Natalie- 826 Chicago- Day One

This morning, our all-female group woke up at the leisurely hour of 7:15 a.m. in our lovely room at Hostelling International in Chi-town. After a complimentary breakfast at the hostel and a run-in with a KState Alternative Breaks group, we headed to a small locally owned grocery store about 10 minutes away called the South Loop Market. After an adventurous and food-filled morning we finally headed to the Boring Store! (It’s definitely not a spy store or anything.) We got to meet the full-time employees at 826 Chicago, including an adorable long-haired dachsund named Chester. He’s not an employee. I don’t think. Then they did the worst. They handed the six of us a stack of books written by the kids of 826 Chicago over the past few years and told us to go to a totally hipster coffee shop around the corner and read up for the next few hours. And that we did. We reveled in the stories and poems of kids ages 6 to 18. I read a funny compilation about a funny guy named Jared who liked to play with eraser cubes and wear a muumuu, as well as an introspective story about a trash can called “Keeper of Past Importance.” A lovely fifth grader named Jocelyn Ortega wrote, “The leaves fall down from the trees because they want to kiss the sidewalk and want to go trick-or-treating.”

After our glorious reading time, Bailey and I went to Clemente High School with Zach from 826 to work with a writing class. It was an interesting experience. Erik Adams, the assistant TV editor for the AV Club, a subsidiary of the Onion, spoke to the class about interviewing tactics. Picture this: Second semester seniors in an elective class. On a Monday. During the last period of class for the day. The students were not quite captivated, but it was a good experience nonetheless.

Around 3:30 p.m., Bailey and I headed back to our site to participate in 826’s after school tutoring program! I got to help this super awesome 6th grader named Cristian with his math homework. Fractions are hard, man. Real hard. I hope to work with Cristian again, though, because I think we really connected in regards to trapezoids and video games.

Finally, our group made a delicious late dinner of fajitas and reflected about each other’s personal goals for the trip. It was fantastic to hear everyone else’s personal goals too – from lofty to simplistic.