Never a dull moment in Chicago...

When I reflect on this past week I almost draw a blank as to what to say and have simply too much to say at the same time!

This week has been particularly busy because I have been petsitting for two cats. I found a woman (not much older than myself) who needed someone to care for her two cats, Malcolm and Angus, while she is overseas in London for the week. Everyday I get to hang out at her cute apartment in Ukrainian village and get paid feed and play with the cats. It’s a nice opportunity to get familiar with another neighborhood. The cats are really cute but they are stinky. I scoop their litter everyday but they are still little stinkers.

Work at my internship has been frustrating this week. I have been calling clients everyday to invite them to come in and apply for “Befriend-a-Family” but very few have actually come in. This week I successfully began six applications but I need seventy-five families total! The woman who is overseeing “Befriend-a-Family” is coming in on Wednesday to collect my completed applications and I fear that I will disappoint her with how few I will have ready! I am putting a lot of time and effort into this project and I do not want her to think that I am not giving it the proper attention.

This week has been dramatic in the office for other reasons as well. Yesterday I was working the front desk and noticed that one of my clients feel asleep in his chair (this is not particularly out of the ordinary for our waiting room). Shortly afterwards the elderly gentleman fell from his chair and began seizing! I ran to the back and alerted my supervisors and then called 911 while my co-workers placed a pillow under his head and tried to cool him with a towel. He began foaming from the mouth but fortunately the paramedics were there quickly. Before long the whole ordeal was over but it reminded me that I work in an environment in which I interact with a population that sadly does not receive proper medical care and often is distracted by too many worries to care for themselves. It is truly disturbing.

The art event this week for Arts in the City was a dance performed by The Seldoms. It was interesting because it was performed in an emptied swimming pool. In class on Wednesday the lighting director of the event came and spoke with us about lighting. I appreciate that Chicago Semester and the faculty of the Arts in the City course put so much effort into preparing us for each of the art events. While the dancing was not to my particular taste I admired its originality and loved the lighting.

Grrr….kids in the city are annoying! After getting off a bus today, I noticed some young teenaged kids throwing a full soda bottle at each other. They looked like they were getting in some trouble, but I discounted it and continued on my way. As soon as I was in front of them, however, the little brats whipped it and the soda bottle hit me in the arm and exploded all over me. I was shocked and didn’t know how to respond. Another teenage boy asked, “Do you want me to go after them?” and I told him not to worry about it, but he ran down the street, cursing obscenities to earn the justice that was due. It was funny, but unfortunate that I had to walk around with a sticky arm!

I am out of time! I am going out with a couple of CS girls to a comedy sketch at Second City.

Will I ever get bored in Chicago?

This last week and a half has been absolutely fabulous in Chicago! This is a great time of year in the city as there are several fun and exciting things to do as summer closes and fall is ushered in once again. Last weekend I participated in a walk for HIV/AIDS that I had learned about through an HIV/AIDS family camp I volunteered at during the summer. It was a lot of fun and a great way to reconnect with some of my counselor friends while raising awareness about the AIDS pandemic. Last weekend I also explored Greek town for dinner, checked out the Celtic festival in Grant Park (yay for kilts), and joined a group of fellow CS-ers for a night of poetry at the Green Mill Lounge. I would definitely suggest the Green Mill Lounge to anyone. It is one of Al Capone’s old speakeasies, a comfortable (albeit slightly dusty) joint with the greatest poetry jamming I’ve ever been exposed to (actually, it was my first ever poetry jam… but I will return).

Activity at my internship continues to be going strong. St. Sabina/Catholic Charities is a hopping place and I am enjoying interacting with clients. This week I have been focusing more on “Befriend-a-Family,” my leading project of the semester. “Befriend-a-Family” is a program that pairs families we serve with families of St. Sabina’s sister church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on the north side. The benefactors will assist our clients for the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, and I get to be a part of it! Currently I am working hard to compile a list of possible candidates for the program and scheduling days when they can come in to fill out all of the appropriate paperwork. It is not without its frustrations but I know it will be a rewarding experience after it gets a little more underway.

With this weekend came some more CTA drama. “They” (whoever they are) shut down the red line for the entire weekend! They can’t block the main artery of the city! How would they feel if their life supply was severed?! This was very traumatic as I am trying hard to convey. The red line construction somewhat compromised the weekend’s happenings, but there remained plenty of fun things to do. My boyfriend and I went to a “Best of” show of Second City. Not only were the tickets incredibly reasonable (thank you ‘Hot Tix’) but the show was hilarious! Saturday night also marked the event of Chicago Semester’s Progressive Dinner. Several students in the building opened up their apartments for relaxed socialization over tantalizing appetizers, delicious main dishes, or dazzling desserts. It is an official Chicago Semester event and was a great opportunity to connect with some fellow students that I do not see regularly throughout the week. Mmmmm….

