I felt like Harry Potter when he first arrived at Hogwarts when I got to Genesee Community College. I never visited the school before coming and didn’t know anyone before I came. I hopped on the Metra train at Chicago Union Station in Downtown Chicago, Illinois around 11 p.m. on January 11^th and arrived in Depew, New York the following morning. I was greeted by Coach Sherman who took me into Batavia for the first time and gave me a tour. This is where my journey began.

After living in Lansing, Illinois my entire life, it is very odd for me to call Batavia, New York my new home. Lansing is a smaller town in the South Suburbs of Chicago, located approximately 25 minutes away from downtown. It is on the border of Indiana with neighboring towns of Cal City and Munster. The weather is actually fairly similar but mostly everything else varies. Lansing Illinois has a population of around 28,000, whereas Batavia’s population is much smaller. Lansing is a south suburb of Chicago and Batavia is in Upstate New York. The demographics are definitely not the same but I would say that Batavia is more diverse due to the fact that it is a college town.

Batavia appears to be an older town than Lansing. The houses are contrasting, not only structurally but also geographically. A lot of the local businesses are unique to the area and are not found in Lansing. Laws, rules and regulations differ slightly in Batavia. Prices are higher out here than in Lansing but tax is higher in Lansing because it is in Cook County. There is a lot less crime in Batavia than there is in Lansing. The scenery differs from Lansing because there is a lot more open land here.

I noticed that the language, slang, and terms used out here are different from what I am used to back home. The lifestyle is one of a kind here because of the location. Niagara Falls is in the area, as well as Canada and Buffalo. Before coming to Batavia I never heard of a garbage plate, but I think it is one of the best discoveries I have made. The last difference is that Batavia is a little wealthier than Lansing overall.

Nothing can replace Lansing because it will always have a place in my heart but Batavia is a really cool and unique place to live. I have met so many cool people and really look forward to living here for this whole semester and baseball season.

-Bobby Colantuono