This hour: we head to the south side of Chicago and Japan.

Another Lousy Day
by Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister (Chicago Public Radio, 2003)
A few years ago writer David Kodeski found two diaries from the early 1960s in the back of a dusty Chicago thrift store. The author -- a single, working woman living on the city's south side -- wrote meticulously about her everyday life. She documented how she flirted with her coworkers, fought with her dad, and searched for happiness while worrying about everything from her weight to her hairdo. Kodeski set out to find the woman, meeting her friends and neighbors, solving mysteries, and reflecting on her life along the way.

Big in Japan
by producer Robin Hilton (Soundprint, 2000)
Every year thousands of Americans pack their bags and move to Japan, hoping to make it big by teaching English. Desperate to learn English, Japanese schools, businesses, and government agencies offer small fortunes to just about anyone who can help teach the language. While some who answer the call are well-educated and have the best intentions, others are drawn to Japan by the low qualifications and high pay. Regardless of what motivates them, they all leave Japan with unique and often surreal stories of their experiences there. Robin Hilton was no exception.