A New Place to Call Home, A New City to Explore

One of my favorite things about college was the opportunity to explore and get to know a new city. The idea of calling a whole new place my home was pretty damn exciting (and maybe just a little bit scary). For my first 18 years of life, exploring my home was never really an independent activity. But as I set foot on the UW-Madison campus, I knew for the first time I was about to take on a city and make memories that were completely my own. Those four years of exploration went by incredibly fast, they literally felt like 20 minutes. From wide-eyed campus freshman to teary eyed graduating senior… it all felt like a blur. 

The week following graduation I recall going on a very nostalgic walk all over campus. As I walked, I was amazed at how truly overwhelmed I felt. Somehow in that blur of 20 minutes/four years, every square inch of that campus made emotions and memories flood into me. Campus buildings where my favorite classes were, libraries where I spent (what felt like) my entire life studying in, restaurants I ate in far too often, coffee shops I  worked at, bars where I spent many a fun weekend in, and the different apartments I lived in all brought me a variety of emotions. 

That walk was just one long, drawn out goodbye to college. It was like I had to see every important spot one last time. And following that walk, the next few days would be packed with goodbyes to the people that filled those places and shared those memories with me. With every goodbye, to both a special spot on campus or a wonderful person I met there, I was hopeful I would see it or them again. It was more of a "see you later" than a goodbye. But still, I knew that a chapter of my life was coming to an end. 
I had to say goodbye to Madison.  

So on to the next chapter. A couple months later I moved into a new place on the north side of Chicago. And while I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, the north side really feels like an entire new place to explore. I am absolutely ready to make new memories here. It is an exciting feeling to be on the brink of making those memories. Which coffee shop will be the one I always remember going to, what will be the restaurant I have to go to, what will be my favorite path to walk along, who will I meet along the way? But there is one question that looms over me above the rest… Will the connections be as strong as they were at my alma mater? Those spots on the Madison campus seem almost sacred to me now. Even just nine months out of college and I feel like those four years of memories are going to be difficult to top.

But as that question lingers in my mind, it brings me to the realization that I’m just going to have to work a little harder. I will have to explore a little deeper and find ways to make these coming years just as great. And who knows how many years I’ll be in Chicago, but regardless I want to make the most of every day, every week of this place. I need to act like a college freshman during her first days on campus.

 We all become great explorers during our first few days in a new city, or a new love affair. 

This quote made me think that our first few days, or months in a new city themselves can be a love affair. I’ve definitely had a love affair with Madison. Ask anyone I work or live with in Chicago, it’s all I talk about. It probably gets annoying, I mean I'm even writing a blog to discuss my struggle to transition away from Madison. Needless to say I think it’s about time for me to move on... just a little bit. I need to become an explorer of Chicago and have a love affair with a new city. It may not be a college campus, but there is something magnificent about the city of Chicago. And I am very ready to discover it.

College to Real World

As I pass the 6-month mark of my life post-college, I’ve decided this is the perfect time for a bit of reflection. I also haven’t blogged since I studied abroad in Italy. I used to really look forward to the reflections I would have every Sunday as I sat down to write about all the new foods, colors, people, and overall culture I soaked in. I’ve realized that I am now 6-months into another culture that is also filled with a plethora of new things, the post-college culture. I’ve officially entered the real world.

Everyone tells you that college is a time that you will never forget. The ‘best years of your life’ some may say. And after leaving the college lifestyle, I can definitely understand why. Of course, there were plenty of hard and stressful times. But I am not sure I will ever again have four years that will include so many friends all in one place, incredible weekends, immense amounts of knowledge, and opportunities around every corner. College really does make you feel as if you can do anything. I went into college having no idea what I wanted to major in, only a small idea of what my passions were, and probably about half the number of friends I have now. I strived to make the most of every day and every opportunity I was given. And in my short 22 years of life, it probably is the best four years I’ve had thus far.

After graduation back in May, I knew right away that a chapter of my life was coming to an end. It felt as though someone had just took the training wheels off my bike. And then shipped the training wheels to China, so I could never ever put them back on again. Whether I liked it or not, it was time to start riding my bike like a big girl. 

So here I am six months into the ride. I feel like I am just starting to get a good pace going. The first couple months away from the college culture were filled with this overwhelming feeling of strangeness. It was weird starting this whole new phase of my life. But I’ve realized that it is absolutely crucial to never lose that feeling of endless possibility I felt in college. We are a generation that is likely to have multiple careers throughout our lifetimes. Which means multiple new chapters, and many new opportunities. And no matter what chapter I am in, I am going to strive to make it another incredible four years. It will not be simple. But I am hopeful it can be done.

I want to fill this blog with pictures, thoughts, and reflections on my personal post-college transition. The struggles and successes I will find in this new chapter of my life, in this new culture I am surrounded by. I will end this first post with one of favorite quotes, from a guy that was probably more afraid of the real world than anyone else… Ferris Bueller.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t look around once and a while you could miss it.”

I’m ready to take a long look around and make the most of my post-college life.