Social workers take over Chicago

This past weekend was full of new sights, smells and experiences. I was in Chicago. But this was not the typical college "tourist " trip. i went with 14 other social work majors and 4 crazy faculty memebers. let me just say Chicago will never be the same again!! it was an amazing trip. i got so much closer to everyone and we had such great bonding experiences.

we got to do so much. we went to a counseling center in a church for recovering homosexuals, visited Jesus People USA, each got an ethnic food and brought it back for a smorgousborg, went to a play about a gay baseball player coming out of the closet, got up early to go to Operation Push (a black political/religious rally- jesse jackson was there along with a leader of the Muslim faith), ate amazing Mexican food, experienced a Hare Krishna service (an Indian religion) at a temple and ate a vegetarian meal after the service, and on Sunday went to a powerful 2 hour African American worship service. Not to mention finding our way around the city using public transportation, spending time relaxing downtown and lots of bonding time during meals and free time. there was a lot of laughs, but also time spent reflecting.

not all of what i saw this weekend was easy or funny. it was hard to see people hurting, wandering the streets with no where to go. it was hard to see how lost the temple worshipers were- how ritualistic their religion was. it was also different to be the minority. i felt like i stook out like a sore thumb. 3 of us ended up walking in an all black community to get on the L and i have not felt that uncomfortable in a long time. experiencing such diversity in everything that we did caused me to grow and learn so much. it was overwhelming at times. there's just a lot to process. one thing being how the "side of the track" you grow up on really determines so much for all aspects of your life. I happened to be born into a white Christian middle class family which has molded me into the person i am today. but other people have not been so lucky. they have been born in to violence, poverty, illness, and are so lost spiritually. i can't help but wonder what my life would be like if i had been born on their side of the tracks. in all truthfulness i know that i don't have the skills now that it would take to survive in the environment that some of those kids live in. i would be eaten alive. God has blessed me so much and i take that for granted way too often. ahh- there's so much more, but i have stuff to do.

so anyway, we arrived back on campus today around 4 and i must say that i am tired, but it's a good kind of tired. i had a wonderful weekend that will hopefully make me into a better social worker and person.