On my way to work, I pass by the Minneapolis K-8 school that Joe College and Joe High School attended. Most public schools, especially in cash-strapped inner city districts, look pretty bleak in the summer, with weeds growing in the sidewalks, and torn posters flapping from the fence and pillars. And Anne Sullivan Communication Center, or ASCC, has all of these signs of neglect. But there's a bit of excitement in the adjacent the parking lot. It's been turned into an ad-hoc practice driving course, with gallon milk jugs and flags marking the edges and turns.
Who uses this driving course? I've never actually stopped to investigate, so I can't be 100% certain. However, it appears to be a place where Somali women learn to drive. Watched by their menfolk, they slowly cruise around the school parking lot. The men stand around, smoking and chatting. Of course, once school starts, the lot will be full of cars, and the driving lessons will end. But for now, it's pretty cool to watch the ingenuity of our latest group of immigrants.
