Immersion Week in Chicago
All my life I have grown up with access to all types of vehicles, whether it would be a car, bike, scooter, etc. I always had a certain something to get somewhere. I grew up in Romeoville, Illinois, which is known as a city as a rest stop, for drivers to stop by, get gas and food. Walking isn’t exactly the first idea of transportation that comes to a Romeoville residents mind, there’s a million cars speeding with no regard for pedestrians. I took this Discover Chicago class so I can be more comfortable walking to places and to familiarize myself with this new area of living. I looked forward to college as a whole since I was looking for a city that’s main transportation was walking to places and to be more independent. So the night before August 28, I was excited to see where this week would take me.
The first day of Discover Chicago started at nine in the morning, and later on we split up into groups to actually “discover” Chicago. We ended up at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, and all of us gasped at how scenic this gorgeous garden was. After realizing this beautiful hangout spot that was slightly hidden, I realized you would not be able to see this place while driving on the road and looking out the window. The only way to spot this hidden gem would be to walk there. I grew more appreciation for walking and living in the moment or we would not have found this interesting place.
The next day of this course we took the CTA for the first time as class, which was quick and easy. We walked to a neighborhood which is a safe community for Puerto Ricans called Paseo Boricua, where we took a tour led by a man named Eduardo Arocho. Eduardo was born and raised in Chicago, and has never left this city, meaning he would be an expert on knowing where everything is. This tour was full of thoughtful murals, on every corner there was some type of artwork and flags flowing across every building. There was a relationship between every resident walking down the street, welcoming each other by saying hello. This neighborhood was filled with love and traditions. There was someone selling fresh fruit on the street, and I quickly ran and bought my favorite fruit, mangos. I was so happy to finally have real fruit after only eating dining hall food for the past few days. I grew very grateful after I walked throughout this whole neighborhood, as I would not have gotten the same experience if I drove through. We ended up biking on the way back home.
All in all I ended this class excited and more comfortable to walk around to different places in Chicago, and learned you do not need a car to get from place to place.
