THE "The Move"

My whole life I've been moving. When I was young, my family moved five times before I was in high school due to my father's job. In college, I moved to Spain for a semester, and then to Chicago for my student teaching. After that, I moved to France. Peru. China. Miami. Japan. Turkey. Miami. The list is not meant to boast, but just to verify the fact that, YES, Amy is a modern-day gypsy.


Though I'm no stranger to picking up my bags and starting a new life somewhere, this move up to Chicago was different than all the rest. For one, I picked out my own apartment, and purchased new furniture to fit my home-style. Used to living out of a suitcase, or renting places temporarily with furniture provided, this was a first for me. Second, this move was permanent. Sure, I'll travel during the summers, perhaps taking a sabbatical in a few years to revisit TEFL life, but Chicago is my new forever home. And the feeling, that settling, comfortable, peaceful feeling, is just amazing.


Because I don't own a car, my transportation to and from my new school has to be public. Since the school is located in a rather tough neighborhood, I had to find a place the was easily accessible. I settled on Hyde Park - a beautiful pocket of safety and charm on the South Side. The apartment was more of an issue; because the University of Chicago is nearby, the number of available apartments around the area had already dwindled in anticipation of the fall semester. Though the odds of finding a place in my price range, and in the location I needed to be in (due to complicated train schedules) were stacked against me, it seems that Lady Luck was looking out for old Amy - I found the perfect place for the perfect price.


With the Museum of Science and Industry in my backyard, getting downtown and back again is a synch.  With Lake Michigan, and, consequently, the lake-front trail, a block away, my daily runs are trouble-free with much to see (rhyme). I'm a few blocks from an gilt-edge grocery - think, a cheese section of which the French would be très fier (French-English dictionaries, everyone!) - and Binny's Beverage Depot (I'm exploring wine, and this place where curiosity is satisfied!). Obama lives 10 minutes away; add an additional 5 minutes to that walk, and there's Jesse Jackson's church.


My place is affordable AND adorable. A small studio, it's just perfect for me. Taupe walls, white moulding, ceramic tub, plenty of closet place for my expansive wardrobe. Plus, a quaint little kitchen where I work my new found culinary magic, and indulge my amour du vin - you can probably guess what that means without your French-English dictionary.


I'm working on decorations; currently, I'm developing an idea to cover one long wall with miscellaneous  frames displaying photos I've taken over the past couple years. 


As for my new life here, it is coming along nicely. Though I'm not as social as I'd like to be, I am moving forward in other areas. I am using my time now to really focus on myself; to heal my wounds, to get healthy, to take care of myself. It's a funny thing, I've discovered recently, to absorb these experiences I've had and interests I've accumulated, the people I've met and the things I've done, into my... me. Coming full circle, I feel a out of place and completely at home. 


I never really thought about this part of my life, the life after my globetrotting spree. It is a great life, full of a whole different kind of adventure. My future here, with an unseen end, is full of possibilities and optimism. 


And that is what makes this move the "The Move".