We got back from Chicago on Saturday and we were off again on Wednesday to learn about a different community, right in our backyard, the Amish. We started the day by eating a sweet treat that is iconic to this area, Rise n’ Roll donuts – a business founded by…
To start the day, we met up for our usual class session which takes place in the basement of our hotel, St. Athans. Today’s class revolved around a poem called “Prayer for Gurdwara” by poet Daljit Nagra. We spent most of the time in partner groups, dissecting phrases and Googling…
Today our group explored a Puerto Rican community on the North side of Chicago, in Humboldt Park. Here we heard first-hand account and personal testimonies regarding how this community came to be and how they hold on to their traditions and sense of anticolonialist rebellion. Our guide, Eduardo,…
On our second day exploring the city, we visited Devon Avenue which is located in Northwestern Chicago. Upon arriving we felt as if we had entered a new world. Despite no evident geographical divide, it was clear that we entered a culture-rich community filled with shops, colorful clothing, shop signs…
When Ethnicity Gets Soggy (From left to right) Hey I’m Irish Cortez! I’m a second year theater major – I’m April Pollock, and I’m a third-year music major -And I’m Lydia Stauffer, a second year history major! Today was our first full day in Chicago! We started the day…
One of the poets we’re reading for this course, Daljit Nagra, refers to the British Museum as “a fragment of varnished Britannica,” one piece of a larger ideal of Britishness. Today we explored the British Museum, marveling at its hoard of cultural objects from around the globe while contemplating the…
For me London and, in general, the continent of Europe has always been known for its sense of fashion and the importance of public appearances for the citizens of all these countries. Today, I visited a shopping center called “One New Change,” which is located on the Bread Street side…
As all mornings here do, mine started out with a Pret run and a “white” Earl Gray. (It turns out that if you ask for an Earl Gray “with milk,” they’ll put the milk in a separate cup, and that’s never quite what I’m going for.) After our morning meeting…
Yesterday we visited the Museum of London. The museum was divided into sections based on the early times of London to the present. Despite there being many important time events in London’s history, I was more drawn to the evolution of the currency and the archeological findings. Coins…
Today our class took a day trip to Oxford. We started by taking a bus to Oxford, England which lasted about an hour and a half long. The route was very scenic with rolling green hills, yellow fields, and farm animals such as sheep and cows filling the pastures. Rain…
