Big City, Small World

So here we are... TGIF! Today marks my first official weekend in the Windy City, but more importantly, it marks the day my mom told me to give it until I decided to stay or go. With one week under my belt, I am happy to report that I will be staying!

My wise, wise editor told me the other day that one day the tears would stop coming and I would be ready to face the new challenges I set out to accomplish. It seemed hard to believe at the time, but now I understand what everyone meant when they said it would get better. I would like to send a GIANT thank you to all the friends and family--and even those I haven't been that close with over the years-- who have reached out and helped me get through this tough week.

On Wednesday night I had drinks with a friend and her coworkers at the Sears Tower... excuse me, the Willis Tower. I thought how cool that was, and as I rode the El back through the "loop" (downtown Chicago) and saw the skyline lit up as we passed along, my outlook changed to the sunny side (although the weather took the opposite attitude). Yesterday I was in the shower and thought how amazing it was that I am living in Chicago. And walking through my neighborhood that day the feeling kept coming back. I think that excitement--along with the wonders that are called Skype and webcams-- are dulling the feelings of homesickness.

Over the past two days I have also been learning what a small world it is...

Last night I met two women, one of whom used to live in Medford, MA, but now lives in Chicago. She noticed I was cheering for the Red Sox and not the White Sox, put two and two together and the conversation was started. She owns her own dental practice in the neighborhood.. looks like I found a dentist!

And today, I was walking up and down my street applying to bars and restaurants for a waitressing job and came across a place called The Hidden Shamrock. I almost didn't go in, but boy am I glad I did! The woman greeted me warmly with her Irish accent and we had a pleasant conversation. Although she just hired someone, five minutes into our conversation she took down my number and told me she wanted to hire me as a server as soon as she could. Upon further discussion, I found out that this bar is going to start airing Patriots games as soon as the season starts (most bars in Chicago affiliate themselves with a college and a pro NFL team during football season--it's actually pretty cool, so us out-of-towners can catch our favorite teams in a friendly environment). I was elated to learn that I had found my Sunday viewing spot! And THEN, after I explained that I was a Patriots fan because I had lived in Boston for a few years and had grown up in Worcester, she tells me that one of the owners grew up in Worcester, too! Both owners are from New England, the other from Brighton, MA. Looks like I've found a mini home-away-from-home. Me and Cathy are buddies now.

Although this is a big city, Walt Disney was right... It's a small world after all... (ha ha, now you will have that song in your head for at least an hour!) :)