Chicago!

Another weekend, another trip to Chicago. This time Shane and I were apartment hunting, and I was trying to decide between two job offers. We arrived in Chicago Saturday afternoon and went directly to an apartment leasing agency. Our agent drove us around as we looked at four or five places, and then we came across one we really liked and put in an application. It was a gigantic two-bedroom, hardwood floors, everything new, and a block from a bus to take me to one of the schools where I had an offer.

We stayed with Shane's friend David in Aurora, where we took advantage of the countryside and went on a walk by a lake and then swimming at the pool in his housing development.

Monday, David drove us into the city, and we explored the neighborhood of our new apartment. Unfortunately, we discovered that we would be living in the heart of the 'hood. We were told we would probably be fine, as long as we weren't walking around or taking public transportation there at night. But that made us nervous. What if we were out late at a show? What if we had friends visiting us? It would limit us and any chances of a social life in Chicago.

David had once been a victim of a gang shooting in Washington Heights (my neighborhood here in New York) a few years ago. He and Shane were roommates at the time, and the neighborhood was much rougher than it is now. From what I know, he was coming out of a drug store on Broadway and got caught in crossfire, shot in the shoulder. Of course, he is now much more cautious of spending time in sketchy neighborhoods, and he said that he probably wouldn't visit us much if we lived in that area. That was not a good sign. I would listen to someone who'd been shot.

So now we are trying to get our deposit back, and that means I will have to go back to Chicago to look for an apartment again. This time, we'll look in a safe neighborhood near the school where I've decided to work.

The position is for a third-grade transitional bilingual classroom. The transitional bilingual part isn't ideal (since I prefer dual language programs where two languages are developed instead of only English), but it actually makes sense because I'm not quite confident with my Spanish teaching abilities yet. (I think a few more Spanish-studying trips to Latin American countries will do the trick.) I love third grade, though, and the administration seems nice, if a little scatterbrained.

I just realized recently that I will have to start winding this blog down and start another one for the Second City. I'm excited for my new adventure (and a new blog layout). Now if I could only find a cheap way to get to Chicago next week....