Hello again from the beautiful sunny Chicago! we are still in the middle of summer here with temperatures up in the 90's and clear blue skies!! Only a few more weeks tho before fall starts and the leaves turn and it all looks really pretty!

Its been a busy week with classes and lots of other stuff starting up. We went and saw the Chicago Cubs playing Baseball at Wrigley field on Wednesday night. It took me a while to understand what was going on until I decided it was basically glorified rounders and it started to make a lot more sense!! Luckily the Cubs won so it was a really good game to go and watch. Wrigley field is a really cool place as well, it is one of the oldest stadiums in the US and the buildings around it are higher than some of the seats and so people have built stadium seating on top of these houses and bars on their top floors and people come and watch the Cubs from there.

Medicins san frontiers have been in Chicago raising awareness of their cause this week and they did a seminar with DePaul Intellectual property group about the effects of patents on 3rd world medicines which I went to and found very complicated but interesting. They also set up a fake refugee camp in Grant park which I had a wander round. It was a really good idea and really interesting.

Ive also been getting really involved with public interest law societies which involved things like pro bono work, legal aid, working with those who are less well off than we are, and standing up for the rights of those who are still oppressed in the US. Its opening my eyes to the oppertunities out there when I finish work, and how to get involved and still earn enough money to live! Tomorrow I start work in the Depaul student legal service where Ill be giving legal advice on basic problems to drop in students.

Last weekend I also went along to the Chicago Celtic Fest!! It was a laugh! I think I was the only Irish irish person there, but all the Americans are really keen to tell you how Irish they are, even if they dont know you! I have never seen Hurling at home but I was able to watch it and scottish games as well as here traditional Irish and Scottish music and watch traditional dancing. It was a fun afternoon but more American than Celtic!!

Next weekend i head to Connecticut and Boston to visit some family and see some of New England. It will be my first solo excursion in the US and Im looking forward to exploring a new part of the US - it is so easy to get lulled into a routine here and not exploring the city because I live here now!

I hope all is well at home, Keep in touch,

Sarah