Officer Bert

Hey friends,

Thought I'd share a quick story from last week. I was sitting at the bus stop waiting to go to work at Spender. The bus seemed to be running slow and I was going to be late.

A police vehicle pulls up and stops next to the bus stop for a red light. The officer rolled down his passenger window and looks at me quizzically and says "Are you okay?". I said I was fine, just waiting for the bus. "But why are you here?" he wanted to know.

Hahaha. Another person thinking I'm crazy or asking for trouble by being in my neighborhood.

I kind of told him the gist of what I'm doing, and then he offered me a ride! Pshyeah!

So at this point I feel pretty cool because since arriving in Chi-town a little over 3 months ago, I've now ridden in a fire truck AND a police car!

Anyway, Bert had a real hard time understanding why I wanted to live in East Garfield Park. I explained that our host church is next door and that they own our house, and that we "live where we work". Bert was still mortified.

Over the course of our five minute conversation, he told me multiple times to be careful. "there's a lot of bad stuff that does on around here". I assured him that I knew there was bad stuff happening on my block, and that I had some street smarts. 

Bert's been in Chicago for over 20 years. So when you think about it, he's used to the whole neighborhood segregation thing, and he's probably not really used to people attempting to break down those walls. As a police officer, he probably only sees the bad things that go on in my part of town. So, it kind of makes sense that he would be hesitant about the idea of a little white girl hanging out on the west side.

I don't know if my living in East Garfield Park is really breaking down any walls or if it's really meaningful to anyone else, but I can say that I'm happy to live here. I'm not just another white person on the north side. I'm trying to live in this community to see half of what it's like for the kids that grow up here and the people who have no choice but to live here. It's more about me learning than anything else. This whole program is about opening yourself up to new things and humbling yourself to a new way of life. If I lived on the north side, I don't really think I would get that to near the extent that I would by living here. As hard as it is for people to see that and respect that, it's where I'm at.

***DISCLAIMER: I don't have anything against nice neighborhoods. In fact, if I did decide to stay in Chicago after YAV, I don't think I would stay in East Garfield Park.  Everyone has a right to choose where they live- where they feel safe, where they can refuel after long days at work. I'm just trying to say that at this point in my life, I'm right where I need to be. In the hood.

Thankful- Part 2

The week of Thanksgiving was pretty wonderful.
Tuesday night I went downtown for the lighting of the big Christmas tree downtown at the Daley Center. My friend Braden from K-State Wesley was in town with his fiancee Lyz and their friends since Lyz was visiting Garrett (seminary in Evanston). So I met up with them and we had lots of fun that night. It was soooo good to see him again and to meet his fiancee. We ended the night at Howl at the Moon, a piano/live music bar. It was tons of fun and I can't wait to go back.

Wednesday rolled around and Linda was going to come up so we could do administrative work for Grace Seeds. However, Linda called that morning and wasn't able to make it due to a flat tire that needed to get fixed ASAP. So, I had the day to myself! (I still had to work of course). I went to the fitness center, cooked lunch, and then went to a cafe to work. Then I went over to a friend's house to check on his chickens while he's gone and I worked some more and did a watercolor! So, I had an introvert day and it was completely wonderful. An unexpected blessing :)

Thursday- Thanksgiving! I went up to cousin Hannah's to have Thanksgiving with her, Aunt Patty, Uncle Steve, Zach & Ashley. Hannah's manager Alaina and her mom also came-it was nice to have guests! Basically I spent the whole weekend with my family and it was sooo fabulous. I felt so very blessed to have a wonderful family that wanted me to hang out with them in Chicago all weekend. Here's some pics:

Grand master turkey carver.

My contribution to the feast!

Patty & Steve brought Corky! She's the cutest.

 

At the Christkindle market.

Lounging at Macy's

CTA has a Christmas train! We didn't get to ride it since we needed the Brown line but it was exciting to see it! Hopefully I'll ride it at some point!

They do lots of fun Christmas lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo!

On Sunday,  I met up with my friend Chelsea near Wrigley Field. We had lunch at a pub reminiscent of our time in Scotland- fish & chips, shepherd's pie and Strongbow! Then we went to a cute old bookstore and a fun clothing store. Megan met up with us and then we went to a Sound of Music Sing Along at Music Box Theatre! They had a costume contest at the beginning and then played the movie and had lots of audience participation. We sat in the front row because we're hardcore. It was so fun!

I almost bought this book just because the title was so....me!

I will give someone a big high five if they can guess what the brown lump is!

