I woke up at 9:30am with lines from my sheets on my cheek. It was early for a Saturday but I was ready to get my day started--maybe it had to do with the square of light on my pillow. There's a window in my room that is right at the level of my bed, and my pillow rests right next to the sill, so when it's sunny the light streams right onto my bed. I got up to find my roommate David also up, and planning to go to an indoor farmer's market. One of our homework assignments for core course is called hte Neighborhood Learning Summary. We're supposed to attend 3 locations in our neighborhood and reflect on them. The farmer's market is one of David's assigned locations, and I went with. It was 47 degrees, with clear, cold, calm air. The market was hidden along this small road. We found our way there by people clues--we saw couples walking from it with bags full of apples and bread, and a trail of people ahead of us with empty cloth bags and pushing strollers. A heavy, nondescript door marked the entrance. We bought market dollars and explored three rooms of food stands. I put a dollar in a jar for a mug of coffee to take with me as I wandered. I saw stands with cute little packets of soup ingredients, homemade breads and pastries, an apple stand, an icecream stand with flavors like "sweet potato and brown sugar", and stands with stacks of jams and preserves. The vendors were eager to talk to me about their products and describe how this food fit into their lives. I bought a jar of salsa and David bought a loaf of bread and some jam. We headed back home.
My second neighborhood exploration ocurred shortly after, when I took my first run outside in Chicago. After so much treadmill jogging, I had forgotten how much just being outside is a part of the running experience. My route was simple: up the lake coast, took the bridge west, and a wandering path back South. I could see the city from my trail on the lakeside. I'd never looked at downtown Chicago from that perspective. The lake was so serene and little old men, gazing and reading, dotted the benches along the path. In the silence between songs from my ipod, I could hear cars and birds. I felt like I was in a movie.
The run in the neighborhood gave me the chance to really admire the architecture of some of the old houses. I also got a good look at Kenwood neighborhood and ran through parts of Hyde Park that I'd never been to, discovering some new shopping areas and stores. After a few wrong turns and looping back, I got a better map in my head of how my neighborhood is laid out. I came back to the neighborhood feeling completely refreshed. "MY RUN WAS BALLIN'!!" I announced upon my arrival to the apartment, incorrectly using Ebonics I most likely picked up from a hip-hop song I heard omce. But, I assure you, the words came straight from the heart.
--Silvia
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