Endings that bring New beginnings

With 4 days remaing in my semester in Chicago, it is hard to believe that it is almost over. It really is true that time flies when you are having fun. A quick re-cap of the past couple of weeks

Two weekends ago, a couple of my co-workers(Hind, Julie and Erin) took me on a tour of Chicago. I got to go the zoo, the Lincoln Park botanical gardens, the beach at the lake, Wrigley-ville, drive up the North shore to see all the fancy-shcmacy houses, a forest preserve and finally back to my place for supper. On top of all that excitment, I got to hang out with some really great people!

Sunday of that weekend, we went to the Hull House, where social work started-kind of a must do for a house of social workers.

This past weekend I went to hang out with Julie and her youth group at Tower Hill in Sawyer MI. It was a good to get out of the city and do stuff while doing absolutely nothing. The kids where really great and it was a good time for reflection on the past semester and the end of my time in Chicago.

In exciting news for the summer, I just accepted a position working at Chautauqua Institute in New York as the Christian Coordinator for their Abrahamic Program for Young Adults (APYA). I will be working with three other coordinators- two Muslims (one male, one female) and one male Jewish- to plan programming for 16-22 year olds. While part of my position will be programming, a large part of it is also presence based, around being available for conversation.

I will leave for New York on June 20th. June 19th is Takin it to the Streets, IMAN's big summer festival-with Mos Def and Brother Ali headlining. There will also be several events happening surrounding One Chicago, One Nation that week. So I will be spending that week in Chicago, getting to do some of the touristy stuff I didn't get done now and hanging out and after Streets I will fly to New York until sometime in August.

As I look forward to this summer, it makes leaving Chicago a little easier. I have loved my time in Chicago and the people I have been able to meet and call friends. It has been an incredible growing experience. While I am excited to return home to see my family and my Luther family, I do not yet feel ready to leave this place.