The Twist of Friday

So Friday was the day of the other trip to Chicago. I didn't go. But I found that I can't regret this decision in the least because of how eyeopening the past two days were. (*quick note: this is more of a personal entry, but there are some art-related elements included)

Thursday was simply a ''bad day'' for me. I went to bed in a bad mood and woke up feeling tired and downhearted. This feeling of depression lasted most of the day. My sister called me and invited me to stay with her at her apartment in Urbana then find something to do around Champaign the next day. I told her I couldn't because I had to go to Chicago on Friday, but I knew if my depression subsisted that I wouldn't be in the mood for anything. Hoping her company (and the company of her cats) would cure me, I left Thursday for her apartment, forsaking the field trip but hoping for a better emotional turnout.

It did improve my mood a lot to be somewhere else, I soon found. My sister, her friend Justine, and I ate dinner on the gorgeous U of I campus quad and watched a cute Hayao Miyazaki movie called Ponyo afterward.

After sleeping in the next day, my sister and I went back to the quad to take a walk. I completely forgot that it was the National Day of Silence until we stopped at a Day of Silence booth where we were given rainbow ribbons and PRIDE bracelets to wear.

Now, I know this is probably a touchy subject for Olivet students because of the way Christians may view the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) community. But I don't care. The point of the Day of Silence isn't to promote or support those lifestyles - the point is to draw attention to the bullying and violence inflicted upon LGBT people for simply being themselves. It's an issue that is very close to my heart and something I am going to stand up for in whatever way I can...
because no one deserves to be treated that way.

After stopping at the booth, I decided to text my friend Harrison (who's an art history/photography major at U of I) and tell him that I'd love to go to the ''Break the Silence'' rally at 5 in front of the Alma Mater. That was also a very moving event and I was so happy to be there and witness it. I've never met a nicer group of people. Afterward, Harry and I, along with a few of his friends, walked around Campus Town looking for a place to eat. There we saw scattered elements of the Boneyard Art Festival that was happening that weekend.

I went back to Olivet after dinner and talking, feeling refreshed and invigorated with all that I'd seen and experienced.

btw, here's a great picture that Harry took at the rally