Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Public Transportation, The Ukrainian Insitute of Modern Art, and Hope for the Future
On August
27, my roommates and I all arrived
in Chicago to begin our adventure together. We received tons of warm smiles and
gracious hosts from all over the city throughout the week. I must say, city folks are not mean or
scary like the media portrays them. Everyone I have met in this city has been
kind and greeted me warmly, even when I looked like a goofy lost tourist. The
only real challenge that I faced during the week was the public transportation
system, and by challenge I mean figuring out which bus or “L” to take, when to
get off, where to sit, how not to disturb the vicious looking drug dogs hanging
out in the tunnels, and trying not to sing along when an Acapella group busted
out into “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye (Let’s be honest, the city of Chicago
isn’t ready for my superb singing abilities and glorious free style lyrics just
yet).
I
have to say that the highlight of my week came on Tuesday. During our
orientation week, one of my roommates and I went on a scavenger hunt through
the city. One of the places to go was 2320 W. Chicago Ave. At the beginning,
it seemed like just another random address, and I, with my “I’m too cool for
school” attitude, walked straight up to the door and pulled the door handle
without reading the sign. “CLOSED on TUESDAY” As my roommate and I stared at
the hours of operation like two small children deciphering a 100 piece puzzle
for the first time, a man walked to the door and asked if we wanted to come in.
We declined at first, not wanting to impose on his only day off, but after he
insisted we walked in very meekly and thanked him graciously. He explained in
his lovely Ukrainian accent explained The
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art then turned the lights on as we signed in
and began exploring. We worked our way through the whole museum that he had
opened to us, and in that moment I felt pretty awesome! Here I was a southern
girl from North Carolina wandering through all these beautiful pieces of art. Talk about random luck.
All
in all, I must say that my first week in Chicago went smashingly! Exploring the
city, making new friends, and not getting hit by oncoming traffic were all a part
of my magical adventures, and I feel pretty confident in my ability to thrive
here. This week I will start my job at Little Brother Friends of the Elderly
and I am really excited to establish myself within the non-profit organization.
I will update everyone on how my training goes and all the wonderful things
that happen. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and have a marvelous
week!
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