Since April this year, Learning Life has been periodically posing questions about food culture to the growing number of family members worldwide who are part of our Family Diplomacy Initiative on Facebook. In October, we asked the sixth and last question: “what is a dish your family likes to make or buy for the holidays?” In this holiday season for many families across the globe, we want to share some of the photos of holiday foods family members submitted, some from the internet, some from their own phones.
For more information about this year’s international food culture project, click here. Stay tuned: a full report and e-books about the project are coming in December and January.
To connect and learn with families worldwide via Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative on Facebook, click here.
World Food Talk Draws Participants from 9 Nations
On Sunday, November 15, members of Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative and some of their family members gathered live via Zoom to talk about world food culture. Hailing from nine nations worldwide — the USA, El Salvador, Ecuador, Senegal, Nigeria, Burundi, Egypt, Pakistan and India — the 39 international dialogue participants discussed food scarcity and waste, the influence of power on food habits, generational differences in food consumption, and other topics. For a recorded video segment of the dialogue, click here. For photos and presentation slides from the discussion, see below.
For more information about this year’s international food culture project, click here. Stay tuned: a full report and e-books about the project are coming in December and January.
To connect and learn with families worldwide via Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative on Facebook, click here.
This Sunday: Join Our Family World Food Talk Live!
Learning Life is pleased to announce that this Sunday, November 15, 10:30am-12:00pm EST, we will be hosting our Family Diplomacy Initiative‘s (FDI) first live event via Zoom. The event will bring together some of the growing number of families worldwide who are part of FDI on Facebook to discuss preliminary findings of our international food culture project. The detailed meeting agenda and Zoom link are below. Please let us know at email@learninglife.info if you plan to join us with your family!
MEETING AGENDA
On Sunday, November 15, at 10:30am EST (Washington DC/New York time), please join us via Zoom here.
Family introductions
To introduce your family, please briefly indicate:
Each family member’s name, and family relation (e.g., mother, father, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, etc.)
The city and country you live in
Pets are welcome if you consider them part of your family. As you prefer, one person in your family can introduce everyone, or each person in your family can introduce themselves.
Photo time!
We will take group photos to show some of the many families connected with Learning Life and our Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI).
The photos will be used to help publicize and grow FDI. If you are willing to help grow FDI by having your family in the photos, please let your family know in advance of this meeting, and have them ready to gather in front of your phone or laptop so we can take the photos. If you would rather not be in the photo, you can turn off your video while we take the photos.
Brief presentations: FDI and the 2020 world food project
About FDI and the food project
Numbers and country origins of FDI members, and food project participants
A first look at the project’s participant and food culture e-books
Let’s talk food! Discussion of the world food project
We will briefly report some interesting early project findings. Then, we will spend up to 30 minutes in an open discussion of the following questions:
For those of you participating in the project: what have you found most interesting?
Whether you are participating in the project or not:
What do you think of these early findings?
What do you observe about world food differences? You might consider any of our six project questions below, and think about how you’d answer any of the questions, and how you think families in other parts of the world might answer these questions differently.
The food project questions:
What does a typical breakfast look like in your family?
What does a typical dinner look like in your family?
What is a food trend happening in your country? A food trend is any new and popular food or way of eating.
What is a “comfort food” that your family often eats? A comfort food is a food your family finds comforting to eat.
What is a food people eat in your country that you think foreigners may consider odd or unusual?
What is a holiday your family celebrates, and what is a dish your family likes to make or buy for that holiday?
What comes next?
We will explain what comes next in the food culture project this year, and tentative plans for the Family Diplomacy Initiative in 2021.
Spotlight: Fall 2020 Interns
Learning Life’s student interns this fall 2020 are, among other things, post-interviewing family representatives worldwide that are completing our Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) food culture project, developing e-books from the project, growing FDI membership on Facebook at a rate of about 10 new members per day, building the invitation list for our Democracy Dinners, contributing research and writing for upcoming Learning Life articles on trivia vs. signia, learning in different contexts, the consequences of caring, world food culture, and more. We are very grateful for our fall interns’ important and dedicated work.
MAGGI CHAMBERS
Year, major and school: I am a senior international business major, and a political science minor with a concentration in Middle Eastern culture and studies at Howard University.
Hobbies: I love listening to music. My favorite genres are Hip Hop and R&B. I also love going out with my friends and watching movies with them on the weekends.
Career aspirations: My ultimate career goal is to direct a non-profit organization that inspires students to pursue international careers. In the shorter-term, I plan to work in policy and economic development for international organizations that focus on Middle East peace and conflict resolution.
Why Learning Life? I chose to intern with Learning Life to enhance my outreach skills. I had done outreach work before, but I knew it was a skill I needed to build on. Additionally, I wanted to learn some fundamentals of grassroots movements and non-profit management.
OLIVIA CHAVEZ
Year, major and school: I am a graduate student at American University in the School of Public Affairs working on a Master’s in Political Communications.
Hobbies: Pre-COVID I traveled as much as possible. I love exploring Washington DC and the East Coast, but I also enjoy traveling back west to California and Mexico to spend time with my family. I also enjoy podcasts, reading, and keeping up with the news.
Career aspirations: I would like to work in the public diplomacy field, whether that is through the private sector or in government.
Why Learning Life? I chose to intern with Learning Life because it seemed to be the most unique and worthwhile experience considering the divisiveness and political unrest in the United States these days. I was also curious about citizen diplomacy and the Family Diplomacy Initiative.
NOELLE CURTIS
Year, major and school: I am a junior at Johns Hopkins University double majoring in International Studies and Spanish.
