Hotel Allegro to Canterbury Court

Week one is pretty much over; we survived and are now going full force into the weekend. Today was move-in day, which didn’t end up being as crazy as I expected. Actually, the entire week was a lot calmer than I anticipated. I was preparing for major stress and getting lost time and time again. Guess what? I didn’t really experience either. The only time I semi got lost was on the way to one of my interviews. It’s kind of hard to explain, but needless to say I figured out which way I needed to go on the street after making a phone call to my interview site to get directions and say that I would be late. It has been a great week though; I had very positive interviews and met a lot of amazing people!

As the week went on, I realized I was going to have to condense this blog as much as I could because it’s absolutely ridiculous how much we fit into five days; I can’t cover everything in writing. We had sessions on “getting to know you” for our group of students; this involved playing Annie’s famous mixer game (sorry, Annie, I can’t remember the awesome name you gave it!). I think the best part was the group dinners out in the city because you actually put your “skills” on how to get around the city to use and had some pretty fantastic dinners. The groups I was in had Thai food one night and Middle-Eastern another night, so I got to try some different things that I wouldn’t normally try or have had the opportunity to try.

That was pretty much the basis of the week—meetings and food and interviews. The exciting part started on day one when Amy and I made it downtown from O’Hare airport. We only had one mishap, and of course, it happened to me. I managed to smash my toe, but I’ll save you all the gory details. I will say that it will have to be bandaged for quite some time, but the employees at Hotel Allegro were very helpful in giving me band-aids when I arrived. Thank you! Downtown was overwhelming, but we were excited to find stores almost immediately. Some of our favorite stores have three levels, which is even better. My week became even more exciting when I discovered Michigan Avenue along with all the stores that I won’t be able to afford this semester. Oh well, maybe I’ll splurge before Christmas. :) Some of the cool events we did as a group this week were the River Boat Tour where we got some great pictures of the skyline, and on Friday night we went to the iO Theater, which was Shakespeare improv. We were quite entertained!

I had a great hotel roommate, Julie, who actually is from Pella, so we kind of knew each other from long ago, oddly enough. My apartment roommate is Amy from Central College; I know they tell you to room with someone you don’t know, but to anyone who is concerned, I promise I have met people from other colleges and haven’t been completely anti-social. I know everyone who knows me is shocked. :) Really, it’s been a great week, and I truly feel at home in the city for the most part. Our neighborhood seems very nice, and we like our cozy apartments. I’m pretty sure I have my internship set up but with the holiday weekend haven’t been able to get all my contacts made yet. For anyone considering this program, the interview process isn’t quite as overwhelming as it looks on paper, so definitely take advantage of this great opportunity! My roommate would be very upset if I didn’t share our big news of the day in closing, so here you go: we managed to get our TV set up with the rabbit ears and picked up all our favorite channels!! Yes, it’s the little things that make us happy.

Goodbye, Iowa. Hello, Chicago.

I’m shocked to realize that summer is ending as I sit here today writing my first of many updates to come. It’s raining, which is probably in my favor since it will force me to pack up my stuff and make one final “college” move. However, this won’t be like any other move. I won’t be moving back to Central College into the dorms or honor houses; instead, I will be moving into an apartment downtown Chicago in a week. It has seemed pretty unreal as I’ve thought about it off an on this summer, but slowly, reality is beginning to set in. Am I nervous? Of course. Am I thrilled beyond belief? You got it!

My name is Lindsey, and as I’ve already mentioned I’m a student at Central College in Pella, Iowa. My major is English, but I’m planning to intern in marketing/events. I grew up in a very small town about twenty minutes from Pella called Lynnville, so needless to say, the city will be a bit of a shock compared to my town of three hundred people. Chicago would be a huge change for any college student coming from a small town, but for me, it’s another rather large step toward graduation in December. I want to be in a city, and so whereas this is an experience through college, it’s also real world experience toward a job or career for me as I plan to move to a city (not completely sure where yet) as soon as this semester is over.


Today is the first day I’ve had off work, which means it is packing day. I’ve read all the information as to what to bring, what to expect during orientation, what to expect for arrival, etc., but I don’t think any of that can fully prepare you for the experience. I figure I will just think positively and say that everything will work its way out in some way! I’ve had an amazing summer with friends and family and have traveled to Florida, California, and Indiana twice. I somehow managed to take the time off work to do all this and still see my friends every weekend to do random things like karaoke…There was never a dull moment to say the least!


For now, I just have to finish saying my goodbyes to some of the greatest friends I will ever know and enjoy my last few days here. Part of me hates to leave, but a greater part of me is ecstatic to arrive in the Windy City! Goodbye, Iowa. Hello, Chicago…