I dont remember if I said it on my first post, but I have been living here in the United Stated since 2012. I can’t believe that I left my country almost 6 years ago, not knowing what was going to happen. The only thing for sure was my english classes at Loyola, a few weeks after I got here.
I felt in love with Chicago immediately. As I walked out from my apartment in Rogers Park, I was surrounded by the feeling I finally belong somewhere. I stretch to the lake and saw some kids playing in the water, celebrating what it would be the last days of summer. I had no clue what was going to happen next, neither did I care. The accomodating feeling had taken me by the feet. I was in Chicago!!!
Soon enough I started walking around town, taking photos of eveything I found different and send it back home, to some friends, that stayed in Brazil cheering for me. One of the things I found it difficult, was managing the new life, with people that stayed at my home country. Not always we have time to give them updates, or call, we think about our old life a lot, that’s for sure, but with the time passing, it gets harder to have a conversation, or maintain it. Maybe because you dont want to seem snobish, because you are in a “first world country”, or maybe because you habits changed, you adapt to the new life. Let me tell you, it’s ok to not belong at your old place anymore. It’s ok to not belong anywhere for some time.
It wasn’t hard for me to adapt, but I had to put a lot of effort in my manners. Not that was unpolite, or uneducated, but because habits are different in my home country. A simple example is, in Brazil we don’t care about personal space. People are very touchy and close, a good way to see it are the lines. We stay very close to each other, almost breathing on each other neck. Maybe because we are too scared, if we give too much space, someone will come and take my spot in front of me. It’s cultural, everyone does it. And then we come to America and do the same. It took me a good amount of years, to not be so close. I didn’t care, but Josh said that people were bothered. Oh well, I’m learning. Adaptation is a constant and a must.
JS
