It's been a whole month...

I have officially been in the city for one month. I can't believe how fast the time went by. I've learned so much about public transportation (I can actually get places by myself!!) and about the city so far. I've made some really wonderful friends and I've seen some amazing things. It will be wonderful when the weather gets better...

This week was busy, but very interesting. I had two days of internship (Monday and Wednesday). Wednesday I was on my own because both of my supervisors were away at a conference. I had to supervise T-GRO in the afternoon, the third grade tutoring program. It was quite hectic picking up nine very energetic third graders from school. I started my senior seminar project on Monday, which is a wonderful feeling! Tuesday we went to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless for Seminar. We watched a very interesting documentary, made by the Coalition, about prostitution and homelessness. We went to visit the Alliance of Local Service Organizations in Logan Square for Precept. They talked to us about a campaign called CeaseFire. This campaign is about ending gang violence. They have a very interesting approach. The organization has hired outreach workers who are former gang members and have spent time in prison for gang related homicide. These men are now out of prison and working to reach out to the gang leaders and other members and to talk to them about non-violence. It is very interesting work and a great example of someone who has made wrong choices trying to reach out to others before they make the same choices. Today for Precept we visited the Alderman. He was very nice and gave us a great lecture about his duties and his background.

Tomorrow after Core Course I am taking the Metra to Bruce's house for the weekend. Bruce will not be there, unfortunately, but I am very excited to spend a relaxing weekend with his parents. I won't have much homework to do, but I'll try to work a little.

The weekend is over...

Yesterday was a homework day. I did sleep in, but I did homework all afternoon. I got quite a bit done; however, I am starting my field notes for senior sem tomorrow so I will have enough to do this week.

We went to Trinity UCC this morning for Core Course. It is an all African-American church with over 6000 members. It was everything I expected...huge choir (all wearing traditional African clothing- very colorful), lots of singing and clapping, "hallelujahs" and "Amens," rousing sermon, and hugs, lot of hugs. Service started at 11a.m. Luckily we got there early and got a seat in the balcony- so we could see everything that went on. Service ended at 1:45p.m...yes, church was almost three hours long! It was an interesting experience and I am glad that we got to go.

Heidi and I made tacos for dinner...yum. We were watching the Oscars and trying to finish our assigned readings...not working out so well. I decided to call Bruce instead. He is going to call me back in a little while, though. I am missing my family and Bruce a lot today. I can't wait to see Bruce in just TWO more weeks and my family for Easter! I am enjoying my time in Chicago, but the "newness" has worn off and now it's just a regular day of going to class and work, except made more frustrating by the CTA. Hopefully my internship will be very interesting and I will look forward to going. I am not looking forward to getting up at 5:30a.m to be at work by 8a.m. :(

A great start to the weekend

After a rocky start to the day (an arguement with my roommate over the dishes), it ended up being a very nice day. For the morning session of Core Cours we went to Boystown and spoke with the unofficial "mayor" of Boystown. We had a very interesting conversation about the LGBT community. Heidi and I went back to our apartment for a quick lunch and then went to the Urban Studies Office for the afternoon session of Core. We had discussion about our morning session and then participated in an activity called "stand and declare." We did this before and I really enjoy. A question is posed and then we must declare where we stand on that issue...strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Once we are all where we want to be, we debate the issue. I really enjoy voicing my opinion as well as listening to the opinions of others.

After class today, I met one of Bruce's best friends from his high school (also a friend of mine), Anthony, and his girlfriend, Ashley. I met them at Navy Pier. We walked around a bit and then went to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp...what a great restauarant!! It was really nice to see Anthony and to meet Ashley. I really needed some time away from the people in the program and to connect with someone who knows people I know and knows something about me, before I moved to Chicago. I've actually only met Anthony a couple of times, but tonight it was as if we had been friends forever. Anthony is such a nice guy...he even paid for my dinner tonight. Thanks, Anthony!! I have really wonderful friends...

Not going as planned...

Today is not going as I expected at all. I woke up at 5:30a.m in order to make my bus at 6:37a.m to go to my internship. I was on time; however, my bus never came. After waiting for almost 20 minutes, I decided to walk to the blue line station and try to transfer to the purple line train going north. I got stuck behind a man on the escalator and ended up missing the purple line by just a few seconds. I was trying to wait patiently on the platform, but got a little anxious when I saw so many other trains go by. I've never taken the purple line so I didn't know how many trains actually run. I was thinking about taking the brown line back to Fullerton to get the red line, but decided to wait a little longer. While I was waiting in the cold, I got a phone call from my boss. She is sick today and told me I didn't have to go into work until noon. At that exact moment a purple line train came by. I didn't get on and instead waited for another brown line train to take me home. Luckily, there was a bus waiting at the stop when I got off the train, otherwise I would have taken a cab.

