Top 5 Things To Do During Your Semester In Chicago

by Nicole Ricks

1. Blue Man Group: The Blue Man Group is this crazy weird combination of rock music, comedy, and theater. It's probably one of the coolest performances I have ever seen in my life. And if you volunteer as an usher, you get a free ticket to the show! Just call the box office. All being an usher requires is passing out programs before the show starts. Easy stuff.

2. Ghirardelli Chocolates: They give you a free piece of chocolate every time you step foot into this establishment. Enough said. And it's top notch quality deliciousness. Be sure to try their brownie sundae; it's AMAZING!

3. Lakefront Trail: There is a paved trail that runs for miles and miles and miles right along Lake Michigan. Canterbury is only 2 blocks from this. Take advantage of it! It's well lit and well traveled, so don’t be afraid to go for a run by yourself. It's stunningly beautiful to see Lake Michigan to one side of you and the Chicago skyline to the other.

4. Sprinkles Cupcakes: These are the best cupcakes your taste buds will ever have the pleasure of enjoying. Seriously. Be sure to check Sprinkles' Twitter or Facebook page before you go in though. They are always posting special deals.

5. Neighborhoods: Chicago is made up of dozens and dozens of neighborhoods. Get out of the Gold Coast and go explore some of them! Each one has its own feel and features.

Other random advice: Always look at the pamphlets on the table in the lobby of Canterbury. They advertise free things happening in Chicago. These handy dandy little pamphlets are how my friends and I found out about a lot of the adventures we experienced like Chicago Summer Dance and the Jazz Festival.

Get involved in a church. Don't put your relationship with God on the backburner during your semester in Chicago. Living in Chicago is a challenge. There are moments of temptation and heart wrenching encounters with poverty that need to be brought to the feet of Jesus and dealt with. I attended Harvest Bible Chapel during my semester and got involved in a college small group through it. Having a solid group of Christians who were committed to praying for me and experiencing life in Chicago with me was so important. Harvest is actually what I will miss most when I leave the city in a few days. It's been amazing to see the way God is at work in the city through the churches in Chicago.

The Stories We Tell

by Nicole Ricks

I found myself in the Bookcellar a few weeks ago for an art event called "Essay Fiesta." Even though I was attending the event for my Arts in the City class, I was quite excited about my first foray into Chicago's live lit scene. "Essay Fiesta" is exactly what it sounds like….a bunch of people reading first-person, non-fiction essays. I know it sounds outrageously boring, but honestly it was fantastic.
 
One of the authors was reading an essay about her encounter with a homeless man outside of the Urban Outfitters on Rush Street. Richard was an injured veteran who couldn't find any work. The author went into great detail describing how mangled and gnarled his feet were. And the guy didn’t own a pair of shoes either. The author and her friend went into Urban Outfitters and bought him clothes with money out of their own pockets.

I frequent this Urban Outfitters a lot. It's location on Rush Street is incredibly close to the apartment building. Yet I had never seen Richard there before. The author's story was exactly that - a story. Even though it was true and I walked past it's location all the time, it seemed so beyond me. So outside of me.  Like nothing that I would ever encounter or need to respond to.

But then it happened. I saw Richard outside of the Urban Outfitters on a Friday evening on my way back from work. I recognized his mangled feet from the author's description at "Essay Fiesta." I felt like I was seeing a celebrity in a backwards, twisted sort of way. The poverty described in the story from "Essay Fiesta" was right in front of me. And I didn't know what to do.

Poverty and homelessness is never something I encountered back home in Michigan. It just doesn’t happen as often in the small towns that I've always lived in. But it's something that is absolutely ingrained into Chicago's culture. Each person who lives here has to decide for themselves how they will respond.

I don’t think giving money or food or clothing to homeless people is the only way to bless them or help them. After some prayerful consideration when I arrived in the city, I decided I would give them my time and attention and respect instead.

So many people just completely ignore the homeless people on the streets of Chicago and don’t even acknowledge their presence. I can’t even begin to imagine how that would feel day after day after day. So I've decided that every time I pass a homeless person, I will look them in the eyes and smile. It's such a simple gesture of respect and acceptance, but I know that even when a stranger smiles at me it makes my day.

So that’s what I did when I encountered Richard. I looked at his eyes - not his gnarled feet that held the attention of the other people passing by.

It's All Good In The Neighborhood

by Nicole Ricks

Did you know the city of Chicago is made up of dozens of neighborhoods?

Each Practicum Group is given a different neighborhood to explore and experience throughout the semester. My group is learning about Lawndale - which is on the southwest side of Chicago. Our first experience was to attend a church service. A hip hop church service. On a dark and dreary Saturday night, my group made the 45 minute trek to the neighborhood. As I watched out the window of the El train, the scenery was noticeably changing. No more skyscrapers. A lot less people. A lot less white people. Lawndale is primarily an African-American neighborhood. (Chicago is extremely segregated - quite possibly the most segregated city in America to this day.)

