Whirl Wind

The last month has been a whirl wind of projects and places. Thanksgiving came late this year and fell very close to Christmas. I traveled back to the bluegrass of central Kentucky to celebrate all the things I'm thankful. On arriving back into the city, my drunkness off turkey and stuffing wore off immediately. I faced the realization that the program that I have grown to love would be ending in a few short weeks. Here are some of my favorite moments during those weeks that flew by.

Showing off Chicago to my Father

My father drove me back to the city after Thanksgiving. This gave me the opportunity to show him around some of my favorite spots in the city. Being able to take him on the CTA with confidence was a type of closure experience to the program for me. A bitter sweet moment was when he commented that "you have really found a home here." When in just in two weeks this place that has become my home will no longer be my "home". 

Finishing Core Course

Core Course has been a whirl wind experience. I've been exposed to so many different view points and opinions in this class. Our final project revolved around using our asset mapping to help a particular problem in our neighborhoods. 

Sus the Amazing

Sus, a girl in the Chicago Program is very talented in songwriting and singing. As part of her ISP she wrote songs about Chicago and preformed them at open mics. This video is from an open mic that she won! 

The Last Thing

Everyone has milestones in their lives. Your first car, graduating, your first date, etc. Well, coming to Chicago would be the single biggest milestone of my life so far. This journey has been a tipping point for me. I've become a different, better person than I was one I came. I'm more informed, more bipartisan, calmer, and braver. Chicago has both hardened and softened me. I think I learned more about myself from this experience than I learned about Chicago and I learned more about this city than I could ever have imagined.

Now, with the golden light spilling across Broadway and tracing the lanes down Montrose, I feel like I really see the city. This time, this place, these people--it will never be this way again. So, I'm going to spend the next few hours packing my things and cataloging every experience I've had here. Here's my final goodbye, in my own words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qo6JZtOVmA

It's been real.

Later,

Sara Wines

Hanover College

The Next-To-Last Thing

So, yet again, you suffer and go days without any word from us, hanging on the edge of your seats, waiting for an update. And now, it's almost over. It's too soon. But, before I get into all this sad stuff I'm gonna give you a run down of what's been happening since November 9th.

I explored one of the only parts of Uptown I haven't really been to, Clark Street. It's filled with all these crazy import stores where stuff is just insanely cheap.

They carry all kinds of things--mind blowing variety, I'd say. Bet you can't guess where my fam's getting Christmas presents from~

I also ran into the Puppet Bike downtown and had a great time! It was super duper adorable!

Totally precious. Only minimally creepy (but maybe that's just me and my own issues with puppets). There's always two characters and they dance with each other. It looks totally real, and it blows my mind how much expression there can be in the body language of a doll.

Plus my BFF from college came home from her studying abroad in Australia at the University of Wollongong, and we did some cool site-seeing type stuff I haven't had the time to do yet. We went ice skating, which I'd never done before, and it was really fly. I managed to not fall and embarrass myself, but I probably did get hypothermia or something.

waiting in line for skates for 45 minutes, getting pumped

(I probably didn't need that double shot of espresso)

causing accidents and trying not to freeze to death

(wind speeds of 30mph+personal velocity=nope)

And, while all this was happening, I was busy trying to wrap up my ISP (reference my last post) and my Core Course assignments and my Arts Seminar and my Internship. Wowza. I can tell you now that I'm extremely satisfied with the end products, but there were a few super long nights and some near melt downs.

a practice portrait for my ISP

And here's all of us, all the now alumnus of 2013--with all our assignments behind us and accomplishments to bear with us into the next thing.

Later,

Sara