And so the Second City Stories must come to an end...

My semester in Chicago was better than I could have asked for. Why? (1) My roommates were amazing. (2) The internship I selected provided a glimpse into the world of finance. (3) I went on many adventures. (4) I explored several neighborhoods. (5) I went to art events and got a taste for the arts in the city. (6) I conquered public transportation. (7) My Sunday mornings were spent attending a wide variety of churches and styles of worship. (8) It was the perfect end to my college career.

I will miss some things. (1) The interesting conversations at work. (2) My daily commute. (3) The same man and woman selling StreetWise that I saw every day. (4) The street performers. (5) Getting free cupcakes with my roommates. (6) And all of the above list.

And, there are things I won’t miss at all. (1) Spending twice as much money on everything. (2) Paying $500 monthly rent. (3) Seeing homeless people on the street. (4) Making mistakes and feeling stupid at work. (5) Being far away from home. (6) Eating peanut butter and jelly or bologna and cheese sandwiches every day. (7) Writing weekly journals for class.

But now it's on to bigger and better things. In roughly thirty-six hours I will be on a plane to Germany, where I will spend two weeks with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. That shall be quite a big adventure. And upon my return I will seriously start the job search. The train of adulthood has arrived and I must board it. I think I'm finally ready.

So farewell, Chicago! I enjoyed our time together. Thank you for the adventures, the fun, the memories. Until we meet again.

Days 104 and 105

Saturday and Sunday, December 11 and 12

We got up early and were back on the road at 8am. At 11:30am we met up with my uncle, Delwin, for lunch at Country Junction in Dyersville. Two hours later, we got in the car and drove through some cruddy winter weather. The trip took longer than we planned, but we were almost home. In Clarion, twenty miles from my house, we stopped for a pit stop because it would still take a while to get home given the weather conditions. Well, the roads weren’t the best and visibility was nearly zero. We drove out of town and had to stop dead in the road because we couldn’t see anything, not even one foot in front of the car. As much as my dad hated it, being so close to home, we turned around and got a hotel room. He said that if my mom and I weren't in the car with him, he would have driven the rest of the way. I don't doubt that for a second. He's a truck driver at heart. And a Tammen. That's quite a combo. At the hotel we had nothing to do and it was only 6pm. The cable kept cutting out and finally quit altogether, so much for watching The Santa Clause 2. There was no way they were sending out delivery boys, but lucky for us, we had leftover pizza for the night before and I had some food from the apartment that we ate for supper. My dad went to bed at 7:30pm and my mom and I chatted and then went to bed a little after 9pm. What an exciting bunch. The next morning we got up, headed home, and breathed a sigh of relief as we pulled in the driveway. Finally.

Day 103

Friday, December 10

Happy 1: A lady at work has been sitting at Kerry’s desk when Kerry’s not there because her computer is broken. Today, nearly everyone was in the office, which never happens. Being the sweet woman that she is, Kerry moved all her stuff to the cubicle on the other side of me so the other lady could use her desk. Instead of sitting next to Joe, she was now facing him, eight feet away. Kerry said, “Good morning, Joe.” No response. “Joe, good morning.” Nothing. Not even a flinch. She looked at me and said, “I think he’s ignoring me.” That appeared to be the case so she proceeded to get on the telephone and dial Joe’s extension. Joe heard is phone, looked to see who it was, didn’t recognize the extension, got out the sheet with all the numbers on it, was still confused, picked up the phone and said, “Hello?” “Hi, Joe. This is Kerry. I just wanted to say good morning to you and tell you that I switched desks today.” Finally, he looked up and saw her. Boy, the people I work with are intelligent. But sometimes I wonder … These are the same people that debated for five minutes if Reese’s Pieces was pronounced with long or short e’s at the end.

Happy 2: I had my final internship evaluation with my supervisor and practicum group leader. Fun. We sat down and chatted about the semester, my strengths and weaknesses, what I learned, what my plans are from here on out. That kind of stuff. My supervisor, and two or three others that I worked with, got together and graded my overall performance this semester. They gave me an A-, which is “outstanding” according to the grading rubric. I guess I’m okay with that.

