Final Words

by Katie Flood

This whole semester has flown by so fast! I cannot believe how I have grown throughout my time here in the city. I came in asking a lot of questions and in general being a very confused person. I still have a lot of questions, but I have learned to find peace within the confusion. This semester has taught me so much about how to function living in a new place and how to act in a work setting. I am leaving this semester feeling ready to enter in to the “real world.”

As a way to celebrate the end of the semester, the program planned a dinner for us at a restaurant called the Parthenon in Greek Town. This was a wonderful way to end the semester. We all sat and ate a family style meal and reminisced about the adventures that we had this semester. It’s really sad that this was the last time we would all be together. I cannot express how blessed I have been to have been able to have such an amazing experience.

As I look towards the future, or returning home and then to campus, I feel a mix of emotions. While I am excited to see my friends and family, I am not ready to leave the city. I would easily move back, and I really hope that this becomes the case. There is so much life and potential for this city, even amidst the brokenness. I love urban life and living in the city. I cannot wait to come back!

What Is Sketchy?

by Katie Flood

Prior to my arrival in Chicago, I was hesitant to move to Pilsen because I was afraid that it would be sketchy. I grew up in the suburbs surrounded by perfectly landscaped yards and paved roads that are repaired frequently. Everything always looks nice, AKA, not sketchy. But since my arrival in Chicago my idea of “sketchy” has changed significantly. While there are parts of my neighborhood that aren’t glamorous, I feel safe and welcomed in these spaces. This doesn’t mean that I’m not cautious, but it really has made me question why and how we categorize things as sketchy.

            Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “sketchy” in three ways:

                        1. “not complete or clear”

                        2. “done quickly without many details”

                        3. “likely to be bad or dangerous”

I think that a lot of times we focus too much on the third definition. We see a building and define it as sketchy based on its appearance, which is not incorrect by the first two portions of the definition, but then we automatically assume that because it wasn’t well made or is missing parts of it, that it is a place of danger.

I know that this is the mindset that I take when I look at things, but I also see myself working my way out of that mindset through my exposure to parts of the city that are automatically deemed as sketchy and therefore are unapproachable. I think that when coming to Chicago it is important to focus on the assets that each community has, rather than defining them by the problems the community faces.

Being a part of the Urban Intensive Track during my time in Chicago has given me the opportunity to expand my horizons and learn to appreciate the beauty of various neighborhoods throughout the city.

As a class we have visited Uptown, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Englewood, as well as many others. I love that I get to experience neighborhoods that I probably would not have made an effort to visit outside of class time. We chatted with different organizations such as Breakthrough Urban Ministries and Erie House.

One of the neighborhoods that I have grown to love is Chinatown. I have gotten to know this neighborhood through my internship and my personal exploration. This weekend, I took my friend to visit. We explore the shops, walked around the main streets, and found some delicious food for dinner. I love that I am able to be so invested in such a vibrant neighborhood.

On a completely different note, make sure you bring an umbrella!

A Walk Around The Neighborhood

by Katie Flood

This week, the Chicago Semester students all participated in the Pilsen Plunge. Basically, we spent our class day touring through Pilsen. I am one of the six girls who chose to live in La Casa student housing in Pilsen, so for me this was a great chance to explore my own neighborhood.

The day started off with a lecture from Maria Bucio, who works with La Casa as a part of The Resurrection Project. We all learned about why and how La Casa was formed, and the extreme effort they take to help their residents succeed in college.

We then headed on a mural tour of Pilsen. Pilsen is covered with murals that show the history and culture of the neighborhood. We went to a school down the street from La Casa that showed different historical figures in Mexican history. They were painted on the panels of windows by students at the school. This was my favorite part of the day because I learned a lot about the murals that I did not know before.

As the day went on, we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and listened to a speaker talk about the history of the Pilsen neighborhood. It was interesting to see how much Pilsen has changed over the past few decades.

Our last stop was the National Museum of Mexican Art, where we had a tour of the Day of the Dead exhibit. We looked at all of the different altars and Day of the Dead themed paintings. I was particularly struck by the altar honoring the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy. This altar featured the faces of all of the victims, with a mirror on the the bottom, reflecting the faces of featured above. The tiled mirror was lined with rolled green scrolls, which we later learned were prayers that had been written by the students from the school that created the altar. I was touched by this method of honoring those who were lost in such a tragic event. 

The Pilsen Plunge made me stop and think about how very little I know about the neighborhood that I live in. I told myself that I was going to make more of an effort to explore my area while I am here.

Two of my apartment-mates and I decided that we were going to take a walk around our neighborhood after we got back from our internships. We picked a direction that we don’t normally go down on 18^th street, and found many small little shops, restaurants, and even a small grocery store just down the street from our apartment building. It’s amazing what you find when you just head a little bit away from your normal route, not to mention I can now go to that small market for some basic produce when I don’t feel like walking to Jewel or Cermak Fresh Market.

I really appreciate living in a neighborhood that continues to blow my mind. I’m excited to continue to explore during my time here in Chicago.

3 Life Lessons I Have Learned

by Katie Flood

My time in Chicago has been precious. Each moment has been filled with learning experiences that are helping me grow. One of the most important things that I have learned, or more so, that I am continuing to learn, is the importance of time management. I’ve always been the type of person who has been very on top of things and have, for the most part, had good time management skills. However, my schedule in Chicago is very different from what I am used to, and I’ve had to make a few adjustments because of that.

