Fun!

Well, Rachel (co-participant) said I should blog about having fun because that's what she did, so here goes.  I probably won't do as good of job as her, because, well, she's always having fun.  To those who don't have the privilege of knowing Rachel, I'm sorry, but those who do will have an appreciation for Rachel and fun.

I would say I'm having fun here.  For the first time in too long that isn't my main goal.  I mean, I want to have fun here, but I'm here to learn.  I'm here to get to know people, understand stuff about God, understand stuff about myself and if I do that I think the fun will follow... and it definitely has, in these two weeks.  At Hesston College (the fine institution I spent the last two years of my life at), it seemed too often the question was how can I enjoy myself the most, rather than how will I grow the most. (don't worry all, I grew lots at Hesston.)

These questions are both important, but the changing of emphasis, hopefully, represents a level up on the spectrum of maturity.  But I was writing about fun, and well, this isn't about fun.

I'm in Chicago, and so naturally there's lots to do.  Festivals, libraries, sports, the Navy Pier, lake Michigan, museums... the prospect of going to the Field Museum has sort of renewed my previously dormant passion for dinosaurs (I don't know who all knew me as a first grader, but I could rattle off a fact or two about Triceratops back then).

But the thing that I'm enjoying the most about Chicago is the characters I meet in Chicago.  I could tell you about Fred who hangs outside JPUSA (Jesus People USA, the place I'm staying, its not a cult), always troubling us for a cup of Kool-Aid (it's really not a cult... Fred drinks it every day).  I could tell you about the White Supremecist, Neo-Nazi who struck up a conversation with a group of four of us about Anabaptists.  I could tell you about the guy (who I unfortunately wasn't able to talk with, just observe from a distance on the Subway), who was the expert on everything, planned on being the president in 2012 and was, with his wife, a master in ballroom dancing as well as tae kwon do.  A true rennaissance man no doubt.

While this is just a brief sampling of some of the extremes in Chicago, I hope it gives you a glimpse of the wide variety of types that live here.  It is another culture. It is fascinating for me to understand how these people operate and what things have shaped them and what there favorite time of day is and all that other stuff (not just the eccentric ones, though they are a treat to talk to).  I think conversation is the key to understanding a culture, not books or simple observation.  They help, but I think relating with people is where you'll discover the most.  All the more reason to keep on practicing the Spanish I suppose...

Well, I suppose I deviated from the attempted topic.  And I rambled.  But if you have any questions about what I said or what I didn't say, feel free to e-mail me at: dhp1020@hotmail.com or if you're more of a pen and paper person this is my mailing address:

Daniel Penner
c/o Visiting Group Coordinator JPUSA
920 W. Wilson
Chicago IL 60640

Thanks for reading.

Daniel.