No Air-Conditioning? Really?*

Today, we got "oriented" to the CTA, or Chicago Transit Authority--which means the buses and trains. It began with a great overview from Tiffanie (with Lane's help) at the Chicago Center offices in Hyde Park. State Street and Madison form the basis of the Chicago "grid" and Tiffanie taught us how to use the grid to get around. My family and I come into Chicago a few times a year but this was ALL NEW to me so it was great to get the lay of the land.

After the overview was the test: we split into two groups and headed out on adventures. Each group was sent to a CPS (Chicago Public Schools) high school; to a unique, local dining experience; and back to our housing on Hyde Park Blvd. What the Chicago Center folks didn't tell us was that our schools were not right around the corner: our group took a bus and two trains to get to Roosevelt High in the north part of the city. The trip took over an hour. But, of course, like all good pedagogically thinking educators, there was a method to their madness. By the time we returned to our housing in Hyde Park at 4:15, we had the system down. No bus scared us; no train intimidated us; we even weathered a somewhat overt display of bravado from a group of young girls on the bus who tried their hardest to lure us into a bit of loud horse-play. And Kevin was flashed by a young woman sunning on a roof-top in the northside as we traveled on the L. All in all, it was an educational trip.

We visited two high schools--one "small school" with an emphasis on engineering and a neighborhood schools with a center for recent immigrants right in the school. We got a chance to meet with people at the schools and ask questions. At Roosevelt where my group went, we entered through the metal detectors (they weren't activated but we did sign in with security at the door). The presence of security was something new to some of us. We observed in the hall for a while and Kevin was struck by the posturing of confrontation that seemed to be the root of the relationship between the security guards and some of the kids. It was as if the joking challenges were a way of forming a bond.

After getting back to the Boulevard (our housing unit), everyone struck out and ended up at the Lake. It was a beautiful day so it was a great day to check it out.

Finally, we ended the night at "That's Weird, Grandma"--a theater production by Barrel of Monkeys.

* Today was a bit toasty--by 9:00 a.m. it was 75 degrees with 71% humidity and rising. Last night, we slept comfortably in our beds...until around 1:30 a.m., when we all started waking up in pools of sweat. Heat rises, so we on the third floor were starting to cook. Fortunately, Amy and the crew at the Chicago Center got air-conditioners in this afternoon so our bedrooms are nice and cool.