I must admit that from the very first moment I walked around the Boston downtown area, I had the feeling my life in America would be totally different from the one I used to have back in Europe.   And it’s not only about the different metric system, the big trucks, and skyscrapers.  The approach to and speed of life is something really special here.  The scent of availability to get everything you can ever think of is in the air.  People seem to be way more open and communicative than people in Europe.
 
However, my biggest impression was once I arrived to Commonwealth Avenue – the avenue that hosts to Boston University - to organize everything before classes began.  Thirty-five campuses, a huge fitness and recreation center where you can find every sport you can possibly imagine, a medical center, lots of different cafes and restaurants, a libraries with so many books that you will need your whole life to read them all.  They even have their own Barnes & Noble bookstore, where you can find pretty much everything: books, clothes, stationery, mugs etc. – and all with the BU logo.  For me, who came here from a three-floor school building with only one café and supermarket across the street, it all looked just amazing.
 
Of course, Boston University is not only about all those amazing things they offer.  It’s an educational institution first off, so let’s keep it serious from this point on.  The educational system here is way different from the one you get used to in Europe.  Lectures cover just around 20% of what you will actually see in the exam.  But it’s not that bad as the books, case studies, and manuals you are provided with are more than enough to get you well-prepared.  During the lectures you watch a lot of videos and tutorials, and mostly the classes here are practical-skills oriented, which I personally find very good for a graduate student.
 
So I have to say that if you choose BU for your exchange semester or degree, I don’t think you will ever regret it.

Okay, before I start let me tell you just one thing about me: I am an absolute food freak.  I love cooking, experimenting, and trying different cuisine.  So, obviously, American food was something I was really concerned about.  Actually my anxiety increased because the food is so different here!  I had to visit three different supermarkets just to find a simple Activia yogurt!  And still – it was low fat!  Yeah, this is the first thing to know: every product in America is low fat.  However, for those who are trying to get fat, there are plenty of snacks, chips, drinks, and dips.
 
Boston is famous for its seafood, lobsters, and oysters.  The best place to go for it is the market.  Here you can try it for a very reasonable price and a good quality.  One of the must-try items is a lobster-roll.  In comparison with the size of American portions overall, lobster rolls are quite small, but very filling.

​Autumn 2015 found me in a very good mood, because I had just received  confirmation from Boston University Metropolitan College.  This meant that the next year I was going to start studying in the United States of America: so far away, so unexplored.  Moreover, a new country always feels like a new life.  Being absolutely fascinated by the idea of moving abroad, I started my preparations: visa, housing, packing…then I was all set.  So, let the story begin!
 
In January 2016, somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean, a little girl was starting to get nervous. The plane destination map was showing the increasing distance from the life she was so used to: her family and friends, Europe with all its cultural diversity and history, her food and life habits. What should she expect now? I had never been to the United States before. And though this country is covered by plenty of stories, which make it glitter like the stars on its flag, I felt extremely insecure the last couple of hours before landing.
 
America met me with the bright lights of the skyscrapers, just like in the movie: imagine the view of tall shiny buildings from above, add some nice pop song, cover it all with a breath-taking moment of starting something completely new and you pretty much get my feelings at that moment.  Moreover, imagine my confusion when after half a year of living in Germany and hearing German “Achtung Sie, bitte!” you hear, “Attention, please!” with a beautiful accent.  It’s like a blast! That was the moment when I realized that I definitely put myself out of my comfort zone and dived into something completely new.
 
One hour and seventy dollars later (0_0) my taxi stopped in front of a tall building with many flags on top of the fence roof. “Hey, how are you doing? Welcome to Boston!” – a concierge of the InterContinental Hotel smiled so friendly, that I involuntarily caught myself thinking that a big distance might not be THAT big of an issue.  But that thought disappeared immediately when I finally found myself in the room without any phone connection, standing in front of the air conditioning. Guys, it’s Fahrenheit! Now, that’s a challenge! …which I completely failed by setting the air conditioning to 93 degrees… Not surprisingly, the first night in my new home I spent trying to figure out with my sleepy mind of how not to get boiled.
 
Next few days felt as if I was lost in the fog: the amount of glass and stones around seemed as reaching the sky, huge trucks beeping impatiently to slow pedestrians, people wearing warm coats and flip flops running somewhere, the smell of ocean and weed reaches your nose everywhere you go, the weather changes so rapidly that the combination of a coat and flip flops seems like a perfect idea after a while. Yes, Boston does look different from any place you might have seen before! And this place definitely has a unique face. And although my first impressions left me in a state of confusion, I felt really happy to be here.  Seemed like a pretty cool challenge. So, welcome to a new home, little girl!