The Cultural Barrier and the Goat

Dear Blogger,

One of the guys I work with is African. He went down to a store nearby and bought some dinner for himself. He gave me some and when I told him I was having trouble identifying it--

Steve: What kind of meat is this?

Christian: Goat.

Steve: Goat?! WHAT?! I didn't know you could eat
goats...

Christian: Yeah, man. Everyone in Africa eats goats.

It tastes like beef, except it's harder to chew.

In case you didn't know, I hate goats.

He told me that everyone in Africa eats goat, and I believe him.

Steve: In America, we usually only use them for making milk and cheese.

Christian: Really? Do they kill the goats after they're done milking them?

Strange how that happens, isn't it?

XOXO,

Steve

The Barack O-Baramater

Dear Blogger,
Today we're having a birthday party for the Zabel Brothers. It'll be fun, and it better be fun, because I'm missing an Iron & Wine concert for this.

Remember about fifteen years ago when the big names in Chicago were Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey? Remember that?
We no longer find them amusing. How passé.

The big name in Chicago these days is Senator Barack Obama!

So 3W has taken it upon itself to make a Barack Obama Sighting. It's not easy. Here's what we do know:

1. He doesn't live in Hyde Park, like we thought. He actually lives in Kenwood, which is the neighborhood just north. Though, you would never be able to tell you'd left Hyde Park, so we'll claim him as our own.
2. The good senator isn't in town to often. My teacher Leesa tells me that he is understandably busy, and was only able to attend one of his daughter's soccer games this past year. So we're beginning to doubt that we'll ever actually see him, meaning that we might have to settle for just finding out where he lives.
3. Everyone in Hyde Park that has been here for a long time seems to know him. The Hyde Park Herald had an article a year ago when they interviewed everyone who's ever spoken to him. Apparently, his pizza delivery guy says he's a generous tipper, and Leesa says she saw him at Blockbuster all the time... these are all very encouraging.
4. David supposedly knows the general area where Barack lives. It's a brick house with tall shrubs and a big yard, with security detail in front. A picture of Barack in front waving to me would be a priceless picture.
5. Everyone here agrees that he's just a regular, old boy. That's very encouraging.
   

I can feel the net clasping around him right now.
We're also trying to guess what he'd name his dog. Kari said Sparky, I say Abraham Lincoln. (Another great Illinois politician.)

God Bless America,
Steve

Down And Dirty

Dear Blogger,

So down to this internship business.

I'm working at a place called Sunlight Africa Community Center, an after-school program for children of African immigrants, or children who are African immigrants themselves. I basically tutor them, mentor them, and I'm eventually going to organize workshops for them.

It's mostly a fun job, so far. I like helping the children with their homework and talking to them. (One kid, who I really like, he's learning to play the harmonica which I think is really really cool. I'm trying to get him to listen to Bob Dylan, partially so that I'll help spark his interest in music, and partially so that it will blow his mind he'll become a world famous musician because of me.) So far, it's been a decent internship.

I was really discouraged, though, after my first week of working there. The program itself was really disorganized. Meaning that if you put fifteen children, ages 7-14 in a tiny room for four hours, don't let them out but to use the bathroom, give them no physical outlet, and keep telling them to shut up-- they're going to be scratching the paint off the wall, they'll be so desparate. I was terribly upset with this, partially because I don't like yelling at kids, especially in a situation like this one, where it doesn't seem to particularly be their fault. (Kids do need space, everyone knows that.)

But mostly, I was disappointed with the organization itself. My boss told me that I would be doing more interacting with the children, on a personal level. I would be learning about them and their experiences as immigrants or children of immigrants. Being that this was the reasons I took the position, I was very disappointed that my boss would essentially lie to me. Whether or not she lied to me, though, is questionable. Sunlight Africa does a summer program which sounds more like what I thought I would be doing, where there's more interaction with the children on a personal level. And I might have been a little impatient with the program itself at that point, because this last week I got to know a lot of the students more personally, and I plan to learn more about their experiences through the workshops.

