Chicago. Wow. It’s what I
expected, but not what I expected at all. Where do I even begin?
The beginning sounds like a good place to start: I moved into my hotel-esque
studio apartment on Sunday afternoon and since then I haven’t had much of a
chance to catch my breath; it ran away from me somewhere on the corner of E. Adams
St. and S. State Street. We hope to reunite in a cozy corner of Barnes and
Nobles (only a block away) sometime this weekend. Monday was filled with
orientation and ice-breaker exercises (just like freshmen WOW week all over
again, only without the face paint and tug-of-war), Tuesday was filled with more
orientation, followed by an interview at Greater North Michigan Ave.
Association, and today was just one interview at Easter Seals in the
Sears/Willis Tower. I have one more interview tomorrow and then I will have to
make a decision. So much seems to be happening at one time, but I know it will
all pay off soon!
The internships at Easter Seals
and GNMAA are pretty neck-and-neck right now, which is good and bad. I wish
there was a clear winner, but I suppose it’s good that I like both in case I
get placed at one of them without having the option to choose. I guess I
shouldn’t make my decision too soon – I still have one more interview tomorrow!
Let’s hope I don’t get lost – again.
One thing that is boggling my
mind about Chicago is how anyone got around this town before the helpful hand
of a smart phone! I’m confident that maps didn’t help much because as far as I’m
concerned, my map would better serve as toilet paper or a nice bed for a stray
dog. Or maybe I’m just so reliant on my iphone map app that a real map has
become like reading hieroglyphics. Seriously, though, there’s no way I’m
whipping out that 5’ by 5’ thing on a street corner or on a bus. My iphone will
serve me just fine, thank you very much (ignore the fact that it’s gotten me lost
twice already…it’s gotten me “found” about 10 times, so there!).
On to the neighborhood: I live in
the Gold Coast neighborhood, which is pretty nice/sometimes sketchy/really
rich/not very rich/close to the lake/close to the El/VERY close to
Starbucks/not far from Michigan Avenue/fill-in-the-blank. There are several restaurants, bars,
coffee shops, and OH, I can’t forget the strip club right around the corner!
All in all, it’s not a bad place to live, considering many other places to live
in Chicago. There are a lot of young people around here and the El is packed
full of young-ish business men and women during the morning rush hour –
literally packed full like a can of vertical sardines.
Overall, I think I am enjoying
myself here. While there is a lot of adjusting to do yet and I'm beginning to really miss palm trees and
blue skies, I know this is good for me. I’ve done some exploring and have
gotten the chance to hang out with Dordt students who I never really hung out
with before, so it’s been fun! I think a little bit of Michigan Ave. shopping
and dining is in my near future, once this crazy week settles down a bit.
I’ll keep you avid readers
updated on my internship situation. Whatever it will be, I’m sure I’ll enjoy
it!
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