In early March, this year, I decided to go on a world tour. Fueled by the whimsical words of Julia Roberts in ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ and the existential dilemmas of a pre-quarter life crisis, I drafted an itinerary that was nothing short of jam-packed. In the span of four months, I have relished steaming hot pad thai in Thailand, danced the Ratoh Duek from Indonesia and made colourful bead bracelets in South Africa. I would now give an arm, leg and half my Subway cookie to visit those countries again.
Okay, I lied. I have never really been to South Africa. Or Indonesia. Or Thailand. I haven’t even been on a world tour. But I have been to Culture Café.
If you are one of our loyal attendees of Culture Café sessions, then you might not need further convincing. Anyone who has stopped by at least once, knows that our sessions are such good fun and a wonderful way to learn more about different cultures. I may have lied about visiting those countries, but I didn’t lie about the pad thai (which was yum!) or the Ratoh Duek. It’s an integral part of our sessions to include something authentic to the culture we are celebrating that week.
It’s not just about culture though, it’s also about community. While we may be from different countries, exposed to different traditions, we share the same love for food, knowledge and laughter. Yes, laughter, because our volunteers (including me) will absolutely make sure you are having the best time. And on the days you don’t want to fill your head with more information (our weekly quizzes can get a little tricky), there’s always a noisy little group in the corner playing UNO, or a tired volunteer questioning every life decision (most probably me). I may be tired but I am always ready for a chat. Ask me what I think about Beyonce’s latest album and I won’t stop talking.
I didn’t even get to the best part yet.
Each and every single one of these sessions are free! Which means you get to try a new cuisine, experience a different culture and learn more about a country for a total of zero dollars. I don’t know about you but that sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. As sweet as Gelato, and you best believe, we served it during Italian week.
If there is anything you need to take away from this fairly long stream of conscious writing, it’s that if you ever need a break from the menacing deadlines staring you in the face, come as you are on Thursdays from 4 to 6 pm. Whatever expectations you have, I promise you are going to leave with so much more!
