We have been home for about two weeks after a week in Back Bay. I have noticed that the culture shock moving from Chicago to Boston is very different than Chicago to London and here are my impressions.
First of all, London is in a different country and uses very different units than I am used to (Kilograms, Kilometers, Grams, Pounds, Celsius rather than Pounds, Miles, Ounces, Dollars, Fahrenheit. If I was looking at a recipe back home, I would have to convert. In Boston, it is the United States and all the units are the same as Illinois.
Secondly, when you move to London, you have a one-year grace period on your driver’s license and sadly, Illinois-UK do not have reciprocity unlike Massachusetts-France which are lucky enough to do so (yay for Jamey and Erin). So, in London, we were able to drive for a year and then took public transport for 3 months. Later, Dad got his, but Mom never got hers so when Dad had a meeting, we had to take a cab to school. In Boston, if you are from a place within the United States or that has reciprocity to Massachusetts (yay for Illinois!) you do not have to get a Massachusetts driver’s license, unless four years have passed and you are making it your permanent home.
Another big difference between Boston and London is the times of day. My dining hall was open from 7:30-10:30, 11-2 and 5-7, which is very similar to Illinois times. Many Europeans (especially in England, France and Spain) will sometimes eat a morning snack at 11, lunch around 2, a big gutier around 4 or 4:30 and then eat dinner anywhere between 7:30 and 9:30.
The opening hours are also very different. In London, stores, even the grocery store often close by 6 or 7pm. Generally in the United States (which includes Boston AND Chicago), the most essential stores (pharmacies, drug stores, big box stores, groceries etc) will stay open until 9, 9:30, 10, 10:30 or sometimes even 11 but some of the local stores will close earlier.
The last biggest difference between Boston and London is the cell phones. My phone is set up to work nationwide so when I am in Boston or Cambridge for school, I can still keep my regular Illinois cell phone number. Similarly, if I am home in Chicago, I can still contact Sydney, Dylan or Lydia who live in the Boston area. If I go to London, even as a tourist, I have to get a sim card for my phone to work in Europe.
Kate after School 