My first week in Chicago.

Hello! Long time, no post. At least this time I have a good excuse....I have moved to Chicago. The past few weeks have been filled with sorting, packing, cleaning, planning, and phone calls (many, many calls to Uhaul).

I can't believe I am actually here and everything worked out. Not only that but I have been here a week and worked 40 hours at Yelp (separate post to come about my new job)! That is crazy to me...It hasn't been the easiest week but it most definitely was a week full of learning and adjusting.

One of the hardest things for me is knowing that I have left my family for an indefinite period of time. Studying abroad helped me prepare for leaving home but it didn't help me prepare for moving away and not knowing if I will ever live in the same city as my family again. I mean, I know that I will be home in a few weeks to visit, but it just isn't the same and that is going to take a little while to take used to. One thing that I realized is that the more I accept the fact that I am allowed to feel sad, the less sad I feel.

I also find that the more I get out and explore Chicago, the less I am sad about being here alone. I will find my places here in the city, I just have to look for them. I had a similar feeling in London  (I actually feel a lot better than when I first got to London). I have no doubts that all of this will click and with that experience I think that I will figure this all out faster and more easily.

Below are just photos of how awesome my family is (hehe)! My whole family helped me move into my new place. Then after my first week at my new job, I came home and received flowers from my grandparents!