I am really frustrated. I am NEVER late for important things, but I have to rely on public transportation that may or may not come. I planned to be early to my internship today so that I could show them that I am reliable and responsible, since I was almost late to my interview. I hope that my next trip to my internship will be better. I plan to leave at 10a.m to allow plenty of time to get there.

It is Amanda's birthday today so we are all planning to go to the House of Blues for dinner. I hope I get off work in time to go with everyone.

Shedd Aquarium...for FREE!!

Besides the rain, yesterday was a beautiful day! Church lasted for two hours! It was amazing, though. I really enjoy going to the Humboldt Park United Methodist Church. Everyone is so friendly and helpful...and I'll learn Spanish if it kills me. The services are all in Spanish and those few who only speak English must wear a headset to hear the translation. Going to this church really makes me feel like I'm home in Logan Square.

I found out this morning that the Shedd Aquarium is free this week only. Heidi and I decided to skip our homework and go to the Aquarium instead. We had so much fun wandering around. We saw so many neat fish. My favorite (of course) were the seahorses. I'm really not sure why they fascinate me, but they do. :) One of the best exhibits was the huge ocean reef. There was a huge sea turtle and even a shark! I plan to go back when Sam visits...we'll buy tickets and get to see the whales and dolphins, too. The free tickets today were only general admission.

On our way back from the Aquarium we stopped to buy a cake mix and frosting for Amanda's birthday on Wednesday. It will be fun to celebrate her birthday with her.

Check out all of my Chicago pictures so far by following this link...
http://ripon.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011379&l=50315&id=113800241

A weekend downtown

The end of the week was almost as good as the beginning. We had an interesting speaker yesterday in Core Course. He spoke to us about immigration. In the afternoon we all went to the Mexican Fine Art Museum. It is a nice museum, but a lot smaller than I expected. I was glad that we didn't have a tour guide; we just got to wander around. I planned to stay home last night and work on some homework (lame!!), but later in the evening, around 9:30, Dana called to see if I wanted to go over to the other Logan Square apartment and watch a movie. It took some convincing, but I went and had a lot of fun. We watched "Mean Girls" and chatted. Gladis and Amanda walked me home at about 12:30a.m. Much too late!!

Amanda and I went downtown this afternoon. We went to the Field Museum first. It is a very interesting place and we probably didn't see half of it. The really great thing was that it is free all through February! After the Field Museum we went to Millenium Park to see the ice sculptures. It wasn't what I expected, but it was still a neat thing to see. Also, I had never been to Millenium Park, so it was nice to see that area of downtown. After we were finished at Millenium Park, we got on a bus to go back to Washington Street. Amanda pointed out the Tribune Building, so we decided to get off the bus and check it out. It is a really interesting building and I'm so glad we decided to take a little detour. The Tribune Building has bricks and stones from buildings around the world and all over the United States. Each of the bricks or stones stick out from the main building and have a plaque near them stating where they are from. I found a brick that was from the White House and a stone from Paris! It was so amazing to see pieces of buildings from all over the world on one building!

After we were finished looking at the Tribune Building we got on another bus. We were actually trying desperately to find a Jimmy John's for dinner. The bus we got on did not stop before going on Lake Shore Drive so we accidently ended up in Wrigleyville. On our way to the red line station we found a Jamba Juice, my favorite! Of course we had to stop there. Dana had called us earlier asking if she could meet us for dinner. She called to tell us that she was downtown waiting for us while we were getting our drinks so we had to tell her what happened. We finally made it back downtown and finally found a Jimmy John's. Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, my dinner was free tonight. :) After dinner, the three of us wandered into a couple of stores. Dana decided it was time to leave for the theater (she went to see "RENT") and called a cab. Amanda and I took the train home.

I had such a nice day. It was beautiful outside- sunny and not too cold. It was also really nice to spend time with Amanda outside of class. What a fun day we had together!

My thoughts and prayers are with the students, staff, and faculty at NIU.

