Friday, February 27, 2009

Arrival in the Windy City

We have made it to Chicago, and boy is that wind biting! A stark contrast from 70-degree Malibu, we are looking forward to a fun-filled day tomorrow scoping out downtown Chicago and interacting with the people we have already found very friendly and welcoming. We landed at O'Hare, picked up a twelve-passenger van, and hit the highway in the midst of a delicate Illinois snow flurry.

We're staying with a Pepperdine student's family in Libertyville, a town of about 20,000 located thirty miles north of Chicago. Our hosts are gracious and welcoming. As we write, we are cozy and warm in a basement den; supplemented by the clinking of a pool game and tired laughter, the sound of the wind has turned from menacing to cozy.

Our first culinary encounter was at a pizza place called The Silo. We were able to try deep dish Chicago-style pizza, and found it to be quite tasty. The waitress asked about our trip and wished us well, delighted that we had traversed the country to begin our trek in her restaurant, and reminded us, "You're only young once!" We were pleasantly surprised to have an impromptu interview and discussion with our hosts around the dinner table. He works for a pharmecutical company and talked to us about the importance of ethics and morals, as well as the challenges facing large corporations in today's world.

Our dinner conversation beautifully set the stage for our trip. Our host asked if we all take an ethics class at Pepperdine; the answer is no (although a few majors require it). He explained that ethics are deeply personal and vary significantly among individuals, they are not necessarily innate. The function of the American system, from the interactions between neighbors to the policies and practices of big businesses, demand that we acknowledge some absolute boundaries between right and wrong. As young Americans prepare for careers, it is essential that educational institutions do not imply through omission that ethics should or can be considered apart from the acquisition of skills. He noted that his college-age interns showed great interest in the topic, which is encouraging as we think about the future of our country. He made it clear that a good leader is responsible for establishing the ethical boundaries of a group. It is strange to partake on a quest to broaden our horizons by experiencing a different culture in our very own country, but even the past few hours have shown that there will be some lessons to learn on this road from people who live and think differently than we do.

Tomorrow we'll wake up and head into Chicago. We plan to see some some museums, attend a play in the Steppenwolf Theater, sample some more midwestern fare, and commence our journey at the official beginning of Route 66 on Adams Street.

Have any advice? We'd love to hear it!

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