another day, another dorm, another cafeteria

So I survived NYLF, hit airport #4 and #5 of my summer travels (Charlotte, NC and Jacksonville, FL respectively) and am now occupying a new dorm which has it's own unique smell not unlike that of my UIC dorms. I just keep reminding myself that in a few days I'll be shacked up in a Hilton Hotel in the French Quarter of New Orleans and that this will all be worth it once I get there...but the dorm-life is getting OLD.

Despite the less than perfect accommodations in the Chicago, I MISS it! I think it might be one of my fav places in the world during the summer time. The NYLF posse definitely went out with style on Tuesday night - we had a party bus shuttle us around town, hitting Piece, Whirley Ball and Cans, topped off with a 2AM stop at Flash Taco. I mean, really, what is a night out in Bucktown without Flash Taco? All and all, it was an excellent evening to finish out an excellent/exhausting 4 weeks. As much as I complained about everything, I'll miss the FAs and student drama and all of that good stuff.

So after peacing out of Chicago on Wednesday (nearly missing my flight thanks to a faulty alarm clock and a hangover), I made it to Jacksonville, FL, which as it turns out, is full of nothing. It's only claim to fame is that it is the largest city in the continental US (Alaska has some city that is even more spread out), but this just means it takes forever to get anywhere, especially when you are sans car.

I did get to meet my new co-workers down here, along with the infamous Troy, who from what I can tell, is a living legend in the international education field. Since ProWorld and IEP recently decided to get in bed with each other, they've produced 4 new staffers: Anna, Julie, Keith and Kate. They're no Autumn, but they're all pretty chill, so it should be fun time in Mexico. I saw Adam for a full 20 hours, which was fab, since I haven't seen him since May and won't see him again until we both move to Mexico in November. I can't believe I'm moving to Mexico in November...

That's all I got for now. Training has been as expected - kinda boring, but necessary. We're going to try and explore Jacksonville tonight with the help of some locals, so hopefully we'll find ourselves some fun! Till next time...