We left the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and made our way down the road. Twelve hours later, we were greeted by Chicago rain. We brushed up against our first peek into Chicago culture when we came to 3 toll booths to enter the city. A toll booth operator which I have lovingly nicknamed Lou, gave us our first impression of the city, and the accent and attitude of its people.
We met Rich and Dori and they showed us to our home for the next week; Granville UMC, which has recently celebrated their 108th anniversary. We entered the church and walked right into the middle of a group of Erytrians (sp?) praying loudly and fervently in their native tongue. We weren’t expecting that. I hope they were praying for our stay there. If I were an evil spirit, I would’ve easily been scary away.
I originally thought that Chicago had a lot of new buildings, so I was surprised to see such an old building still in use. We loved exploring the unique qualities and characteristics that only a 108 year old building can provide.
Our first night was not what we expected. I think all of us found ourselves out of our comfort zones in one way or another. But once we settled in, we were just fine.
– Ernesto
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