The General Run of Things...

  Periodically, changes in scenery, living situation, or season provide a chance to reevaluate one's lifestyle and critique (at least in my case) a certain lack of discipline and to try get into what the organized folks around us call a "routine." 

  As dawn broke on Monday morning, it felt a little like New Year's.  I got up at 6:30 (perhaps the time change made this a little easier than it should have been), jogged around the park close to the church, did some calisthenics, and showered all before heading off to breakfast.  One day down...  if it only took one day to make something a "routine"...

  Orientation has also followed something of a routine over the past few days.  My notebook's record of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday looks like this:    

MON-Breakfast, Covenanting Time, Lunch, Maps of Chicago Orientation, Supper.  TUES- Breakfast, Group Time, City Walk, Stop at YMCA for computers, Covenanting time, Supper. WED- Breakfast, Group Devotions, Map/City scavenger hunt, end at the zoo, Observation walk, Dinner on a Dollar.

  Many of you will of course note that Wednesday's ending presented something a little different, and thus worth explaining.  After a long day of traipsing around the city, it was generally agreed that a big, delicious supper would be a good thing.  KD had mentioned the day previous and throughout the day Wed. that we would be eating out in the city.  Krista in particular was looking forward to this mystery dinner out.  Maybe Indian food...  maybe Thai...  who knew?  

  As we all finished our tour in Millennium Park, the news was given to us that we would in fact each be given one dollar and should find a way to eat with just that dollar in our country groups.  That's correct.  One dollar per person.  In downtown Chicago.  

  The goal of the exercise seemed fairly obvious- to give the group a window onto the experience of many of Chicago inhabitants' daily predicament.  It was unclear, however, how well the spirit of learning a lesson and building character caught on among the 16 walk-worn Journeyers.  Character should really work at a way to become less painfully accessible.  

  Paraguay's team, having six members, certainly had a little advantage.  With six dollars, the world was at our fingertips.  Nothing could be denied us, so long as it did not cost $6.01.  A plan was agreed upon to venture out of the downtown area, back toward Faith House, and see what the Aldi grocery store near the house could provide us.

  Though the situation did seem dire at first, Aldi's low, low prices (no advertisement intended) helped restore some degree of peace.  Comparing prices, suggesting the menu, and figuring out how to cut corners proved that our team will do just fine in the "creativeness" category throughout the year.  As evidenced in the picture accompanying this post, the meal finally ended up consisting of chips and salsa, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with one of those cans of PB&J already together in one can of course), a two liter of knock-off Sprite, and a little can of Vienna sausages, the latter ingredient mostly purchased because of Scott's curiosity and my insistence that no cheap meal is complete without some sort of mysterious meat.

    Our dubious potluck was consumed in the park separating Aldi and our house and, in all honesty, it was fun.  Now, it was by no means healthy.  We were severely lacking on the vegetable front.  However, for one evening of experimentation, we learned just how far a buck could go, especially in group cooperation.  It also was a good reminder that good nutrition is very hard to achieve unless you have a decent budget for groceries, which many simply do not have.

  We left the park full, and wrapped up the evening listening to other groups' reflections on the experience, trying to keep the Vienna sausages quiet.