Ready, Set, ChicaGO!

by Cody Kaemingk

Hi everyone! My name is Cody and I will be giving you some insights on the adventures of me and my fellow CSers (Chicago Semester Students) as we venture out into the city for the next three months. I am a Business Administration major at Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA and have enjoyed it immensely. I am originally from Lynden, WA; just 5 minutes from the Canadian border on the coast of Washington state, so you could say I’m slowly working my way East. As a second semester senior, I believe the Chicago Semester program is the perfect transition from the college life to the working world, and I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that it will present.

My adventure began at Midway two weeks ago Saturday where I landed and was amazed at how easy it was to find the CS recommended shuttle to Canterbury Court Apartments. Upon arrival at Canterbury, I was greeted by the friendly desk staff where I completed all the necessary lease paperwork and signed my very first rent check. I received my room key and took a short ride up to the third floor in the coolest old elevator I’ve ever seen and entered my room to find a great view of the city.

My first thoughts about the apartment were positive. I was told that the apartments weren’t the newest in the world so I expected nothing too fancy, but was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and spaciousness of my 3-person apartment. The kitchen leaves a little to be desired as far as size and storage goes, but it should be just fine for my limited cooking skills. One thing I didn’t expect was the lack of available plug-ins, but a quick trip to Target for a power strip and extension cords solved the problem. The rest of the move-in went smoothly, and I was settled in the apartment after just a few hours.

Sunday night kicked off CS orientation with a few quick tips about city navigation and some pizza from Lou Malnati’s – which was spectacular! You always hear about how great Chicago deep dish pizza is, but words don’t do it justice. The CS staff was great and helped make a very new city feel like home. Yes, we had to play those awkward get-to-know-you games, but they really are the best way to break the ice.

The next day consisted of a variety of different activities geared toward learning the city’s neighborhoods and cultures, as well as how to navigate our way around the public transit system, which was something I was honestly worried about, but after a few days and some missed train stops you learn pretty fast. Interview placements were announced the next day, and we were given time to research our sites and complete some practice interviews with the CS staff. The rest of the week consisted of interviews for the general students, and lots of free time to explore the city.

I was very pleased with the internship sites I received. All of them matched my requests in different ways, so choosing my site after hearing they were all interested was difficult. I ended up picking a company that specializes in collecting marketing data and I couldn’t be more pleased. Starting this internship confirms my thoughts that the Chicago Semester program was a great decision. Stay tuned for updates on my first week in the office and more adventures around the city, and be sure to check out all the sweet pics from the group on Instagram using #CSSpring2015.