Beginning my 4th week in Chicago

I have been in Chicago for about 3 weeks now. I love it so far, but getting here wasn't necessarily easy.

On June 20th, I parked a tiny Honda Civic in front of the Manhattan apartment I was moving out of. With all of my worldly possessions stuffed into trashbags on the curb, I was playing a mental game of Tetris when an Upper East Side woman let her 2 dogs relieve themselves all over my belongings. Thank God for double bagging.

Luckily, I was able to get everything I own into the car, and I made the the 13 hour drive to Chicago. Moving in has been a never-ending process, but I've been able to enjoy a bit of what Chicago has to offer in the summer too. I attended the Taste of Chicago 3 times, went to my first Cubs game, and saw a performance at the Steppenwolf. I signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture farm share that sends me a box of farm fresh vegetables every week. I live 2 blocks away from North Avenue Beach, so I've been able to get some sun and volleyball into my weekends as well.

I'm beginning my third week at the Constitutional Rights Foundation. We are expanding our program to include Latin American countries, so I am attending a conference in Myrtle Beach, SC at the end of the month to try and solidify that arrangement. Overall, life an work are going well here in Chicago. I look forward to hearing more from other fellows as they get settled!

Until next time,

Mark