IIT

this is the illinois institute of technology on the south side of the city -- where i'll be living for the next month and a half. the cool thing about it is that the EL train runs directly through campus.

check this out: there is a 7-eleven in the student center! slurpees 24-7. why didn't BYU think of this?

while the buildings are all very mod and built by famous architects, the dorms are not. i would say on a scale of a shack to helaman-halls-quality, the dorms are probably a 5. there is no way to turn off the air conditioning, so while it is 90 outside, i pile on the clothes in my room!

yesterday i ventured into the very south west side of the city by public transit. i was nervous because all the crime, drive-bys, and murders you hear about happen here. obviously i stood out as a white girl dressed in business clothes. i did not see one other white person on my hour and a half trip on the EL, the bus, and walking. i went and interviewed at a school down there, and when the center director found out i had taken public transit, she offered to drive me home. she couldn't believe it. apparently, this part of town + this part of public transit has a very bad rap for "white girls" traveling alone. but, it was good too. i took public transit back to the institute of technology and felt totally safe. i'm getting to know my territory since poverty and different ethnic backgrounds are what i'll be facing in september when i begin teaching.