Other than that, things are going well at my internship. I like the people I work with. (I'll go into detail on that some other time.) The only problems left over are the problems I need to resolve with The Chicago Center. I'm still coming short on the time requirement. (24 hours a week, I'm only working twelve so far.) My advisor wanted me to work at another immigrant place in the morning, but that just seems to demanding of my schedule... so I just need to talk to him. I'll take care of that.

Regards,

Steve

Love Letter To 3620

Dear 3620,

Today is September 19th, International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day! Are you really as excited as I am? Are you excited enough, 3620, to send me a text message at 6:30 a.m. Central Time, 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time, to remind me? Well, good!

Well, listen, as much as I support anything that has Dave Barry's Official Stamp Of Approval, in actuality, I really don't care at all. I'm not going to talk like a pirate, today, or any other day.

Sending a text message at 7:30 in the morning is socially inappropriate, I think everyone can agree on that. You woke me up to read some text message from a complete stranger. Don't be stupid.

Sending a text message to someone who isn't actually your friend at 7:30 a.m. is socially inappropriate. Sending a text message to someone who didn't even know you existed until he started getting your text messages at 6:30 a.m. is just straight-up stupid. I've called you stupid twice so far, so pay attention, moron. You'd think the first time I told you I wasn't your friend Lauren Christov, you'd pay attention and get her number right.

3620, I'm not your friend. I'm not Lauren Christov. Stop sending me her text messages. Get her damn number right and call her and talk to her. Stop texting me! Stop it right now!

I wish there were some better way I could tell you to stop, but when I call you, you probably don't answer the number because you don't know whose number it is. (Funny how that works, isn't it?) And on top of that, when I leave you a message, I can't understand what you're saying. Your message sounds like you're trying to be funny or something, but it sounds like you're doing a bad impression of a muppet.

Stop leaving me text messages, I don't like them. I've even gotten her telemarketers! AUGH!

~5412

PS-

3620, if I actually do know you, and you actually are my friend, call me. (Don't text me.)

One More Thing!

Dear Blogger,

Things are a little hectic here.

Mostly, they're just busy, though.

I have these tedious daily journals I have to write each day and the first batch is due on Thursday... I'm eight days behind. And I have to read some articles about something or other for my directed study on Thursday, and another article for Friday. It'll get done, though.

Other than that, here's what happened since Saturday:

1. Two intense hours of David v. Steve, 007 style, Saturday afternoon... we're still friends, though.

2. James Gandolfini was robbed of best actor in a drama series by James Spader. (Who? Exactly!) But The Sopranos won best dramatic series, so it's all good. (And Rachel Smiths didn't win for Brothers & Sisters, but I feel like she probably should have, based on her work on Six Feet Under.)

3. Went to Wrigley Field last night with my friends. Cubs were winning, then they were losing, and then they won in the bottom of the ninth. I don't really care about the Cubs, and I don't care whether they win the division or not, but Wrigley Field is such a great ballpark. There's no imposing sound system playing a different pop song every thirty seconds, or useless jumbo-tron, or dancing mascots. It's just a ballpark, with baseball being played the way God intended it. (But the Cubs myth is a little over-hyped, but that's different.) You go to Wrigley Field to watch a baseball game, not to watch it.

4. My internship is turning itself around nicely, as far as I can tell. We've made some sort of schedule and structure for the program so that feels like it's going to work. I'm making friends with the kids, making friends with the people I work with. But my intern advisor at the Chicago Center wants me to work at another place in the morning, which I don't think will work at all. I might get stuck with extra work from him, which would be fine.

I'm still a little strapped for time, here... leaving for work in about ten minutes. I'll talk more about my intern next time, I realize I'm being kind of vague. So just wait.

Kisses,

Steve

With Love From Chicago

Dear Blogger,
I've uploaded photos and it's about time, too!
Here they are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10959363@N05/sets/72157602008651454/detail/

I'll let you know when I post more-- it's easier to do them in batches and I have a monthly limit on Flickr.

Enjoy,
Steve

Gentle Revolution

Dear Blogger,

My friend David wrote, performed, and co-produced this video with his friend that I think is too good to go un-noted.



