The Opportunity of a Lifetime

by Nikki Howard

Happy December, readers!

And Unhappy Last Day to all of my fellow CS students. We had our farewell party on Wednesday, and I’m pretty sure I can speak for everyone when I say that we’re stunned at how fast this semester has gone. It’s amazing how we’ve all changed in these three and a half months.

In August, I was convinced that at some point I would get myself so lost even the internet couldn’t save me. In September, I decided to go visit a recommended coffee shop on a whim, so I got on the Brown Line for the first time. Now, I barely use the transit app that I was glued to for that first month. Getting lost was one of my top worries, so it’s amazing how anticlimactic it all was.

It left me more time to worry about properly taking it all in, and I made sure to do the best I could.

For one thing, Chicago during the holiday season is honestly so beautiful that I’m actually debating whether I preferred the fall or winter portion more. And for those who don’t know me well, I detest cold weather. I detest hot weather. Fall is the perfect season for me, so this is pretty big.

And to those of you debating whether or not Chicago Semester is something for you, I would recommend yes. Yes, yes, yes. You’ll get an advantage with job searches after college, you’ll get to explore a culturally diverse city to your heart’s content, and you’ll learn so much about yourself. Do you enjoy living in a big city? Are you good at adapting to the situation? Are you comfortable with your internship field? If anything, do it for the food. (Just kidding—maybe. Not really. Everything is so good.)

So, to finish out my last blog post, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you, Chicago Semester, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. Thank you, to my internship site, Open Books, for accepting the awkward quiet me and then the awkward blabbermouth me once I got more comfortable. I’ll miss everyone at my internship and Chicago Semester, and I wish them the absolute best in life. Also, to everyone reading this: visit the Open Books bookstore sometime. It’s amazing.

Thank you for these wonderful months, Chicago—I hope to come back soon!

Nikki

P.S. If someone ever came up to me and asked: What was the worst thing about your time in Chicago? I would have to answer drinking Swedish Christmas Soda. Nowhere near enough sugar. I know American soda is unhealthy, but why’s it gotta taste so good?

So Much To Do; So Little Time

by Nikki Howard

Hello, readers!

All of us students here at Chicago Semester sadly only have about 3 weeks left, and I’ve noticed a trend of slight panic over all the things we haven’t yet done. Chicago is a huge city to explore, and I’m 100% sure there’s always something new to find. I’m trying not to feel too much like I missed out on a lot of things because I know I would never truly get to them all. I mentioned it in my last post, and I’ll say it over and over: Plan out where you want to go and make time for it. Weekends are wonderful for us because it’s a chance to have down time after a busy week, but I know I’ve been lazing about too much during those times. Try to find that balance between relaxing and exploring! Going out and finding a new place to eat is a good way to do that, for example. Or even just find a place to eat dessert if you can’t afford the whole meal. Here’s a delicious cupcake I bought at Molly’s Cupcakes, and they average around $4. It’s a pretty well-known bakery, so that’s not too bad.

When you feel like having a more adventurous day, pick a neighborhood and go visit it. I just happened to visit Chinatown last weekend, and I absolutely loved exploring the area. Which also reminds me—don’t stick to the most advertised street in a neighborhood. Go off the beaten trail a little bit, and you’ll find some hidden gems that many often miss because they stick to the popular streets that have been designed to be tourist-friendly. When you look up Chinatown, for instance, you’re pointed toward the main street that has that big welcome sign over the entrance. It was fun to explore, but I have a feeling if my roommate and I hadn’t wandered away from that street, we might not have enjoyed it as much. We found a lot of the typical tourist shops, of course, but there were also a lot of marketplaces to go into where they had more cultural appropriate things that weren’t modified to fit the American standard.

So don’t be afraid to be your own tour guide if you visit Chicago, and just be safe about it.

Before I end this post, I wanted to include a picture of some lucky cats that have been sitting on the bookcase next to my desk, silently cheering me on. I never really looked at them until after my trip to Chinatown - funny how that works.

5 Things You Should Know About Chicago Semester (and the city)

by Nikki Howard

Hello, readers!

