826CHI

for a few weeks now, i've been volunteering at a writing center. my initial impetus for starting was less altruistic and more get me the hell out of my apartment. i came across the center via dave egger's bio on the america's non-required reading 2008. seemed just random enough to work. like with all things recently, i kept my expectations just above existent and it turned out as a perfect fit.

after a short group interview, involving an enormous coincidence featuring a friend of a friend of a friend and a pair of skeleton gloves, i was told i could start volunteering when i wished. with a fairly free schedule and experience in tutoring, i decided to go in for the after school program. kids 6 - 18 are welcome for homework help and encouraged to write, draw, create...

my first day was a thursday, when 40 sugar-high elementary and middle schoolers paraded into the room scattered with 6 volunteers. it was a bit intense, and i felt like volunteering was going to be a little less enjoyable than anticipated. my next time, however, the kids were fewer and calmer, and i was also more at ease with the situation. now, after my third time, i'm loving it. the kids are wonderful and while a little rambunctious have a great sense of humor. unlike some kids, they seem to have this real hunger for learning. after suggesting to one boy that we draw i was shocked when he not only took me up on the offer, but didn't run away screaming when i took the encyclopedia off the shelf. rather than playing a board game we looked up wacky animals, drew outlines for each other, and then colored them in. there's also been a fair amount of playing the board game trouble and some chompy making.

more than anything, it's nice to get a different perspective on the chicago community and learn about other people's-- even small people's-- lifestyles.
another big plus, they have a spy store that funds the writing center behind. in said store, they sell fake mustaches! i can't wait to get one. i think i'll go for a hercule peroit look.