By William Ferreira
There are a few terms that you will probably hear, read or speak very often while researching study abroad and maybe even while living your own studying abroad experience. In fact, experience is one of those terms that we hear a lot. And probably because we want that a lot; to live an amazing experience in another culture is the goal for international students. But besides this term, another important expression that comes with studying abroad is: to adapt.
I realized that “to adapt” was present in almost all my conversations with my family and friends through the phone after I arrived in Philadelphia. “Are you adapting yourself there?”, “How is the adaptation process going?”, “Did you adapt to the cultural differences?”, they asked - and then followed it up with a lot of questions about where I’m living, how is the neighborhood, the city, the school, the food, the people, etc. That’s when I realized how adapting is so fundamental and people next to me were concerned about that. They wanted me to adapt so I could have a good experience - especially for a whole semester! So, in this blog, I will be sharing how my process of adapting is going so far after one month and a half living in the U.S.
As a boy that has grown up in a small city in Brazil and now is studying in Philadelphia, the 6th largest city in the United States, I see a lot of differences, challenges and qualities about coming here. There are great opportunities, the diversity is huge, there’s a lot of cultural and entertainment options (my favorite things to do) and, of course, you can find anything you want here. And to be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of large cities before, mainly because of other places that I’ve lived, but I am liking Philadelphia so far and I am adapting pretty well here.
The first reason is because I have a strange feeling that Philadelphia doesn’t have the flow of the other large cities that I’ve been, as Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. Usually, the streets here are not that crowded, the traffic is not that harsh, at least not as in other cities outside the U.S – even around the university campus or Center City! – The public transportation here works well and is not that hard to learn how to use. Also, the main spots are really easy to access, at least for us who live near Temple’s Main Campus. We are literally 10-15 minutes away from the center. So, in that way, for my short experience I think that Philly is a good place to come, and it helped me to adapt easily. I’m glad for the choice I’ve made.