Different Place, Same Young Woman

   Different Place, Same Young Woman

For me, Chicago rhymes with studies. It is the second time that I have traveled to a foreign country for my studies. The first time was when I followed my parents to Kenya with my siblings, and I did not have choice. Nevertheless this time, it was different. I chose it with my whole conscience. Since I have arrived in Chicago, the only thing that worries me the most is my studies. However in my home country, Mali, I just had to be happy. Each one of those places is very different. Compared to Mali, if we take the aesthetic aspect, Chicago is more beautiful but Mali is the one with many beautiful cultures. Now, in this country, which is new for me, I have to adapt and fit myself into his culture as well as the society.

One of things that really caught my attention since my arrival in Chicago was the interaction between people. It seems like people are on their own word. Americans usually do only what they want. I do not see the meaning of taking care in this city as much as I saw in Bamako, the capital of Mali where I used to live. I remember one day with my cousin when we decided to go out shopping and we ate at Chick-fil-A. The only word that came to my mind to describe the moment I entered the restaurant was shock. Generally, I really enjoy places with energy, good vibes with joyful people. However, for the first time, I saw this as a complete disaster but they served good food though. Customers were too loud. I was unable to hear what my cousin was telling me, and there was a particular man who put a song on speaker and increased the volume at the maximum. The best part was the way he just sat down and looked at us like he wasn’t the one. How did I react? I kind of ignored him the best as everyone else in the room. In Mali, of course there were noisy restaurants, but not that much. People only discuss between themselves and share the food. Food time is a sacred time in my culture, and it does matter where we are eating. I hope that some people in Chicago will start to be more caring toward others. I miss that feeling here. Despite this incident at Chick-fil-A, as in everything there are exceptions. There are really nice people, nice places and other small things of daily life that I enjoy in Chicago more than my home country.

Indeed, in Chicago, I like the way people are free of judgment. They will watch others doing their things, and will not show any sign of judgment in their looks. Though, some Malians do not accept every single thing as many people around the world and they will say it either with a low voice or loudly, so that the person who is judged can hear it. Something naturally pushes them to say everything, and sometimes it can be very hurtful and rude. Living in Chicago has given me the opportunity to live as I want by knowing my limits too. For example, I know that the day I will decide to go out with short shorts, no one will judge me because it is normal in this city. However, I can’t imagine myself outside with short shorts in Mali because they will say comment like: can you see this girl in short shorts, and more. Furthermore, I love the diversity of activities in Chicago. It offers new experiences that I can’t do in my home country. For example, because of the snow and the cold, there are activities like ice skating and skiing, and there is a beach with many activities like jet ski, volleyball and swimming. Unfortunately, for Malians, we do not have snow or beach. Consequently, we can’t experience those activities. This doesn’t change anything in the love that I do have for my country.

My life experiences in Mali and Chicago are completely different. Both places are unique on their own. People who are living in Chicago and Mali just enjoy the way it is and have different opinions of life and mindsets. I feel better in Mali more than anywhere in the world, but now Chicago will occupy a huge part in my life for years to come because of my studies. Living in foreign country should not make people like or dislike it, it should make people fit in and give them the opportunity to learn more about other’s social and cultural life.