Hi new MAPHers,
Welcome to the MAPHtastic blog, your source of information about all things MAPH! We are your three program Mentors, Michael, Jess, and Clancey, and we will be updating this blog throughout the year with event information, advice on making the most of your year at UChicago, suggestions for things to do around the city, and occasional fun links. We will also be posting periodically on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
All three of us graduated from the program back in June, and are really looking forward to working in the MAPH office this year as a resource for all of you. We are here to help you navigate the exciting, hectic year you are about to embark upon, plan fun social events and offer advice on anything and everything from choosing electives to choosing lunch. Feel free to stop by and say hi whenever you get to Chicago! We will be here through the summer in the Classics Building 117, and you can email us at mwl89@uchicago.edu, clanceca@uchicago.edu, or jh2604@uchicago.edu.
We can’t wait to meet all of you, and in the meantime here’s a little about us.
Where are you from?
Clancey: Born and bred in the Midwest. Originally from East Lansing, MI.
Michael: I grew up on a farm in Bristol, TN and lived for several years in Athens, Georgia.
Jess: County Durham, in the north-east of England, UK.
What’s your favorite Hyde Park breakfast spot?
Michael: Z&H! Try the Fleegle on a croissant (nutella and banana) and an almond milk latte. It’s a decent place to study if you don’t mind a little noise, and the staff are super friendly!
Clancey: My kitchen: espresso with sugar and an egg bagel sandwich with scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato, cucumber, (very) sharp cheddar cheese and red pepper jelly.
Jess: Omelets and coffee at Salonica on Blackstone and 57th, every time.
What are you currently reading?
Clancey: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and I just finished rereading Flaubert’s Madame Bovary.
Jess: Dreiser’s Sister Carrie for the MAPH summer reading group, and also whatever I find in the free books section outside Powell’s.
Michael: Portrait of a Lady by Henry James and Intention by G.E.M. Anscombe.
What did you do before MAPH?
Jess: I lived in Hong Kong for a year and a half between undergrad and joining MAPH where I worked as an English teacher, before taking the trans-Siberian railway and a lot of different megabuses home.
Clancey: In the summer in between MAPH and undergrad, I traveled abroad and worked as a barista.
Ask me about…
Jess: Thrift stores and $1 milkshake Wednesdays.
Clancey: Tupperware and bad puns.
Michael: Classical music and opera in Chicago.
What’s your favorite bookstore?
Jess: In Hyde Park, definitely Powell’s. I’m also a big fan of Myopic Books in Wicker Park, and, a bit further afield, Brick lane Bookshop in Shoreditch, London.
Your program mentors.
What are you doing this summer?
Michael: Hanging out at the Lake, starting way too many books and finishing far too few, going on excursions to other neighborhoods, running, practicing Ravel’s Tzigane on the violin, and making many pots of New England Coffee in the MAPH office.
Jess: Running, cycling, exploring Chicago’s neighborhoods and going to free events in Millennium Park, with occasional road trips around the Midwest.
Clancey: Reading, traveling around the Midwest, cooking lots of summer squash and trying to convince Preceptor Matt Hauske to go bowling.
What was your most recent museum trip?
Michael: Art Institute of Chicago. Definitely one of my favorite (if not my #1 fave) museums in Chicago! Students get in free with a student ID. The current exhibit “Charles Ray: Sculpture, 1997-2014” (open through October 4th) is absolutely amazing and warrants a visit in itself. Since the Art Institute is right next to Millennium Park (where the Bean is!) and a short walk from Grant Park and the river, it makes for a great first outing in Chicago.
What do you wish you’d known last September?
Clancey: There’s no reason to be so nervous. I entered MAPH with high levels of anxiety and nervous energy, much of which remained with me long into winter quarter. I spent a good deal of time worrying and less time enjoying the things that make me happy.
Jess: Trader Joe’s exists.
Lastly, do you have any Chicago winter survival tips?
Jess: Layers, hats and coffee from the MAPH office are all pretty much essentials.
Michael: Take some time to exercise! Winter can keep you cooped up, inactive and listless. Visit the Ratner or do some yoga at home. Also, to make up for the lack of sunlight consider getting a UV lamp or just eating plenty of vitamin-D rich foods like salmon, mushrooms, and eggs.
Clancey: Winter is beautiful. Enjoy the snow and, whenever possible, walk everywhere.