Friends!
I’m checking in with you guys at the very start of my fifth week back on campus. What? It’s February already?! I can’t believe I’ve been here for a month when I can still vividly picture myself back in France. Madness. Anyway, during the last two weeks I’ve managed to have some fun in between classes and the continual adjustment to studying and life at Lawrence. Most excitingly, I was able to get away to Chicago last weekend to spend the weekend with my sisters and… to see Sam Smith! That might not be exciting to some people, but I have loved his music for almost a year and was PUMPED to see him live. I was so pumped that I willingly took two Greyhound buses to Chicago all day Friday. I don’t mind taking the bus – but a total of five hours on a bus is a little too much for me. My legs start getting antsy and I get flashbacks to being ten years old whining about ‘Are we there yeeeettt?’ to my very patient parents. Thankfully, I was greeted at Union Station to my little sister and a small Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee (Shoutout to Abby, and Dunkin’ Donuts for the delicious coffee). We then shared a cab to the private high school where my older sister Bekah works. After a private tour, we all headed back to Bekah’s apartment to get ready for the concert. I should specify that ‘getting ready’ constituted eating Pad Thai, watching Friends on Netflix, and throwing clothes on for the concert ten minutes before leaving. After an Uber ride to the venue, we squeezed through the crowd to find out seats (side note: I had never really used Uber before this trip, but were it not so expensive it would be an amazingly convenient form of transportation in big cities!). My younger sister Abby and I sat together while my older sister’s ticket was with her roommates. I don’t know if I could find the right words to describe the concert, except to say I’ve never seen someone live sing better than they did on their album! He would add riffs and acapella harmony sections into songs that weren’t (but should have been) on his album!
— SO: I have tried desperately to post a video I took from this concert, but to no avail. Instead, here’s a link to one of Sam Smith’s songs! He’s amazing so listening will only improve your life —
Besides the concert, my sisters and I had most of Saturday to spend together as well. After a delicious brunch (Lincoln Park is like some kind of Chicago mecca for incredible weekend brunch restaurants), we decided to see Selma. If you have time to see a movie this week, Selma will be the most impactful choice you could make. There’s always more to learn about the Civil Rights Movement, and I definitely left intellectually and emotionally changed.
I don’t want this post to ramble on too much longer, but I will say that besides my weekend in Chicago I just returned from spending this past weekend at Bjorklunden. If you have not heard about Lawrence’s extended campus on Lake Michigan – check it out here! I went with the Jewish student group Hillel, and had a blast! It was great to catch up with my friends, like the president this year Ilana Goldman, and to have a lovely, relaxing weekend away.
I’ll leave you with two pictures of my sister and I from the weekend – Bekah is on the left, I’m in the middle, and Abby is on the right.
