The best laid plans of mice and men... could be my mantra on life these days. I had meant to post here regularly. Document my this adventure but it has been almost 2 months since I have checked in. I had meant for things to go very differently this past month... but as they say "the best laid plans..."
When I started this adventure I thought it would be smooth sailing. I had faith in the Universe but it was a shallow faith, and looking back, I naively thought everything would be amazing all the time. I am learning so much more than what my professors are teaching me.
When I came here the plan was to stay with a friend. I would help her look after her dog since she had been staying with her boyfriend mostly anyway. I would give her some money towards rent and in the mean time have a "home base" so I can be in Chicago and search for an apt. A week before I left this plan was still in effect but then things started to change. My friends roommate needed me to pay a third of the rent. My staying there was an inconvience and she felt this would make things fair. Okay, a third of the rent. Two days before I left the roommate had found a place of her own and needed me to pay half the rent. Alright, this still seemed like best option. All systems a-go. I had an amazing weekend of adventures with friends and family and said see you later to my city. The day I traveled here the roommate had contacted the landlords and found a way to end the lease a month early. Where was I to stay? The night I arrived I spent most of my time on craigslist looking for a roommate. In attempt to rally the hooray-for-adventure-spirit I went to the deli and over beers, cheese doodles, and Preseco we toasted to Chicago.
That night both the roommate and her mother pulled me aside - told me that it wasn't personal against me but I needed to be out within a week and they were going to do everything in their power to end the lease and get their deposit back. I could feel the anxiety start to set in. The following week I went to orientations and saw apts. I cried every day. Multiple times a day. I was feeling dis-illusioned with the city, with my program ( i was feeling the pressure to have a car/know how to drive), and my faith in the Universe. I was on the verge - I contemplated returning to NYC, taking an apt I didn't like, and at one point one that seemed a bit sketchy. The weight of student loans, "homelessness", and isolation (I was far removed from the heart of the city, didn't have friends, and saw little of the friends I did have) was setting in.
As D-day approached i knew something had to change. I was beside myself. I booked myself into the holiday inn to get away from the situation. I knew I had a couple days there where I could brainstorm. I was going to try and find an apt and give the school a semester to prove its self to me. I decided if life was going to push then I needed to push back. I am a New Yorker! We are bold and fearless. Was I going to just lie down and go home? While, I didn't feel I had anything worth fighting for yet I did know I wasn't going to just lick my wounds and return to NYC. My friend and i threw all our stuff in her boyfriends truck and locked it up in storage. She found a place for her dog and I hit the pavement looking for an apt. There was option that seemed nice and I was close to taking it but the Universe provided... a friends, cousins, friends needed a roommate. This apt was everything I was looking for. I could move into the apt in 2 weeks! Hooray! Now I had to figure out where was I going to live for the next two weeks?
It was the first week of class and I still had a few days paid up at the Holiday Inn. A girl in my class was trying to organize margaritas after class and I thought 1) i need a drink 2) the girls going seem so nice and i need friends. I hadn't told anyone I was staying at the hotel. I was embarrassed. I thought it seemed weird and I needed to solve my own problems... i didn't want pity. I also didn't want to carry my books to get drinks. I took a chance. These girls were going to be my friends I was going to share with them. I asked if I could stop by the hotel and drop my stuff off. I explained the situation and to my surprise they both offered to let me stay with them. I was no longer in NYC. I was blown away by the sincere generosity of these girls. I was feeling so vulnerable and the Universe brought me these friends. I said "YES!!!!!"
A couple of days later I went to stay with E.C. This worked out so well. E.C. is one of the sweetest and most sincere people I know and I was so happy to have a friend. I also didn't have my books yet since I needed to have them shipped to me. She let me use her books and stay with her for 2 weeks. I had my books shipped to M.G. and they both became some of my best friends. I have been on adventures with them. I have been to the Aquarium, the Field Museum, the zoo, a river cruise, the botanical gardens, different neighborhoods, a Bears game, apple picking and Navy Pier.
I have moved into my new home and we are caught up to today. It has been up and down. A learning process about vulnerability, trust, friendship, the Universe and faith. I am going to post some photos and sign off. I will try to come back more often.
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