Chicago!

So my first couple of days here have gone really well! Unfortunately I have only seen about five or six blocks of State Street between my dorm and the studio, but hopefully this will be remedied by some super shopping on Saturday (I love alliterations). One of the best things about this program is that I have the freedom to go wherever I want in the city whenever I have spare time (as long as I sign out and all that jazz). This makes things a whole lot less claustrophobic; at most programs you are stuck in the same place with the same people for weeks on end and it can get a little crazy. Similarly, in some ways it is nice that my two roommates and I are all in different levels which means we don't really have time to get sick of each other. Katie is from Cincinnati and very cool and friendly. She is a modern dancer which is rather refreshing as she is so much more relaxed and logical than any bunhead. Sonia is from Bulgaria and super smart as she has traveled all over the world. She even knew about Richmond and considered going there! I love meeting people like her that have so many amazing life experiences to share.
The classes themselves are challenging but it is getting easier as I slowly get myself back into shape from my relaxing but long break from ballet. I am learning a lot and the Balanchine style just comes so much more naturally to me than the Russian style that I dabbled in early last week (wow, can't believe that was just a week ago!). We are learning stars and stripes which I love as it is super cute and fun to dance. The teachers here are demanding but very supportive and I have had lots of encouraging feedback which, let's face it, is a nice change.
In a way I am glad I came straight here as opposed to staying in Lexington; I have had really bad post-Europe blues but have been able to distract myself by staying busy and drinking in the liveliness of the city. I feel like if I was just sitting on my butt at home I would be pretty miserable. That said, I do miss my KY friends  a whole bunch and am excited to seem them all one more time before everyone heads off on their college adventures.
Hopefully I will have more Chicago-related exploits to write about next time.