After weeks of Christmas break, seniors and supervisors (Renae Yoder, Scott Richer, and Jim Buller) took a 5 day trip to Chicago for a senior trip. Unfortunately Michael Yeakey (one of the sponsors along with Renae Yoder) was unable to come along on the trip due to a skating accident his wife had. Because of this, Michael decided it would be best to stay at home with his four children and “do the dad thing.”
We arrived in Chicago around noon and, after unpacking and getting a bite to eat, spent some time attempting to figure out the maps CTA schedules and routine, which was easy for some, but more challenging for others. But for some people the confusion was a highlight. Ike Lehman said that one of his favorite parts of the trip was “getting lost in the city” with his roommates.
Throughout the week, one thing that excited people was the exotic food. The group went to a number of different ethnic restaurants. Amber Heydon said “ethiopian was my favorite because it made me feel at home.” Along with going to restaurants as a group, there was a fair amount of free time in which smaller groups broke off and went to restaurants of their own taste. Ming Woo went with a group to Rainforest Cafe and said it was “the coolest place I’ve ever seen!”
A major highlight for many people was the independent time, in which different groups did various activities, such as: shopping, going to cafes, hanging out with other people in the city that people had connections to, and just walking around, experiencing the city. Wade Troyer said that his favorite part of free time was “just hanging out with people walking around the city.”
At times, there was an opportunity to dress up. The group attended two plays, both of different themes and moods. The first was at the Shakespearean, a famous theater in Chicago. The play was called “A School for Lies,” a tasteful comedy set in the eighteen hundreds about love and perception of blunt honesty, compared to following the lines of society. The second play that the group attended was called “Skylight,” which Sadie Gustafson-Zook found compelling “because it was really realistic.” Another show the seniors had the opportunity to enjoy was Comedy Sports, an improv comedy show set up specifically for the senior class. Nathan Brendle said that this show was one of his highlights because “it was really funny.”
During the last day the group attended a Giordano’s Pizzeria for lunch, then spent the rest of the day returning to Goshen. Many students passed the time in conversation with a few friends or catching up on missed sleep from the week. Overall, the class and supervisors all had positive feedback on the trip and were ready to start the new semester with closer connections to their classmates.