Camp Hope

Early Saturday morning (4:30) I left with a car pool to go up to Camp Hope in Chicago's Drexell Park. Basically it was a vigil to make sure that Barak Obama keeps his campaign promises of progressive reform.

Summary1: It was cold.

Summary 2: It was enlightening.

The people that I went up with were awesome. They included my ex (a theology masters student), a family practice doctor who works at a low-income clinic, and a employee for the piece economy project. I was probably the least liberal person there!
We got there and shivered in the snow, using the signs we were holding as wind blocks. My feet got wet, and I was seriously worried about frostbite!

The group ended up at the vigil for 3.5 hours on a Saturday, and we ended up staying at a Catholic worker house. The building was a converted Friary, where Jesuit Friars used to live. Think beautiful wood working, and lots of rooms, like a three floor college dorm.Now it is a safe house, for people who have just immigrated and need a warm place to stay. The majority of people living there are single moms with their familes.

On Sunday, we were out there till three in the afternoon. it had stopped snowing and I had plastic bags around my shoes, which increased my comfort level a lot. We also has smores and a fire. We also met some international press, as a reporter from Japan took our pictures and some notes.

Meet some very cool people at the vigil, (more mennonites), Social Justice catholics, Humanists, and Athesits. It was some of the most interesting discussion that I've had since college. I've really missed being exposed to that many view points!

Then, we are back to school, and starting the physics semester. I love this subject and I've been working hard to make it interesting to my students!