YSEALI PFP Day 35: It's Tiger Time!

24 May 2019

It was the final work day at our fellowship organisations, and the day before we depart for Washington DC.

I had walked to office every day, and with the dense high-rise buildings within the Loop, my GPS signal often directed me off route. And so I am proud (and ashamed) to say that I have probably explored dozens of ways to walk from North Wells Street to 1 North Dearborn Street, in a gridded city.

Food trucks at Daley Plaza

Had a meeting with Metropolitan Family Services Chief Operating Officer Theresa Nihill. Leading a team of Executive Directors of about 7 Centers serving beneficiaries from various communities is surely not an easy feat.

With Theresa Nihill, Chief Operating Officer, Metropolitan Family Services

Coffee!

Most work desks carried a superhero with the name of the staff. In my first week at the office, I learnt that Elizabeth Mauner was the one who started to design this for her colleagues. It all started when she and her team had to work late to deliver for a certain project, and someone commented that they were like superheroes.

With Barbara Stone, Chief Development Officer, Metropolitan Family Services

With Mark McKelvey, Senior Grant Writer, Metropolitan Family Services

With Ann Pinkney, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Metropolitan Family Services

Since I wanted to find out more about the challenges that beneficiaries faced, Ric got Cristy to invite staff from various departments interfacing with clients to a lunch meeting. I began the meeting by delivering a slideshow on my 4 weeks of fellowship with Metropolitan Family Services.

With the staff team from various departments

Goodbye to my work desk of 4 weeks

With Cristy Carranza, Executive Assistant to President and CEO, Metropolitan Family Services

Left the office for the final time to prepare for the farewell potluck that we had organised for our hosts and friends that we had met over the past four weeks.

Spotted a different flag on display at Daley Plaza today

Eritrea was celebrating its Independence Day

We went shopping at H-Mart, where we did our first grocery shopping when we arrived in Chicago.

Our invite card with a twist on the Chicago Flag

Within an hour of culinary preparation (largely by Ivy and Yasmin; I did the microwaving), we whipped up a serious display of Asian dishes.

My host Ric Estrada holding the Singaporean Tiger Beer and with a U logo pin :)

Craft beers from our guests

More craft beers!

All these within an hour of preparation!

 

Yasmin's dish was fully consumed. If that was an indicator, she won the Master Chef title. Even though she was fasting and would not be able to taste the food she had cooked!

It's Tiger Time!

To me, it was a pretty cool thing to bring the different individuals that we had met in Chicago, and whom we had spent great times with, together.

Cake from Alan and Marj, who are made us delicious food again!

With the amazing people of Chicago

We could almost safely conclude that Indomie is an all-time favourite, regardless of nationality.

With the Metropolitan Family Services team :)

Alas it was time to say goodbye.

Finally a photo with Cristy, who had took great care of me during my fellowship, ensuring that I returned alive from meetings

Ivy and her host continued their conversations as we tried to consume the remaining food

Didn't manage to serve our guests with tang yuan

Made in Singapore!

Consuming the leftovers in our late night supper

We had a flight to catch tomorrow...