Drawing to a Close

It's hard to believe that my time in Chicago is almost over.  The days and weeks are starting to fly by now.  

Last week Wednesday for art class we went to Christ Temple in downtown Chicago for the noonday service.  A group of Japanese musicians were there and played a few songs on traditional Japanese instruments.  In the afternoon I went to the Jane Addams Hull House Museum on UIC's campus.  Jane Addams is widely known throughout social work and according to the website I've linked above, the "Hull House, Chicago's first social settlement was not only the private home of Jane Addams and other Hull-House residents, but also a place where immigrants of diverse communities gathered to learn, to eat, to debate, and to acquire the tools necessary to put down roots in their new country."  It was fairly interesting but to be honest, I was more interested in the actual house than the story behind it all.

On Thursday my supervisor took me out for lunch at the restaurant Rosebud Prime where a cheeseburgers costs about $17 and the wait staff wears suits.  This isn't the kind of restaurant that I ever want to become used to going to.  

Saturday afternoon Megan and I headed down to Shedd Aquarium but after waiting for a bus for 30 to 40 minutes and then seeing the length of the line we decided to just go for a walk along the lake.  We took some pictures and had some good conversations while enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery.  We ended our walk with a stop at Jamba Juice for smoothies.  

Sunday after church we went to Elly's Pancake House.  I had a HUGE plate of the most amazing pancakes ever--Cinnamon Apple.  I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and reading another book for class.

Today I had my final evaluation at my internship site.  My supervisor had all good things to say which is definitely a confidence booster!  

I still have a lot to do (and see!) before I leave Chicago.  This coming weekend Sherry and I are ushering at Blue Man Group so that we can see the show for free!  I'm also hoping to meet up with some extended family that I haven't seen in years.  Here's to making the best of the last week!!!

Loving the Quiet

Last week I went home for Easter!  Everyone got to leave work at about 3:45. I had a bit of time to kill before heading to the airport so I grabbed a coffee and read my book for awhile.  Once I got to the airport, things got...ridiculous.  My confirmation papers said my flight was from terminal 2 so that's where I headed.  I went to the US Airways counter where I was told to go to the United kiosks.  Once there, the screen told me that my reservation required "special handling" and that I needed to see a representative.  Well guess what...there are no United reps in Terminal 2! So I had to head over to Terminal 1, pick up my ticket, and then go BACK to terminal 2 to find my gate.
Once I finally made it home I was amazed by how QUIET it is! I don't think I ever really appreciated it before.  But after living here, where it is NEVER quiet--not even when you're sleeping!--I really appreciated it.
Friday night all the girl cousins had a "Girl's Night" at my sister's apartment.  We made supper together and then did manicures/pedicures.  We actually had 7 girls soaking our feet in the bathtub at one time...good cousin bonding time :)
Most of the time that I spent at home was filled with swimming--since we had "accidentally" heated the pool to 94 degrees!--and a lot of family time.  We ended up with 27 people at our house on Sunday which was really great.  And I finally got to hold my new baby cousin, Raylan!  I'm definitely looking forward to spending more time with him once I move home.
Monday afternoon/evening I headed back to reality--Chicago...and work.  As of today, though, I only have 16 days left in the city, and only 8 more days of work.  Guess that means I should get to work on all that homework that I have left to finish in the next 2 weeks!

I'm Alive!

Don't worry, I'm still alive!  After receiving an e-mail today that said it was "disappointing" that I had quit posting, I decided I should probably come back.  My response to said e-mail was this: "I have no excuse other than the fact that I 'just haven't felt like it'.  Though if I used that excuse for everything I didn't feel like doing...nothing would ever get done." (maybe that's why I haven't started my final art project yet!!!)  So now I'm here...writing.  


The only thing that happened during March 20-28th that was important enough to stick in my mind was an incident on the Red Line on the way to an art event.  Megan's version of the story is much more entertaining than I'll make it so if you want that version you can find it here: http://chicagolife--megan.blogspot.com/.  If you'd rather hear my version, here it is:  We were all just chatting away as usual and were a few stops from where we would be getting off when two men started yelling at each other.  Usually I just ignore those kind of people but I started hearing people gasping so I turned to look at the commotion and found a man about 3 feet away from Karla and I waving around a knife and yelling "What you gonna do about it?!?!?" There was another man at the other end of the train who was yelling back at him but I couldn't really see him.  Every one who was seated between the two men started jumping over seats trying to get out from the middle of the fight.    Karla was gripping my wrist and quite honestly, I was glad. Because I was feeling the same way.  At the next stop the people on our end of the train would have liked to get off the but man with the knife was in front of the door so we all stayed put.  At the next stop, where we were supposed to get off, a man got up and took the lead to snuck out behind the man so we all followed suit.  Once we were off and new we were finally safe, my heart started to slow and was able to think again.  I think the thing I was most afraid of was that the man would turn around and start waving the knife in our direction.  I don't think I've EVER been as afraid as I was in those 5 minutes.  Needless to say, I was a little afraid to get back on the Red Line after that!


This past weekend Betsy came to visit!!!  She got in Thursday night so I took the day off on Friday to spend a little more time with her.  We went to Afternoon Tea at the Drake Hotel (a 4-star hotel!) where we each got our own pot of tea (I got Darjeeling, Betsy got Bombay Chai), and then got a 3-tiered tray of sandwiches( roast beef, cucumber & tomato, egg salad, and salmon on pumpernickel), pastries (banana bread and scones) accompanied by preserves, lemon curd and English Double Devon cream.  It was SO much fun and definitely not something I would have ever even considered doing if it hadn't been for my sister!  Afterwards we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art which was...interesting.  I guess contemporary art is just NOT my thing! That night we went to the show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Saturday we had sushi, went shopping in Wicker Park, and went out for supper at Little India with a bunch of NWC grads for Betsy's friend's birthday.  Sunday was church, shopping, and supper at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for Tapas.  She kept me so busy over the weekend that by the end I thought I was going to die of exhaustion!  ...Maybe that's why I was sick on Tuesday!


