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!!