Location: Chicago House – Family Support Program
Date: Thursday, February 14, 2013; 4:30-5:45 pm
There is something about a
grilled cheese sandwich that makes everything right with this world. That’s how I felt as I made my way to
Starbucks to wait for my next appointment.
As I settled down to answer my work emails, ghosts of Valentine’s Day’s
past were all around me. I remembered
one year in college when I spent the entire morning in the library with a girl
I had an enormous crush on but who hardly knew about it; and who wanted me to
help her win over the boy she liked. I
remembered another Valentine’s Day when me and my best buddy went for dinner,
feeling awkward, being surrounded by couples; and I also remembered other
Valentine’s Day’s with Teddy Bear’s and chocolates and hopes and dreams. But nothing compared to today’s unique agenda
and I knew that as long as I lived, I would probably remember this day.
I left Starbucks and started for
my next location with plenty of time to spare.
This was another confidential program and I knew that unlike Wilson’s
maps, this would take some effort on my part to find. I did however arrive on time and was directed
to the activity room where the kids were gathered. I was asked to sign a confidentiality
agreement and this means that I will not be referring to anyone by name, even
made up. I met our Volunteer leader as
well as the Education Coordinator at Chicago House. The Volunteer leader asked me if I wanted to
tutor in Math or Science and knowing my ability, or lack of it, in Math; I
choose Science. Now, while that was
decided, the challenge was to find students.
We walked around the rooms, but there was nobody who needed any help. It
looked like my career at Chicago House was going to be short lived.
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| Constitution Test |
We finally found three boys who
were preparing for their Constitution test and our Volunteer leader asked if I
could quiz them. Not having been
schooled in this country, I did not know what this would comprise of, but was
eager to give it a try. Two of the boys
were keen to put this study exercise behind them and go outside to play. Only one of them seemed keen to
participate. He told me that their test
was tomorrow and would comprise of a section on 'The President' and 'The
Cabinet'. I told the other boys that we
should do this like a real quiz where I would alternate between them and see
who got the most answers correct. They
agreed and while there was a lot of goofing about, I was pleased to see that
all of them were quite well prepared. In
fact, I was the one slowing down this process since I frequently had to refer
to the text to check if the answers were correct.
We had breezed through the two
sections and while the boys wanted to leave, I learned that they had a bigger
test coming up in two weeks, where the entire book would need to be covered. So
I said we should go through some of the other sections as well and started
right at the beginning with ‘The
American Revolution’ and ‘The
Declaration Of Independence’. The
boys knew this section as well, but were losing interest very rapidly. The two boys left while the third one was
wrapping up his other homework assignment.
I asked him about his favorite subject at school and was pleasantly
surprised to hear him say Math. I asked
what he wanted to do in the future and he said computers, software development
to be precise. I asked if he meant designing
video games and he said no, he wanted to develop software products. It was refreshing to hear that someone has thought
about their career at this age. Whether
it happens or life takes him in a different direction, he seems to be someone
who will figure it out.
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| Keeping our players safe! |
He left to join his buddies
outside for a game of two-on-two football and I went to watch. They were playing in a very small area at the
back and my job was to make sure they did not run onto the road. While there wasn't much traffic, there was a
bit of a blind spot and an over-zealous boy may run onto it while trying to
catch a pass. They were having loads of
fun and something interesting happened.
I was enjoying myself. Now, I
have always enjoyed doing these projects, but I was now having the same
excitement that one feels on a playing ground.
After some time their Education Coordinator joined them as one of
the Wide Receivers. It was clear that
they all enjoyed each other’s company and I was glad to be a part of this. While
not exactly Ed Hochuli, I was doing a competent job watching the boys and the
traffic.
I spoke with the Education
Coordinator a bit later and learned that she has been with them for two years. We looked behind us at an abandoned playing
ground which the boys could have used, but unfortunately it belonged to the
city and was fenced off. It’s a shame
that while there was all this open area, the boys were confined to a small
parking lot and having to be careful because of the road. I told the Education Coordinator that while I
had liked being there, it was unlikely that I would be able to come back, owing
to the project’s early start. She said
that there were other opportunities besides Chicago Cares, and something I
would definitely look into. Once again,
a project that had stared a bit slowly was ending with a flourish. Owing to my next appointment I would have to
leave soon, something I was truly sorry to do.
Wilson had joined us and I asked
where he was headed next. He was going
for a cooking project and I asked if there was any special dish that he was
known for. “Whatever I cook, I do so with love”, he said and I believe
him. I thanked everyone and rushed to
the train station, pausing only to read the opening lines of E. E. Cummings’ ‘I Carry Your Heart With Me’, which
someone had written on the whiteboard. It
is one of my favorite poems and I was delighted to see it here. As I stood on the platform, I put a check mark against
another successful project. This day had
started with a lot of promise, and so far had exceeded in everything that I could
have hoped for.
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