I now have only TWELVE more days of work!  Tomorrow I'm flying home to spend Easter with the family--which I'm VERY excited about!!--and then I'll only have 3 weeks once I get back.
Well, once again, I'm sorry for getting so behind on my blogging!


Happy Easter, everyone!

St. Patrick's Day...A Day I Won't Soon Forget!

Last Thursday our art event was at Harris Theater on the north end of Millenium Park where we watched the Hubbard Street Dance Company perform.  They performed 3 different dances. I really liked one of them but the last one was just...strange.  Here's a picture to give you an idea of what it was like...

Wearing flesh-colored body suits and dancing in strange robotic movements

Friday evening Megan, Sherry and I met up with my friends Jesse and Ruth and about 15 of their friends at a pizza place, Pete's Pizza, up north for some food and conversation.  We hung out there for a about an hour and a half and just enjoyed getting out of our apartments.

Saturday, oh Saturday...It was, by far, the most interesting day I've had in Chicago so far! Since it was St. Patrick's Day, EVERYONE descended upon this city!  In the morning we walked down to the river for the tradition River Dyeing and even though we were 40 minutes early (which was actually much later than we planned on being there), it was very difficult to find a place to stand and watch! We eventually found some spots pretty close to the edge of the river and watched as the first boat came by dumping 45 lbs of red powder into the river.  A second boat followed closely behind to mix it all up and then, Viola! A GREEN river!!

After the river dyeing we made our way towards the parade route.  It was INSANE.  I have never seen so many people in my entire life.  I now know what it feels like to be claustrophobic!  Megan, Sherry and I actually ended up getting to walk in the parade because Megan's supervisor's wife is on the board...or something like that! We walked the mile or so route and then were 'herded' off the street like cattle by policemen on horses...definitely not something you want to mess with!  Here's a picture Karla got of 'our' float in the parade. You can't see us, but the 3 of us are in this mass of people!

Once we got back to our apartment, we didn't leave.  It was MUCH too crazy/scary out there for me!

Sunday I went to a church called San Lucas United Church of Christ with some people for my class.  It was very tiny--maybe 15 or 20 other people there besides us.  I actually really enjoyed the service.  It was an English and Spanish church so anything that we read, either from the Bible or from the bulletin, was first read in English and then in Spanish.  Afterwards we were invited to stay for lunch where they served chicken, stir-fried vegetables, and rice.  We walked through the park (since we were in the Humboldt Park neighborhood) to get back to the bus we needed to take home.  It was really beautiful...other than all the trash.  The grass was green, the birds were singing, the water was not full of algae, and there were lots of people playing games, running/jogging, and fishing.  It was really nice to be in a more wide-open area away from tall buildings and cement!

Monday morning my class met back in Humboldt Park to help some of the members of San Lucas Church with some volunteer work.  Every 3rd Monday they hand out food to members of the community.  A semi arrived around 8:30 and we began unloading all the food.  The truck was filled with carrots, onions, apples, bread, cabbage, spinach, and desserts.  Once it was all unloaded we had to separate it into individuals bags to hand out to the community members.  As soon as we finished, people started coming through the line getting one bag of each food item.  They said we had around 140 people that day which was a small turnout compared to their usual 300-some crowd.  It ended up being a good thing though as we actually ran out of food and the last couple of people that came through the line only got onions as everything else was gone.  I had a lot of fun helping out with this and wish that I could help them on a regular basis!

Well, that's all I have for now! Only 16 more days til I come home for Easter!!!!!

A Little Taste of Home

For those of you that have been patiently waiting to hear how my midpoint eval. went...wait to longer! It went really well!  My supervisor had mostly good things to say about me which was very encouraging.  Overall I was very happy with how the meeting went.

On Thursday I went on a neighborhood visit to Humboldt Park with my Practicum Group.  We walked around the neighborhood a bit and got a very short tour with a lady from the Newlife Covenant Church.  This church has over 100 ministries and is apparently funded 100% on donations.  They have food drives, a clothing ministry, and have a home for women overcoming addictions.  I was very impressed by the amount of things this church does.  Afterwards we ate supper at a Puerto Rican restaurant, Papa's Cache Sabroso.  I had a Jibarito which is a sandwich made with fried plantains (instead of bread), a garlicy mayonnaise, chicken, cheese, and lettuce.  It was very interesting.  Definitely not my favorite meal but it wasn't bad.  As soon as supper was over we hurried (as "hurried" as you can be when depending on public transportation) back to our apartments to change.  We had our art event that evening at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where they played some music by Brahms.  The music was incredible and made for a wonderful evening.  ...Even though a fight broke out during the middle.  If you want the full story, check it out here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-chicago-symphony-orchestra-fistfight,0,6463330.story

