Feels Like San Francisco

So here I am, on my way to the first stop on this adventure. I'm on a United flight with the Cornell cohort headed to Chicago. My day started off at night. Around sunset was when I woke up to break my fast, yes, it is still Ramadan; day 27 going strong! I had my bags under my shelf all packed and ready to go while I snapped some pictures and tried to rest as much as I could because I knew soon I would have to get ready for the airport. 

I was at El Cerrito High School at 2:30 AM with my iced coffee and morning attitude, we weighed our luggage and mine was around 40 pounds; way less than I anticipated! Don talked to us for a bit, giving us advice on being proud of where we came from and confident in what we have earned ourselves which I enjoyed and felt reassured by. As well as tips on how to blog and reminding us how he loves pretty pictures.

Never have I ever gotten to the San Francisco Airport so fast, though, we were also talking the whole way there about leadership and previous travel experiences. When we got to the airport, the first thing I noticed was the rainbow lights for pride month, everything was new to me since I never traveled domestic before. It's all part of the experience. Bags checked and boarding passes in our hands, we headed towards security (everyone's favorite). Lucky Robson and Javaria; they were TSA pre-checked so they just breezed through while Deven and I had to go through the whole process. I of course got pulled aside for the full pat down but it wasn't anything I hadn't dealt with before. 

We found our gate which was surprisingly close by and found a sitting area with four chairs, perfect for us. We put our stuff down, our feet up, and took our cameras out to take pictures of the mirrored bean shaped decor hanging from the ceiling. We talked for a bit about the diversity at Cornell and how it compared to our high schools and the different cultural clubs and unions available for people to join. Deven, Robson, and Javaria went to grab some breakfast while I watched our bags and was reading texts from the other ILCers spreading love and sharing their excitement for us.

I realized how small the plane was when we stepped in. Sending my last texts to my friends before we were finally in the air I realized I was really on my way to my dream. I felt nothing but proud of myself for getting myself to where I am now. As you can tell, I had lots of time to reflect on the plane since I couldn't sleep; I wanted to and envied the rest of the cohort for being able to at least for a little bit.

I didn't talk much on the plane since I was sitting with my cohort and they were all resting but I got up to use the restroom and stretch my legs. I could hear Don's voice in my head and knew he wanted me to draft my blog, so that's exactly what I began doing.

We finally landed in Chicago and the first thing that hit me was the humidity -- a warning for the Chicago cohort -- wear thin clothes. We sat in the shuttle and were telling the driver about the ILC and he was showing us all the tourist attractions and that he had also been to the Bay Area. Once we got to the Onmi Hotel, I felt like such a VIP, we got into our rooms (minus Robson because his wasn't ready yet) and Javaria and I quickly changed and bonded while doing our makeup in the mirror with phenomenal lighting.

We took a bus down to the Art Institute of Chicago, something I had been waiting for. I had the opportunity to see famous pieces of artwork up close such as American Gothic, Nighthawks, and so many more. The various busts of the Roman Era and preserved scriptures and jewelry from the Byzantine Empire took my breath away with the amount of detail they held and the vast history behind them. Though, what I found most interesting was the 'Islamic Art' section where the architecture and designs were demonstrated by being carved into doors hung on the walls, cloth and tiles with designs made by hand, and painted ceramic. I even saw one of the earliest Qur'ans which was color coded which made me feel a great sense of pride and deeper connectivity to art and what individuals have to offer. I can most definitely check this off my bucket list and take inspiration for the creativity expressed by these impactful artists. 

Navy Pier tickets for the rides were not of our interest, the cohort bought some churros and ice-cream and we walked all the way down, making sure to take lots of pictures going there and back. Lake Michigan is quite large and it reminded me a lot of the feel in San Francisco, that's what the whole city experience had felt like since we arrived. There were cruises going on dinners and several dining places and bars which were all full of people. It was very lively and refreshing to be there and take lots of pictures and honestly walk until we couldn't take it anymore. 

Afterwards we walked through Millennium Park to get to Navy Pier, we saw the bean on the way there! What was unique was that there was a small music festival and family fun day so it gave you the opportunity to bask in the magnificence of this design instead of looking at it through a camera lens.

We walked through the city of Chicago and down the streets while I smelled things I didn't usually smell, see all kinds of people, especially tourists which is the category I fell into and the building were amazing and I couldn't even look up to see them properly without sun getting in my eyes. 

The plan was to get dinner at Giordano's but it was super packed and the wait was too long, after fasting through all of this I was completely fine with having deep dish the next day. Instead we got back to the Omni and went to their restaurant. I got some soup which wasn't too heavy but filled me up, just wanted to try something I usually don't have. 

Finally we split up to get to our rooms to blog and call it a night when Javaria and I realized we don't have wifi. After going to the office and getting our info and testing it out, it doesn't work (of course).  We went back to the office, got ourselves situated and went back to our rooms to document the day. Calling my parents and friends and setting my alarm I got ready for bed, which was much need after all the exciting activities we did today. 

The first day in Chicago was one hundred percent spent well. We were all exhausted by the end of the day and wanted nothing ore than to sleep, but I can say some amazing things, being able to see famous artwork from inches away, walking through the busy city streets, and doing it all with a great group.