Hi! You’ve got mail! 💌 This is letter number 3 of Love Letters from a Creative Chimera: a newsletter & microblog capturing things, people, and ideas that have made me fall absolutely in love with life over and over again. My name is XinYi and this podcast is where I read my letters for those who prefer to consume their content through audio rather than reading off a screen.

So in May of 2021 (just last month, if you’re listening in real time), I temporarily moved from Dallas to Chicago for 5 weeks to challenge myself to see if I was truly as adaptable as I believed myself to be. And the result? Well… you’re about to find out.

🌬

dearest windy city,

Today I depart from Chicago after 5 weeks of a whirlwind of 10k+ steps/days, trudging through every imaginable spectrum of bone-chilling rainstorms to sweltering hot summers, fanatic sprinting to catch trains and buses, arranging hangouts with newfound friends, and nursing my sore throat post one too many indulgently deep and thought provoking conversations while hopelessly losing track of time… and I feel so much joy and so much hope, I could almost stay… almost.

But I’m a neophiliac, and I’m drawn to change. Having been fortunate enough to travel as much as I have, I’ve come to accept that most cities are more or less the same — what makes them special and memorable are the people I meet. So here are just a few, in the order that I met them:

[ 💌 full letter found on creativechimera.substack.com!]

And of course, special shout out to the hubs for coming through at the end of the 3rd week so that we could do all the typical tourism things one normally does in Chi town together (the Cloud Gate/Bean at Millennium Park, the Riverwalk and Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, North Beach for views of the skyline, strolling the 606…). Chicago felt comfortable before his arrival, but having his company made Chicago feel, at last, like home.

So, thank you, Chicago; thank you for a series of unexpectedly good weather (the weatherman kept promising gloomy and overcast skies but your unpredictability continually surprised me with sunny afternoons), continually wholesome conversations, and scars around my ankles from endless urban hikes. I won’t miss how how you dried out my eyes with your blustery forecast nor the shady night rides home on the train, but I’ll still miss you all the same.

love,

nowhere girl in Colorado

If you’re wondering how I managed to find all these people to connect with, most of them were found from Asian Creative Network, a Facebook group I was invited to years back. I queried for the word “Chicago” up to 3 years back and just direct messaged everyone who has ever mentioned the word Chicago in a post or comment. I told them that I had just moved to Chicago and wanted some local recommendations of hidden gems! Of course, with the way that Facebook messenger is set up, getting a request from someone who isn’t already your friend is a little hidden so I expected the response rate to be a bit lower simply from this particular UX design. Because I personally don’t even use Facebook that much, for those who responded and was able to sustain a short but interesting conversation, I asked them to stay in touch through text. From there, I offered to meet up in person if they felt comfortable (given the COVID situation) and was equally interested!

One of my fatal character flaws is that I’m an infamous snail mail replier which basically means I suck at keeping in contact digitally. So quality time is imperative for maintaining meaningful friendships for me. That’s why I preferred to meet these new friends if I could!

Again, please please please check out any and all of these friends if you have the curiosity! If you’d like a personal introduction to any of them, feel free to message me @creative.chimera on instagram or comment on the original letter on creativechimera.substack.com! Until next time!

Website @ https://desktop.creative-chimera.com