Brian and Stacey came to visit this weekend!  Friday evening we went out to eat with Andrew and Athena (some of Brian's high school friends) at Giodano's, a pizza place.  We finished the evening by watching How to Train Your Dragon--WAY better than I thought it would be!!! Saturday morning I met them all at the Lincoln Park Zoo...because it's free ;)  We walked around there for awhile but since it's still (technically) winter, many of the animals weren't out.  Later we went to China town...by far the most interesting part of the day.  We went into a grocery store and I was pretty shocked.  You walk in the door and are greeted by a very fishy smell...literally.  They have tubs full of dried seafood...everything you can imagine is just sitting out in these open containers waiting to be picked through.  And the chickens, ducks, and quails they sell...they're whole.  Like they still have the head (including eyeballs and beak) and feet on them!  They also sell fresh seafood.  They had green, algae-filled tanks full of shrimp, crab, lobster, and fish. Oh! And turtles!  I was amazed.  It's very different than the kind of grocery stores I'm used to!       That evening we went to a dueling piano bar called Howl at the Moon.  We went partly for something to do and partly because I needed to for class.  It was kind of fun.  There were two guys playing piano that took any and every request that people from the audience had.  I was amazed at how talented these guys were.  Not only could they play the songs that were requested but they were also able to sing every word or every song.  Pretty incredible!     Overall it was really fun weekend and I was so glad to have Brian and Stacey here to visit; it felt like I had a little bit of home here with me.

As for work, things have been a little stressful.  I have been getting multiple projects handed off to me each day and sometimes I have NO idea what I'm supposed to do.  I just have to take it one day at a time and one project at a time.  Thankfully I have a pretty good friend at work.  Meredith, who has been filling in as the receptionist temporarily while the full-time receptionist is on maternity leave, has become a pretty good friend.  In fact, she invited Karla and I over for supper tonight!  She made a DELICIOUS supper--chicken and vegetables--and an equally delicious dessert--apple crisp.  Meredith, her husband Dave, Karla, and I sat around the table and ate and enjoyed each other's company.  I had a wonderful night and wish we could do it more often--both for the great food AND the great company!    My time here is much more enjoyable when I get out and do things and see people!!

Just Another Week

Things have finally started to pick up at work!  I've been working on projects for three different people lately and each of them seems to have a new project for me each time I finish one.  It's nice to finally have a list of things waiting for me to do!  I'm going to have to start asking which ones are of higher priority though, because I can't get them all done at once!  I need to know which ones need to be done NOW and which ones can wait a few days...or weeks.  It's nice to finally feel needed though!!  :)   My midpoint evaluation is tomorrow afternoon and I'm a little nervous for it.  I feel as though I've been doing a good job but my supervisor doesn't give me any feedback (at all) so I have no idea if he's happy with the work I have done so far or not. ...Guess I'll find out in less 24 hours!

Oh, in case you're one of those really observant readers and you've noticed that this is being written on a Monday at 4:20ish...Yes, I have the day off today.  It's C. Pulaski's birthday today.  Oh, you don't know who that is? Yeah, I didn't either.  Apparently he was a Revolutionary War cavalry officer that was born in Poland.  And since Chicago has such a large number of Polish residents, it's a city holiday...which means I get the day off!!!  But before you get too excited for me, I should tell you what my "day off" has consisted of: sleeping in (yes, this part was nice, I'll admit that much) and writing a paper.  NOT exactly an ideal way to spend a day off!  And if you're wondering why I didn't write the paper this weekend, here's your answer: I was working on other homework!  We had to read 250 pages of a book, an article, write a reflection on our art event, write a journal, and write a 4-5 page paper. So that's what I've been doing all weekend...other than when I went to church. Oh! And Megan, Karla, and I got FREE cupcakes from Sprinkles on Sunday afternoon :)

Last week's art event was at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier.  We watched A Midsummer Night's Dream and it was SO good.  I had never read it or had any idea what it was about but I really enjoyed it.  It was very funny and actually fairly easy to understand.  I was a little disturbed by one of the characters, Puck, because no one could tell for sure if it was a woman or a man playing him!

This week should go fairly quickly.  I have today off and only work half a day on Thursday.  I'm going on neighborhood visit for one of my classes so I get to leave work early.  Brian and Stacey are coming to visit this next weekend and I'm VERY excited to finally have some guests!!!!!

Thai and Jazz = A Pretty Great Saturday

Last week Thursday I finally got some projects to work on and was kept very busy all day Thursday and Friday.  The projects were nothing thrilling but at least it was something to do!
Friday evening we just hung out in our apartments, relaxed, and watched a movie to unwind after the week.
On Saturday all the Chicago Semester students were required to go to the play Hunger at Lifeline Theater way up north.  Here's a little blip about the play...


"During the 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad, Russian botanist Ilya is charged with protecting a cache of valuable seeds for future generations. As the weeks turn to months and the city starves, Ilya and his co-workers are torn between their lives’ work, the dictates of a brutal regime, and the harsh realities of survival in a time of war. Consumed by innumerable hungers and haunted by memories of happier days, Ilya must decide whether to preserve his life or protect his ideals."


After the play 9 of us went out to eat at a little Thai restaurant called Cilantro.  It was a pretty tiny restaurant and I think we overwhelmed the waitress when 9 of us walked in!  I had a great time...great conversations and great food!

For our art class we have to have three "Art Encounters".  Basically, you choose a genre and have three "encounters" with that genre.  Megan and I both chose music so we decided to go to a jazz club, Green Mill, after supper. We got there at about 8:45 PM and the place was already at capacity so we got to stand outside in the 18 degree weather for 20 minutes until people left.  Once we got inside we had no idea what to do.  It was SO packed we weren't even sure if we could make it to the other end of the bar.  After snaking our way through the crowd we finally found enough room for the two of us to stand next to each other and then waited for the band to start playing.  40 minutes later our feet were hurting--Megan made the mistake of wearing heels!--and we wanted to leave but since our first paper is due on Wednesday we knew we couldn't leave.  Thankfully, shortly thereafter the band finally started playing.  We stayed for 2 songs--each about 20 minutes long.  It was kind of a fun experience and I'm glad we went but I've decided that I don't really like jazz.

