Chi-Urban Excursion

Wish you were here! No, seriously, Chicago has again and again shown us the inspiring efforts made by people passionate for a cause. During our reflection meetings, every person in our group shared insightful comments about our travel experiences.

It’s all about community! On Tuesday we went to Altgeld Gardens and visitied with Cheryl Johnson, a grass-roots leader for an environmental justice organization. Her devotion to environmental awareness was deeply admirable and so was her faith in community.

Today, more culture! Navigating our way to the South side of Chicago through the morning mist, we explored the DuSable African American History musuem which displayed valuable learning tools and artifacts from Africa, African Amerian roles in various war periods,  popular culture pieces, as well as paintings and essays. The group was also given an informative tour on various neighborhoods, including Hyde Park, Pilsen, Bronzeville, Bridgeport, and Chinatown. Pilsen has amazing murals and we can’t wait to go back tomorrow! Agenda tonight? Wednesay mass and enjoy another community to learn from 🙂 Peace

~ Annie

Goodness, you did not want to see our tired faces this morning when we arrived at the airport at 5:30am. We had a two hour layover in Denver, ate some chili, and knocked out on the plane to Chicago. In no time, we were welcomed by cold wind and sun (surprisngly).

The city is amazing though. Imagine the Chicago skyline showcasing old brick housing complexes, a wealth of historic monuments and landmarks, artistic expression at every corner, a plethora of cultural communities, and an array of diverse food inviting us to dive into the diversity that Chi-city has to offer.

We spent our first night at the Les Fleur de Lis Restaurant, a Creole restaurant in Kentwood. We were embraced with Chicago hospitality and good eats! Dishes ranged from shrimp po-boys to jambalaya to (my personal dish) blackened catfish, rice dressing, and fresh asparagus. Delicious! The dim-lit atmosphere was a great segway into the night. It was Asylum Sundays at Les Fleur. The restaurant was slowly filled (and eventually packed) with a community of pariticipants who enjoy spoken word poetry and live music. Artists, or rather, your average folks from the community, came to to the restaurant to express feelings of happiness, grief, anger, joy, humility, empowerment, strength, sadness, and love. The emcee applauded our guest appearance and the community welcomed us into their world. We went through a well of of emotions and after three hours of performances, we finally retreated to our hostel for a good night’s sleep reflecting on the reality that we were really in urban Chicago.

-Giselle

Day 2: so today was all about seein other cultures from a new perspective. We went to a lgbt center which was one of the largest centers in the country where we were joined by anothe group from north carolina. A speaker from the lgbt community spoke about his experiences as a homosexual in a heterosexual community. It was great to see the dynamic between our group and the group from north Carolina. After that conversation we switched gears and listened to a woman talk about her experience as a south Asian immigrant. Then it was off to the bulls game!!! Mhayes

Greetings from UMEC! We will be updating our blog periodically so be sure that you check in frequently.

I am very excited for our trip to Chicago. Like many others on this trip, I have never been to Chicago. When I think of Chicago, I think of the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, certain hip hop artists, the arts in general, Al Capone, jazz, race in history, the University of Chicago, etc. There will be a lot to learn on this trip! I am pumped. We will be sure to take pictures and videos so that you are able to follow along with us.

(As a side note, I hope we get to see the bean!) Although I am fearful of the wind, I am sure Spokane prepared us for the weather in Chicago. We depart early Sunday morning. Catch you Chicago!

-Giselle