Chelsey in Chicago

I am of course thankful for all of you! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of turkey (or tofurkey) and warm family fun. Safe to say I won't be traveling back for Thanksgiving now that I no longer live in CA. It's just too close to Christmas and too costly! Patrick came to visit for the holiday. He's switching his phone to airplane mode as I type this post. A huge storm is supposed to hit and all flights after his have been cancelled! But while he was here, we had a great week together. Wednesday we went for a run, which we ended at the grocery store so we could do some last minute Thanksgiving shopping. We then decided to visit the Adler Planetarium because Patrick loves space. From there we went to the Christkindlmarket. You may remember a post around this time last year where Maggie and I spent the day ice-skating, getting hot cocoa, and going to this market. It's an anual tradition and they sell primarily German-made trinkets, as well as spiced win...

As I continue my search, I am now tutoring 3 days a week with Academic Approach and will start a weekend program in a few weeks as well. This is will be how I pay the bills and will ease much of the stress of the job hunt. Of course I could have been doing this the whole time, but I thought I would have a job by now. Additionally, I am now an English tutor of children in China through VIPKids. I have yet to teach my first online class (it's a one-on-one setting), but my availability is open so hopefully I'll book some slots any day now. I am most excited about starting an (unpaid) internship with the Metropolitan Planning Council Thursday Nov. 1. They were the client I worked with during the winter quarter on the Our Great Rivers project. I could have also been doing this the whole time, but, again, I thought I would have a job by now. In my "spare" time I will continue to apply for jobs and network. I do have a phone interview coming up, but I'll spare y...

As summer transitions into fall, I am sad to say I still have not embarked on a new career. I continue to network, attend events, volunteer, apply for positions, interview. To sustain myself I have taken on a few tutoring programs with Academic Approach. Here some photos from the (free or dirt cheap) adventures I have had since I wrote last month: Apple picking in Michigan with Hero and Danielle. Paying my respects to famous Chicagoans at Graceland Cemetery. Biking to the Lincoln Park Conservatory to see plants. Touring this old home by influential Chicago architects. Hiking with mom in Chico during my super brief visit to CA. Hearing the author of The Great Lakes Water Wars speak about his book. Enjoying a string quartet during a day spent entirely in Hyde Park. Catching the elites of the Chicago Marathon. Reading in the rain at Ping Tom Park, in Chinatown, before volunteering to clean up along the river. Admiring the views from vari...

September 1st I ran a marathon in Madison, WI in an attempt to qualify for Boston so that I can run it with Patrick next year (who qualified in March at a race at Virginia Beach). My friend Abigail (a classmate I met fall quarter of last year and who I have run with a lot in Hyde Park) and I rented a car and drove up there the day before to pick up by bib and explore Madison, where neither of us had been before. Arriving before the pick up time, we drove straight to the capital building to take a look around. A nice building with access to an upper, outdoor deck with panoramic views of the city, which boasts two lovely lakes. Afterwards we ate a mediocre lunch and headed to the packet pick up location. I wasn't aware beforehand, but the race was tiny (131 marathon runners) so the expo was pretty uneventful. We next drove to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum where we enjoyed a lovely walk among the trees. Because you're not supposed to be on your feet too muc...

I have started a new blog! So that: 1. I can try out a more common blogging site and therefore one that can be mentioned on a resume 2. I can start blogging about environmental issues and topics I have noticed in Chicago 2.a. I can demonstrate my writing, blogging, researching, editing abilities to future employers (who will hopefully be environmental nonprofits) I will continue to post here at least once a month, with updates on the happenings here in Chicago (business as usual). You are of course welcome to check out the other blog if you have any interest learning about environmental concerns in Chicago and my perspective on them, but I don't want to make too many demands on your time. Same name, different blogging site:  chelseyinchicago.wordpress.com My upcoming blog will be about how I qualified for the Boston Marathon and my move from the neighborhood of Hyde Park to Uptown.

As you've probably been able to figure out from subtle references in my summer posts, I have been looking for a job since graduation. Before graduation I applied to several internships, which I obviously did not get (except for one unpaid one and I was sooo certain I could find a paying job by now). Dream job: Working in a research/writing capacity for a nonprofit focused on the environment. Reality: Applying to nonprofits doing a variety of work and for a variety of positions. How am I going about the job hunt? I job search and apply. I look primarily on idealist.org, NPO.net, and LinkedIn. I also get an email from the associate director of MAPH, who has been sharing jobs she finds and thinks we would be interested in. The number of jobs I apply to really varies. Some weeks it's one job. Others, it's two a day for a week straight. I have gotten much quicker at producing a tailored resume and cover letter and can usually complete both within two hours. It helps that...