Has fall been passing by so quickly for you all? When I think about how I’m getting down to almost one month left in Chicago, I feel so rushed and nostalgic even though I haven’t left yet. Crazy! Anyway, since I’ve been here for a good amount of time now, I like to think that I have some helpful knowledge of the city. I’m no expert, for sure, but I have definitely had some experiences. So, here’s a list that can help future CS students (or even people visiting Chicago for some points).

Things Nikki Was Not Prepared For:

• The puddles. You know how in the movies sometimes there’s a scene where a car drives by in the rain and causes a huge wave to drench someone? In Chicago, that’s real life. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid those waves by pure luck, but it’s hard sometimes when the buses rush past. Also, rain boots are your best friend. Wearing wet shoes at work all day is not enjoyable.
• The food temptation. If you haven’t heard it before, which I’m sure you have, Chicago has amazing food. You can google great Chicago food and get an endless list, ask colleagues for recommendations, or just explore areas with specific types of food. Everyone has some place to recommend, and it can get overwhelming when you’re trying to keep a budget. Dangerous but delicious.
• The smokers. Honestly, I have never been in a city with such a huge population of smokers, so it has been a bit of a shock. It’s not like that makes me hate the city, though, it’s just something you have to learn to work around. If you’re walking behind a smoker, take a few steps to the left or right so you don’t catch their smoke drift. Cross the street if you can. People have the right to smoke here, but that doesn’t mean you have to expose yourself to it.
• The busy-ness. A previous CS student mentioned a lot about how busy she was during her semester, and I now realized how true her statement was. Our weeks are really a busy schedule: full work day internship, classes on Wednesday, exploring on weekends. It doesn’t seem like that much since it can fit into three points, but they’re definitely extensive activities. Planners and to-do lists are your best friend when you’re trying to organize your time!
• The internship: When you sign up for CS, you usually have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. It’s hard to deviate from that after thinking about it for months beforehand, but I really encourage you future CS students to be open-minded. I went through my three interviews, had two that were more of what I was originally planning to do, but then actually went with the third because there was just something about it that interested me. It’s been an amazing experience because I’ve learned new things that I’m interested in, and also re-affirmed some things I don’t want to do. It’s a wonderful balance of do’s and don’ts for future jobs, which is all I ever wanted.

Those are some of the big things that I’ve learned so far this semester, and I hope they help someone at least! And since I always love to include visuals, I’ll end this update with some photos I’ve taken and captions.

Puerto Rican art from the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture seen during our CS group trip to Humboldt Park

Sugar skulls being sold at the National Museum of Mexican Art for Dia de los Muertos

The beautiful Auditorium Theater where CS saw Joffrey Ballet's Swan Lake

New Month, New Adventures

by Nikki Howard

Happy October, readers!

Chicago has had a very nice fall so far (with the exception of last Saturday’s near winter temps), which has been pretty awesome. During our orientation we were advised to do most of the tourist stuff first, so that’s what a lot of us have done during our first month here. I’ve been to Navy Pier, the Bean, Millennium Park, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, Buckingham Fountain, The Field Museum, and the Art Institute to name a few. Even if they’re considered things for tourists, they’re still a part of Chicago’s history and it’s important for everyone to see and enjoy them! One thing I’ve heard both tourists and natives rave about is the Architecture River Tour, so I decided to try it out a couple weeks ago. The tickets were a bit pricy, but the weather was gorgeous and perfect for a boat ride. After going on it, I’m so happy I decided to take a risk. The tour has been of my favorite things I’ve experienced so far. The city looks beautiful from the river and it’s really fun to get to know more about the buildings you pass all the time.

The coolest thing I learned: there’s one apartment building that has balconies specifically designed to give you the best view possible. It’s been named Aqua because of the wavy look the balconies give it, and it’s just so interesting to look at. Also, it was designed by a very talented female architect named Jeanne Gang, which is awesome in its own way. I would attach a picture, but I was in too much awe to lift my camera. I will include a picture of the Chicago Tribune building, however, because it is such a classic Gothic style that was inspired by French cathedrals. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Chicago, but I also love to look up at that building and imagine I’m in France. 

