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.