The rest of orientation

she's prepared for almost any transportation mishap, as long as none of them require her to just sit still & think (StoryPeople)

Yep, that basically sums up my experience with the CTA(chicago transit authority) on Thursday. Three of us went out to find each of our placements for the semester.   Things started out great. We found the first placement easily and got to the bus stop fine.  From there we got on train, to realize we were headed in the wrong direction, easily fixed, off the train at the next stop and on to the one going in the right direction.   We made it to lunch and the next placement fine.  Then struggle bus-ed finding our bus (hehe) so opted for the train instead.  Made it to my placement just fine, then back on the train to head to downtown to catch our bus home only to wander in the wrong direction for a solid chunk of time, got ourselves headed in the right direction, found our bus.  Got our bus.  Home free, right?   Wrong!   Made it to the next bus stop only to have our bus break down!! So we sat on the bus for a while until the bus driver told us to all get off and wait for a new bus.  Trying to cram a full bus on to a full bus...yea that was fun.  So we waited for the next bus crammed in and finally made it home!   It was a great adventure, which could have actually gone a lot worse.  I feel a lot more comfortable with the CTA after the amount of time we spend navigating it.  However, I have a lot to figure out but I can't wait for more adventures!!!

It was great to finally get to see the office were my placement is.  I felt incredibly welcome, which has made me even more excited to get started.   I will start right at 9:00 with a staff meeting and a chance to meet all/most of the staff.  

Friday we went to Pilsen which is the Latino section of Chicago to have a tour of the murals.  They were exquisite, as soon as I figure out pictures, I will post so you can see.   Each mural had some significance in the community with members in them.   Some of them were a statement for immigration reform, some spoke to the culture of the area, some shared history but there was incredible details in each on.   

Saturday we got a tour of South Side with Arvis, who does not sugarcoat anything.   We spent four hours in the van, seeing most of the South Side.  One thing I was struck by was the placement of extreme wealth next to poverty.  For me it called to mind some graffiti art we saw in New Orleans that said "wealth in the face of poverty is an assualt on our humanity."     The highly evident distinctions in class brought this quote into a new light for me.   It was also interesting to see the distance that had been placed between the poorest neighborhood and the rest of the city.  This neighboorhood is totally disconnected from Chicago and it seems like you are driving into a new town almost. 

And finally for today, if you stuck with me this long-Thanks- if you are skimming-good for you!.  This morning I finally got to for a run which was a good chance to see a larger part of the neighboorhood.  Then we went to a play called "The Island" which was based on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner for 27 years.  It was simply two prisoners on the island working to put on Antigone.  Despite the seeming simplicity of the plot, it spoke to the suffering and peservance of the people.   

Ok, Thanks for reading.  Someday I promise pictures!  

Love to you all and please keep me up-to-date on your lives!!!