On Sunday I visited 2 churches which were recommended to me by a few people I know in Chicago. Both were among the more contemporary in C-U and seemingly had groups of people my age. The first church I visited was not contemporary and while the message was good (the pastor did his message in scrubs, discussion Colassians 3) it was not a good fit. Sunday evening I went to another church to their "young adult" service which was supposed to cater to 18-3o's. Well, heck, that should be good right? Let's just say it was all young and no adult. I venture to guess I was older than the pastor there, too. Good worship though. Message was not inspiring, although it did seem to impact the kids pretty well. A sign I was too old for that gathering. I'll probably give that church another try next Sunday, during a morning service. It reminded me a lot of the old Harvest Bible Chapel I attended in the '90's. Wow. I can't believe that was so long ago!
On Thursday of last week I ventured to U of IL, my first venture into the C-U community, to visit the only swing dance society in the area. I imagined I was walking into something along the lines of U of Chicago, where its a very diverse age group, although definitely student driven. U of IL is not that way, at least not in early August. It was about 35 students, only 1/2 of whom danced at any one time. A few were kind and asked me to dance so I did get a few practices in. I am hoping things change once the school year starts. If not, at least I can hit a First Friday up in Chicago on occasion. Or the C-U Lindy Exchange when it occurs. We'll see!
This weekend I did have my official, final hurrah at Fizz for my swing "career" in Chicago. It was a great night (air conditioning!) and everyone was in a great mood. My good-bye dance was decent, although I confess that as people jump in to dance with you, while you alone are out on the dance floor, you tend to feel like you are being turned around over and over. I don't know why I was ever fearful of getting out on the floor alone, with the crowd circled around me clapping to the rhythm of the music. I don't get nervous in front of crowds. It was such a fun night and perhaps I've even encouraged 2 friends to take my place in the Chicago Swing scene!
Things are progressing nicely here all in all. The home is nearly all sorted and set. I'll tackle the desk tomorrow. It's the last big thing to be properly organized. I've got 2 weeks worth of lesson plans firmly written for all 3 of my courses. I meet with my department chair later this week. AND I'm going to get back into the workout zone tomorrow.
I'll have plenty to report on my next update. The feet will keep on walking and this page will keep on talking of my experiences. Stay tuned!
KB
No comments:
Post a Comment