International Dinner!

One of my favorite parts of working at the YMCA, hands down, is interacting with the large population of international staff. 

Many of them are studying Tourism Science in their home countries, and they come to the USA excited to work at a resort and to practice their English. Despite these similarities, their stories are each so unique. To spend time with any of them is to become a student. 

To help us get to know them better, the LT program organizes an International Dinner each summer. Think of a delicious outdoor pot-luck show-and-tell, and you'll have a pretty accurate picture of what it was like. The international students cook traditional foods from their own countries, and the pride they have in the finished dishes is obvious. 

The sun was barely up on Friday before our cabin's kitchen had been turned into the Brazilian's preparation zone for the night's festivities. (Remember the awesome Brazilian friends we met after that guy's concussion two weeks ago? They have joined us for a lot of activities, and now we're pretty tight!) Chicken was bubbling in herbs on the little gas stove, and Vanessa was mixing a rich concoction of condensed milk and chocolate to make caramel chocolate balls for dessert. 

Brazilian chicken appetizers, breaded and fried

Erika, making Colombian arepas from corn

As evening fell and we arrived at the pavilion, moist, savory air enveloped us and made our mouths water. Delicious vapor was rising from metal pans and from every plate, and excited accents - American, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Jamaican, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Bulgarian - echoed against the concrete floors and ceiling. 

As music played from a corner speaker, good conversations flowed at every table. There were coconut drops and two sorts of chicken from Jamaica, seafood and rice from China, fresh lime cevice from Turkey, and a liquour-drenched coconut cake that disappeared in about two minutes. After eating the same two-week menu at the Spruce cafeteria for the past month and a half, my taste buds were in a heaven of flavor! 

Afterward, an impromptu dance party happened, led by the Jamaicans and my sweet Colombian friend, Erika! (Yes, that's me in the gray shirt.)

Please ask God to make us faithful to these new friendships. We want, above all, for them to experience the love of Jesus and to have a personal friendship with him that will last long after they go home.