MY ADVENTURE IN CHICAGO, THE WINDY CITY!

My trip to Chicago was way more than what I had previously anticipated. It was full of adventures, laughter, and learning. I expected to go to the conference, learn a couple of things, and explore a couple of sights around Chicago. Luckily, I was completely wrong, and had the time of my life.

Before I go into detail about my trip, I would like to say that this could not have been possible without the sponsorship of many people. We were sent out to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 27^th Annual Conference. As an ambassador for California State University, San Bernardino, we were to represent the school, and try to learn as much as possible about different opportunities that we could take advantage of. They invested quite a bit of money on each person who was sent out to the conference because they knew that we would make the CSUSB name shine bright. I am truly grateful for their commitment to the HACU program, because thanks to all of those who invested time and money into the trip I was able to live a life changing experience.

The trip to Chicago was a very long journey. I had flown out to Mexico City many times in the past, but this flight was nothing like the rest. I felt sick to my stomach since I got on the plane, and the only good part about the flight was the flight attendant that we had from Ontario to Las Vegas. He was such a character, and I loved his enthusiasm. He made the trip so fun, and he even sang when we got to Las Vegas. He really knew how to keep his people happy, and I really enjoyed that. I just wish that there were many more flight attendants were like him because I can honestly say that if there were, those airlines would get a lot more business.

After a three hour trip from Las Vegas to Chicago, we finally got to our destination. When we finally landed I began to feel a lot better. I was super excited to be in a new place, and I could not wait to begin our four day journey. We picked up our luggage, and headed to the charter bus where we met up with our tour guide. The tour guide was a young man who knew everything about Chicago. He took us around the city, pointed out some good places to visit, allowed us to get off and take pictures, and even took us to get Chicago hot dogs. Oh my goodness, I fell in love with those hot dogs! The best I have ever had.

 When we finally got to the hotel, we went inside and received our room keys. I headed to the room, cleaned up a bit, and began my night. I went out with Sandra and Seidy, two girls I had met on the trip. Our intentions were to get on a boat ride, but unfortunately the boat rides were closed. We did not want to go back to the hotel, so we decided to go eat. We went to a place named Portillos, where we were served some killer Italian Beefs. As we were walking back to the hotel, we came across a bar and said what the heck lets check it out. We just sat and socialized, and before we knew it, the bar was filled up. So many people were there, and oh yeah did I forget to say “It was Halloween weekend!” The costumes that some of the people had on were amazing. After a few hours we decided to head back, because we had to be up bright and early for the conference the next day.

 

When I woke up on Saturday, I felt like I had just closed my eyes. I had gotten about four hours of sleep, but I believe that since I was so excited I did not feel tired at all. I got up, got ready, and headed down for registration. When I was grabbing breakfast, I met some of the other students that were also there from CSUSB, and began to talk to them. They were all very nice, and we decided to make plans for the night. The rest of the day consisted of sitting in a room and listening to different panels. When we finally got the opportunity to interact with the recruiters, I decided to go to my main choices and just ask questions. It was a bit nerve wrecking because we had to approach recruiters who had worked for their company or organization for many years. Luckily, all of the recruiters were very nice, and after a while I felt a lot more comfortable.

Once we were dismissed from the exhibit hall, I headed up heading to my room and got ready for the night. I was invited by Ivonne, one of my professor’s friends to the Chicago Philharmonic. I was very excited, because I had never attended anything like that before. I took a taxi to the place where the event was being hosted. I thought that the event was going to be far away, but it turned out to be about two streets away. The rude taxi driver took me in a big circle and charged my $7.00. He totally knew that I had no idea where I was going, and that he could take advantage of that. When I finally met up with Ivonne, we headed inside and took our seats that were located in box 2. Everything was so fancy and nice in there. I had a great time and really enjoyed this new experience.

After the Chicago Philharmonic concert, we decided to head over to the Navy Pier. Unfortunately, we ran into some inconveniences along the way, and missed the fireworks. It was extremely cold, but I was not going to let that put a damper on my night. A few girls and myself decided to walk around and see what a Saturday night in Chicago was all about. We ended up going to Hubbard street, where many night activities were taking place. We went from one place to the next, and had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people. I met people from other schools, and even people from out of the country. It was a wonderful experience, that had to be cut short when we realized that it was about 2 a.m. and we needed to get some sleep for Sunday morning.

Sunday again consisted of attending the conference, and participating in different workshops. We got the chance to sit in and listen to the recruiters’ presentations, and then interact with them. I found this to be very useful because you could ask them any questions that you had. The conference went by really quickly, and before we knew it we were dismissed for the day.

 I decided to go eat pizza with several other CSUSB students. We walked to Giordanos, where we all ordered deep dish pizza. I really enjoyed the different ingredients that it had, but I honestly did not like the crust. They all thought I was crazy because I did not like it, but I seriously did not find it very appealing. Dinner itself was very fun, and I really enjoyed going out with the students because I felt like I made many new connections that day. The rest of the night consisted of walking  around the city, and coming back to the Hilton where we got to sit around and socialize.

  

When I woke up on Monday, I was very sad because I knew that it was the last day that I would be in Chicago. I knew that I had to make the best of it considering that I would fly back the next day. As usual, the day consisted of attending different seminars, and of listening to different panels. During lunch, we were given the task to sit at a table where we did not know anyone, and network with them. I was a little nervous at first, but luckily the people who I sat with were extremely nice. I met a lady named Mary and a man named Xavier who both worked for St. Xavier University. They shared with me some very wonderful links about scholarships, and studying and working abroad. I found these links to be very useful, and I am currently still researching them. I really enjoyed this last day of the conference, and unfortunetly it came to an end.

I had planned my Monday night as a more relaxing, so that I could get ready for the flight back home the next day. Our mentor, and coordinator of the event Deborah Buck and several of us visited different places in Chicago. The first place that we visited was the Willis Tower. It was amazing!!! I could not believe that we were on the 103^rd floor, and were actually standing on glass. I took many pictures there, and that experience was truly priceless. Once we left the Willis Tower, we went to eat something light and then headed to the Hancock Building. This building was so elegant and beautiful. We visited the lounge, and then the observatory where we got a 360° view of Chicago. The view was amazing, and I can honestly say that I had never seen such a beautiful view like that one before. I am extremely glad that I visited those two buildings, because that was really the best way to end my stay in Chicago.

 

                            

Overall, I had a wonderful experience in Chicago. I not only learned many useful things at the conference, but I also met many wonderful people. I networked with recruiters who gave me pointers about how to get  jobs within their organizations, as well as just how to stand out during an interview process. I met other students from CSUSB who were extremely nice and who have promising futures ahead of themselves. I had the opportunity to explore different buildings and locations that Chicago is known for, I can honestly say that this was an amazing trip, and an overall once in a lifetime experience.