What a day...and week

This week has been very interesting. Monday I had an interview with Women and Girls CAN. I'm not sure if I was actually even offered an internship with them, but it just wasn't a good fit from my perspective. My seminar was supposed to attend eviction court Tuesday morning, but the courts were closed because of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. We ended up riding the blue line all the way to downtown and then all the way back. I had a very unproductive day yesterday. Last night we met with a woman from Iraqi Veterans Against the War. It was actually a very interesting discussion.

I had an interview with Family Matters Chicago today. My interview was originally at noon, but I got a phone call from the office (while I was already on the train) that my interview was pushed back to 1:30. I got off the red line and transferred to the brown line and went to the Urban Studies Office to kill some time. I left with plenty of time to make it to my interview. I took the red line all the way to the end (Howard). I got off the train and began walking to my interview. I got so turned around and ended up blocks away from the building. I frantically called the office and Mary was nice enough to guide me over the phone to where I was supposed to be. She also called the internship to tell them that I was going to be a little late. I felt like crying as I wandered the streets looking for the particular street. I finally made it to the building. I apologized when I walked in and the ladies I met with were very understanding (luckily for me). I was asked a few questions in my interview and they pretty much knew I wanted to work for them. My main project will be with the Parent Room. I will be recruiting parents for the programs that are offered through this organization. I might be doing some tutoring in the school and also at their office after school. I will also be putting together publicity. I think I'll be doing a little of everything, which is fine with me. I was feeling really good when I got done and yes, I made it back to the train station just fine. I boarded the red line to go back and was sitting comfortably when a man entered my car from the car behind us (I was facing his direction). He walked into my car and stood right behind my seat facing the way I was. He asked everyone if they knew what had happened on the other train. Of course, he had my attention. Then he introduced himself and said he had just been released from a ten year sentence at the state prison. By this point I literally thought I was going to die. I thought for sure he was angry about his situation and was about to take it out on everyone on this train. He began to ask for money- I gave him a little change just so he would leave. I was so scared. I made it to the Fullerton stop safely and boarded the bus. Well, I was going back to my apartment the same time that schools were being dismissed. I ended up sitting next to this bratty middle schooler who kept elbowing me while he was eating Doritos. I began to get annoyed and was thinking about what I would do to him if he got Doritos on my new jacket or nice pants. Luckily, we got to my stop before any of that occurred.

Heidi, Amanda, and I did laundry at the laundromat. We just missed the bus on the way there, but I prayed that our bus would be outside when we left the laundromat and it was! Prayers really are answered! I am a little annoyed with one of my other apartmentmates. She asked me if I was going to watch movies with everyone in Uptown Friday night. I told her I might not go just because I have a lot of work to get done since I now have almost a two hour commute each way to my internship. That doesn't leave a lot of time to actually do anything productive on those days. She told me that I should go because my roommate, Jessica, is having her fiance up this weekend. Katie thinks that Jessica should have the entire apartment to herself. Actually she told me that I should leave because everyone else would give me the same respect when my boyfriend comes to visit. I really think that I should not have to leave if I don't want to. I live here, too and I have a lot of work to get done. It just annoyed me that she would say that.

Overall, I've had a really good day. I have experienced many emotions today, but I got an internship!!! And, I don't have class until 10:30 tomorrow, although I do wish I could spend Valentine's Day with my special someone. :) (SEE BELOW)

Brutally Honest

Okay, I am going to be brutally honest. I am having a difficult time transitioning to my new city life. I have some really good days and some really not so good days. This weekend was especially difficult. I had nothing to do...I know I really shouldn't say that since I am living in Chicago. The weather was awful today so I couldn't really go anywhere, not to mention the fact that I don't feel confident enough in my ability to use the CTA by myself to actually have the urge to go anywhere. I don't really have any homework yet. I did the readings for my classes, but I can't start my senior sem until I get an internship, which will hopefully happen this week. It is hard for me to sit around all day and have nothing to occupy my time. It is so much different than being in Ripon. I am also really missing my friends and family today.

With all that said, I am going to have a good attitude about this week. There are new and interesting adventures that await me...I just have to bundle up and get out there to find them.

Field Trips Everyday??