Another big thing that just happened this weekend is a new tradition called the Great Chicago Fire Festival. It’s a big celebration created to focus on the rebirth of Chicago after the fire and a way to join together the neighborhoods of the city. They had three sculpted buildings to burn in the evening and fireworks to follow. Maybe I lost some of that celebration spirit because I’m not from Chicago, but the idea kind of seemed strange to me. I still wanted to experience it, however, and I wasn’t alone, so a group from Chicago Semester got together to go. Unfortunately, weather wasn’t on the city’s side. It was cold, rainy, and bleak that day, and that rain also got on the sculptures that had been built. Instead of going up into a blaze, they burned slowly in the interior and barely showed on the outside. We watched them for about ten minutes before leaving because of the cold. While our experience wasn’t the best, however, we were witnessing the first festival of this kind to ever be put on. Of course there would be mistakes! If it wasn’t for the rain, everything would have gone a lot better, and next year I’m sure they’ll be more prepared. 

So here’s to new traditions and clear skies!

First Time Living in the Second City

by Nikki Howard

Hello, reader! My name is Nikki, and I’m a student at Briar Cliff University currently attending the fall section of Chicago Semester. I am a Writing and English double major hoping to further my education through an internship and the worldly city of Chicago.

I arrived at my current housing, Canterbury Court Apartments, a couple Sundays ago in the morning to avoid the terrible city traffic. If you’re ever moving into somewhere in a big city, arriving in the morning on a Sunday will give you less stress. Life Tip #1. Anyway, the apartments are small and old-fashioned, but honestly a big step up from dorm living because of the kitchen, closet, and bathroom. The kitchen and bathroom are self-explanatory, but the closet is a pleasant surprise with how large and spacious it is—at least when you’re the only person in it. Two people trying to get dressed in that space is difficult, but one person is a perfect fit. If you can’t tell, I’m pretty excited about the closet.

Moving into the apartment was a breeze because of the awesome staff on hand, so there’s nothing very interesting to re-tell about that. I’m saving you from lots of boring stuff, trust me. We all know how moving into a place is exhausting but exciting at the same time. So after all of that stuff, the Chicago Semester staff and students met for a pizza dinner get together, which is much more fun to talk about. I tried authentic deep dish pizza for the first time, and I also got to meet the people I’ll be hanging out with for the next three months. I thought it was a really nice way to start the new chapter in our lives by experiencing the culture of Chicago and sharing it with others. Overall, it was a pretty brief dinner and meeting, but that was actually really nice after the long day. I still can’t tell if I’m lucky or un-lucky to be on the second floor with a concrete wall view, but the muted outside noises at night definitely benefit my sleep schedule.

The next morning was our first day of orientation, so we all did our best to make it to the Chicago Semester building on time. We were given very detailed directions at the pizza dinner, so overall it was a big success. The first day of orientation was a lot of information about Chicago; how to live in it, how to get around, how to stay safe, and how to get the most out of our experience. If you thought reading that was hard to follow, then imagine a whole day worth of information—and then imagine hard copies of that information being given to us in beautiful folders I like to lovingly call in my head: ‘Everything You Need (and Just Realized You Need) To Know About Chicago Semester And Living In the City.’ It’s long, but it works. I kept that close to me during the whole orientation, and that was the key to successfully learning everything.

While orientation was the main focus for those first few days, I made sure to still get out and familiarize myself with the area. Canterbury Court Apartments is located in a very commercialized part of Chicago, but it’s also comforting in that way because there’s so many familiar things like Walgreens, Starbucks, FedEx, and (my favorite) Barnes and Noble close by. It’s also just a ten minute walk from the main area of shops on Michigan Avenue, which has basically everything. It’s not the heart of the true Chicago experience that we’ve all heard about, but it’s still a large part of the city that is fun to check out, and it’s a good way to start your exploration. 

Exploring the City

by Brett Jasper

Being in Chicago so far has been unbelievable! There’s always something happening if you’re willing to leave the apartment for a while and maybe get a little lost. In fact, it’s almost overwhelming how much you’re surrounded by diverse people and culture. This being the case, you have to be really careful with how much money you spend because it goes quick here, and as college students, were not the wealthiest group. But I figure experiencing Chicago to the fullest is at least a cool way to go broke.

