A few weeks ago I wrote about our Namibian cultural cooking day where we cooked a lot of traditional Namibian dishes over open fires and sang songs in our respective languages.

This week we did something similar, except this time around we cooked American food for our host families.

This day was a lot of fun for me; I contributed macaroni and cheese (nowhere near as good as my mom makes it) and stewed apples. We also had chili, quesadillas, beet burgers, spaghetti, chicken wings, broccoli cheddar casserole, mashed potatoes, pizza, cornbread, biscuits, miniature apple pies, no-bake cookies, and rice pudding.

All of the food was so delicious and I was full for the entire day after eating. It felt like Thanksgiving had come early!

While we ate, we listened to a playlist we had all compiled together of our favorite songs, and one of the best moments was when all of us belted the chorus of “Sweet Caroline” while our mouths were full of food.

In addition to cooking, representatives from each language group gave speeches in those languages thanking our host families for everything they have done for us. Three of us read for KKG and everyone was really impressed. Heck, I really impressed myself with how far I have come in the past two months with this language.

American day made me really miss home, but also made me appreciate the fact that cultural exchange is a wonderful thing. Our Namibian families opened up their hearts and their homes to us and shared with us their incredible cultures, so the least we could do was give a little back. And the best way to bring people together is with food!