Recently, I had the good fortune of transferring apartments in my building. This also means I had the bad fortune of moving all my belongings from my old room to a new room on a different floor. Nevertheless, when the cost savings are a couple hundred dollars a month, you bite the bullet and make the move.
So, I contacted one of my new MSC classmates and asked the question we all dread – “Will you help me move?” My classmate graciously agreed and as a reward for their services, I promised to treat them to a meal at Portillo’s. My classmate is an international student in the MSC Program and had never been to Portillo’s which made me super-pumped to treat him to this Chicago-Style Restaurant we all know and love.
I ordered all the classics for my MSC classmate. They received an Italian Beef, a Chicago-Style Hot Dog, and a piece of Portillo’s famous Chocolate Cake. After consuming our meals, my classmate was thoroughly satisfied and so was I.
Our topics of conversation were equally satisfying as we discussed the history of Portillo’s, current events, and my classmate’s home nation amongst other things.
I am very thankful for the wonderful opportunity the MSC Program provides us. By creating a diverse student body, we are interacting with people varying from a wide range of ages that come from all over the world – not just the Chicagoland area. I learn more about my classmate’s nation every time we talk and far more than I ever learned in my high school Geography or World History courses.
There are many graduate programs to choose from, but I’m especially glad to be a part of the MSC Program. In addition to honing my communication skills, I am also become more culturally aware as I socialize with my classmates. I look forward to every Saturday to hear my professor(s) lecture and continue fostering new relationships with my classmates. I have a couple new reasons why Saturday is still my favorite day of the week.