No Solicitors!

I'm finally done soliciting those damn pocket schedules and free tickets to businesses in the suburbs. No more taking the train out to Kinilworth or Wheaton or Naperville! Woohoo! I get the day off tomorrow to relax and regroup and then Thursday we set up for the Taste of Chicago. Then Friday 27th-July 6th I will pretty much be working 8 hours each day at the Taste. I'll be working either the prize wheel or the inflatable. I get to meet the dance team and the players finally too!

The guy who was supposed to be my original supervisor is no longer working for the team, so now I have new on the job supervisors. Mike is extremely good looking and is under the age of 30 and single. Buddy is not as attractive but is a nice guy just the same. But apparently neither of them knew I was joining their team of interns until the day before I arrived. So I'm going to say that's the reason why they couldn't come up with something better for me to do than ride around passing out stuff. I'm not getting a degree in advertising to pass out fliers. No thank you! But since they didn't interview me and hire me then they must not have known my qualifications and skill sets. So I made sure to chat myself up and tell Buddy about all of my knowledge I've accumulated about advertising and business and what not. So hopefully that will sink in and he'll give me better assignments after the Taste is over.

I'm now off to relax and enjoy myself before the craziness of the Taste begins.

One week down, 7 more to go!

So I'm about to start week 2 of this lovely adventure in Chicago. Week one was a learning experience - I now am a seasoned veteran of riding the Metra, cabs, the L, and the bus. I'm still a little confused and lost in this huge city but I'm figuring things out. So far I've made new friends and have been enjoying the nightlife but I'm a little unsure about my internship. So far all I've done is wander through the suburbs and downtown passing out free tickets, promo fliers, and free merch. I've also received a lot of free merchandise which is nice but I just wish I was using more of my brain! I want to feel challenged, I want to be able to contribute ideas and apply the things I've learned so far. It's only the first week so I don't want to judge the job too soon but if things don't change after the Taste of Chicago event then I'm going to have some serious issues. I talked to one of the bosses the other day and hinted around that I want to do more and I think he's on board with that idea so hopefully I'll be able to do cooler things after the Taste is over. Today I am exhausted after a week full of fun that hopefully will continue for the next 7 weeks! I'll post more later because I'm tired and this computer screen is making me sleepy. haha.

Me and the roommates at the top of the Sears Tower.

The whole gang in front of the United Center and the statue of Michael Jordan.

Inspired

Last night I was granted the honor of hearing an inspirational story about a young man from Ghana. His story moved me to tears and to hear him speak about perseverance and making a difference inspired me. First, here is the story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah:

When Emmanuel Yeboah was born without a tibia in his right leg, his mother was advised to kill him. In Ghana, a disabled baby is considered a curse and is either poisoned or left in the forest to die. The lucky ones are hidden away until they can make their way to the streets, where they'll spend the rest of their lives begging. Emmanuel's mother made a choice to keep her son alive and teach him to transcend all limitations. Every day she carried her son three miles to and from school. At school, Emmanuel was ostracized. But it was when he was turned away from the soccer team that he decided to take a stand. Earning a dollar a day shining shoes, he bought his own ball and offered it to his classmates on one condition—they had to include him on the team. With this small step, Emmanuel began a mission to forever change the treatment of Ghana's disabled population. »

To show his countrymen that disability doesn’t mean inability, he pedaled a bike donated by CAF 610 km (379 miles) around Ghana using only his left leg. Now able to stand on two feet (thanks to an operation and a high-tech prosthetic donated by Loma Linda University Orthopaedic & Rehabilitation Institute), he works vigorously to ensure that opportunities are available to all physically challenged Ghanaians.

An award-winning documentary, Emmanuel’s Gift, produced by Emmy-winners Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern of Lookalike Productions, has allowed thousands to share his emotional story. Being a recipient of Nike’s Casey Martin Award and a co-recipient of the prestigious 2005 ESPN Arthur Ashe Courage Award, Emmanuel’s achievements have now been recognized.

Something he said last night that really struck me was that in all of the disabled people he has met, whether they are missing legs or arms, he has never met a person without a head. As long as you have a head you can do whatever you set your mind to. Life is a gift and no matter what physical state you may be in, you are not your body - you are a human being and you are alive. You can transcend phsycial limitations and use your mind and your ideas to change the world. He never gave up and never let someone tell him that things are impossible. He believes that when you do something selfless and give to others that it will come back to you ten fold and that is very true for him. It was an amazing story and I'm thankful that I was able to meet this man and hear his inspirational words.

Finally....

So I've made it to Chicago! Hopefully I'll keep up this blog so I can use it as my journal to turn in for internship credit! I've been slacking but maybe now I'll have things I want to update about. Friday I arrived in Wisconsin and visited with my grandparents and my aunt and uncle a bit and then yesterday my uncle dropped me off here at the University Center of Chicago.

It's wonderful here! I'm so excited about being in the city. We live in the South Loop area which is so convenient because my "L" stop is only 2 blocks away and then the train takes me pretty much straight to my job! I start tomorrow - I have to be there at 9 a.m. One other girl in the program is also interning there and she happens to be my neighbor in the dorm! I'm already making friends - I love the girls I live with and everyone in the program is really friendly. Last night we found the liquor store and a nearby bar, haha. We went to the bar to watch the basketball game and had a good time talking and hanging out. (When I say "we" I mean my roommate and our 2 suitemates. All of us are from completely different areas - FL, NY, MO, & ID) Anyways...the rooms are pretty nice and the food in the cafeteria is pretty delicious. There's some great shopping a few blocks away and plenty of fun things to do it seems. I'm really looking forward to a great summer.

I'm a terrible blogger

So I haven't blogged in about a month! haha. I am a terrible blogger. I guess I just didn't feel like I had much to blog about. But today was a big day - after 2 years at Sunglass Hut I am finally done! Today was my last day working at that damn kiosk! Woohoo! And there are only 8 days until I leave for my internship in Chicago. I just found out who my roommate is - she's from New York. I haven't talked to her much but I've checked out her facebook and she seems really cool.


So my brother graduated from high school last weekend. I usually hate going back to Merritt Island but I actually had fun this time. I went out to Sandbar for some karaoke and drinking with my best friends from elementary school and got way too drunk but it was totally worth it! haha. After being home I returned back to Tallahassee and my parents pretty much followed me up here because my brother had his orientation for FSU. He's going to be living in the nice new dorm....lucky him! I'm excited to have him up here with me next year.

So since all of that is over, I'm just relaxing and packing. Tomorrow I'm having a going away party - dinner at Chili's and then my friends and I are going to the Strip to drink a lot and party too hard. haha! Then Sunday I will finish packing and Monday I plan to drive back to Merritt Island so I can spend a few days on the beach and hanging out with my friends until I fly out on Friday! I am so excited, this is going to be the best summer ever! Hopefully I'll keep up with this blog on a regular basis to keep track of all of my escapades, haha. So anyways, I'll update more later or if anything interesting goes down.