.a road to nowhere.

I get asked a lot how I ended up in Chicago after growing up in a small town in North Carolina. I never know quite how to answer them. Sometimes I would joke that I flipped a coin or closed my eyes and pointed to a map. I try not to do it as much these days, since people started to take me seriously.

So, how did I end up here? Honest answer: I have no earthly idea. I applied to school in several large cities, because I was desperate to escape small town life. Schools in Boston, New York, Chicago, even Cincinnati (I totally have the WKRP theme in my head now). I got into every single school I applied to, though, so why Chicago? I had always dreamed of New York or Boston, with their many literary associations. Yet, when it came down to the wire, I chose Illinois.

Some scattered bits of justification for such a strange decision: I was originally going to major in Sociology, and Chicago is where that started as a field of study.
My old Soc teacher at the community college I attended in NC was awesome and she talked a lot about Chicago. I also had started talking to several people online who were really cool and from Chicago. I guess that made me think I might actually have a social circle when I got here (which is hysterical, since I lost touch with all of them and didn't even meet more than two of them in person). It had nothing to do with the guy I was seeing at the time, though he did come up here with me. He probably would have gone to Cincinnati, too, but frankly, I really didn't care and would have been happier if I left him behind. Yes, that was something I knew even then, but my brother told me he couldn't drive me so the boyfriend was the only option. I am a bad person. I'm sure I will be interesting company in Hell.

In conclusion, I have no idea what brought me here. It may as well have been a flip of a coin. I'm just glad I did end up here, though. Most of the time, that is. I assume that the road won't end here, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.