Chicago and Thoughts About Words

Today the graduate studies department organized a day in Chicago outing for its students at Valparaiso University. It was a day for graduate students to meet other graduate students and enjoy the excitement of the big city. Actually, it was more like an outing for Chinese students at VU, because 75 percent of all students that participated were from China. 

At 8:30am we packed a bright yellow school bus to maximum capacity and took to the interstate on this bone-chilling, overcast fall day. The roads were clear and we arrived downtown as expected, just before ten. We toured the Chicago Cultural Center, the building on the corner of Michigan and Randolph, which used to be the city's public library. To be honest, the tour was rather drab because it was essentially a man spouting off trivia about a building who's history is rather distant from the present day.

After the tour, we ate our boxed lunches we had prepaid for in advance, split up, and walked our separate ways. Some went to the Art Institute or Navy Pier. I walked down Michigan Avenue, dubbed "The Magnificent Mile." To be honest, my only goal was to pay a visit to the Apple Store, one of my most favorite stores in the world, to play with Apple's new line of MacBooks and iPods.

But the best part of the day was after the Apple Store. I walked into Borders Books to crack open an unused book and just sit. And as my eyes scanned strings of words, lined row after row, page after page, I realized something. I like words. I like the beauty of how each word can procure a feeling or imagery. I like how words, when used just right, can open one's mind to new ideas. I like how they have power to make one contemplate and examine one's life. Not just words in English, but I like words in Chinese too, any language for that matter.

It was just a small thought, but it really got me thinking. I like words.