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August 04, 2019

A Day in the Life at North Park

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8 am: Alarm

It’s the second day of class. We had our introduction exercises in our first class, and the syllabus was presented too. We won’t be wasting any more time; the real deal starts today. My roommate comes in sweaty; of course, they woke up to meet the gym as it opened. Maybe you’ll get a roommate like that too.

10 am: Coffee

Starbucks or Einstein’s Bagels & Co.? Luckily neither is a difficult choice as the former is across the street and the latter in the Johnson Center. I prefer the snack variety at Einstein’s.

12 pm: Lunchin’

I ordered ahead of time to get my pack lunch at Einstein’s, it does cost a meal swipe, but this way I can sit outside or find a quiet spot in the Johnson Center to call my family, because they call. Every. Single. Day.

60625 is one of the nation’s most diverse zip codes. More than 40 languages are spoken in the neighborhood’s schools, with the area having one of the highest percentages of foreign-born residents among Chicago neighborhoods. You’ll learn a lot from these neighbors, whether through a class trip to Chicago’s World Relief office, participating in an internship at a local nonprofit, worshiping with a neighborhood congregation, or visiting area businesses and restaurants.

2 pm: Catalyst 606__

Some of my friends already have their Catalyst class session now. There are two every semester per afternoon class. I’ve got one of mine next week. We’ve got U-Passes, that means we have unlimited travel on the CTA, Chicago’s train and bus systems, so Millennium Park here we come. We can still explore the city without the class.

6 pm: ARA

Back on campus, everyone calls the campus dining hall “ARA”, it’s infiltrated my use as well. It takes up almost the entire second floor of Magnuson.

8 pm: “Pogo if you love North Park”

Yep, that’s one of the chants at the men’s soccer game. The stands are full and everyone is jumping on one leg with a shoe raised in the air. There are some people at the base of the stands shouting and heckling the other team, in good fun; we joined them for a bit. Why not?

10 pm: Cookie Monster

Some of the returning students want to take us to Insomnia Cookies. It’s off the Fullerton stop and, apparently, the North Parker place to go on a weeknight. There is sleep, but this is college, so…

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