 |
| Levo League says it perfectly! One of my go-to inspirations for all things professional. |
I used to think that once I graduated I would have all of this free time during which I would read good literature, drink wine and have philosophical chats with friends, and go on long evening runs in the neighborhood. Adult News Alert: these things could happen in theory…but after working and focusing for 8 straight hours, you are pretty much ready to crawl into bed the moment you get home. This is reality.
However, on nights
when I muster up some motivation and actually leave the house after 5:15pm,
pretty awesome things have happened! One of these events was the YNPN Happy
Hour last week at an Irish pub in Lincoln Park. YNPN (Young NonProfit
Professionals) hosted an event with local service corps members (AmeriCorps,
PeaceCorps, City Year, Teach for America, etc.) to create more connections
between the young professionals already in the NPO world, and those who are
recently graduated and adapting to a service experience with interest in the
NPO world.
With a glass of
Magner’s on-tap (so good!) I chatted my way around the room, meeting many
AmeriCorps VISTA members, and recent grads working at all sorts of NPOs from
the American Cancer Society to the Instituto del Progreso Latino. Hearing about
other’s service experiences, their orgs and their roles, was really interesting
as I saw how different service programs function and how recent grads are trying
to break into the professional NPO world. After many exchanged business cards, I
am excited not only to find networking contacts, but also to connect with those
who can relate to my experience.
I also happened to
connect with another recent college grad whose sister went to Denison…and is a
Kappa! What a small world!
In another effort to
venture out into the social world of Chicago, I attended our community church’s
young women’s Bible study this past week. While I still don’t identify with the
Lutheran religion any more than I did before I started this year, I thought it
would be fun to engage in discussion with other young women at my church, and
just get to know more people in the community.
I knew I had picked
the right group when a quinoa/black bean/squash dish was served along with goat
and brie cheese with a spicy tomato jam and fresh bread, and with apple crisp
for dessert. Oh, and some nice Pinot Noir to aid our discussion. (I brought
some homemade hummus!) The evening was a lot of fun. There were five of us,
which made for a nice intimate discussion and comfortable dialogue around the
passage we focused on.
Our conversation
focused mostly on the concept of prayer: what do we pray for normally? What is
it hard for us to pray for? The dynamic was very relaxed and accepting, which I
appreciated as a first-time attendee. Aside from the good food, good wine, and
good conversation, I felt that spiritually it was a nice growing experience for
me. I pushed myself our of my normal boundaries-I am definitely not one to pick
up the Bible in my spare time, nor normally discuss my personal perspectives
and interpretations of religion and spirituality with people I barely know.
However, after this first meeting, I am definitely game for more! Any time I
can get some nice cheese and wine for free I’m in, haha!
Another group I am
trying to connect more with is the Kappa Chicago Loop Group, our local alumni
group. I attended the annual business meeting last week to meet some members,
learn about what the group does, and see how I can best get involved. I chatted
with a lot of different women, and while I didn’t find anyone that I
immediately clicked with, I think there could be some similar personalities
amongst the members. I just finished the October book club read (Aerogrammes, a
collection of short stories by Tania James that is a brilliant postcolonial
read) and am excited to discuss it, and see what everyone else brings to the
table. Having a bit of a background in Postcolonial Literature, I feel that I
have a few discussion starters in my back pocket :)
Aside from the social
butterfly in me starting to take wing (wow, that was a cute little metaphor) I
am also adjusting to some of the more 'unsaid' aspects of working a 9-5 in
Chicago. I have learned through my first month at work that Chicago is indeed
“the city that goes to work.” I don’t’ know when this phrase was coined, but it
definitely rings true in everyone’s dedication and focus on their job. It is at
a complete 180 with the lifestyle I led in France. Here everything implicitly
focuses on your job, your work, your position, etc. whereas in France
everything focused on friends, family, and spending time with people. I have to
say, I do prefer the French version much more!
It is hard to live in
a culture where everything is about work, all the time. Our mentality is all
geared to focus on our work and what we do for a living, rather than what we
live for-friends, family, relationships, etc. In France work is just something
that exists in between the times you spend with those in your life that you
value, where I feel that here work is what we focus the majority of our day
thinking about and worrying about.
All of my colleagues
work over the weekends, extra hours, etc. There is no such thing as “leaving
work at the desk,” or saying a final goodbye at the end of the day. I have put
down my foot, for the most part, that I will stop when my 8-hour day is complete.
I need time to focus on me, my friends, my family, my life outside of the
office. I don’t think it is healthy to do otherwise. However, it is hard to be
the person who is struggling to find a work/life balance when everyone else
seems to see work as a fluid part of his or her lifestyle. We will see how this
continues to affect me as the year continues.
Well, I am off to
enjoy the rest of this beautiful fall Saturday! I am meeting an acquaintance in
Old Town and then hanging out with a high school friend this evening. Lots of biking
still to come! (I think I am going to total 45 by the end of the weekend…sore
legs for sure.)
No comments:
Post a Comment