For church on Sunday we returned to the church we attended last week, Park Community Church.  I really liked it this week...a lot.  And I think we all did.  We might try a few other churches but I definitely wouldn't be opposed to going back to this one!  The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, washing dishes 3 times, and doing lots and lots of homework.

Last week was a short week since I didn't have to work on Monday so I have a feeling this week is going to seem extra long...  Oh well, one day down!

Lemony-Fresh

I've decided that writing is definitely not my forte.  Every night when I get home from work I think "Hmm, I should probably update my blog, but what is there to say??"  Obviously, life isn't super interesting.
My internship still continues to be the same.  My midpoint evaluation is coming up soon and if things haven't changed by that point, hopefully they will after the three of us (my supervisor, my Chicago Semester teacher, and myself) sit down and talk.  I like the people I work with and am VERY thankful when I get a job to do, it's just that they are few and far between.  It's amazing how much faster the day goes when you're busy though!!  The most exciting part of the week was on Monday when I came out of a long meeting and found a box with a bunch of paper wrapped around something on my desk.  My first thought was "Okay, who left garbage on my desk?!?!"  My second was "Who's playing a joke on me?"  And by the time I made it to my desk and saw the note attached, my third thought was "Who sent me flowers!?!?!?!?"  I had practically everyone from the office gathered around my desk as I opened the beautiful bouquet that Mom and Dad sent me.  A week later it's still beautiful and smells great!
This week's art event was at the Chicago Cultural Center.  It's free to the public and always has lots of stuff going on.  We were supposed to meet at 6 and since I don't get off work until 5, that doesn't leave enough time for me to go home, change, and have supper.  Instead, I packed an extra sandwich and carrots in my lunch bag and walked to Millenium Park.  I sat at a little table and watched people come and go by the Bean.  It was really nice to just sit and relax and enjoy being outside since it was semi-warm that day.  It was also halfway quiet--no sirens!!  Anyway, back to the art event...We had 5 different exhibits to choose from but had to pick just one to write our reflection on.  I went to "Write Now: Artists and Letterforms".  It was actually pretty interesting.  Afterwards, myself and 4 other girls went back to Millenium Park for the Sound and Video show at the Bean.  I had heard it was pretty cool but was sorely disappointed.  It was just a recording of some mallets and they had projectors displaying images on the ground that then reflected in the Bean. ...Not nearly as exciting as I had hoped.
The weekend was relaxing.  We tried another new church on Sunday called Park Community Church.  The worship was incredibly loud but I liked the songs they sang.  I also liked the sermon although I didn't like the fact that we never really read the Scripture we were talking about.  The pastor had us open our Bibles to John 9 but then he just summarized the passage in his own words instead of actually reading it.  I might try going again though.  Sunday afternoon Karla and I CLEANED.  She vacuumed and did all the dishes that never seem to quit stacking up.  I cleaned every inch of the bathroom, dusted absolutely everything--Yes Mom, I even moved things off the tables/desks!!!!!--cleaned all the windows/window sills, and cleaned the shelves, counter and floor in the kitchen.  It smelled lemony-fresh when we were done. And I LOVED it. ...I think I should do it more often.  Cleaning (and the lemony-fresh scent that comes along with it!!!) is definitely a de-stressor for me!
Megan, Sherry, and I had the day off today for President's Day.  We took the bus to Willis Tower and met Karla and Julianna (another NWC girl that's here for Chicago Semester) for lunch.  They then took us up to see their offices at Easter Seals on the 24th floor of Willis Tower.  It was nice to finally be able to visualize the places and people that Karla tells me about everyday!  Afterwards, we (Megan, Sherry, and I) went to the movie The Vow.  We had all heard GREAT things about it so we decided to splurge a little and go see it.  I was a little disappointed...it didn't quite live up to the all the hype.
One of the biggest challenges of living on my own has been trying to come up with meal ideas!  It was one thing to live in an apartment on campus where I could go to the cafeteria any time I didn't feel like cooking but now, I have to fend for myself 3 meals a day, 7 days a week.  It gives me a new appreciation for my mom who always has great ideas for meals and never makes the same thing so often that you get sick of it!!

Well, still nothing new to report on the internship front.  Still just working on small projects off and on.
For one of my classes on Wednesday we had a neighborhood visit.  We went to Pilsen, a Latino neighborhood, and walked around observing people and looking at the buildings and murals.  At the end we all met at the National Museum of Mexican Art.  It was...interesting.  A lot of the art dealt with The Day of the Dead so there were skulls everywhere.
Thursday night we had another art event.  We went to the play The Invisible Man at Court Theater.  It was adapted from Ralph Ellison's novel and this theater is the first to ever do this play so it was kind of a big deal.  However, since no other theaters have ever done this play, the script hasn't gotten cut back very much.  So when it was all said and done, the play was 3 hours long.  It ended up being a very long night.  But I still liked the play! ...for the most part.
Megan's sister, Kelsey, and Karla's fiance, Evan, are both here this weekend so our apartments are full with extra bodies in them!  For church this morning I went back to Missio Dei with Sherry.  There was an actual sermon this time and it was pretty good.  It's super long (almost 2 hours) but I really like it there.
Well, tomorrow it's back to work!

I think I lost my enthusiasm for blogging...already.  I'll try to get into the habit of writing more often! I just don't usually feel like I have much to say about my days.

I honestly can't remember what I did on Tuesday.  Most likely nothing.  I ended up walking home again from work though!  It's something that I look forward to all day.  It's a nice chance to relax, stretch my legs, and catch up with my mom on the phone.

