I will soon be moving from a town of 10,000 people to a metropolitan area of nearly 10,000,000 people. *gulp*
Let’s elaborate on this a bit more.
Chicago is ONE THOUSAND times bigger than my hometown, which after 22 years, I have become quite comfortable in. Now I will be moving to an unfamiliar city, living in close quarters with unfamiliar people. Once I mentioned to my dad that I was thinking about applying to ICO for optometry school, he looked like he had just seen a ghost. It was clear he wasn’t comfortable with me moving to a big city by myself. He even encouraged me to enroll in self-defense classes. Nonetheless, it is time to expand my horizons and step outside my comfort zone. Here is a short list of things I have done in order to make myself (and my parents) more comfortable with the move:
1. I took some time to research and read up on how the CTA works.
2. I’m planning a visit sometime in July to explore and get a better feel for the lay of the land.
3. I made friends with some fellow classmates via social media.
4. I’ve memorized the address of ICO and the RC.
5. I’ve created a safety net of distant relatives and friends.
6. I’ve contacted orientation leaders, faculty and staff with questions.
Naturally, I’m preparing for my big move to ICO by perusing pictures of small animals wearing glasses, searching for some optometry related dorm room décor (I recommend Etsy), and brushing up on my optometry terminology by periodically flipping through the flashcards provided by one of my phone applications. I’m excited for the diverse array of opportunities the city will offer. I feel nervous and humbled. I still haven’t quite wrapped my mind around it and probably won’t until I move my very last box of school necessities into the RC.