Make It to Chicago

I’m an international student living away from home so when I moved to Chicago, I was a bit nervous, but excited, as well, as I would be able to live a whole new life in the city. Although ACTIVATE runs for 2 months, I made new friends and learned how to live an independent life. I applied for internships, bought groceries, cooked, and managed my time and budget on my own. Besides enjoying the fun in Chicago, my internship was very interesting. I interned in legal marketing and was excited about working in this position. Moreover, during my time in the program I discovered various delicious restaurants in Chicago which made me postpone my plans of going on a diet (haha!). Another thing I loved about staying at The Flats, the College’s residential space in Chicago, is that it is close to everything which is so convenient. It’s only a 5-minute walk to the grocery store and a 10-minute walk to the Museum Campus, which includes all the fun places like Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, etc. I loved taking full advantage of the free admission days to discover all that the museums had to offer.

One of the things that I had never done before, but I did while in Chicago, (and I highly recommend it to everyone), is I woke up at 5am and watched the sunrise at the lake front. It was super gorgeous and made my whole day. After watching the sunrise, I went to Jewel-Osco to get groceries for the new week. It was a productive way to start the day! I also recommend that future participants check out taking the Red Line train to go Chinatown. There you try the hotpot, Korean BBQ, and bubble tea. Chinatown is only a 5-minute train ride from The Flats where you can try tons of different cuisines. Isn’t that cool?

These experiences as part of ACTIVATE far exceeded my expectations and I cherish every moment of living and working in Chicago. To continue exploring new opportunities, I plan to continue living and working in Chicago as part of the Lake Forest College In The Loop program this coming Fall semester. I'm so excited to continue my self-nourishing journey. I feel grateful and appreciative of my family and friends that have given me the opportunities to grow into the person I am now. Cảm ơn rất nhiều!