Wednesday was our 2nd week of classes though.  I really enjoyed my Arts in the City class.  We spent the first hour broken up in our small groups talking and the second hour we met as one group and had some guest speakers come in.  We did a few activities and even had to come up with our own little skits that we had to perform in front of everyone.  Next was Practicum Group time.  It's basically like a group therapy session where we each talk about our feelings regarding our internships and our experiences in Chicago.  I think I'm really going to like my group.  My last class of the day was Diversity & Inequality.  We started the class off with a quiz...lovely.  I really hate quizzes!  Had I done all the reading? YES!  Every speck of it!  Could I remember specific examples from a specific article?  Most certainly not.  I wish there was a better way for teachers to check and see if you're really doing the assigned reading because quizzes just really don't seem fair to me.  Anyway, after the quiz we talked about immigration for the last hour and a half.  There were, of course, the main 3 or 4 people that led the entire discussion with the rest of us listening and occasionally nodding or shaking our heads in agreement or disagreement. 

Wednesday night we had our first Art Event.  We went to the show Ameriville.  I still don't really know what I thought of it.  It was definitely interesting.  There were a lot of politics in the show that I didn't necessarily always agree with but I thought the way they presented the different topics was pretty cool.  There was a lot of stomping, clapping, dancing, and singing.  To get home after the show we took the Red Line.  It ended up being a very interesting ride.  There was a very feminine young guy singing VERY loudly and dancing around the platform as we waited for the el.  We tried to go down a few cars so that we wouldn't have to be in the same one as him but, lucky us, he ended up joining us.  He then proceeded to dance and sing and lecture about something (I really have no idea what he was talking about) right in front of Megan, Sherry, and me.  It was very very very difficult to keep a straight face when both Megan and Sherry are cracking up!

Thursday was actually a really busy day at work for once!  I had a couple different people giving me projects throughout the day which kept me busy for the entire day! Once again, I walked home.  I really hope this nice weather stays! I'll be sad if I have to go back to riding the bus every day!

But Friday was back to the same-old same-old...nothing.  After work I hurried home and the four of us took the Red Line up north to go to my friend Ruth's house.  There was a big group of people there this time.  We ate some food and then played some games.  We ended up playing Catch Phrase for over an hour and then Four on a Couch for over two hours!  It really was a fun night and I look forward to more just like it!

Saturday we went to the library and each got a library card!  Apparently you can check our museum tickets--just like you would check out a library book--and can then get into the museum for free!  We plan to take advantage of that!  Although plans don't always work out how you expect them to so only time will tell if we actually act on those plans or not.  After the library we went to Millenium Park again so that Sherry could see 'The Bean'.  We walked a little ways down the Michigan Mile and did some shopping and then headed back to the apartment.  For supper we went to Portillo's, a burger and hot dog joint.  They had really good food for a really decent price.  I think we plan to go back there before the end of April.

At 'The Bean' once again...this time with Sherry!

Today we went to church at another new church, Willow Chicago.  It was in the Auditorium Theater which is home to Joffery Ballet, an amazing ballet company.  It was quite the building...beautiful and huge.  I didn't really care of the church part of it though.  I just couldn't get into the worship and the message was just a prerecorded speech that they played on a big screen.  The message wasn't even about the Bible or God.  It felt more like a message that you would hear at an evening conference for a husband and wife about learning how to have a good family life.  I don't plan to go back.  I'm all for trying new churches but I'm not interested in continuing to go somewhere that I'm not learning anything at.  After church we spent most of the afternoon working on homework--reading and writing papers.  This evening we were invited to another apartment to watch the Superbowl since we don't have TV's in our apartments.  It ended up being a lot of fun and I think it's something that we'd like to do more often--get together and hang out...not necessarily to watch the Superbowl :)

Tomorrow it's back to the daily grind.  Don't get my wrong, I'm thankful to finally have a routine, but I'm really not enjoying it.  I'm a little homesick--for both the people there and just the way life is.  I miss the quiet (not hearing sirens at all hours of the night or hearing horns honking or people screaming), I miss grass, trees, and animals...I just miss South Dakota.  Oh, and thanks to everyone who has written me letters or sent cards/postcards.  It's really nice to get mail!! It's definitely appreciated! :)

4 Day Recap

I'm getting behind on my blogging!! Here's an update on the last four days...

Friday:  I had my second day at my internship and it didn't go very well.  I finished up the project I had started on Thursday.  When I completed it at 11 AM I told my supervisor I was finished with it and he said he would have someone check it over. And then I spent the rest of the day sitting at my desk.  Seriously.  I wasn't given ANYTHING to do.  So I browsed Morningstar and Yahoo Finance to pass the time.  Let me tell you, it was one of the longest days of my life.

Friday Night:  After work I rushed home--not that you can really "rush" when you take the bus.  I changed into some less "business-y" and took the Red Line on the el up to the Bryn Mawr stop where a friend of mine from Jr High/High School picked me up.  Her and her husband host a small group Bible study and supper at their apartment every Friday night.  It was really nice to meet some new people and spend some time discussing God's word.  I got on the el at about 10:15 PM to head home...on a Friday night...on the "sketchy" line.  It was interesting, to say the least.

