Guys, I have been much more on Instagram (for those who do not follow: @danielamatinho) than in here. The main reason: it is much easier to show you in video and photos what I am living right now.
Only a few days have passed and I already have so many things to tell you… Get ready because I have MANY first impressions of the city, the university and the apartment to share…
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN USA & EUROPE
- At the supermarket, employees say hi to us all the time, they even ask you how you are – In France, if a worker looks at us and says hi, we are already lucky
- Greeting: shaking hands or giving a hug – There’s no kissing like in Europe
- The prices on the shelfs are always different from the final prices – In the USA, products never come with taxes so when we get to the cashier to pay, it is always more money than expected. For example, the cheese on the shelf costs $2.50 and in the end we paid $2.66
- Monthly phone subscriptions are much more expensive – here paying $50 per month for data and free calls is a good price
- Household garbage collection is not a guaranteed service – While in Europe we pay taxes and garbage is collected everyday, in some states of the US, people pay private companies to do it
- Wine is much more expensive – in the supermarket, I did not see any bottle of white wine less than $7
- They still have plastic bags in every supermarket – I am proud to say in Europe, we are more environment friendly: D
- The coffee here has MUCH more caffeine
- All the products in the supermarket are in pounds – I don’t know half of the brands in the supermarket and on the top of that, products are not in kilograms like in Europe…
- The police siren plays more often one day than in one month in Paris – Chicago, and especially the area where the university is located, is one of the most dangerous areas of the city.
When I arrived in Australia, I also wrote a post about my first impressions of the country. Go check it out!!
THE CITY
I have not explored much of the city because I have been almost all the time cleaning… However, when I arrived I caught a Uber from the airport and seeing the skylight of the city was simply wonderful (as soon as I can, I take photos). Sometimes, it is difficult to put in words everything we feel and see.
THE UNIVERSITY
The college exceeded all expectations. Although everything is white and the weather is to amazing, the campus is soooo pretty. Sometimes I feel I am in an American movie – Have dreamed about this soo much. My classes have not started yet but I’ve been exploring everything already.
I am fascinated by the amount of coffee shops within college; the number of study rooms; the number of libraries; the quality of clubs… We even have free buses within the campus. It’s so AMERICAN DREAM: D
THE APARTMENT
As I explained there on Insta, I came to Chicago having an apartment already! The Chicago University has a marketplace website where we can buy and sell things such as furniture. There are also apartments and houses for rent, and that’s how I found my place. Since I’m starting school in the middle of the year, it was easier to get an affordable place.
I hope you guys enjoyed this updated.
Beijinho,
Daniela