This weekend was so refreshing, a much needed breather before holiday busyness! Check back again soon for some cool stories from this week! Until then, thanks for all of your encouragement and prayers!

Thankful- Part 1

Tis the season of gratitude and this girl is finding it very easy to count her blessings. Last weekend, my parents came to town! Friday night they stocked us up on groceries (so very thankful for the extra flexibility in the food budget now!) and we got some amazing tacos at the Bullhead Cantina (if you’re in Chicago, you HAVE to get tacos there. Seriously.) 

The BUILD Office- where I hang out Monday nights

Saturday, we took a driving tour of the neighborhood and I showed them everywhere I go regularly- Spencer, the BUILD office, the library, Aldi, the fitness center, Melody (outreach school)….  And a pleasant surprise while we were out driving---a phone call from brother Aaron who just came back from Afghanistan! 

Then we popped into Garfield Park’s claim to fame- the conservatory. It’s pretty awesome. I think the parental enjoyed that and thought it was neat that our “rough” neighborhood offered something like that to open people’s eyes and maybe even provide some hope for the community.

Allan & Deanna outside the conservatory!

So much beauty. I literally have hundreds of flower pics from the conservatory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we ventured up to Lincoln Square and had lunch with cousin Hannah at Giordanno's!
The only thing that would have made this better would have been a Wildcat victory!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we came back and dropped the car off, picked up Billy, and headed downtown via the El (elevated train). So mom and pop got the full Chicago experience, lovin that CTA! Anyway, we went up to the 96th floor of the Hancock building and enjoyed some beverages along with the stellar view! 

Funny story- this was all happening the night of the Christmas parade on Michigan Ave. We had dinner plans at 6 pm on Wabash (West of Michigan) and were currently in the Hancock building (on the East side of Michigan). At one point I looked out the window and saw that the street was blocked off for the parade. Problem? Yes. We couldn't get across Michigan without going 3 blocks out of the way to go around the start of the parade route. This made Rissy a little annoyed- the stinkin parade was still at least 30 minutes from starting but we couldn't walk across the empty street. We had to walk 3/4 mile total out of the way. If we were in McPherson for the All Schools Day parade, we could have walked across with no problem- even if the parade were in progress!

So, I was a little grouchy and annoyed that I hadn't planned that out better. We were running late and walking in the 20 degree weather. You may or may not have caught this- but we had to walk around the beginning of the parade route as it was getting ready to start. This means that we got to see all of the awesome parade characters before it started! Here's some photos- be jealous.

I was RIDICULOUSLY excited to see these guys and say hi and take a picture! Mascots make the world a much happier place, in my own (biased) opinion.

 Needless to say my perspective changed pretty quickly. All it took for me to change from grouchy to glowing in a matter of minutes was to see how the Lord turned something I was perceiving as negative into a positive thing (in the form of wonderful Disney friends). Billy, mom, dad and I made it to dinner a few minutes late but it was well worth it. It was now 6:10 pm and we walked into the restauruant to sit down with Linda (my supervisor at Grace Seeds), Rose and Dale (both friends and supporters of Grace Seeds) for dinner. It was really fun to introduce everyone and have conversations about various things. Sadly, I failed to get a picture of us at dinner. Anyway, it was really nice and we're hoping to all get together again if and when the rents come up in 2014!

After that, we had to stop by and see the famous bean!

We did not partake, but had fun watching the ice skaters at Millenium Park!

I really don't get homesick very often. However, in the days leading up to the visit, I realized that I was really looking forward to seeing my parents. It's been interesting to have this big life change without my normal support system right there with me. Even going to college wasn't a huge deal since I was a lot closer to home and had friends going through the same thing. However, the YAV experience has been different. It was so nice to have them here and show them what I've been doing. While they may not be wild about me living in a relatively shady neighborhood, they respect what I'm doing and know that it's all part of the experience. Not only did they merely ask what I've been doing, but they wanted to see everything and learn more about what I've been faced with. It's so nice to know that they care that much.

 

 

 

Because no quality time with my dad would be complete without ice cream :)

Sunday rolled around and we went to Soul City Church at 9 and then next door to First Church of the Brethren at 11. Two very different services, but both are equally important to my life in Chicago. I showed them the garden next door and we picked up some trash- not even making a real dent in the trash after filling up a plastic bag. We played games, went to Target, and then had dinner with Krista and her family. Then we said farewell. Twas such a lovely, blessed visit.

This is only part one of my Thanksgiving season- stay tuned in the next few days to read about what I did on the holiday and more!