Saturday: Slept in til 9 and it felt GREAT!  I read a book for awhile and spent some time talking with Karla.  After lunch, Sherry, Megan, Karla, Julianna (another NWC girl) and I all went to Target.  It was HUGE.  It had an escalator to the 2nd floor with a special little "ramp" so you could take your cart up and down with you.  We also stopped at Jewel (the grocery store) to grab a few things and then headed back to our apartment. Some other Chicago Semester girls called us and invited us to go out to supper with them at a little Italian restaurant called La Scarola.  We got semi-lost/confused on the way there but thankfully a really nice lady helped us out.  We made it to the restaurant JUST in time--we almost missed our reservation!!  Karla and I split an entree and it was SO good!

Out for supper!

Sunday:  We (Sherry, Megan, Karla, and I) made the 45 minute journey up to Wrigleyville and went to a new church called Missio Dei.  Betsy went to this church when she was here for Chicago Semester and she recommend that we check it out.  The congregation was almost all college-aged kids.  There were a few older couples but not many.  Worship was amazing!!  It was really loud--the kind where you can sing at the top of your lungs and still not hear yourself.  But I loved it.  It just seemed...real.  Like people actually meant the things they were singing.  Next there was a 5 minute "get to know each other" time.  I talked to a guy from California that's going to Northwestern here in Chicago. When I told him about where I was from he said "I know this probably isn't right but...I'm picturing saloons..."  I had a really hard time not laughing at him :)  I told him that the town closet to me has a post office and one business and he just couldn't even fathom it.  I always knew people thought of South Dakota as the middle of nowhere but this just confirmed it.  The actual church service wasn't like their typical services.  They were doing 5 baptisms that day so instead of a normal sermon we just talked about the meaning and importance of baptism.  We then watched 5 people get baptized and finished the church service with some more amazing worship.  I spent the rest of the day reading for class and doing laundry.

Monday:  Back to work.  I started the day with another hour of nothing to do.  At 9:30 I sat in on a conference call and then a meeting.  Then from 11 til 12:20ish I did, you guessed it, NOTHING.  I decided to  take my hour lunch then and spent some time reading a book and trying not to think about how upset I was about this entire internship experience.  I was more than frustrated.  After lunch, though, I finally got some work.  We send out little flip books to our clients every quarter so I had to update documents and organize them all in order to get them ready for printing.  Brian, another coworker, had a project for me too.  They send out a newsletter to all their clients periodically and in this newsletter they are going to be telling their clients which stocks they recommend removing from their portfolios and which ones they recommend adding. But they have to justify their recommendation for adding them so I was given the task of doing a little research on each of the stocks and doing a short write up for each of them.  I didn't really know what I was doing and was really nervous to show Brian what I had come up with but thankfully he said that what I had done was exactly what he was looking for!  After work, since it was SO nice outside (50 degrees!), I decided to walk the 2 miles back to my apartment.  It was a WONDERFUL way to wind down the work day and help me relax after a mildly frustrating day.  I wish it was this nice EVERY day so that I could always walk home!  I spent the rest of this evening doing some more reading for class on Wednesday...yay.

One Foot in the 'Real World'

I was expecting this semester to be mainly focused on my internship but after having my first day of classes yesterday, I'm a little overwhelmed.  I'm taking an Arts in the City class which should be pretty fun except for the paper writing I have to do...and the "creating your own masterpiece" final.  I'm also taking Diversity & Inequality.  This one is going to require a lot of reading and some paper writing too.  We are also required to be in a Practicum Group.  From what I understand, it's basically a small group of students (I think there are 8 in my group) that meet for an hour and a half each week to talk about our experiences--class, internship, city living, etc.  I have to do a weekly journal/paper for this.  All in all, I have right around 30 "papers" to write before the end of April. Plus all the reading I'm also required to do.  I think I'm going to be glad classes are only once a week!!!  I feel like I have one foot in the 'real world' with my internship starting but I'm also still stuck in the 'school world' too...not my favorite feeling.

My internship started today.  If you know me, you know I like to be early.  I HATE being late.  My supervisor said that work starts at 8:30.  My Practicum Group Leader told us to be there 10 or 15 minutes early.  And I, of course, didn't want to be "late" by showing up 10 minutes early so I made sure I had PLENTY of time to get there.   ...I showed up 25 minutes early.  Overachiever? ...I guess so.  I got out of the elevators on the 37th floor and all the lights in the office were turned off and the doors were locked.  So there I stood, the new intern, pacing around the elevators waiting for someone to show up to let me in on my first day of work.  My supervisor showed up a few minutes later saving me from embarrassing myself in front of all my new coworkers.

My first project for the day was inputting data into an Excel spreadsheet...rather mundane and tedious.  A group of the guys and my supervisor took me out for lunch for my first day of work.  It was interesting and definitely showed me that I'm not in South Dakota or Iowa anymore!  After an hour lunch break with them I'm finally starting to be able to tell when they are joking and when they're not...but not always.  After lunch I started working on another project.  This time I was basically checking data between two documents and making changes as needed.  I was asked to sit in on a conference call with Morningstar for about an hour and a half while the guys asked questions about a new program they are considering purchasing.  I sat there with a blank stare on my face for most of it and looked out the window.  I was still listening!! I just didn't know what they were talking about so an hour and a half of that got a little old.  I left at 5 and took a bus home.  I had a mild panic attack when I realized the display on the bus that tells you which stop is next, was broken...and I had no idea where I was.  Thankfully I was sitting next to a very nice lady who helped me out.  She happened to be getting off at the same stop that I was looking for so she told me to just 'follow her lead' :)

Megan, Karla, Sherry, and I are going to end the evening with a movie and hopefully get to sleep semi-early.  Another big day tomorrow!

Officially an Intern!