Happy 3: My parents came to pick me up this evening. They were behind schedule due to traffic, but this allowed for some last-minute roommate bonding at the apartment. Once they arrived, we (my parents, Rachel, and me) headed to Giordano’s for deep dish pizza. I lead the way and showed off my awesome navigation skills. No directions, just a general idea and an address. We stopped for a bag of Garrett’s Popcorn on the way to the restaurant. Well, it turned out that the particular Giordano’s we were looking for was out of business. So, Dad hailed a cab and we went to a different one. The food was good, but the place was busy. After, I found my way to a Red Line stop that would take us back to the apartment. I bade farewell to my roommate, we packed the car, and away we went. Granted it was nearly 11:30pm, but we left the city and drove for a few hours before stopping at a hotel for a short night of sleep.

Crappy: A client came into the office. He was an older gentlemen and a little strange. One, he brought his husband with him. And he had an issue with shaking people’s hands. Instead, he would give this awkward high-five-like gesture. Bizarre.

Day 102

Thursday, December 9

Happy 1: This morning, my boss and his wife (who also works at MainStreet) brought in their daughter because the babysitter was sick. She is probably three years old and she bobbled around the office checking things out. From my desk I could see into the boss’ office where he and his daughter were watching cartoons on his computer. A little later, when she was alone in the room, she picked up the phone and started talking to the receptionist. Absolutely darling!

Happy 2: In the office building lobby there is an Angel Tree. Katherine took / was given a tag. It was for a senior with a wish list consisting of a tie, shaving kit, socks, slippers, and robe. She looked at it and then said, “I thought this was for a senior in high school, but it might be for a senior citizen.” A debate ensued; Matt and I agreed that it was for an elderly man but Joe was convinced it was for an eighteen-year-old boy. She took it downstairs to ask the front desk. It turned out that it was for an old person and gifts had already been purchased. She came back with a new tag and told us that it was indeed for a senior citizen. Joe asked, “Why would anyone put socks on a Christmas list?” Matt replied, “Are you kidding me? Who doesn’t want to give socks to a stranger?”

Happy 3: There was a pan handler on the street near the train station and he was holding a sign. Generally, beggars don’t say much. This man, however, was praising God. He said, “God is good. He gave me a winter coat with a hood yesterday. God is good.” Now that's a good attitude.

Happy 4: My parents are picking me up tomorrow! The end is kind of bitter sweet, but I think I’m ready to be done with my internship. So, tonight I packed up all of my belongings. Three suitcases isn’t bad. Between packing and watching movies, Kristin and I prepared our last supper that consisted of all the random leftovers in our fridge. Yum? That’s debatable.

Crappy: My supervisor was out sick today so I worked with Joe. And well, I don’t learn very well from Joe. He showed me how to do a portfolio review on Inka and I was completely baffled. At one point I snorted because I was clueless and overwhelmed. Straight-faced and completely serious, Joe said, “Why is that funny?” Really? Do you have a sense of humor at all? While it’s nice to learn new things, it’s a little late in the game, considering my last day is tomorrow.

Day 101

Happy 1: Rachel and I went to Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) between classes. There was a display of 100 nativity scenes from all over the world, which were amazing. Some of my favorites were from Italy, Ireland, Haiti, and a really sweet one from the United States that was made with nails. Beautiful and symbolic. This particular picture doesn't include the wise men and shepherds on either side but it's pretty close. On the way back to the CS office, we stopped at Hershey's and got a free piece of chocolate at the door. Yay for Rolos!

Happy 2: Tonight was the "closing ceremonies" of the Chicago Semester Fall 2010. It was held at the Parthenon Restaurant, which is Greek. The food was phenomenal. We had lots of bread, gyros, stuffed grape leaves, eggplant and chicken lasagna, and baklava for dessert. I'm not one to try new things, so this was quite an experience. I filled up on bread, gyros (lamb with cucumbery sauce), and chicken lasagna. Nearly all of the dishes had nutmeg in it, so it tasted like pumpkin. And the wait staff had awesome accents; they're Greek, of course. The CS staff showed a video of pictures sent in by students other than me, since I don't take pictures. It was fun to look back on our time in the city and see all the places we've been. As an added bonus, we received a black Chicago Semester t-shirt and a large group picture taken during orientation week.

