An Immersion Week in Chicago
Rachel Kim
September 6, 2022
An eye-opening week in Chicago. There’s so much history in Chicago and every other city, but only the beauty of each city is known. There’s so many different perspectives of a city. Being able to see the birds-eye view of the city from the John Hancock building above 1,000 feet in the air. To walk the streets of different neighborhoods with different backgrounds. Walking through Gold Coast to Old Town, and then all the way to Humboldt Park.
To distinguish the contrast of the neighborhoods made me realize that Chicago isn’t all manicured. There’s parts of the city that are at a disadvantage, but still hold onto their culture and traditions. The spread of gentrification like wildfire strips away at the culture of those communities like Humboldt and Bronzville. Those communities make me feel more welcomed, while walking through the other neighborhoods made me feel out of place. While walking on division street, me and a couple other students stopped to take a bathroom break at one of Chicago’s public libraries. Before leaving the building, a friendly old lady said, “Welcome to Chicago.” It felt like a warm hug in a neighborhood that was so unfamiliar. That’s what a community feels like. Walking further and further away from the city, you can tell that the neighborhoods were being gentrified. I noticed the number of vacant lots tended to grow the further we were away from Gold Coast and Old Town. Humboldt Park and Pillsen looked more empty, but had a lot of character to it.There were murals telling the stories of the neighborhood and the culture that brings them together. The murals were what kept those communities together. Helping each other out when needed. The act of doing community service for Minnie and her gardens. Helping with her neighborhood, but also bringing our class together to make it the best it’s ever looked. Although we were all exhausted, we were able to make someone’s day better. To help a community out and feeling good about ourselves for getting involved to help.
Having the opportunity to walk around Chicago and being able to learn the history of the city, made me realize what kind of community I moved to. To talk to my own classmates and learn what kind of community they want to be in. How we can come together and teach others the parts of the city not many people know about. Walking around and seeing the cultures of Pillsen and Humboldt Park taught me that I should hold onto the culture I have. I should not be ashamed of presenting my own traditions and culture. To be inclusive and open-minded of everyone else’s differences. Immersion week is something I will never regret signing up for. It taught me the beauty of all the different parts of the city, but also the reality of gentrification affecting those communities.