Yours,
Steve

Dear Blogger,

Yesterday I started my internship at Sunlight Africa Community Center, and it seemed to go pretty well. The kids are a lot of fun and they call me Mr. Steve. It was a little unnerving at first, having to tutor the kids in third grade math, a subject that I haven't had to consciously think about for almost thirteen years.

How do you explain place markers to a kid that doesn't read very well, or understand abstract ideas?

But this seems to be the problem in itself.

You see, the other interns and myself were under the impression that we would be organizing workshops for the kids, playing with them, and doing things with at least some slight sociological implications to make the internship slightly relevant to my future. You know, interacting with the kids, learning about their lives.

I'm not sure if I should be reconsidering my internship and talking to my advisor. We're having a meeting as a group on Thursday to go over things with our boss. Hopefully, things will pick up. I really don't want to waste this opportunity to do something great, just because I let my boss step all over me. But before I do anything, I'm going to go to this meeting and see what happens.

The Weather Is Beautiful Wish You Were Here,
Steve

Red Lining Chicago

Dear Dirty,

I had my first interview at Sunlight Africa Community Center, and it went well. I like the program.

I tutor African immigrant children/children of African immigrants, play games with them, organize workshops for them, and encourage them to have fun while learning. It sounds like a lot of fun.

In fact, I'd say it's the internship I'm probably going to take.

I say this because none of the other organizations I mentioned, as well as a few other I called on the wing, are responding. Also, I really do like the program and I could stand to learn a lot.

Mostly, for most of the day it was a matter of whether or not I was able to accept the position. Being an after-school program, I'd only be working from 2-6, Monday-Wednesday, we're expected to be working as though this were more of a full-time job. After a discussion of semantics both with my roomies and with myself, I came to the decision that I would be spending a significant amount of time finding books for the children, organizing the workshops once a week, as well as developing relationships with the children (which my boss was very specific about). And when I talked to the guy in charge of the internships later, he said that was okay.

My trip there was more stressful than it needed to be. I intended to take the 15 to the Red Line Train, ride that north, and get off for my interview. Sparing the useless and very embarrassing details, I got off at the Green Line, accidentally got on Orange Line, instead of the Red Line again, and caught up with again after (intentionally) getting on the Brown Line and transferring onto the Red Line. I'm not sure what neighborhood I was in, but it's just north of Wrigley Field.

The trip home was the best hour I'd had in a while. The last few days of finding internships have been so stressful and I felt really good on the way home. An interesting contrast to how I was feeling an hour earlier than that. The release of stress is probably the reason why I'm the only person in my apartment awake at 1:42 and writing this.

Today we also went to the art museum downtown. We were told to write a page in our daily journal things about one particular piece that sticks out in our mind. Impressionism for me, of course: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Lautrec_jeanne_wenz_1886.jpg

God Speed,

Steve

We Were Dead Before The Internship Even Sank

Dear Blogger,

We started looking for internships yesterday. Here's a list of what was recommended for me:

1. Sunlight Africa Community Center: I talked to a woman there yesterday, and I would be tutoring/playing with children, ages 6-16, before and after school. In between those times, I assume I would be doing some sort of busy work. When I talked to the woman, she seemed really excited for me to intern there, giving me the feeling that I pretty much had the position if I wanted it... which is both good and bad. Good because I have an internship, but bad because I want to take this experience pretty seriously and learn some job application skills.

2. Yocalli Youth Radio: I told the people that I was kind of interested in broadcasting, which is kind of some weird pipe dream I have from when I was younger. I'd be working with hispanic children. I haven't called these people yet, so details are what I've gotten from their website. I don't know about this one, though. I don't speak spanish, which I imagine to be a problem.

3. Community Television Network: I'd be working with teenagers, to help them develop programs to develop. I liked their website, and they have some stuff on YouTube that looks pretty interesting. I called the place and left a message with a man who worked there, asking for them to call back. This looks to be my primary choice right now.