Classes are much different here than on campus. We rarely have a "normal" college class. Most of our classes take place around the city. For Precept yesterday we went on a walking tour of Logan Square. It was nice to finally see our neighborhood. Last night my Seminar went to a "Women in Hip-Hop" performance/lecture sponsored by Columbia College. I'm not really a hip-hop kind of girl, but a performance by Soulflower really spoke to me. It was really interesting to hear the performers speak on women in hip-hop and the messages that hip-hop sends to the world. Today was Core Course. We went on a bus tour this morning. We saw many landmarks in the city, such as Barack Obama's house, the housing projects, and the church that wouldn't allow Martin Luther King, Jr. to enter when he was in Chicago. After the bus tour a few of my friends and I went to a small restaurant in Hyde Park call the Dixie Kitchen. We had some really amazing Louisiana cousine. For our afternoon session, we took a guided tour of the DuSable Museum. This museum gave us a look at African American history. After class, Heidi and I took the red line and then the bus back to our apartment. We went over to the other Logan Square apartment to visit friends this evening.

I also found out that I got two interviews for two different internships. I am happy to finally have an interview; however, I was a little sad when I found out that neither of them were ones that were on my list. I am going to keep an open mind and maybe one of these will be better for me anyway (I'm feeling much better after talking to my mom about this).

Tomorrow, Heidi and I are going to the produce market, the bakery, and a new grocery store. We plan to have a quiet weekend, which will be nice with the nasty weather we're going to get. Good thing I have my winter boots!

A new home

I know this is my third post today, but today was my first "all good" day in Chicago. Tonight's church service was amazing. Heidi and I went to the Humboldt Park United Methodist Church. We were warmly greeted by everyone and it really felt like home. The services are mostly in Spanish, but the Pastor translated to English just for us tonight. I am so happy that we have a place to feel welcome and safe in this new neighborhood.

On my own

I woke up this morning and decided that today would be the day that I finally would venture out by myself. I called my uncle and took the bus to visit him. I am so proud of myself for not getting lost. I also got to see my uncle and he took me out for lunch. Besides the blizzard, today has been a pretty good day.

Waiting

Waiting is the new word of the semester. I seem to wait for everything here. I waited for 35 minutes in the rain last night for the bus to come. (FYI: Buses= Bad, Trains= Good.) I am still waiting to hear about an interview for an internship. Patience is not one of my strongest skils, so I'm having a very difficult semester so far. I have been very stressed and not in the greatest of moods lately. Hopefully things will get better very soon.

P.S. I have realized that I am NOT a city-girl and I won't pretend to be one anymore.

Weekend Adventures

My roommates and I have decided to try to see one neighborhood each weekend. This weekend was Chinatown and it was amazing! We spent all Saturday afternoon exploring the shops and then had an awesome dinner. I bought a wok in Chinatown and made stir fry in it for dinner tonight. Actually, that was probably the main reason we went. It was really nice to hang out with my roommates and a couple girls from the other Logan Square apartment. I slept in on Sunday and then went to a Superbowl party. We had lots of good food and watched the game. (I had to cheer for the Giants because they beat the Packers). For class today, we all went to the Chicago History Museum. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. Probably the best part was the exhibit about the World's Fair. I read a book entitled "The Devil in the White City" which was all about the World's Fair. It was really cool to see things that I read about. After the museum, Heidi and I went to the laundromat to do laundry. It was my first experience paying to do my laundry and it went better than we planned. It's a block past the California stop on the blue line, so not too far to walk. We did take the bus to the laundromat, but walked back to the apartment. It ended up being much cheaper (and took much less time) to do laundry there than in our apartment. We only have one washer and dryer and they're in the creepy basement. Heidi and I have decided that it's worth the walk. We have a CAPS meeting tonight for precept. It's a neighborhood meeting where residents can let the police know what kinds of things are going on in the neighborhood. It should be interesting. I still have not gotten an interview for an internship and it makes me kind of nervous. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

Small Victories

We had our first core course yesterday. I think I am really going to enjoy classes here because they are so hands-on and interactive. After we got home, my roommate Jessica and I went to a small produce market right off the blue line (only a couple of blocks from our apartment). We were surprised and so happy to find amazing produce for so cheap! The Dominick's that we usually go to has awful produce and it's very expensive. Right across from Emilio's, the produce market is a Mexican Bakery where everything is very inexpensive, but still very good. We spent a little money there and will probably return. I was happy to find this because I went to one in Pilsen when we went on our field trips on Monday, but Pilsen is quite the train ride away. We ate dinner and then Jessica, Katie, Amanda, and I went to Uptown to hang out with people from the program. We ended up staying a lot later than we expected and didn't get home until 12:30a.m. We are going to Chinatown this afternoon and I am really excited!!