Fun things I have been doing

I have gotten to do a lot of fun stuff since I have been in Chicago. I have been to a cubs game, a bulls game, the Blackhawks game at Soldier Field, jazz Fest, Mardi Gras at Navy Pier, and a lot of other things. 

When I first moved to Chicago at the end of August I went to two Cubs games. It was the first time I had been to Wrigley Field for a game. I had a blast. The Cubs lost the first game to the Marlins and beat the Braves in the second game.

I also went to Jazz Fest not long after moving to Chicago. It was at Mellinium Park. I had a lot of fun.

I also have gotten to go to my first Bulls game in Chicago. I went with my roommate Clarissa and her brother around Christmas. We had a lot of fun. We went to dinner before the game at Gino's East then headed over to the game. The Bulls beat the Cavs that night.

I January my roommates and I went ice skating at Mellinium Park. It was our community day event. We had a great time.

Recently I went to Mardi Gras at Navy Pier and the Blackhawks game at Soldier Field.

 I started my day at Navy Pier for Mardi Gras. It was a crazy event with a ton of people. Part of the party was a pub crawl that went all around Navy Pier and one of the boats. I spent most of my time on the boat. It was cool to get to see lake and hang out.

Later that day I went to the Blackhawks game at Soldier Field. It was my first Blackhawks game and my First time at Soldier Field. I froze my tail off at the game but had an amazing time. It was very cold and snowy. The Blackhawks beat the Penguins 5-1.

Most recently I went to the St. Patricks Day parade. It was really crazy. There were a ton of people. But overall it was a lot of fun.

The parade is a tradition in Chicago. It was the first time I have ever been. It was cool to see all the people in the parade and what a big deal it was. The bagpipers were my favorite part.

Overall this year has been an absolute blast. I have gotten to do a lot of fun things for the first time in my life. I am looking forward to doing a lot of other fun things throughout the rest of the year.

Work

This last month or so of work has been crazy. It has been really busy. There have been some issues with some of the kids that I have had to work through. It's made my job tough. It took me some time to figure out how to handle it. 

  It started with a kid who thought not living was the only choice. That student ended up getting a lot of help. I didn't know how to handle that situation once the student was back. I got a lot of help from my friends. Just being able to talk to them about it made it easier for me to handle that situation. Since I have never been in that kind of situation it was very tough for me.

  Later in the month another student lost their dad to an unexpected death. It was very tough on this student. I was able to talk to them about it and just let them know I was there for them. It just added to a tough few weeks. 

  Most recently one of the students lost their mom to jail. The mom has been in hail for a while but was sentenced recently. Finding this out has been a good and bad thing. It has been tough on the student and me because they have been acting out. The good part is knowing what is causing this and how to help this student. 

  These things have been really stretching me. It has been a lesson learning point in my year and my life. I have had the chance to learn a lot about the kids and what they deal with on a daily basis. It has also taught me a lot about myself. It has taught me that I need to have people that I can talk to about certain things, that sometimes I don't need to say anything but just be there and listen, and that I might not have gone through those things but I can be someone that can grow and help people grow through situations like that.

  Overall it's been a great year. It's had it's ups and downs. I have learned a lot and can't wait to see what else I will learn.