rather dubious about it all, but realising it was legitimate was just crazy. He took us on his boat to a sand bank where we chilled for a few hours before heading to his friend's house. This too was a mansion and would fit perfectly on the MTV show 'Cribs'. We felt like we were on Gossip Girl among all these rich people, plus one guy looked the spit of Chuck Bass. The house was huge, had a pool and they had photos of Obama and Hilary Clinton on their mantle piece - a totally different world.

The nights were also fun involving cheap drinks, delicious pizza, guys trying to imitate our British accents sounding like Oliver Twist and Dallas Bull where everyone revealed their country and got on the dance floor. It felt so American. Not to mention the food. Each place that Sarah recommended didnt fail to impress, from Fresh Kitchen which made me feel healthy to various other restaurants which were just as tasty but not so healthy. 

Times when Sarah had to work or go to school I'd have to entertain myself which involved sitting by the pool in the glorious sunshine with my book, dipping in and out of the water - such a hard life.

I also discovered that I've been trying to 'pull' in the wrong country. As soon as I spoke guys almost melted and when I told them my name they were in love. I've always thought my accent is pretty bland and never thought my name would be such a hit but in an American setting, apparently it was  - I felt great!

All in all, I've had the best week creating so many memories, now to see what LA has to show before heading to New Zealand.

Things I've learnt in Florida:

-The sunshine state is definitely the best name for Florida

-What sniffer dogs are like

-there's still a language barrier

-all Americans attempting a British accent sound like Oliver Twist and it's hilarious

-Harriet being my name creates a lot of laughs but guys find it cute(!)

-I'm slowly adopting the lingo