My practicum got off the train. It's dark. It's the southwest side of Chicago notoriously known for being sketchy. A lot of us are feeling a little uneasy as we make our way to The House, a ministry of Lawndale Community Church. Our group at least quadruples the Caucasian population in the congregation. Someone's rapping onstage. People are dancing in the aisles. Our group is sitting quietly in our seats. And then one of the worship leaders calls us out as the "Caucasian Evangelicals sittin' all tight." Everyone turns to stare at us and laugh.

To be honest, most of us came away from that experience with a bad taste in our mouth for the neighborhood of Lawndale. It's segregated.  A lot of crime happens. There are quite a few vacant lots. There's no grocery store.  But a couple weeks later, we were back.

This time my practicum group was learning about the assets of the neighborhood through the staff at Lawndale Christian Development Center and Lawndale Community Church. These organizations have done so much for the city. They've built a garden. Started a health clinic that will service anyone. Opened a café that sells fresh fruits and veggies. Brought Lou Malnati's Pizzeria and got them to tithe 10% of their profits to the ministries.

At first glance, Lawndale seemed unpleasant and unwelcoming. But it is so far from that. This neighborhood has such strong community values. Everyone knows everybody and watches out for them. The Christian ministries are central to every day life. It doesn't seem like you're in Chicago let alone the southwest side.

Each neighborhood in Chicago is so unique. Want a hipster feel? Go to Wicker Park. Want a melting pot of cultures? Go to Rogers Park. Want some top-notch Greek food? Go to Greek Town. Want a small-town feel? Go to Lawndale.

http://www.orkposters.com/chicago.html

"Like A Box Of Chocolates"

by Nicole Ricks

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." - Forrest Gump's Mom

No offense to Momma Gump, but I think her quote needs to be changed to be more accurate. It should read. "Living in Chicago is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." Seriously though. Let me just describe my most recent trip downtown to you. I needed to walk down Lake Street to get to my destination. But, alas! It was closed off for the filming of an Indian movie called "Doom 3." They were filming a street chase scene as I passed by involving a motorcycle. There were huge cranes and cameras everywhere! So I walked over a block to Randolph Street. And I turned the corner right into a mass of people all participating in a protest called "Slut Walk." I was literally stumbling about in a mass of scantily clad people trying to escape (picture Viola from "She's the Man" in the marching band). It was an interesting day to say the least. 

I visited Chinatown for the first time last weekend and had another "chocolate box experience." Can we all just agree that the stereotype of Chinatown is ripoff purses, sweet and sour chicken, and samurais meditating? What I never expected to find was a Chinese Christian bookstore on the main strip in the neighborhood! It was filled with Bibles and devotionals and children's books all written in Chinese. How stinkin cool is that! 

My weekends are filled with fun excursions all throughout the city, but my weeks are BUSY. Crazy busy. Let me just say how hard it has been transitioning to the 9to5 life. Sometimes I just want to take a nap or eat a snack in the middle of the day. But I can't. Because I'm working. For 8 hours straight. And then there is the homework. Thankfully, Chicago Semester classes are really more experiential learning focused versus the typical lecture/reading style. We go on lots of field trips! It's like grade school all over again! Only better. We've been to the Hellenistic Museum, done a walking architectural tour of the Loop, and visited several historic churches downtown so far. Still there is homework. It might not seem like a lot, but it always sneaks up on me!

"To Chicago!"

by Nicole Ricks

[Please read the following to the tune of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"]

Now this is the story all about how
My life got flipped, turned upside down.
And I'd like to take some time, make you an aficionado.
I'll tell you how I became the resident of a city called Chicago

In southeast Michigan born and raised.
On the campus of Cornerstone, I spent most of my days.
Chilling out, maxing out, relaxing all cool,
And studying journalism at my school.
When my advisor, a newspaper man
Took a little look at my 4-year program.
I needed 6 more credits for an off-campus internship
He said, "You're spending next semester working  in Chicago."

I drove down I90 and when it came near,
Sears Tower and Michigan Ave. were filling my mirror.
Then came hordes of people, and more did follow.
Got a little overwhelmed but, "Yo, homes, to Chicago!"

I pulled up to my apartment about seven or eight,
And I yelled to my parents, "Yo, homes, see ya later!"
Looked at my kingdom, it was better than El Dorado.
I sat on my throne, as a resident of Chicago.

I've been in Chicago for  two weeks now.  In some ways it feels like it's been much longer, because I've already accomplished so much.

Public transportation? MASTERED.
Internship? NAILED IT.
Friends? MADE SOME.

Those were probably my three biggest worries coming to Chicago. Using the subway and the buses really isn't difficult at all….but I do say this as a person with an iPhone who uses Google Maps every where I go. But really the CS Staff did a pretty fantastic job during orientation explaining how to know which trains are going where. And we got to put our navigational skills to the test in small groups before ever heading out alone (So maybe my group took the scenic route…but we got there eventually!) The staff even provided directions on how to get to each of our internship sites, so no worries there either.

I was blessed to end up with my first choice for my internship. I'm now the Public Relations / Development Intern at the Youth Job Center of Evanston. It's a small non-profit that provides at-risk and underprivileged youth with job readiness training and help finding work. Now Evanston is only 11 miles away from my apartment, but my commute is an HOUR. And I have to transfer from the Red Line to the Purple Line. But so far I enjoy what I'm doing and who I work with. It's not as prestigious as some of the other internship possibilities like working in the Hancock Tower. But I'm super passionate about the mission of the organization, so I would say it's worth it.