Oh, I could go on and on…but alas I must retreat to the place I call sleep. Perhaps I shall dream of poetry and Christmas…

Lots of work and lots of fun

Oh my goodness, I am so exhausted! Today we had our classes, and although there is so much going on in the city tonight (Oktoberfest in the loop), I can’t do anything but just sit here and decompress. A good time to write my blog I think.

Last Thursday I started my internship at St. Sabina Social Services/Catholic Charities. I shadowed the first day and by the second day I started doing my own cases! They desperately need the help at St. Sabina’s. Right now I am in charge of the smaller cases of food and clothing. Clients come in, sign in (stating their purpose for coming), and wait for a caseworker. If their interest is food or clothing, I bring them to my cubical and assess them. I put their information into the computer and ask them what happened that they are now in need of our services. I was really nervous about assessment at first because I thought my clients would be uncomfortable sharing their stories with me, but I have found that they are eager to share and willing to answer all of my questions. I ask them to present identification and documentation on any children, etc. Then I type everything into the computer, fill out paperwork stating the same exact thing, and then get another client and do it again. To say in the least I do a lot of running around… but I love it and am grateful to have an internship that gives me a lot of responsibility.

Over the weekend I went out of town. My boyfriend, Josh, goes to the University of Illinois and I went down to visit him. We went swing dancing, and I was ever so proud of him for trying. I’ll have to find a swing dancing joint here in the city to go to.

Last night was a lot of spontaneous fun. Chicago Semester opens up its offices on Monday and Tuesday nights so students can make use of its computer lab. They need two computer lab “monitors” to keep an eye on things each night, and I signed up (I could use the few extra bucks that’s for sure). Last night was my first night on the job. After we closed shop, those of us who were left headed for the red line to go home, and what do you know but the red line going northbound was closed! Ahhh! So, we took a different train, walked for a bit, and finally got on a bus… and guess who was on the bus?! Ronny Whoo Hoo! Ronny Whoo Hoo is a famous fan for the Chicago Cubs. He attends every game in his Cubs uniform and incessantly cheers “Cubs Whooo…Win Whooo.” People in the city know him. Anyways, I saw him and started waving frantically, and he scooted over to allow me to sit next to him! I talked to him all the way home. He even said that he wants to come to my internship and give me a baseball! I didn’t have the heart to tell the guy that I’m not a Cubs fan, but I still couldn’t contain my excitement. What a shame I didn’t have my camera!

More stories about Chicago to come!

Getting settled in the Windy City

Orientation is officially under my belt…and I had fun! As I write this, I am sitting in my new one bedroom apartment in the amazing Gold Coast of Chicago. My two wonderful roommates, Stephanie and Jackie, are hanging out in the other room, and I am enjoying the soft sounds of the Chicago streets below. I love it!

In my last blog I mentioned that I anticipated this last week being “the craziest week of my life” but I was surprised how each day naturally flowed into the next.

Orientation was held at the amazing Hotel Allegro on Randolph St. in the Theatre District. The first couple days were filled with seminars and informational sessions on the transportation system, interviewing, housing, and safety (always trust your instincts). I was the most concerned about housing but, although it was still quite stressful, I feel like I am in a good situation and will enjoy the semester.


Later in the week we were all focused on making it to our interviews without getting lost. I interviewed at four internship sites, all in which were VERY different from each other. Again, I am interested in social work/psychology, and I interviewed at a law office, a genetics lab, a social service agency, and the children’s’ floor at a hospital. Although I was nervous about interviewing, I must say I felt that I nailed every single one of my interviews! I know that sounds egotistical but frankly I was impressed with myself…so you might be better at interviewing than you might think.

I was also impressed with the activities that Chicago Semester planned for us throughout the week. As a group we enjoyed a boat tour and a comic routine on the north side. They also provided us with some awesome dinners (deep dish pizza from Giordano’s, a pasta night, and several small group outings).




On Friday we were asked to make our internship decision. I was very fortunate because I didn’t have any difficulty making my decision. I know where I belong, and that is at St. Sabina/Catholic Charities. St. Sabina is a church on the south side of Chicago that is very influential in the poor and struggling neighborhood in which it resides. It was so involved in social issues that the time came for it to join forces with another social service agency, Catholic Charities. The staff at my internship is entirely African-American, and Sharon, my internship supervisor, was excited at the prospect of a Caucasian intern because “it will really add diversity to the staff!” After I am trained I will be a caseworker (this is raw social work). People will come into our offices, sit at my desk (I have a desk!), and tell me their needs. St. Sabina/Catholic Charities has a food pantry and a clothes distribution room on site and has access to other resources to better serve its clients.


This Sunday I decided it would be a good idea to attend one of St. Sabina’s church services. Cynthia, one of the coordinators of Chicago Semester, is a congregant at the church and was kind enough to let me come to worship with her. It was an amazing experience, and after the 3 hour service finally came to a close (not kidding… 3 hours) I felt I had a greater understanding of the community and the culture of the social service office in which I’ll be working this semester. I can’t wait!