Today we grabbed a delicious breakfast provided by our wonderful hostel family, learned the importance of not putting buttered waffles into the toaster, and got groceries for the week. We took a trip to the Cultural Center where we saw the Morbid Curiosity exhibit and walked through a contemporary photography studio. It tackled the subject of how we assume that photos show us exactly what happened. All the works blurred the lines between reality and imagination. Personally, I thought the different mediums used were inspiring. We got back to the hostel and played a long game of apples to apples (my cards described me as unscrupulous and cuddly, among other things). I ended up falling asleep on the floor for a little while and after my nap we enjoyed a delicious Indian meal made by our lovely trip mates and Carolyn. It's been a great time so far here in the Windy City and I can't wait for the rest of the trip! Let's hope the gorgeous weather continues! I'mma get my tan on!
-Sarah
Hellooo Chicago! Day 2 and it feels like I'm already culturally apart of this city. Today, as Sarah mentioned, we had got up early went to the grocery store- L train plus bags do not work so well- and then went on an adventure to two museums/exhibits in the windy city. At the cultural center we headed straight to the main exhibit titled “Morbid Curiosity”. At first a couple of us were a little hesitant because we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into and thought that it would be a little too “depressing” for our tastes- actually, anyone sane. It was actually the most interesting thing I had seen in a long time. It spoke true to the title, and as an anthropologist major and sociology minor it especially interested me due to the fact that it asked the question “Why?” and it displayed cultural and social meanings and interpretations of death from other countries.
One of the pieces that especially stood out to me was one of a hanging chandelier made entirely of fake bones painted extra white. The description that made me think the most said that “people don't see death directly, rather they see it in the eyes of others”. When thinking of this quote I thought of how true it is and how true and real it could be to other aspects of life. Specifically when spending our time in Chicago. People tend to not see the help that is needed in a community directly or right away, but when working with the people of the city they can ask and ponder, leading to discoveries one could never have imagined.
-Katie
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