The End

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUIQgEVDM4

Hey guyz I'm done here. Let's all look at some pics of my final days.

Me preparing for my final presentation:

The cake/artwork we kept in our apartment for a very long time:

It was initially for Nicole's 21st birthday:

At a bus stop on my way to my last open-mic, I saw this business that makes you walk through a curtain into strobe lights, where a video camera is documenting your every move. They sell handbags:

Saw this cool baby on the train:

This improv team, called 3033, was hilarious. He's waiting for the bongos to kick in:

Arts Seminar went to a library where the books get pillows to rest upon bc they're tired and pillows are comfy:

TJ & Dave are geniuses:

Anyway, I did a lot of stuff. A lot of open-mics, improv, projects. Not enough sleeping, watching tv, or seeing the sun. But now it's summer, gang.

This is my last post, so I want to be clear. Chicago is cool. Especially if you're into comedy. Come here. This is the funniest city in the country. I'M SERIOUS, YOU WON'T REGRET IT. You'll get funnier, and you'll learn stuff. The comedy community has been more welcoming than I could have ever expected. I established a life here, and I'm struggling in leaving. (I'm planning to commute 4.5 hours once a week to continue my iO internship and class.)

If you're curious about any aspect of Chicago, do the ACM Program. If you're sick of classroom learning, do the ACM Program. If you just feel like studying off-campus, go somewhere like Australia, where the weather is delightful. I won't advertise for anyone, but I will say this program allowed me to come to Chicago (it's called the Chicago Program). And that's where funny people are; that's where improv lives.

If you're creatively curious, go somewhere (like Chicago) where people don't treat you like a fool for being vulnerable. This experience was monumental in solidifying comedy as a permanent aspect of my life. FOREVS.

Love you guys, all my fans. Start sending letters to my Miami address, cuz I leave Chicago on Saturday.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO,

Katie

Life is short, but wide.

There’s a certain camaraderie and togetherness that tends to arrive at the end of things. Solidarity always feels strongest when we know it won’t last for long. 

The program technically still has one more day, but I’ve had to duck out early. As I type, I stare out the scratched window of my Amtrak train car, at the endless flatness that reminds me so much of the past. Everything is a shade of dark gray and the reflection of the computer screen puts a ghostly floating square in the view from the window. 

Today was our poster session where everyone presented their independent study projects. We have so many personalities in this program, so many people who are genuinely themselves and don’t realize how unique and wonderful that is. I think this semester was a transformative experience for everyone, each in different ways. 

As we lived in Chicago, we spent our time thinking about things we wouldn’t normally think about in school, our thought processes diverted from their usually focuses, a different mentality slowly emerging as we get older and our breadth of experiences grows wider. The poster was valuable not necessarily to see the product of a semester’s labor (though that was cool) but valuable because every person had a different philosophy or mentality forming, and this process of discovery for that particular person was fascinating to learn about, as a peer. Everyone’s personality in relation to their individual philosophies really came through in a diverse and beautiful way. We’re all on the Chicago program, we’re all having transformative experiences, but exactly what those experiences are and how they transform us are truly individual.

My time spent in the Chicago wasn’t all good, and it certainly wasn’t all bad. It was intense. There were serious highs and lows, but everything was always moving and churning, nothing really paused, and I spent my time keeping half of my mind focused on what needed to be done in the moment and half of it planning for the future. 

If anything, I think we all grew out, not up. Life might be short, but it is wide. There are so many venues, societies, communities, ideas, personalities, philosophies, and values we can extend ourselves into. We’re so much more fluid than we think, so much more susceptible to change than we realize. But I think, after this program of unique experiences, that we’re beginning to realize that our identity is only what we make it to be. If anything, this semester has taught me to act just as much as I react, cause as much as I am affected, instigate as much as I encounter. We're not drowning in the city, we’re purposefully swimming to it’s depths.


--Silvia
@SilviaElenaFF
silvia.foster.frau@gmail.com

Farewell Chicago, I hope to see you soon!

Hi everyone, Liane here for my final post.

It is bizarre to think that this semester is rapidly coming to an end. For me, this is a big deal because this is my last semester of college!!!!

I could not have asked for a better experience than what I found through the ACM Chicago Program. There were so many unique opportunities provided by the program that were just not available to me elsewhere. The decision to come to Chicago for my last semester was made by the ACM Chicago Program's offering of an Urban Studies Seminar, an Independent Study Project, and an Internship. All of these components were things that I knew would prepare me for my future endeavors.

A night view of Chicago as seen from The Hancock's 95th floor.

One of the primary goals for the time spent here was to explore my interests of urban planning, community development, and sustainability. In doing so I hoped to narrow my search for a graduate school program. I have decided to look into either a Master's in Urban Planning or Sustainable Development. Through the work that I am doing for my Independent Study Project, I have created the preliminary work for researching community and environmental sustainability in the face of Climate Change. I can present this work to potential graduate schools which will help me demonstrate my seriousness towards the area of study. It is so satisfying to have this ready for when I start applying.

For my very last post I would like to share a photography project that I have been working on all semester. One of my favorite places to escape to when I needed a break was the Osaka Garden in Jackson Park. It was a quick walk to get to from my apartment, and one of the most serene places I have found in the city. Every time I went I would take photographs, and now have a collection that showcases the transition from Winter to Spring.

I call it Seeing Spring. Enjoy!

I am so grateful I had the chance to share my stories from the ACM Chicago Program through this blog. Farewell to you all; and, farewell Chicago, I hope to see you soon!

American Hustle

So, good news and bad news.

Bad news first?

OK.

BAD NEWS:
1. This blog post is a long one. You have to read and like, there's no pics
2. You have to click on a link which will open up a new tab. I know, it's tedious.

But!

Good news now!

GOOD NEWS:
1. The post is heartfelt and #LEGIT
2. It's going to be published tomorrow (Mon) in Galesburg's city newspaper, The Register-Mail, so if you're reading this on Sunday then you're ahead of the curve...woo?

K! Here it is!

http://prospectivejournalist.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-american-hustle-552014.html