"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." - Forrest Gump's Mom
No offense to Momma Gump, but I think her quote needs to be changed to be more accurate. It should read. "Living in Chicago is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." Seriously though. Let me just describe my most recent trip downtown to you. I needed to walk down Lake Street to get to my destination. But, alas! It was closed off for the filming of an Indian movie called "Doom 3." They were filming a street chase scene as I passed by involving a motorcycle. There were huge cranes and cameras everywhere! So I walked over a block to Randolph Street. And I turned the corner right into a mass of people all participating in a protest called "Slut Walk." I was literally stumbling about in a mass of scantily clad people trying to escape (picture Viola from "She's the Man" in the marching band). It was an interesting day to say the least.
I visited Chinatown for the first time last weekend and had another "chocolate box experience." Can we all just agree that the stereotype of Chinatown is ripoff purses, sweet and sour chicken, and samurais meditating? What I never expected to find was a Chinese Christian bookstore on the main strip in the neighborhood! It was filled with Bibles and devotionals and children's books all written in Chinese. How stinkin cool is that!
My weekends are filled with fun excursions all throughout the city, but my weeks are BUSY. Crazy busy. Let me just say how hard it has been transitioning to the 9to5 life. Sometimes I just want to take a nap or eat a snack in the middle of the day. But I can't. Because I'm working. For 8 hours straight. And then there is the homework. Thankfully, Chicago Semester classes are really more experiential learning focused versus the typical lecture/reading style. We go on lots of field trips! It's like grade school all over again! Only better. We've been to the Hellenistic Museum, done a walking architectural tour of the Loop, and visited several historic churches downtown so far. Still there is homework. It might not seem like a lot, but it always sneaks up on me!