Crappy: I was late to my Metro class. I am never late. Here's what happened. Rachel and I were on the way back to the CS office after going to LUMA. This particular station, Chicago, is different than Clark and Division because the two train tracks are separated by a concrete wall. If you're headed toward Howard you stand on one side. But if you're headed toward 95th / Dan Ryan you stand on the other side. Well, we were chatting and ended up on the wrong side. By the time we climbed the stairs up and then down the other side, the train we needed had come and gone. Needless to say, I was late to class. Drat!

Day 100

Happy 1: I heard some very humorous things on the street today. A street sweeper lady was talking to the man selling newspapers next to McDonald's. She told him, "It's winter jacket weather. You ain't got no gloves. You ain't got no hat..." After work I saw a man and woman crossing the street and the man turned to her and said, "You're looking like a woman raccoon out here." Her response? "I don't care if I look like a bear." Apparently, being warm outweighed looking foolish. Smart lady.

Happy 2: My Fine Art Final Project is finished! All together, I probably spent twelve hours filming, capturing, transferring, editing, and exporting. For your listening pleasure, I included a link that will allow you to hear my masterpiece. Enjoy! http://cardboardboxmedia.com/cbm/anna.html.

Funny: At the beginning of the semester, CS gave each of us a gift card to Corner Bakery. Since the end is very near, I decided to use it up. During lunch, the sandwich was alright but the conversation was better. Kerry, bless her heart, asked me about the weather back home (and she knows I live in Iowa). It would have made sense to inquire about the amount of snow or the windchill or something. No, she wanted to know if we had the same seasons as Chicago. Really? Do we have the same seasons?!? She said, "Well, you just never know." Um, yes you do. Later in the day the office received a box filled with cookies; six unmarked packages full of them, actually. Andy walked into the kitchen, walked back out with cookies in-hand, and said, "What's with these weird cookies in here? It's like space packaging or something." While the bags were indeed unusual, it did not deter any of my co-workers from sampling the contents many times.

Crappy: Tonight will be a late night. It's 11:30pm and I have yet to write the artist statement about my project which I will present in class tomorrow, proof-read three weekly journals, finish two papers (Immersion Experience and Essay of Discovery), shower, and read my Bible. Sounds fun, eh?

Day 99

Happy 1: Today was my last Monday Morning Meeting. It was sort of bitter sweet; no more taking notes and listening to a voice on the other end of the line telling me about last week's mergers and acquisitions, and no more street slang and "What up, Dawg"s from BMac. At the end of the meeting, my boss (as in the co-owner) mentioned that Friday is my last day. They asked when I was officially done with school. I shrugged and said, "Friday?" They laughed. More attention was sent my way by the compliance officer, Andrea. I put together a trendy outfit all by myself (white button-down blouse with a thick black belt). There's a first time for everything. She told me, "You look cute today." For anyone that knows me well, I do not generally get complimented on my wardrobe. I'll take a t-shirt and jeans any day. But compliments are always good.

Happy 2: Outside my office building were two bright orange cones with a sign reading, "Caution: Falling Ice." It never occurred to me that ice falling from thirty-eight stories up would be quite terrifying. And fatal. This really shouldn't make me happy, but it did. Never have I seen a sign like that in Iowa. It seems that all sorts of dangers await city dwellers - crazy taxi cab driver, dark alleys, falling ice.

Crappy: After work, I headed for the Red Line and boarded the train. I tried to squeeze in where I could so others could get on. Unbeknownst to me because I'm relatively short, no one was standing in the aisle like they should be, so we were all smashed together near the doors. Some lady waiting to board the train yelled rudely, "Move down! Move down so we can get on!" People were not happy with her for being so snippy. One guy looked at her and said, "No one needs to talk to anyone like that." And someone else said, "The doors at the other end of the train won't open. Why would I go down there just to fight my way out again in two stops?" Good point! She was all kinds of worried about herself and no one else. We sure put her in her place. I just smiled to myself. No, I'm pretty sure it was written all over my face.