Week one: a summary

So this week for city year, we have been in our "crazy teams" all week. we find out where we are really going to work all year and with who on Tuesday. I'm excited.

Wednesday and Thursday we were at a church in the deep south of Chicago in training to be City Year members. This involved a lot of the culture of city year (which is there to make us comfortable around kids, so it feels like vacation bible school with a bunch of 18-24 year old. ech.), the history of Americorps and City Year, and all sorts of fun stuff along those lines.
Friday we went out on a "get to know the city we serve" scavenger hunt in our crazy teams. My team is pretty diverse. We're all pretty laid back, a few are super energetic. There's a kid named Unique who is very out there, likes to talk a lot and is sort of the leader of the crew because of his flamboyancy. There's only 5 of us and then two leaders though, so we're all leaders sometime. He just talks the most. We went everywhere on this scavenger hunt, from china town to the white sox stadium, all over downtown, to the CTA headquarters. We even saw kevin Youkalitz, or howeer you spell the pitcher for the red sox's last name. For transportation we were given our CTA passes that we will have for the rest of the year. These get us on any subway or bus for free, any time. It's pretty awesome. Also they're magnetic, not the kind that you put in the slot and retrieve, so if its in your wallet you can hip check the reader and then go through, baffling tourists. That's the best fun you can have.

Yesterday, Greg and I found out about a free pig roast at a bar, curtly named "small bar". We then went to said pig roast, and stuffed ourselves on something other than carbohydrates for the first time in a week. Because, hey, free food. We left fulfilled and went to the free Jazz festival, which was awesome. We met up with some of Greg's High school friends there, and then walked around for a while. We went to Ed Debevics when the line to Gino's East was 45 minutes long, and Greg and I got yelled at for not ordering anything. But we're poor and were stuffed with free pig, so it's okay. After a good half hour being berated by the Ed Debevic's waitress and a chocolate coke, which was gross, we left and parted ways. I went to bed.

Today I woke up, showered, ate oatmeal, and road the red line north to the Morse stop, where I went to Many People's church, with Rev. John Hoekwater (One of my Church in Holland's missionaries). The many people there numbered thirteen, including me, the one visitor. They were friendly and gave me coffee, cookies, handshakes, and hugs. they were glad to hear I was doing City year, apparently they are partnered with a school City Year serves at.

Here's how the children's message went, I thought it was funny:

Rev: have any of you had an experience when you were lost or got separated from your parents?

Liam: Yes.

Rev: what hapened? and how did it make you feel?

Liam: I was at the zoo, looking at a Rhinoceros when I noticed my parents were gone. I was scared until I was them at the next exhibit looking at the white-lipped deer.

Rev: How did it make you feel?

Liam: I thought maybe I'd be kidnapped because my parents weren't there.

He was one of two children at the front.

Tomorrow is Labor Day, and the village discount is putting everything at half off. I am going to get a sweatshirt for $2. Then I'm going to a City Year person's house to play boardgames, I think. Because I don't have to work.