I hate winters and Chicago winters are more than six months long and brutal. It is weird how few days of summer we get each year completely makes me forget the pain of cold wind piercing through my skin.
It has been a little over two years since I moved to Chicago, started my current job, and also started living alone. When I was moving here from Ohio (where nothing newsworthy ever happens), almost everyone told me how dangerous it is to live in Chicago. The problem is people, saying “Oh, Chicago is a dangerous city. Good Luck with your job! Bye.” is not really helpful to me. Is it? What am I supposed to do with this information? Anyways, dealing with Chicago crime has not been the hardest part for me, mainly because I live miles away from downtown. For me, the most challenging part was starting a new job and simultaneously settling in a new city on my own. Sadly, these two events tend to come together as a pair. People move away from their family and friends for better jobs.
Since I moved here:
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I have made quarterly pilgrimage trips to the bean (Cloud Gate).
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I gained 10 kgs and lost 7.
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I have probably watched all Netflix shows and some of them twice. I have moved on to Hulu now.
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I have moved 3 times. By the third time, I started enjoying apartment hunting. Last month, for the first time I actually thought about buying a house.
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I have bought 10 house plants, 8 of them are alive as of today.
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I have listened to over 100 podcasts and read a few good books.
A professional and a personal struggle I have been working on:
Imposter Syndrome:
When we start a new job (or any new endeavor), it is very common to feel incompetent or undeserving, which makes the job even more stressful than it actually is. These feelings are partly true, you really don’t know what you are doing or are supposed to be doing for months but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it.
“The fool is the precursor to the savior.” – Carl Jung
I felt like an imposter when I started working 2 years ago and I had the same feeling when I made this website 2 days ago. It never goes away and it shouldn’t.
Inorganic relationships:
When we are in school or university, we don’t have to put any effort into forming a relationship. We meet people and they somehow become our best friends forever, that’s an organic relationship. We can take advantage of this natural process till the mid-twenties (maybe). After that, making new friends is a process. It is like finding a new job, it requires investment in terms of time and effort. It is even more demanding if we have to start building connections from scratch in a new city or country. However, social connectivity is a strong predictor of individual happiness; therefore, it is essential to make this investment. I have to keep reminding myself that.
Thanks for reading!