Though days of orientation week were brutally long and jam packed making me feel like a freshman in college all over again, many days were pretty open and left a lot of free time. For someone like me who didn't know anyone else in Chicago, it was kind of intimidating. Who on earth was I supposed to hang out with?? I'm an introvert. Quiet. Shy. Sucks at making small talk. Or really any conversation at all. So I'm generally pretty bad at making new friends. And for the first week or so, I honestly felt like I didn't connect with anyone at all. Since Chicago Semester only accepts students from Christian Colleges in the Midwest, I just assumed all of the people participating would be like me and my friends from back home. Not so. A lot of the students here this semester are very into going out to bars and clubs all the time. And I am by no means saying that is wrong. It's just completely different from what I am used to. And I wasn't expecting it all. It was really a shock for me. But God is good and faithful and full of blessings. I randomly met one of the student teachers (who the general track students hardly ever see) in the elevator at the CS building one day. A short conversation later, we realized we both went to the same church at different times in our lives and would much rather play a board game on a Friday night then go out drinking.

And my new friends and I have found PLENTY of things to do in our spare time. And most of them have been FREE.

Lincoln Park Zoo.
Fireworks and concerts and Navy Pier.
Chicago Jazz Festival.
Moody Fest.
Chicago Summer Dance.
Lake Michigan.
Buckingham Fountain.
The "Bean."

Not The Hunger Games

Hungry? At a banquet?

You’re right. That doesn’t make any sense, but that’s exactly what some of us experienced recently at an event called The Hunger Banquet.

Staff and students were split into four separate classes: homeless, lower class, middle class, and upper class. Watching how our groups interacted with each other could easily be correlated to how people truly act in the Illinois class distribution. We saw those in the homeless group mad and feeling slighted for not receiving any food — yet they were too proud to beg those in the upper class for any. In contrast, those in the in the upper class became extremely picky about the food that was served to them — even to the point of exchanging their desserts to something that they liked better.

One guy in my discussion group had been a part of the upper class and suggested (to his table) that they give their desserts to the lower class. The rest of his table disagreed, and basically said, “We’ve earned this, so we should enjoy it.” Similar to what the true upper class thinks regarding what they have over what the lower class has.

The goal of The Hunger Banquet was to shed light on the different classes in our society — particularly homelessness. It wasn’t a true banquet, where one expects to be fed lavishly. We didn’t just learn about hunger, we experienced it. For a short evening, we experienced class disparity. We experienced being wealthy and poor (at least with food). Some people enjoyed a nice meal and left with extra food to take home while others only received a bowl of rice.

The Hunger Banquet panel shared their personal experiences with homelessness and talked about what dealing with poverty should look like as a Christian. Ultimately, the biggest impact came not from the words the panel spoke — not because they weren’t powerful and true —but  from watching some of our peers eat lavishly or watching some of our peers sit at a table with close to nothing. This isn’t something any of us want to experience. But now, because of this event, we can be a little more understanding in the way we interact with the homeless.


Christine Hartley and Kay Heiberger

Food For Thought

We CS students have been experiencing Chicago this semester through the theme of Hunger. Many of our practicum groups are preparing various aspects of a Hunger Banquet we’ll participate in later this month, and last weekend everyone went to the Lifeline Theatre Production of “Hunger.” The production was set during the Siege of Leningrad during World War II, a piece of history that most of us probably know very little about. The play was about a group of food scientists who work at a research institute in Leningrad and vow to protect their very large collection of seeds. The seeds have the potential to alleviate the starvation in Leningrad, but the scientists struggle themselves to survive and maintain sanity during the 872-day siege.

The play portrayed pieces of complexity and desperation by each of the scientists—and some of the emotional and physical effects of not having enough to eat. The play displayed a paradox—for those that survived the siege, amoral behavior was justified because they lived. Some of this amoral behavior might have been uncomfortable for us to witness or imagine doing ourselves—but then, none of us have ever been in a situation of absolute desperation. What kind of actions would we take—lying, stealing, prostitution – in order to survive? How tightly would you grip onto your life? We hope that none of us are ever really confronted with this issue.

This brings me back to Chicago. Most of us have never really been confronted by hunger, but for perhaps the first time, we are confronted every day on our way to work, or on the L or wherever we go. We see homeless people and we hear their cries of hunger but we don’t understand it. Maybe we have given a few dollars to a beggar on the street, or maybe we have volunteered at a soup kitchen a few times. But we have never thought about the deep implications about what it means to be starving. Maybe what seems amoral to us, is a means of survival for some. WE do not have to sacrifice our minds, or our bodies to survive. Most of us don’t even think about “survival.”

Let’s open our eyes to hunger this semester. Let us think about food differently. Let’s think about food as a means to survive and not just as enjoyment. Let us be thankful we’re not forced to make decisions between survival and our morality—but let us not forget those who are confronted with this every single day.


-Erica Beversluis