And the countdown begins!

My visa has arrived and I can't stop looking at it~~ It's a multiple entry visa, so I can do some international traveling over breaks.  Long weekend in Japan? Who knows, I might give it a try.  Side note/fun fact: when I end up needing to renew my passport, I get the old one back, so I get to keep this sucker as a memento forever. Sweet.

Also, I got flight information from my recruiter.

*drumroll*

I leave August 16th.  Cincinnati --> Chicago --> Incheon, which is about as direct as it comes. The 2nd flight is going to be 14 hours, which kinda sucks but isn't anything I haven't done before.

Chicago~

Be prepared, this is a long post.  Hopefully the pictures make up for it - the first pictures on the blog!

I got to Chicago late Monday night, arriving safely despite severe thunderstorms that freaked out some of my fellow bus passengers and nearly prevented my friend Margie from coming down to meet me at the bus stop.   Luckily the rain let up in enough time for her to get downtown to meet me...but not so luckily, it started back up as soon as we got off of the train.  The walk from the train stop to her apartment isn't too bad, but in the pouring rain and with a heavy bag it felt about twice as long.  Despite her massive umbrella, we were both pretty well soaked by the time we got back to her place.

Tuesday was much nicer, both weather-wise and activity-wise.  I got up with Margie and went with her down to her office, which is where I'd meet her once she got off work.

I got to the Korean consulate a little before they opened at 9:30, but their doors were already open and there were already people doing consulate-y business in there.  I sat down in one of the chairs in the little lobby area, composed myself, quadruple-checked that I had everything I needed and everything was prepared, and listened to people talking in Korean.  It was simultaneously terrifying and relaxing - terrifying because I didn't understand everything, but relaxing because I understood enough to get the gist of what was going on.

Dropping off my paperwork was surprisingly easy - I had a couple of questions on the application form, and the person at the counter was very nice about helping me with them.  He didn't seem 100% sure what I needed, though, which makes me a tad nervous.  We were both unsure as to whether they needed my transcripts or not, so I just gave them to him with everything else.  If they don't need them, they don't need them.  He also didn't tell me when he had everything and I was all set, so I just kinda stood there awkwardly for few moments before asking if I was good to go...and he just kinda stared at me.  I had to ask again slightly differently and he just gave an unsure little nod, so I hurried out of there like the awkward little thing that I am.

After leaving the consulate, I walked back in the direction I came from and stood by the river for a little while to try to figure out what in the world I was going to do with the rest of my day.  I had standing orders from Margie to send touristy snapchat selfies to entertain her, but other than that I had no plans.

Chicagoans might not like the style of the name on the building (or so I've heard), but the sunlight does glint off of it ever so nicely.

(From this angle, the consulate is to the right about a block or so)

After taking a few pictures, I popped in one earbud and began walking down the Magnificent Mile for some shopping, mostly of the window variety.  I did end up with two new pairs of skinny jeans, though, which I'm pretty happy about.  After an early lunch and lots of wandering around the general area of the Mile (nothing particularly interesting caught my eye), I crossed over the Chicago river and immediately ran into a little park/plaza.  It turned out to be the Vietnam Veterans Memorial/Wabash Plaza, and I really wish I had thought to take a picture of it when I spotted it from the bridge.  It was a beautiful little spot right by the river, and a wonderful place to people-watch while I rested my feet for a bit. I think I was there for a little over an hour and a half, just doodling while I watched random people go about their days.

Once I decided my feet could take a bit more of a beating, I decided to head down towards Millennium Park. 

No trip to Chicago is complete without a trip to the bean...of course, I didn't take a picture of myself with it (whooooooooops)

I relaxed a little bit with my feet in the water before heading down to check out Buckingham Fountain.

Those horses amused me a lot more than they should have...

Other than that, I mostly just sat around and watched what was going on around me.  It was a really relaxed day.

Wednesday was cold - 63 degrees in July? Chicago, get it together. I don't like cold, so I decided to be lame and spend the majority of the day inside.  I did go downtown with the intention of meeting Margie and heading to a free outdoor concert in Grant Park, but neither of us wanted to spend the evening out in the cold and mist.  We ended up watching movies and eating pizza in her apartment, which was just as nice.

Thursday was a short day - our bus left in the middle of the afternoon, so Margie and I did a little bit of shopping before catching a taxi downtown and sleeping through holiday weekend traffic on the ride back to Cincinnati.

Overall, I'd say Chicago was a success, even if only one day was warm enough to really go out and have fun in the city.  Now I just have to wait for my visa~