I had a truly wonderful time staying with Felice at The Stained Glass Apartment. The apartment itself is even more beautiful and spacious than the photos, which may be hard to believe given how beautiful and spacious it already looks! Felice has lived there for 14 years and has decorated it with a great deal of love and personality. It was truly a haven to come back to in the evenings after full and busy days in town doing summer immersives at Second City.

Felice was a wonderfully generous and fun host. From the very first evening when she took me on a walk around the nearby neighbourhoods and took me to one of her favourite Italian restaurants, where the owner and servers knew her by name, I could tell I was in the presence of a very special lady.

She did not just provide me with the basics required of a stay - comfortable private room, towels, keys, space in the fridge, kitchen cupboards and bathroom storage - but treated me as a friend from the off, being a warm, open and spiritual person always interested in meeting others, discovering about life in other countries and making connections across the world.

We shared many a late-night conversation during the week after I got in from class, and at weekends Felice took me on a bike ride to an art fair and a drive to Pilsen, Little Italy and other sights a bit further out of reach. She was full of insights into Chicago and life itself! I miss her already!