I was lucky enough to start dating someone from the program so I had someone to go on adventures with. Steph and I spent the first few weeks putting our transit cards to good use. We got lost a lot at the beginning, thanked heaven that we have smart phones loaded up with Google maps, and slowly started to understand how Chicago transit works. From this point on we were free to explore the entire city.

We got all the touristy stuff out of the way first. We visited “The Bean” and paid $20 each to go to the top of Willis Tower, despite the fact that it was too cloudy to see anything. We visited the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, Navy Pier, and a bunch of other places, and what we realized was that a lot of the “touristy” stuff isn’t a great idea in January, though we still had fun.

So where were we to go from here? We’d seen the popular stuff and the rest of the city was pretty overwhelming. So what we did, and what might be a good idea for others, was to pick out one or a few Chicago neighborhoods that seemed interesting and just got to know that neighborhood better. We became regulars in a neighborhood called Wicker Park. It’s full of young, mustached, creative-types who like to put stickers on things. Our favorite place there is a coffee shop called the WormHole. It’s got kind of a loose sci-fi/80s movie theme happening and the WiFi is very fast indeed. We also got addicted to a small chain of donut stores called Glazed and Infused which features just insane donuts such as the bacon maple long john. These are only for hardcore donut junkies so be careful.

There are always bands playing in Chicago, too, and most concerts are fairly cheap if you don’t mind indie music. We waited outside in freezing temperatures for an hour and a half to see a free Airborne Toxic Event show. If you look hard you can find cheap and amazing things to do all the time in Chicago and I’m excited about what the rest of this semester will bring.

Chicago: Getting Orientated

by Brett Jasper

Orientation during the first week was interesting. After some introductions from the Chicago Semester instructors and general info, we got a crash course on how to navigate the city and avoid danger, which is mostly common sense and trusting your instincts.

We played a few icebreaker games, which I generally don’t enjoy, but all in all, the program did a good job of helping us get to know each other. The activities I found to be the most helpful were when we were broken up into small groups and sent out into the city to have lunch or dinner together. Phil also taught us how to use the “conversation stack” (Google it) to help us avoid those awkward conversation lulls that tend to happen when people first meet.

A few days in we found out where we would each be interviewing for internships and were given times to meet individually with Chicago Semester instructors to help us clear up anything we needed clarified. We also had mock interviews with instructors to prepare us for the real ones in the coming days.

There was plenty of downtime and research time during this period where we were able to get to know each other even better. With only about 50 students in the program, you’re bound to meet everyone eventually. And commuting to and from the office gave me a feel for how long it takes to get to places in the city. The office is located in the Loop, which is basically the hub of downtown Chicago where all the trains meet and “loop” around a few blocks.

Chicago: The Awkward Meet And Greet Stage

by Brett Jasper

Hi everyone. My name is Brett Jasper. I’m from Ontario, California, but I attend Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa where I studied fine art and graphic design;  I’ve been living in Chicago for the past few weeks, seeing the sites, checking out interesting eateries and coffee shops, and spending way too much money.

I arrived a few Saturdays ago, flew into Midway and took a shuttle, eventually arriving (after getting slightly lost) at the doorstep of Canterbury Court Apartments on North State Street just off Division. It’s a bustling, touristy neighborhood right in downtown Chicago. When I got up to my room on the sixth floor I was immediately blown away by the view and, simultaneously, horrified by the lack of a kitchen and second bed. I soon realized, though, that they weren’t missing – just hiding in closets. It’s definitely small but two people can easily make it work. It’s only three months, anyway.

Our first day after arriving, we met with the entire group at Lou Malnati’s pizza just down the street from the apartment. For the first few days, for me at least, it was hard to get comfortable. In this whole new place with a crowd of strangers, it didn’t really feel like home. This out-of-place feeling didn’t last too long though. It was actually pretty easy to meet people. While some students did have friends in the program, it seemed like most came alone, so everyone was kind of in the same boat. Also, this group is pretty good at posting to the Facebook group when fun things are happening, so everyone can get involved.