Whenever I tell someone that I’m from Chicago they assume I’m talking about the heart of downtown, right by the Loop, with a perfect view of Lake Michigan. Even though I don’t live right next to the bean, I definitely have gained some knowledge throughout my life on the hustle and bustle that is Chicago.
Living in Chicago has taught me so much more than you would expect, and I’m not just referring to knowing which pizza place is the best in downtown, but it’s Giordano’s if you weren’t aware. I would also like to point out that growing up in a city truly impacts the kind of person you will become. With that said, I guarantee if I grew up somewhere other than Chicago I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
Growing up in a city where public transportation is the number one source for getting where you need to go, I learned to take the train and bus at a very young age. Throughout high school I took two buses to get to school, not saying that was difficult by any means, but it truly taught me how to plan my time accordingly. When taking the bus, you have to rely on their schedule to get you from point A to point B on time. I woke up everyday around 5:30 to 6am so I would have time to get ready and catch my first bus at 7. If I missed one bus, I would be late to school without a doubt. To avoid that scenario at all costs, there were countless times where I had to run to catch the bus, it became so frequent that it basically became my morning workout.
I would say I’m a very independent person because of how I grew up, I relied on myself to get out of sticky situations or come up with a solution to a problem I created. I learned to have thick skin early on because people in the city are straightforward and honest so if you aren’t able to handle a minor inconvenience in a calmy fashion then its not looking up for you. I vividly remember one of the first times taking the bus to school and getting on the wrong one, it took me an hour out of the way and I freaked out at first because I didn’t know where I was. However, I wasn’t just going to sit there in silence letting my thoughts scare me even more, so I asked the bus driver what I should do. I had to wait for the bus to go through the whole route and take me back to where I started. I became very street savvy because I was always aware of my surroundings to prevent getting lost.
Moving away for college really enhanced my appreciation for the city because although I love the serenity of the suburbs and the more low key vibe it has, I feel most myself in the bustling city of Chicago. Furthermore, Chicago is a cosmopolitan and because of that I’ve gained more insight on so many different cultures and ethnicities which I’m extremely grateful for.
I will always love Chicago, not just because its my hometown, but because of all the strength, self resilience, and indepence I’ve obtained from growing up there.
Thanks for reading, V