The move to Chicago

The move to Chicago
August 18, 2004

Hi everyone,I have arrived at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago in HydePark and am unpacking the last few boxes. Please come by if you are in the area! All are welcome! Ahlan wa Sahlan!It is true what they say about Middle East full-time CPTers: unpacked, my new place does look like a Palestine museum and/or pottery shop.I am surely living in the right apartment building as my downstairs neighbors lived in Egypt for twenty years, and my next door neighbor, Dr. Vogelaar saw our van and U-Haul pull up late Monday night and jumped in to help carry up boxes, fix the lightbulb outside our door, and even brought over a box of ice cream for ustired movers. He also lived in Egypt and the region several yearsand speaks fluent Arabic (this means that he can pronounce 'Baghdad' correctly), and clearly has held onto middle eastern hospitality. Dina took me out for a 'welcome' dinner at Cedars of Lebanon and thefood there was a strong antidote for all of my middle easternhomesickness.The best news is that the seminary is starting Arabic languageclasses this fall as part of its world religions department! Thesecond best news is that a bunch of the people I've already metsince moving in want me to come speak about life in Iraq and CPT. Isee that I am going to be busy...Finally, yesterday every muscle in my body was engaged innot-so-nonviolent protest and I had still not unpacked the box withthe ibuprofen. Today is much better with only a strained calfmuscle. It was the combination of books and three flights of stairsthat really did me in. Meanwhile, I've been lost about five timesin the seminary building already even after finding my way aroundthe world. Good thing folks here are pretty friendly. Just gotinvited to partake in a Korean/Indian lunch here in the computer laband think I am going to get along just fine!peace,Le Anne