4. Providence St. Mel: A catholic school in the southwest part of the city. A college prep school, sounds kind of interesting. I'm going to call them later today.

5. Oscar DePriest Elementary School: I went here on Friday when we were learning to use the public transit. The guy who gave me this list told me to think about this, but it's probably at the bottom of my list. There are two other students working here, and I kind of want to be alone in the city and doing my own thing.

6. WBEZ: "From WBEZ in Chicago, you're listening to This American Life."

7. The Jerry Springer Show: I was flipping through the internship database, and I saw this. The contact number? 1-800-JERRY! Kari and Ani strictly forbade me from even calling. MJ told me I should do it. (An interesting ethnographic study on race, class, and gender.)

I'm going to be making calls and scheduling interviews all day today. Should be fun and engaging when I get more answering machines.

Take Care Of Yourselves And One Another,

Steve

But African Shea Butter Smells So Good!

Dear Blogger,

I've been spending a lot of time on Wikipedia these days.
(But don't we all?)

I came across the University of Chicago's Scavenger Hunt. A bunch of students put this thing together every May, and it looks like a lot of fun.

Here's the Wikipedia entry. Be sure to check out the lists from the past years on the hunt's actual website.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago_Scavenger_Hunt

Cheers!
Steve

The Jungle, But Only In A Semi-Ironic Use Of That Name... No Slaughterhouses Or Diptheria, Yet

Dear Blogger,
The last few days have been busy busy busy.

On Thursday, we all sat through two hours of staff introductions down by the lake where we all got really sunburned. These sorts of things are very important to inter-personal relationships among the students and the staff are very important. But two hours is a long time to sit in the sun.

Afterwards, Kari, Ani and I were sent into Hyde Park to learn our ways around the neighborhood, and find the Graduate School of Business Cafeteria, over by the University of Chicago. Hyde Park is such an interesting place, in that it's placed in a major city but it's very residential. It's actually very touching to see all the similarities between Hyde Park and Oberlin. (The area is heavily dependent upon the support of the school, it's fairly quiet, somewhat diverse but still kind of racially and economically segregated, and it's an easy place to walk around. Although, the U of C is certainly bigger, and as much as I love Oberlin's campus, the architecture at the University is beautiful.)

Being my 21st Birthday, we celebrated by going to see a play that we were required to see. It was called Resort 76. It was about a group of people living in the Jewish ghetto, and their attempts at survival. Most certainly not a Neil Simon play like I thought it was, haha.

Yesterday, we all learned how to read a map of the city, and ride the buses and the El. Chicago is a fairly simple city to get around in. (I'd go into more detail, but I actually just spent twenty minutes trying to describe it-- you have to see a map to really conceptualize it... sorry.) I was put into a group with two girls from the program who are student teaching at a elementary school on the west side of the city. We rode the buses and the trains out there, looked around, sat through a hectic teacher's meeting and then we left. The trip itself wasn't so great, but the experience was. It was the first time I had seen parts of Chicago, other than Downtown and Hyde Park. There are apparently a lot of poor people in Chicago, and it's also apparently really uncomfortable to be around them.

Having compared Chicago to Oberlin, let's be rational.
Really, after having spent only a few days in the city, I'm having a hard time comprehending how large Chicago really is. My imagination is severely limited, right now, to Hyde Park, and downtown Chicago. Other than that, I have no concept of what kind of city this is, or what kind of people live here. Driving through South Chicago today, we would be in front of the projects one minute, and then in front of Hugh Hefner's the next. (Everything just seems to happen at once.) On the trains, we can be in a residential area, and then go over a bridge and be surrounded by yards full of dead grass and rusted iron pipes and trucks being filled with boxes. They tell us not to walk around in these neighborhoods, and take the transit as much as possible to where we're going. The people around here don't look like they're having so much fun as the university students.

They told us while we were learning to use the transit that after a while we would all learn to ignore the city, and stop taking pictures of everything and bumping our heads against the windows of the buses when we see the Sears Tower (Omigod it's so huge!) and just act like everyone else in this city does.

Peace,
Steve