I had never experienced fall until I moved from Florida to New York City. These 8 things surprised me the most.

Movies and other media had made fall seem like a light breeze, only requiring a jacket and maybe a fashionable scarf.

Perhaps it's because I'm used to tropical climates, but the reality has been much colder than I imagined.

Before the end of October, when temperatures in New York City had an average low of 51 degrees Fahrenheit, I found myself needing to layer thermal long-sleeve shirts and leggings underneath every outfit. I began relying heavily on my newly acquired puffer coat, scarves, and gloves to leave the house every day — all before the leaves could even finish turning from yellow to orange.

While the level of layering might look fashionable, it is about survival for me. Anything below 45 degrees feels like a blizzard, and I'm not sure how ready I am for the real winter.

Walking past the same trees every day and witnessing their gradual transformation made me think more about the passage of time than I usually do.

I grew up in an area where the average temperature doesn't vary by more than 10 degrees throughout the year, and trees remain in a state of perpetual greenness. While we experience dry and rainy seasons throughout the year, it is nearly impossible to determine the time of year just by going outside.

As such, in a year-round tropical climate, where the sun always rises and sets at the same time, it's easy to forget time is passing by.

My first true fall has felt like a nonstop reminder that not only is summer over, but winter is coming — and it's getting closer each day.

It's made me more introspective and has even encouraged me to get out more, as long as the weather allowed.

"This might be the last time in the next six months that I get to do this," is a thought I've had many times.

As much as it feels good to be inside, cozying up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, it's also been a great time to go outside to explore — without overheating.

I've been enjoying every walk I can take, from wandering around neighborhoods near to my apartment to visiting expansive green spaces like Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

While it might require an extra layer, it's great to take long walks without sweating or craving air conditioning, as is the case in Florida.

While I used to dread my 15-minute walk to the subway in the summer, where my hair would get puffy and my makeup would be all sweaty before I even got to the office, I now look forward to it.

Starting every morning by surveying the changing leaves around my neighborhood makes even small daily errands feel much more scenic and eventful.

I've even found myself chronicling the same colorful trees on my walks every morning.

The end of summer comes with some raging storms — which, it turns out, don't mix well with falling leaves.

On a particularly rainy day, I went on social media only to see pictures of cars floating in my neighborhood, which had been flooded.

Falling leaves covering storm drains can make parts of the city, like my neighborhood, particularly susceptible to flooding, officials told CBS News.

Other photos and videos showed subway stations flooding as well, and water even getting inside subway cars.

Thankfully, the water had drained by the time I got home from work. Storms like this don't happen often, but the city has seen its worst-ever four rainstorms in the past four years, suggesting they're becoming more frequent, per CBS News. It was a reminder of just how destructive the rain can be this time of year.

Nothing signaled the end of the summer more aggressively than the time changes. Even before daylight-saving time ends, as it did at the start of November, the sun begins setting earlier.

Having grown up with consistent 6 a.m. sunrises and 6 p.m. sunsets, getting used to it being dark outside at 4:30 p.m. has been a challenge, especially during the week, where it feels like daylight vanishes during work hours.

The schedule change has turned me into an early morning person for the first time. All I want to do once I get home — in what looks like the dead of night — is go to bed, so I've started making the most out of my days with an early morning routine.

Now, I get to see the sun rising nearly every day to make up for the missing daylight hours at the end of the day.

I love soup, but it's never been as present in my life as it is now.

As the weather cools, I've become a huge fan of all kinds of warming and comforting hearty soups. Recently, I've been having red lentil soup for dinner almost every night.

It's also become a staple in my mornings as well. I've started to opt for warm bone broth, oatmeal, and teas first thing in the morning instead of my usual yogurt bowl, fruits, or other cold foods I was used to enjoying even during the winter months in Florida.

It took me a minute to get into the fall flow, from knowing how to properly layer to really noticing the rate at which leaves changed their colors.

By the time I began enjoying it, it was over.

I now understand why people make fall plans — from pumpkin patches to taking foliage trains and hikes — months in advance. I might just do the same next year.