Chicago, Pt. 3

Final post from my Chicago Adventures! I took a lot of pics and I'm pretty positive you want to see all of them, right? LOL.

Visited Chicago Independence Blvd SDA Church on Saturday. The church building is an old synagogue and the new inhabitants have not changed the decor at all. I hate that I forgot to snap the beautiful stained glass and chandelier fixtures in the building. 

Ate at a Haitian restaurant in the city until I felt absolutely disgusting. Well, me and my siblings, cousins, and some friends. Fried fish, fried goat, fried plantains, chicken, legumes, rice, macaroni & cheese, patties, Malta, Champagne Cola, and... I'll stop listing as to give you less information to judge me on. If you're ever in Chicago, check out Kizin Creole for some delicious Caribbean food.

I feel like my time in the DMV area is beginning to wind down and I've been trying to think of the next (and, hopefully, final) place I will move to. My first day in the Chicago, I really fell in love with the place and begin to wonder if this could be the next locale I call home. It seemed to be the perfect mix of Southern charm and Northern energy. I mean, I could learn to adapt to the cold if all my other basic needs were met.

But, the longer I stayed and ventured about, the less it felt like me. I realized that I was tired of searching for street parking, paying meters, overstepping unknown substances on sidewalks, standing on trains, and the overarching "unclean" nature of metropolises.  It finally registered that I probably need to move back down South, despite all my affections for the city life. I love the plays and concerts and energy of bustling crowds but... I think I'm outgrown my interest in being surrounded by all of that 24/7. 

 Visit? Sure. Live? Eh. I'm not sure I can fully commit.

If there is one thing I have learned from these past 6 years is that I really don't do well in these spaces. I crave the silence, simplicity, charm, connection, and easiness of Southern life. The very things I ran from when I packed my bags in search of adventure are the same things I miss the most here.

You can take the girl out the South but you sho'll can't take the South out the girl.

xo,

jana-lynn