Chicago hosted the event.
Its uni guys had firm intent
To change the world not changing us
And not to cause us make a fuss.
The friendly teaching-helping staff
Made no attempt to ease the tough,
Intense, ambitious, six-week course
And added readings to our chores.
We tried to read at frugal light
In clustered rooms at dawn and night
And ready got to talk as well
Ignoring the effect of spell
Cast purposefully on our life.
It Peter-proof did seem and rife.
We failed to limit TTT
So cooled our passion with lime iced tea.
In our group "bad boys" we had
Who dared not behave like mad.
Good mannered they did prove to be
Both in and out the UIC.
In a card-based country we all lived
And e-mail letters we retrieved
In AC labs and round the clock
Enjoying urban blues and rock.
By PINs and LINKs and codes impeded
Phone calls to make we all succeeded
We practiced daily button hitting
Times 2 score 8 and oft repeating
The painful call and caller game
That ended in the Hall of Fame
Of visitors to UIC
Who won the final game with glee.
The lounge on the second floor
Helped us forget about bore.
We sang and danced and drank and ate
And movies watched till hours late.
The Jewel-Osco market place
Was our main nutrition base.
The uni shuttle we would take
Back home and closer to the lake.
Lake Michigan, the landmark prime
The humdrum slightly changed in time
Into a life-long snapshot bright
Of water, gulls, horizons wide.
We learned to use the CTA
And Metra's rules how to obey.
The laundry cards we charged with ease -
The laundromat did never cease.
We took a trip to Gurnee Mills.
I bought a dress without frills.
Helena took an extra trip
And acted wisely - bought a grip.
Of haircut some ladies dreamed
But only three with gladness gleamed
When their dream came true one day -
They solved the problem their way.
In our stories we narrate
Of open-air cow parade
Of high-rise buildings in the Loop
And tasty cold Gazpacho soup.
From Sears Tower high skydeck
We turned heads dizzy forth and back.
The tallest "restroom with a view"
We know for sure is not askew.
Of soybeans, corn, sunflower, wheat,
We learned a lot in the Peotone heat.
All Y'sMen's members shone with pride
While boasting yield known nation-wide.
Old Country Buffet's food was good.
It also nourished our mood.
We lectures had on modern farms,
Organic food, straight roads and barns.
The Englewood School guys we met.
Their smiles and dreams we won't forget.
In Riverside and CSU
We saw decisions brave and new
To eco problems hard and hot
Demanding actions on the spot.
We climbed landfills and watched the smoke
Of plants producing tons of coke.
On Mesa Verde hiking tour
In our thoughts prevailed John Muir.
In San Francisco later on
We saw his park was not forlorn.
Durango featured Southwest stuff.
Main Street we strolled without a puff.
Authentic cowboys made our night
While watching them in splendid fight.
The four-state corner in the sand
A sightseeing place in US land
Admired we and left to see
Shiprock impressive and at sea.
The truckers' cozy place for rest
An oasis was and posh dream nest
To eat, relax and make a call
From phones installed right on the wall
Above the tables clean and decked
With desert flowers, napkin checked.
Boot blacks and even barber's shop
Meet drivers' needs in fact non-stop.
In San Francisco we felt gay
Explored its sites along the Bay.
Lay on the famous hippies' hill
Next walked to Hales-McKerrow's hill.
In Willard Street we party had.
The city's sunset drove us mad.
The "Happy Birthday" song we sang
And merry were though felt a pang.
It came in time to let us know
The end endangered that great show
Of people, buildings, nature wild
And climate range from hot to mild.
A week allotted we had more
To study US life and lore:
The high tech birthplace at the coast
Then Monticello - an old boast
The Mall, museums and smart Jan
Who makes each voter her great fan.
Debriefing with Rick Taylor's board
Was very smooth - no single sword
Was drawn that Friday morning hot.
It seemed at once we all forgot
Of bore, fatigue and minor faults.
We knew about the nuts and bolts
Of US life before and now
And reason had to shout "Wow!"
In Washington, the city main
That ASSI keeps in its tight rein.
The weekend was departure time.
It comes to end my story-rhyme.
More kisses, hugs and friendly smiles
And distance scores of thousand miles...
Abbreviations:
AC - air conditioned
ASSI - American Summer Studies Institute
CSU - Chicago State University
CTA - Chicago Transit Authority
TTT - teacher talking time
UIC - University of Illinois at Chicago
US - United States