This morning I met with a Chicago Semester staff person to make my final decision about my internship.  She started off by having me tell her what I did and didn't like about the two sites I interviewed at.  She then told me that BMO Harris (my 2nd choice) was very interested in having me as an intern and she told me all the positive feedback they had said about me--this was definitely a self-esteem booster!  Next came the part I was nervous for.  She said that since two different Chicago Semester students had interviewed at MainStreet Advisors (my 1st choice), they had asked MSA which student was their first choice.  Turns out, they liked me! I was their first choice for an intern.  Once I was given the "go ahead" I had to make my acceptance and rejection phone calls...not my favorite thing to do!  Both calls went well though and I am now officially an intern at MainStreet Advisors!

Moving In

Yesterday was move in day.  We checked out of the hotel and then carried our backpacks, purses, and 40 lb suitcases 4 blocks (1/2 mile) to the el.  After a short ride on the el we had another 2 block walk to our apartments.  We went to our respective apartments and began rearranging our furniture and unloading our suitcases.  We made a trip to the grocery store (also 2 blocks away) and stocked up on some necessities.  Megan's parents got here in the early afternoon and we brought the rest of our stuff up.  We spent the rest of the day unpacking and setting up our rooms just how we wanted them.  Karla's and my room is on the north side of the building and our room stays really warm.  Megan and Sherry's room, on the other hand, is on the south side of the building and they have QUITE the draft.  It's like they have the AC on at the same time as the heat.

Megan's parents have a hotel 1 block from our apartment so we're all hanging out in there room right now so that we can use their internet.  The internet guy is hopefully coming to our apartment on Monday.

Well, here are some pictures of our room!

Free Day!

 Sherry started her student teaching today and Megan had an interview at 10 AM so Karla and I decided the smartest thing to do was to sleep in! I think we made the right choice :)  Once Megan got back from her interview, Karla, Megan and I went exploring.  We had lunch at the Corner Bakery--I think that's the third time I've eaten there now...I need to branch out a bit.  After lunch we walked to the Art Institute where we were able to get in FREE because we are now officially Chicago RESIDENTS!!!  We spent some time looking around but not nearly as much as I would have liked.  I think I'll be spending many more hours there.  We walked through Millenium Park did the typical tourist thing and took pictures at The Bean.

After The Bean we were thoroughly frozen so we went across the street for some Starbucks coffee (hot chocolate for Karla) and a chance to warm up.

We didn't want to walk all the way back to the hotel in cold (even though it was only 5 or 6 blocks away) so we waited for a bus in cold instead.  I think we probably could have made it back to the hotel in the amount of time that we ended up waiting for the bus but I think it made us all the more thankful to be on the nice warm bus once we finally got there.  At the hotel we each packed up one of our suitcases to take to our new apartments.  Move-in day isn't until tomorrow but we were told we could bring luggage to the apartment anytime we wanted.  We figured it would be easier to take one at a time on the el rather than trying to take two suitcases, a purse, and a backpack all at the same time.  Megan and Sherry have suitcases with wheels and a handle so they got to pull there's but, lucky me, I had to carry mine!  I was exhausted by the time we finally made it to the apartment.  I'm glad I only had to take one suitcase!  We brought up our luggage and spent some time talking about possible arrangements for our furniture. Here's a picture of our apartment building.  I'll post some of our apartment once we get moved in and settled.

                                            

Chicago Semester had a catered Mexican supper for us tonight and had a few final announcements to make since this was the last time we would all be in the same room together until the final "Goodbye Party" at the end of the semester.  

Now I'm back at the hotel relaxing and winding down the day. 

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but we have been staying in a really nice hotel, Hotel Allegro.  

Well, that's all for today. I'll hopefully be posting apartment pictures tomorrow!!

Decisions, Decisions!

Interview Day!

Megan and I met at the Corner Bakery to get some breakfast and to do some last minute practicing for our 10 AM interviews. It helped to calm my nerves a bit.  I then started my trek to my first interview at BMO Harris Bank.  It wasn't terribly far...maybe 4 or 5 blocks.  I was FREEZING by the time I got there though and had some pretty nice blisters thanks to wearing heels!  I also got a little lost...went about a block and a half out of my way and had a mild panic attack because I thought I was going to be late.  In the end, of course, I was just fine and still showed up 10 minutes early, as instructed.  I was taken up to the 24th floor.  One of my interviewers showed me around the floor and briefly explained what each team did. We then met in a small office with another guy and started my interview.  They asked all the standard questions plus about a million other ones. Once they finished drilling me they proceeded to tell me all the reasons that I should intern with them instead of other places in Chicago.      Going into this interview I had a negative attitude about it, but afterwards I actually kind of liked it. 

My second interview was at MainStreet Advisors.  I LOVED the atmosphere there.  I felt like people were really friendly and the general appearance of the office was more aesthetically pleasing.  I first interviewed with 2 younger guys who briefly told me about the company and asked just a couple questions.  They then sent in my supervisors who was slightly more formal about the interview process but not much.  He told me a little more about the company and gave me a very general idea about what my internship would entail.  

Now that both my interviews are done I have to start weighing the pros and cons of each and decide which one I want to spend the next 3.5 months interning at.  At this point I'm completely torn between the two.  I think I'll need to do a little more research on the two companies and do a lot of praying.  I meet with a Chicago Semester staff member on Monday to discuss my two possible internship sites and they will help me make a final decision.  

Later in the afternoon Karla, my roommate, and I had an appointment at our apartment to choose which floor/room we will be living in and we signed our lease and wrote our first rent checks!  Man, Chicago is EXPENSIVE!  We will be living in a little studio apartment on the 5th floor with the view of a roof and the windows of another building...pretty exciting stuff!  

