Street Wonder

I have landed in an unfamiliar land.

A land of concrete, of fast walkers, of many languages. A land of old. A land of new. A land of wonder.

Chicago. Finally.

Within the past 30 odd hours, I have moved into my apartment, met my new roommate for the next three months, had a crash course in the public transit system, and gotten totally overwhelmed by the task set in front of me. Student teaching. In Chicago. What the hell was i thinking? More on that later.

Haven't even gotten into the schools yet. Right now i am sitting in Starbucks, enjoying an iced chai latte, and overhearing an adorable group of old men speaking what i assume is Italian. Adorable.

I think that's what city living is all about. Listening. Watching. Enjoying. Enveloping.

And now I am listening to the old men placing bets on Obama and discussing socialism and communism. They switched to English, for a bit anyway.

There is so much I could write about, like my kitchen being smaller than my closet, how my mom made so many Chicago drivers angry. How a girl asked if Andrew was my boyfriend. How there is a mannequin in the apartment window across the street from us. How I will have a 50 minute commute every morning.

 But I think the most important thing to mention is the smile I have. At times I tell myself smiling as I walk down the street may raise some eyebrows. Not exactly normal around here. I walk taller here, with more purpose -- and i don't think It's just because you're supposed to appear like you belong.

 I think It's because I FEEL like I belong. And that makes me smile. More than is normal for native Chicago dwellers, at least from what i can gather.

I think that is all for tonight. Having to blog on my tablet was harder than I expected. I hope we get wifi in our apartment soon. Please excuse any glaring mistakes. Autocorrect will be the death of me, I'm sure of it.

Until next time, listen, walk, experience. You won't regret it.