I believe that there are many factors that contribute to overall happiness. In my personal experience, I have found that happiness starts at home - wherever home may be. Yet, the most difficult aspect of my life in recent times has been searching to find a new home. Deciding to move halfway through my college career has been a difficult choice, but an ultimately exciting experience to say the least. Naturally, the greatest challenge has been in the attempts to find a place that I want to be proud to call my new home. After roughly three months of my roommate and I searching for the perfect Chicago apartment, I am relieved to say that our mission has finally come to an end. As we finally agreed upon what seems to be the perfect apartment, this decision is a testament to our struggles along the way.

At the beginning of our apartment hunting journey, my roommate and I were beyond excited to find our new home. We imagined taking on the city together, as well as all of the perks and amenities our potential home may have to offer us. Yet, after going on a multitude of tours, we began to fear that there would be no end in sight. As there are seemingly limitless options of apartments in Chicago, it became rather overwhelming to decide upon which neighborhood we wanted to live in, as well as what we hoped would be included in our apartment. Between pricing, viewings and everything else in between, the "fun" of searching for an apartment began to take a toll on us.

Luckily, our struggles came to an end this past week after finding an apartment that suits us perfectly. After our feelings of stress regarding the activity, we are more than excited to move into our new home this summer. I have truly learned that the "fun" of apartment hunting in Chicago is not in the activity itself - to be honest, it's most likely found within the interior decorating, which we have been planning before we even decided on an apartment.