Settling in

Yes, I realize I said I would post and write about a picture a day, and that has not happened. I spent the last week with my family, some much needed down time. I showed my pictures and talked about my stories a few times. It felt good to share my experience. There are definitely more things I plan to share here.

I attended a young professionals meet-up for the World Affairs Council of Charlotte a week ago. It was ironic and kind of comforting to learn that every one of us sitting at the table had traveled abroad within the last two months. I appreciated their stories, and their tales of culture shock returning home. It helped me feel like I was not alone. Now, I feel very much an American again!

I've been e-mailing back and forth with some of the volunteers from Peru. My friends Corinne and Emilie are from Paris, but now live in Cleveland. When I hear from them, I get the biggest smile. They are such sweet women, and I hope to see them again soon!

I am rather impressed with the entire Cross-Cultural Solutions program. There was so much support provided while we were in Peru; every possible situation is planned for. The program cost a lot of money, but was totally worth it. I did not have a thing to worry about, and did not have many out-of-pocket expenses. CCS has been in contact with me weekly since my return, by phone, mail, and email, just checking on my experience, my re-entry, questions or concerns. I would definitely consider volunteering with CCS again.

Foods Around the World

This has been an ethnic weekend of food!

On Thursday night, I joined the Magellan Society of Young Professionals through the World Affairs Council of Charlotte at Deejai Thai. I have just recently been introduced to Thai food, and am learning the menu. Thailand is known for its peppers. Following the lead of two other ladies, one from Malaysia, I ordered drunken noodles. I ordered my meal and the server asked me what level of hot: 1 through 5. I told her I was new to this eating, so 1 or 2? "1! Definitely 1!" she told me. The girl next to me, Charlotte, asked for a 5. The server whipped her head around so fast, "5?! You sure you want 5? Maybe 3?" My dish was wonderful, flavorful, and a touch of spicy. Charlotte's dish of 5 was red, while mine was more brown, and I was impressed that she did not even break a sweat. I think I could eat some more Thai...

On Friday, a parent of one of my students came to talk to our class about Peru (more on that later). Mrs. Carrasco showed the children pictures of food from Peru. She talked about the hot sauces. She told me I need to order the green sauce, that is all I will be able to handle. (After Thursday night, I'm beginning to get a complex!) Mrs. Carrasco said Peruvians eat a lot of seafood, pesto, pasta, and rice, and cheese. Yum! The children were excited about the food and licking their lips. Then she put up her last slide, a picture of a meat kabob. My students were jumping up and down by this point, yelling, "Steak! I love steak!"

"This..." said Mrs. Carrasco, "is the heart of a cow." My sweet, quiet, well-behaved Abby, drops her jaw to her desk, and emphatically shakes her head while saying, "Oh no! Never mind, I don't think I want to try THAT!" Heehee.

I'm trying to prepare myself; who knows what I will be asked to eat. People keep joking and saying I'm going to have to try guinea pig. They say it tastes gamey like rabbit. I don't know if I can handle that, out of respect for my childhood pet guinea pig, Oreo, and my rabbit nephew, Mazie.
www.gotpetsonline.com


On Saturday, my neighborhood hosted an Indian food night. We have a large Indian population here, and the community asked them to showcase their cuisine. My friends cajoled me into going to the dinner (I have never been a fan of curry or Indian food). I realized that much of their food is vegetarian, which is good for me. I was a big girl and tried everything on my plate! I actually enjoyed my meal; there is something to be said for eating with the cook. I even went back for a second helping. My favorite was the black lentils that I mixed with rice...a bit spicy...but amazing!

Today, our Spanish teacher, Sra. Kolarska, invited me to her home for lunch. She is from Bulgaria, but has traveled much of Europe and speaks 5 different languages. I was served gazpacho from Spain, quiche from France, meatballs from Bulgaria, Spinach salad, homemade Bulgarian yogurt, and a marshmallow cake. What a mix of flavors and colors!

I love food. What a great weekend! I'm excited to try everything in Peru. Well, almost everything...

Updates

As most of you know by now, I did not receive the educational scholarship from the World Alliances Council of Charlotte, through the University of North Carolina. I am just pleased that the WAC liked my CCS professional development proposal and granted me an interview. I met some very impressive global business and educational leaders. I hope to continue to foster a relationship with the WAC organization as they believe in global development, cultural appreciation, and 21st Century educational skills.

Slogging through the fine print...

It is amazing how much of a whirlwind this journey has already become.

I completed my enrollment Monday, and had already received a welcoming email and phone call from my program manager Tuesday. (I received the customary and balloon-bursting financial email as well.) I interviewed for the World Alliance Council scholarship Thursday; here's hoping they believe I am an internationally-minded teacher and that my program is global enough to help fund it! I walked out of the interview and arrived home to find my Cross-Cultural Solutions welcome packet in the mail.

Much of today has been spent filling out volunteer profiles, checking off checklists, and reading the fine print. Wow, it's really happening!