Beginning the DePaul Journey

Living in DePaul so far has been an amazing journey that began with moving-in late August into my dorm in Corcoran Hall on Sunday right before my class would begin. I had listed, organized, and packed everything I needed to move in and was very nervous, but also excited for classes to begin. When I arrived, I met my roommate for the first time as I brought all my essentials and other goods into the room. We began to talk a lot throughout the day getting to know each other, setting ground rules, and preparing ourselves for the first day of class. This first week of classes would be just my Discover Chicago: Nature in the City class from Monday through Friday. Discover Chicago, however, was a very different class from anything I had experienced in my previous schools in which I would be introduced to the Chicago area and the nature in this urban environment through lessons and a lot of walking through the city. The professor and students in the class were very friendly and I instantly made a group of friends which I have grown to become very close with. Even though the first week of Discover Chicago was overwhelming, I had tons of fun as the class traveled to a garden, pond, beach, and even a river that we went kayaking in where we learned more about the city and nature around us. During that week I went to watch movies, shop, and hung out with the classmates I had met so far and felt so surreal transitioning to Chicago and doing so much. This would mark the beginning of my story at DePaul where I would meet new friends, take my first college class, explore the city, and start to live in a dorm.

After the first week, I continued to meet more students from my other classes who I go out to shop, eat, work out, and explore with. There are such a wide variety of places to visit and activities to participate in DePaul and Chicago, being one of the most popular and busiest cities in the US. Even though the city life was a massive change from the suburban lifestyle I had experienced throughout my life so far, I will admit that I truly enjoy the fresh and lively atmosphere that surrounds me constantly. The abundance of cars, trains, people, and buildings everywhere around me when I walk around campus amazes me and creates a feeling of interest, desire, and curiosity about what I will do during my time here at DePaul. I must say that the first month of DePaul has been a fascinating and thrilling adventure so far and know that the coming months will be a wild ride.

~ Alex