Archive for October, 2010
October 29, 2010
This weekend will mark two months of my living in Chicago, which means that I’ve already been here for a third of my intended six month stay. To celebrate this milestone, how about a recap of the past eight weeks?
I really like Chicago. I mean, I really really like it. I honestly cannot imagine a better, more epitomic American city. It fully embodies exactly what I’ve always thought a metropolis could and should be. Chicago is simply a great town. And the experience as a whole has been as contrary and different as I’d hoped it would be.
Having come two months into my time here, it’s becoming increasingly fascinating to look back on my time in Chicago. The more time that passes, the more perspective I have on the infant stages of the journey. Even in the short amount of time so far, there are several distinct stages that I can identify though I was largely oblivious to them at the time.
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Posted in Personal | Chicago | Chipotle | Maps | Milestones | Moving | Phases | Routine | Stability | Starbucks | The City | Transition
October 24, 2010
One question that I’ve been asked quite a bit lately is “What are Chicago people like?” And honestly, until it was asked me, I hadn’t even thought about it. Because people in Chicago are, for all practical purposes, just like people in Dallas.
We from the southern states hold a bit of a preconception that Northerners are loud, short, vulgar and unfriendly. I think New York has largely been responsible for that idea, because from what I hear, it’s absolutely true.
Chicago has been pleasantly contrary to that stereotype. In fact, most of the interaction I’ve had with people here – passerbys on the street, waiters, clerks, retail staff, co-workers, church members – has shown Chicagoans to be friendly, helpful and polite. Drivers might be the exception to that, as you can’t walk two blocks without hearing screeching tires or someone laying on their horn.
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Posted in Personal | Accents | Chicago | Dallas | People | Race | Segregation | Stereotypes
October 7, 2010
So, I’ve been in Chicago for over a month now. I’m still coming to grips with that, in fact. It’s not that it feels like it’s been longer or shorter than that. But labeling that span of time as a month just doesn’t sound right at all.
I think this is largely because there was so much leading up to me actually driving to Chicago. There were months of planning, dreaming, praying, and preparing that were just as significant as the move itself. A month doesn’t sound right, because I’ve been “here” in this new phase of life for much longer. But that 15 hour drive? Saying goodbye to my parents, sister, friends, and home? No, no, that was just a couple of weeks ago.
If you’ve followed my trip at all, you’ve probably realized that I love Chicago. Adore it. The city is absolutely fantastic, and I would not trade the past five weeks here for anything. But Chicago itself was only part of the reason I came here. Of all the attributes of Chicago that drew me here, the most significant one was that it wasn’t Dallas. My loving family, phenomenal friends, and charming life as I knew it were nowhere near Illinois.
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Posted in Personal | Chicago | Family | Friends | Growth | Independence | Introversion | Loneliness | Seclusion
