Smiles and Frowns

So orientation is now more than half over. For me it's kind of sad. I really love Chicago and now have fourteen great friends I have to say goodbye to in two weeks. On the up side I'm going to Australia. So it's hard to feel too depressed.

Important things that happened since last I blogged:

-We went to a place called Emmaus Ministries which works to get male prostitutes off the streets. The couple that runs it (Al and Andy) are ridiculously talented. They took stories from their guys and turned them into songs and monologues. It was powerful.

-Some people came to talk to us about mission work overseas and different cultures.

-Went to the Chicago Jazz Festival. Amazing talent.

-Researched Australia on Wikipedia. Australia Day is January 26th. It commemorates the arrival of the British at Sydney Cove in 1788 where British explorers unfurled their flag and proclaimed sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. See I am learning.

-I may have begun to drink coffee like drinks. I don't like coffee. But I may be drinking an iced mocah right now. Maybe.

-On a completely positive note. I'm going to a U2 concert on Sunday!!!!!! I'm kind of excited.

-On a more serious note. We had an assignment yesterday that was really difficult for me. We were told to go out in the city and be hospitable to people. That is a lot easier said than done because most people in Chicago aren't very friendly. Me and a friend walked around the entire afternoon smiling at everyone who walked by and looking for anyone who might need a helping hand. Almost every person I smiled at looked away, the rest of them looked at me like I was crazy. It made me miss Newton, Kansas where everyone says hi to you when you walk down the street, or at least smiles in your direction.
We weren't exactly trying very hard, but it was difficult to think of non-weird ways to help random strangers. Plus we were in the wrong part of town. We walked along the river to Navy Pier. It was the kind of place I could picture my family going on vacation. Tourist everywhere. Coming home to Uptown was such a change of atmosphere. People in need were everywhere. But even so I got more smiles in Uptown than down the Riverwalk. It reminded me of something important. I can't get too involved in my own little world. I need to be aware of what is going on around me. If I'm not I could miss out on something important. Like a smile from a stranger. After all, smiles are contagious.