A Bit About Me: North Park University and Chicago

I decided to go to North Park University for college for various reasons, but some of the key ones were:

1.) Family - I am now fourth generation in my family to go to North Park, and my older sister was studying there so I thought it would be nice to be near her, especially during my freshman year.
2.) History and Heritage - I found that I really liked the whole history and idea behind NPU, so I thought it would be interesting to go there for school.  And I state yet again how the Swedish heritage of the place really piqued my interest as well.
3.) Study - I really liked the choices of classes that I could take there, so I wanted to go to a place where my academic goals could be fulfilled.

Old Main - the oldest building on the

North Park campus

4.)  Location - When I went to visit North Park before officially deciding on going there, I was really excited about the idea of living in Chicago, it would be an opportunity for me to study outside of my home state, and yet it was also a comfort to know that it wasn't all that far from home.  Well, it was within the same time zone at least.
5.) Faith - From what I had seen, the curriculum and community of North Park was geared towards its mission to be a Christian college.  So I thought that it would also be a good place to grow in my faith and Christian education.  I also felt that God was calling me to take the leap and to be there.

The skyline of Chicago.  Definitely very different

from my hometown.

I have to say that all of these reasons still ring true even into today, but it didn't always feel quite so nice to have moved there...

In a way, I feel as if I've already studied abroad after having gone from a small town in Nebraska to one of the largest cities in the country.  During my freshman year, I got a good dose of culture shock as I found myself in an environment full of the hustle and bustle of the city, and all of the different people that I encountered really brought in the reality that there was a world out there a whole lot bigger and more complex than my little hometown.  And even though North Park University was originally started by Swedish immigrants, the student population itself has become quite diverse, as well as the population in the community around the university.

The culture shock even became so much at one point that I didn't think I would make it through my first year there.  I was doing well as far as school work was concerned, but I felt trapped in what I found to be a really closed-in and cramped environment compared to the wide open spaces of Nebraska.  It was also an odd feeling to not know most of the people I encountered, and it took me a while to get over this feeling of being rude as I was no longer supposed to just wave at people.  It had also been some time since I'd had to get to know and meet new people, so that was also a skill I had to relearn and hone while I was there.

Having to take on all of the safety precautions that came with living in a big city also made me miss all the more the community I had left behind in Nebraska.  It was also uncomfortable at times to encounter cultures and beliefs that were different from my own.  It wasn't that I thought ill of other people, but I did find myself wrestling with many of the ideas and issues and shattered stereotypes that came about with the whole experience.

I think what finally made me really determined to keep on this course though was on particularly hard night I finally sat myself down and asked myself the hypothetical question, "Ok, if you could drop everything here now and return home, what would you do then?"  When I thought about that, I found that if I was to go back home, I would simply be more stuck than I currently felt.  I suppose the option to transfer to a Nebraskan school crossed my mind then, but I was enjoying my classes so much at North Park that I didn't want to change that curriculum.  I also felt that even though it was hard, God was somehow calling me to be here and to stay.  So, I stayed.

A view of the Greenspace at the center of the campus

Having an excursion in downtown Chi-town

In Millennium Park!

Eventually, it felt better to be at North Park, and now I really enjoy studying there.  It took time, but I did eventually get used to things like taking public transit, following certain safety precautions, and the feeling of being in a more confined and noisy environment.  (In fact, I sometimes find it hard to sleep the first few days I'm back at home without the background noise of the city there.)  It also eventually became more interesting rather than intimidating to look into other cultures and beliefs of people.  I can't say that I agree with everything of course, and there are still bits that I wrestle with at times, but the challenge of it and what I've been learning from it has really helped me to grow and understand and define better my own beliefs and culture, and to understand the wider world.

Nyvall Hall - the seminary building

At the corner of West Foster and North Spaulding

From left to right: Berg Hall (co-ed dorm), Magnuson

Campus Center (security, cafeteria, and international

studies offices), and Anderson Hall (freshmen co-ed dorm)

Ohlson House - This is the girls' dorm that I stayed

in my freshman year.

My dorm room in Ohlson House

Also, even though I have a rather introverted personality, and can get lonely at times, I have become friends with several kind and caring people at North Park University.  Even though I often times had to pluck up the gumption to go out and meet new people, it became easier as I found that North Park has many interesting, genuine, and caring people.  Joining different extracurricular activities and student associations also helped me to meet new people and to engage in activities I otherwise wouldn't have.  Thank you to all of my friends who were there to help me pull through, and to keep on this wonderful adventure!