1. Sleep

          Since I have to leave for work around 8:30 in the morning I have had to adjust my sleeping schedule. While on campus, I was normally able to go to bed between 12 and 1am, I will usually hit the hay between 10:30 and 11:30. I know this probably makes me sound very lame, but being exhausted at work is not fun.
2. Homework

          When I was at school, I was able to get homework done in large chunks on days where I would only have one class, or during large gaps between classes. Work life is different. The majority of my work has to get done on the weekends because I can only manage to do a little homework on the days during the week when I am working. I’ve had to adjust my study habits in order to accommodate my new lifestyle.

3.  Me Time

          Being in a new city is exciting, full of adventure, but also vastly overwhelming at times. What I’ve realized is that it is important to take time to be by yourself. I’ve gotten into the habit of leaving for class on Wednesdays and hour or so earlier than I need to. Then, I have time to just walk around the Loop area for a bit. Sometimes I go to the post office, or do other errands. Most of the time I end up grabbing coffee from Intelligentsia, one of my favorite coffee shops in the city. This is time that I look forward to, and I am glad that I have realized its importance.

I’m still continuing to learn how to be an adult in the “real world,” and Chicago Semester is helping me bridge the gap between college and career. I’m looking forward to seeing how much I have grown and learned at the end of the semester, but for now, I’m glad I have figured out the importance of sleep, adjusting my study habits, and Me Time.

Adventure Around Every Corner

by Katie Flood

After living in the city for just around a month now, Chicago still continues to amaze me. There is never a lack of things to do and sometimes you find yourself in the midst of a cultural experience without planning.

           

Last weekend was Mexican Independence Day and the town of Pilsen celebrated this holiday right outside La Casa. I was hanging out in my apartment when I started to see crowds of people lining up outside on the street. I had not realized what weekend it was, so it didn’t occur to me why there were people lined up for a parade. I jumped at the opportunity, ran downstairs, and found myself in the midst of an Independence Day celebration. After the parade, the community made its way to the little plaza outside of my building, where there were folk singers and dancers, and vendors. My friends and I spent the entire day being immersed in this traditional holiday that was literally happening right outside our door. My Chicago experience has been filled with sporadic moments like these and those have been the moments I have enjoyed most.

This weekend, my friends and I decided to cook a meal together. We all chipped in a little bit, and created some yummy turkey enchiladas. It was nice to sit down and have a proper meal with friends. Although I like living and working on my own, I usually end up cooking individual meals for myself, so it was nice to eat with other people. My friends and I decided we liked this experience so much that we were going to try and make this a regular occurrence.

On Saturday, we had ourselves an adventure and headed to the Apple Festival in Lincoln Square. We browsed for a little bit, and explored the new area, then decided that we wanted to do something different; go to the Taco Festival in Lakeview. We stayed for a short-while in Lakeview, and then hopped back on the train and headed down towards Chinatown, where we browsed the shops, bakeries, peeked in the public library, and took some very touristy pictures. We then ate a delicious dinner at Portillos, a Chicago-area favorite located near the Gold Coast. Together we covered a lot of ground on Saturday. It was exciting to see so many places in such a short period of time. It was a great way to spend what would have otherwise been an average Saturday afternoon.

My weekends here in Chicago are always filled with excitement and good company. 

The Start Of An Adventure

by Katie Flood

Hi everyone. My name is Katie and I am currently a senior at Hope College studying Communications with Spanish and Leadership as minors. I grew up in Glen Ellyn, IL (about 40 minutes from the city), but my family currently lives in Wixom, MI (close to Detroit). I am part of the UIT (Urban Intensive Track) program, which is a special track of Chicago Semester that focuses on being immersed in the neighborhoods of Chicago.

As a part of the UIT program, I was given the opportunity to have alternative housing. While the majority of the Chicago Semester students live in the Gold Coast, my apartment-mates and I live in Pilsen, a Spanish-speaking community, with vibrant roots and culture. The six of us live in La Casa Student Housing, which is part of The Resurrection Project, an organization that seeks to help build up the communities of Chicago.

Living in Pilsen has been quite an experience so far. Since it is mainly a Spanish-speaking community, the majority of the businesses have their signs in Spanish. I love this aspect because I studied Spanish during my time at Hope, and it’s a great way for me to keep up with the language. There is also a plethora of Mexican bakeries and restaurants. Everything is decently priced (you can get a pretty good meal for around $7) and really yummy. When I moved in, my parents took me to a restaurant called Nuevo Leon and we enjoyed a brunch of Huevos Rancheros, which are eggs, with rice and beans. You then load the eggs, rice, beans, and add a bit of salsa onto a freshly made tortilla. It’s mouthwateringly tasty. Aside from food, Pilsen is covered in murals. These works of art are everywhere from at the EL stop to on the sides of buildings. This area is also home to the National Mexican Museum of Art, which I plan on exploring soon.

As far as internships go, I interviewed with a company over the summer. Most other students go through the interview process once they get here. I accepted a position at Pui Tak Christian School as an After-School Program Intern. Pui Tak is a small school located in Chinatown. It’s very hard to describe Chinatown, but basically it’s very vibrant, colorful, and filled with shops and restaurants. Going to work everyday is like entering into a new world, even though it’s just a 20 minute bus ride away from my apartment.

When I’m not working, I have been spending a lot of time getting to know my apartment-mates and exploring the city. Over labor day weekend, we spent the day at the beach, ate dinner at a Thai Restaurant, went to Jazz Festival in Millennium Park where we listened and danced to various performers. There is never a lack of musical events in Chicago (not to mention that Jazz fest was free).

The past week or so has been eventful, full of excitement, and overwhelming with new learning experiences. I’m enthusiastic about exploring the city while gaining skills in a work environment.