This evening was a pizza party at the Chicago Semester offices.  We had Giordano's pizza--the deep dish Chicago style pizza.  It was alright...I think it would have been better if it had been hot instead of lukewarm :)  

Tomorrow is a free day for me.  Some people still have interviews tomorrow--I was one of the lucky ones who had them both today and got them over with!!  Since I'm done I get to spend the day doing whatever my little heart desires!  Karla, Megan, and I will probably explore the city a little.

Uptown Girl...at least I almost was

Lectures, lectures, and more lectures filled most of the morning.  We got tips on interviewing, how to get around the city, and were told a little more about possible housing options.  For lunch we were broken into small groups and sent out on our own to find food.  The Chicago Semester staff had given us a list of cheaper restaurants in the surrounding areas but we decided to just venture out and see if we could find something on our own.  After walking about 2 blocks we decided it was too cold so we just picked one from the list and went there.  Thankfully it was only a block away and as soon as we saw the name, we knew we had chosen the right place to get away from the cold. Cosi!  And cozy it was!  It was nice and warm inside and it gave us a chance to warm up a bit before heading back out into the snow.  It was a soup/sandwich place and I actually really enjoyed it.

After lunch was the housing lottery. This was the big part of the day that I was most nervous for.  Megan, Karla, Sherry and I were really hoping to get into the Wheaton apartments farther north in Uptown (this the title of this blog) for several reasons: rent is cheaper, it's bigger, it's fully furnished (including kitchen stuff), internet is free, there's a washer and dryer in the unit and it's included in rent, and a few other reason.  But, I guess God had other plans for us.  The 3 available 6-person apartments filled up so we ended up breaking into twos.  Karla and I will now be living in a studio apartment together in Gold Coast.  Move in day is on Friday!!!

I had a practice interview this afternoon with a Chicago Semester staff member and they gave me pointers on things to fix before my interviews tomorrow.  It was pretty helpful and it also made me a little less nervous for tomorrow.  We also had a little time this afternoon to do some research on our possible internship sites.

For supper we were, once again, broken into small groups.  This time we were given the name and address of a restaurant and we had to lead a staff member to the restaurant without their help.  If we made it there successfully they would pay for our meal! My group ate at a little Mexican restaurant called Nuevo Leon.

The rest of the evening was free time and I decided to just spend some time alone in order to relax and hopefully get some sleep!

My interviews tomorrow are at 10 AM and 2 PM. If you have time, say a quick prayer for me! I'd really appreciate it! Tomorrow afternoon Karla and I will go tour our apartment and sign the lease papers.  Other than that, the day is open for us to explore the city!!

So It Begins!

Well today has been an interesting day.  Up at 5:45 AM--a time of day with which I hope to not get too familiar!--on the road to the airport at 7, into Chicago by 12:15, and to the hotel by 2.  Everything went surprisingly well. All of our luggage showed up at the airport and we were all very thankful! We bought tickets to take the L to the hotel because $2.25/person sounded MUCH better than $15/person :)  Thankfully the L wasn't  busy so we had no trouble getting on and off when we needed to.  I'm thinking that might be a whole different story when we move from the hotel into our apartments!  I will admit that getting from the airport, to the L, to the hotel was mildly stressful when there were four of us that each had slightly different ideas about how to do things.  Luckily, I really like these girls, so we worked through it and managed not to kill each other :D
Once at the hotel Karla and Sherry were able to check into their rooms. Megan and I, on the other hand, were told there was a problem or something with our rooms so we wouldn't be able to check in til a little after 3.  Well, orientation started at 3...so we (Megan and I) kept our bags in Karla's room and in Sherry's room til we were able to check in. We did orientation stuff like getting to know people/staff and talked about policies/procedures until 5:30 and then headed out for supper.  We were broken into groups of seven and had a leader who took us to a restaurant.  As my group left the restaurant my leader asked if any of us at taken the L before; I told him I had taken in from the airport to the hotel this morning. He then proceeded to tell me that I would be in charge on the way back to the hotel then because he wouldn't be taking us back!  He wasn't joking!  He seriously walked us back to the L and said goodnight!  But we all got back safe and sound :)   Quite honestly, I think it was a good thing he did that.  It made me a little more confident about my abilities to navigate this city!!  After supper we had more orientation and found out where we will be interviewing.  I have an interview at BMO Harris Bank and at MainStreet Advisors.  I then have until Monday to make a final decision as to which site I would prefer to intern at.
The most important thing on the agenda tomorrow is HOUSING.  We are really really REALLY hoping to get into one of the 6-person apartments!  The housing lottery is 1:30-2:30 tomorrow and we are praying that one of our names is drawn first!!  We found two other great girls that want to live with us so we are really hoping it works out!
Well, I need to do a bit of reading and then some interview preparation--I have practice interviews tomorrow--so I think I'll call it a night.  One day down, 102 to go!  I think this is going to be great semester!

The Start of Something New

The "official" countdown on my computer says I have 4 days, 15 hours, and 6 minutes until I plan to leave my house and head off on this new adventure!  As of today I have bought most of the things I will need...at least I think so.  If I ever actually get around to packing I'm sure I'll think of plenty more that I still need to buy!
Up until last week, whenever someone would ask if I was excited for Chicago my answer was unfailingly "No".  That's starting to change though!  For about the past week I have been getting a little more excited every day.  I am, of course, still incredibly nervous about various things but I know that overall, this is going to be one amazing semester.  I get to spend 3.5 months in Chicago with the 3 best roommates I could have ever asked for...plus a bunch of other Chicago Semesterers!  I know that no matter what happens, God has got some big plans in store for me.  This will definitely be a growing experience for me...and I'm ready!