"Off in their own world..."

Monday was our first full day of serving the people of Chicago. Groups 1 & 2 began the day with a pastor who focuses on revitalizing neighborhoods on the south side of the city.

Groups 3 & 4 each served at different YMCA's where they interacted with children in head start programs. After a quick lunch, Group 3 learned a new skill: the art of making "plarn". Plarn is a yarn-like strand made from plastic shopping bags. Old bags are cut into strips and tied together to make long strands. A program called New Life for Old Bags takes the strands of plarn and crochets them into sleeping mats for individuals that experience homelessness.

You can see the sleeping mat in the foreground as Paige stretches out a strand of plarn.

Group 4 headed to play BINGO with residents of a low-income senior housing center. They were big hits with the residents, especially after they learned the nuances of calling out the BINGO letters & numbers.

After a much appreciated shower, Groups 1 & 2 set off on their Immersion. Small groups of 4-5 students are given a small amount of money that they are to use for food while experiencing different parts of the city via public transportation.

 It was an eye-opening experience. During our debriefing session at the end of the night, one student commented that "everyone was off in their own little world" and people were doing whatever they could to avoid eye contact.

Group 3 became familiarized with the diverse nature of the many neighborhoods. They were given a list of questions about a specific area and encouraged to meet business owners and residents to learn more about the various cultures represented. This definitely put some of our students outside their comfort zone, but that added to the impact the exercise had on them. They even learned about new foods:

Here are a few highlights of our debriefing session that illustrate the impact of today's activities:

- "I learned that a little action can have a big impact."

- "The city has a darker side that most people don't see."

- "The kids at the YMCA fed off our affection."

- "During the ethnic plunge, it felt weird to walk down the street and be the minority."

- "Talking to the Muslim store owner made me realize that despite our differing religious beliefs,  we're all here to serve the collectiveness of humanity."

After my much appreciated shower, it's time for lights out.  Check back tomorrow for another update.