Let me start by saying: I've experienced snow before. It snowed a couple days during undergrad and it snowed maybe once or twice outside of those four years. The last time I was in Chicago was earlier this year and that was a learning point about how thick jackets do not necessarily mean well-insulated jackets. Despite all of that, the first snowfall since I moved to Chicago was beautiful. Magical, even. Everything is pretty, quiet, and my sole aim the day the first snowflake crossed my path was to make my footprints everywhere. I could've made a snowman and a snowangel but I figured:

(A) I don't want to look like a crazy person
(B) There would be plenty of other opportunities to do it later

I've heard several people mention that this was going to be a milder winter than usual. It's actually perfect for me so I can ease into this new season. It snowed this morning and still not tired of how beautiful everything looks. Living in a place with more than one season has always been a goal of mine, after all. It also helps that I have the right gear now (ice scraper, snow boots, etc.). I have to admit that I haven't needed to drive as much this year so I haven't experienced how awful (or scary) the roads can be. There was one instance when I drove to the Islamic Foundation to do health screenings for them that I found the roads slippery.

When I move closer to the city next year, I'll stick to using the trains as much as possible when it snows. And yes, plans to moving closer to the city are in their infant stage. I don't have my rotations list yet so the problem will be coordinating finding a location that's as close to the majority of hospitals/clinics as possible. A very light search has yielded a few areas of interest, like Wicker Park. Speaking of which, with a few of my friends, we headed into the city to the Wicker Park area to to study at a coffee shop called The Wormhole Coffee. As soon as you walk in, you see a pretty sweet DeLorean parked at the back of the shop. There's also a bunch of 80s and 90s popculture odds and ends all over the walls. I didn't order anything since we had stopped at Stan's Donuts. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.



I didn't bring lunch but there was a really good burger place next door called Umami Burger. The staff at The Wormhole Coffee were nice enough to not stop me when I walked back in with that food. I'm always hesitant about what places allow other establishments' food inside. I figured a coffee shop wouldn't care...? I'll be prepared next time!

We studied for as long as possible before we decided to take the train to Chriskindl Market. German food and hot spiced wine! Who could pass up on this opportunity? Although I thought the mug was a little on the small side, $7 gets you a full mug of hot spiced wine and you keep the mug to boot (yes that was on purpose.)



Like so many places I've been to in the city, this also warrants a second visit. The only question... will I have time to do so during rotations?