Happy St. Patrick's Day from ASB Chicago! Our tour of the city began with our first trip on The L. While it is similar to the metro in DC, we all noticed its rustic appearance and above-ground routes. We got off the train near Millenium Park and approached The Bean, a reflective sculpture. Everyone went tourist-crazy. The Bean gave us many photo opportunities, whether lying on the ground, taking a panoramic shot, or capturing the whole group's reflection. Our photos were clearly the most captivating and never-thought-of-before images. We also ran into the other ASB Chi-town group. They were exploring the city and we discussed our plans for service to come. Starbucks was our favorite store today as we stopped in three different locations to get warm and enjoy some coffee. After passing through Millenium Park we went in search of the green Chicago River. Though the Chicago River always flows backward, it is only green on St. Patrick's Day. Many tourists and Chicago natives alike were decked out in their green gear. We also looked at the trendy fashions in the windows on Michigan Avenue. Finally, we saw a Chicago staple: the Willis Tower (formerly Sear's Tower). Luckily, it was a clear day in Chicago and we could see for miles from the Skydeck. Today was a great day to see the city.
We came across an interesting occurence on The L as we were heading back to the hostel in hopes of free dinner still being avaliable for us upon our arrival. A man, Basim, of approximatly middle to late twenties, walked onto the metro and annouced his presence to the entire cart. Noticing him, I realized that he must be homeless, based solely on his ragged look and attire. As he continued talking, he preached the tragic events that have come upon him in the past few days. His alcoholic father had gotten into an abusive argument which resulted in Basim's removal from his own home. He mentioned that he needed some money, about $18 dollars, to buy a bus ticket to his cousin's house, who lives north of Chicago. Megan generously gave him a $20 bill and he kindly thanked her and kept apoligizing the rest of the metro ride.
I couldn't imagine if it was me, out in the mid to low 30's of the windy Chicago city, looking to find shelter and food. Personally, I was complaining about half the time we were walking from street to street about the awful wind and the numbness my fingers were feeling. I couldn't even picture myself in the shoes of a homeless man or woman who spend days in the Chicago streets holding a sign in hopes of someone's empathy to help them. Basim was a great example for me of how judg,mental (Nick's proofreading skills)sometimes I can be about homeless people - I listened to his story and did feel sympathy for him at his words of lost hope and sadness, but in the back of my mind I was battling the idea of "maybe he's a liar, maybe he just wants to buy some alcohol, maybe he actually does have a home." These are some of the stereotypes I hope to eliminate from my mind. I hope by the end of the trip I have gained a new perspective of the homeless community. I want to hear their stories and who they are as individuals rather than a group of negative stereotypes. We discussed in our meeting tonight the different stereotypes associated with homeless people and reasons for why these stereotypes occur. Could it be because they don't have a voice? As AB Chicago, our goal is to give the homeless community a voice and a hope that they have options. Personally, I hope that we can improve and make a difference in the life of one person.
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