I'm here!

Okay, so there was a few things I probably should have known before I

came to do this program.

1. Just because someone says they know where a street is, doesn't mean they do. Apparently you can live in Chicago your entire life and have no clue how to get to Randalph from Union Station.

2. Be not afraid to hail a taxi.

3. Everyone in this program is Dutch. I am not. I am learning a lot.

There is a lot of really good stuff going on here though. It has been culture shock though... to come from a town of a thousand people, and from a Christian college that is hardly on the map, and be dumped in Chicago is to truly experience change.

Yesterday was my first day. I rode Amtrak in to Union Station (which I had never been to before), which is absolutely a gorgeous piece of architecture. I walked into the Great Hall and felt so... small. You could see all the travelers in there, but you could also see the homeless people sitting there trying to get warm.

Then I walked outside. My plan was to use my GPS and just walk to the hotel, but for some reason it wasn't connecting with the satellite. I sat there, stupified on the street, trying to figure out where to go, when I homeless man walked up to me and asked me where I wanted to go... I told him what street I wanted, and he told me to follow him. He told me a little bit about himself... his name was Antwon, he took people where they were going for a living, and I was going to tip him, right? Because the last guy didn't tip him. It was pretty entertaining talking to Antwon, especially when he missed the street I was supposed to be on three times, and then put me in a cab so that I would be able to get where I was supposed to be. And I made it! Hotel Allegro!

My time here so far has been really... overwhelming. It's hard to believe I'm here, first of all, because I never thought I would actually make it. Second, it seems like I'm being overloaded with information. For the past two days, we've been in seminars about safety, housing, transportation, internships, and anything else they could think of. I hardly know how to handle it. I can't wait until we are done being "orientated" so that the fun can start!

A few final words - I do have an apartment in Uptown. I do have an internship. So basically all I have to figure out is how to get around without being assaulted, which shouldn't be too bad. If you're worried, don't be. I was just joking about being assaulted.

More later!