Hobbies: I love to read in my free time! I adore classic novels the most. My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut and Haruki Murakami. I also love to cook and try out new cuisines in the kitchen when I get the chance.
Career aspirations: In the future, I hope to work in the fields of international affairs, diplomacy, and/or democracy. I’m still exploring the many opportunities out there!
Why Learning Life? I chose to intern with Learning Life because its core mission to promote greater cultural exchange and understanding resonated very strongly with me. As someone who’s fascinated by the world and people around me, Learning Life’s many initiatives are incredibly important to my own desire for a more caring and interconnected world. I hope my experience here continues to inspire me and others moving forward!
JOHN DIBELLO
Year, major and school: I am a graduate student at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine pursuing a degree in human physiology and biophysics. I received my undergraduate degree from Boston College in biology, global health and medical humanities.
Hobbies: Recently, I have been a bit obsessed with gardening. I have my own backyard veggie garden and my roommates and I also have four composting bins. I like to pick up new hobbies every couple of years. In the past, I played trombone in concert and marching bands, sang in a choir, and played hockey and rugby.
Career aspirations: I look forward to working as a physician as well as completing community health research and projects at local to global scales.
Why Learning Life? Learning Life envisions a world where we are all a bit more interconnected and where we turn to each other, rather than just books or our own social silos to learn. It’s mission promotes a more empathetic and democratic world during a highly contentious time in my own country’s politics as well as throughout the world.
NIKKI ESPINAL
Year, major and school: I am a sophomore at George Washington University. I am double majoring in international affairs and political science.
Hobbies: I love to read fiction, especially adventure and thriller novels, whenever I have the chance. Cooking with my sisters and trying new recipes is always a good time in our house. I am also currently learning Japanese, which will be my third language, besides English and Spanish, and I hope to learn more in the future, like Korean and Portuguese.
Career aspirations: I hope to get a Ph.D. focused on the relationships between Asia and Latin America/the Caribbean. I would also like to go to law school to eventually become an immigration lawyer to help children and families.
Why Learning Life? I have always thought about opening a nonprofit immigration law office to help even those who cannot afford expensive lawyers. Learning Life intersected my interests in nonprofit work and helping marginalized communities. The opportunity to work at Learning Life has helped me learn what it means to work in a nonprofit and how to better help the communities that need nonprofits the most. Joining Learning Life was one of the best decisions I have made throughout my young adult life.
YASMINE EZZEKMI
Year, major and school: I am a senior majoring in politics at Marymount University.
Hobbies: What I enjoy most is planning and undertaking new adventures each year by traveling around the globe, and discovering new people, cultures and traditions. I am passionate about art, especially paintings of the Renaissance era. I also enjoy reading and watching documentaries about ancient civilizations, Greek mythology, and the Ottoman Empire.
Career aspirations: I am interested in joining the world of diplomacy and international relations. I also hope to write a book about the origins of my family ancestors, and the long journey they undertook before settling in North Africa.
Why Learning Life? I choose Learning Life because I support its noble aim, which is building a more peaceful world. It embodies my aspiration and vision about a world in which individuals around the globe come together to eliminate the fear that sets us apart in order to create understanding and build a better future for all of us. Most importantly, Learning Life gave me the opportunity to witness not only the positive impact of citizen diplomacy, but also its crucial role, which I will make sure to integrate in my future diplomatic work.
LORRANE KABERT
Year, major and school: I am a fourth-year medical student at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine.
Hobbies: My hobbies include exploring dishes from various cultures and trying to recreate them, grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and Aldi, home decluttering and organizing, spending time with my family, and watching any and everything on Youtube, Hulu and Netflix.
Career aspirations: I will be going into family medicine. I plan to work as a doctor with underserved and vulnerable populations. I am also passionate about preventive medicine and culinary medicine.
Why Learning Life? Learning life was the perfect combination of all my passions. I am constantly seeking to become more culturally aware and competent, as the rest of the world should. I feel that talking about food is the perfect opportunity to engage people from all over, as it is one everyday thing everyone has in common regardless of class, race, etc. As a future physician that would like to interact with people from all sorts of backgrounds, food is a fun and relatable way to form connections. Learning Life has found a way for so many different families to connect and I am grateful to be a part of it!
MAX LIEBLICH
Year, major and school: I am a first-year graduate student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service working on a Master’s in Global Human Development.
Hobbies: I love musical theater and everything related to it. I thus really enjoy singing, dancing, and acting. I’m also almost always happy when I get to be outdoors, so I do my best to scatter hikes and long runs throughout my weeks.
Career aspirations: I want to work in international development with a focus on developing human capital.
Why Learning Life? I decided to work with Learning Life because I’ve seen firsthand the power that nontraditional education can have. School can provide students with many of the tools they will need to succeed. There are, however, still gaps in the kind of education schools provide, especially for lower-income students. I believe Learning Life is doing really valuable work by helping to fill these gaps, giving students a better chance to succeed in an environment where the odds are often stacked against them.
ALEXIA VEGA
Year, major and school: I am a sophomore majoring in International relations at American University.
Hobbies: I spend most of my free time reading about history and politics, or helping plan fundraisers or activities for different clubs in my school. I also enjoy photography, and visiting different restaurants in the Washington DC area. Because I’m based in DC, I also have the amazing opportunity to visit museums and attend political events.
Career aspirations: I would like to work in a non-governmental organization or become a human rights lawyer to help amend the many injustices in our world.
Why Learning Life? I chose to intern with Learning Life because I felt a connection with the organization’s goals. I wanted to intern with Learning Life because I knew I would have a worthwhile experience, including interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
