Adjustments
Gaby's Change
Here Gaby answers the question: how has Boston changed you? In the video Gaby highlights key differences between Boston and Panama that surprised her. Her sense of humor and personality really shine in these clips, so more than anything, this is a "Get to Know Gaby" video. Enjoy!
Gaby Interview.mp4Geographical Change
Gaby noticed a lot of immediate differences when moving from Panama to Boston: "Panama is a warm country, and Boston hits the single digits in January and February, so I was not ready for that weather," Gaby explained. In Panama, it rarely ever gets colder than 80º fahrenheit, so it's a difficult adjustment to move to Boston where it can get below 0º during winter.
Gaby also said, "Food is different here because of the weather." She explained that she had to lower her expectations for fruit because it does not naturally grow here, so instead the US has processed food shipped from other countries. The change in flavor of these fruits is very notable to Gaby when it comes to big adjustments she made.
Gaby and family with a Christmas tree
Gaby at Old North Church
Cultural Change
There are a lot of similarities and differences between Panama and the United States.
"Panama is similar to here with immigration, because the canal we have people from everywhere. The difference here is it's a very progressive city. Panama is a Christian country, but here people have freedom of religion, so I think it is a little more open minded."
Aside from the progressive nature of Massachusetts, Gaby noted a difference in how people act around each other. In Panama people are much more touchy, but “Americans must respect the personal space of others,” so she had to adjust the way that she acted around everyone and make that mental note to respect everyones personal space.