Thursday, October 8, 2009

Culture Day - American Style

--September 23, 2009--


Today marks an exciting and nostalgic first for me: the first day since my arrival in Zambia that I actually felt like I was back in America. Such a monumental occurrence came on Culture Day- a Peace Corps Zambia tradition where the normal roles are reversed and the volunteers cook American food for the host families.


Preparing for the feast (I made about 40kg of fruit salad and helped flip tortillas)

Any kind of event where 40 people are teaming together to cook food for 250 people is bound to be interesting. But there was something extra special about this Culture Day; it was like we'd managed to carve out a little chunk of America and ship it over. Maybe it was all the hubbub and confusion that inevitably cropped up, so reminiscent of college life and so foreign here in Zambia. Maybe it was the good ol' American food: fajitas, jambalaya, caesar salad, no-bake cookies. But I think what reminded me most about America was standing outside barbecueing chicken and flipping tortillas with an LSU, a Tennessee, and a Michigan State alum and a diehard Cal fan, talking smack about the coming weekend's football games. That right there is the America I know and love, and for one day we had a taste of it here in Zambia!


My host mom and dad - excited that they don't have to do the cooking!




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