The Hangout!

  “I want us to organize, to tell the personal stories that create empathy, which is the most revolutionary emotion.”  – Gloria Steinem

This past weekend, I attended an unbelievable party. There is much to say about this event so I’ll start simple, with the help of the trusty five elements of fiction that we mastered in the 6^th grade:

Character: brilliant, beautiful friends from a vibrant mezcla of culture, language and country.

Plot: above-said brilliant, beautiful people gather together to share stories, laughter, food, drink, futbol, and karaoke songs one rainy-and-then-sunny-Saturday in September.

 Setting:  Place - a picturesque family farm straight out of a fairy tale in Tocancipá, an hour outside of Bogotá, Colombia.

 Time – last weekend, 2011

Theme: Bridging cultures.  Empathy.  Openness.

Style: you know it.

How did each of these magnificent elements come together not in fiction, but in real life, you ask?  Well, let me tell you, ¡con mucho gusto! A few weeks ago, my friend, Juan gave me a call and described a vision that very closely matched the beautiful reality that occurred this past weekend.  “Hey Em, we are lucky to have many awesome friends from many cool countries,” he said (in so many words). “Why don’t we celebrate this diversity by hosting an international bbq on the other Juan’s farm (there are many Juans in this story, kind of like a Marquez novel – you’ll sort it out eventually) and share food and drink from all over the world?”  Of course, I was down with this phenomenal idea 100% and so began the momentum for an international bbq intended to celebrate diversity and bridge cultures – an event that we’ve affectionately come to refer to as The Hangout.

Pit stop for pan y tinto

Our diverse group convened bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 9:30 am at the Carulla plaza, international cuisine in hand, and hopped aboard a charter bus which swiftly changed our scenery from the pollution and traffic of Bogotá to the splendid countryside of Colombia. Of course, we made a pit stop for pan y tinto (bread and coffee) along the way before completing the final leg of our journey which led us to the fresh air, lush vegetation and open space of Juan Camilo’s family farm – the perfect setting for a perfect day.  We happily united with the others who had traveled by truck, car and motorbike and by noon, the farm was sprawling with citizens of Korea, Colombia, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, China, the United States, Russia and Australia.  

Katie (USA) pins the tail on Ligia (Brazil)

Other than a piñata, a game of pin the tail on the donkey (or, in our case, a glittery zebra) an abundance of RICO food, and music, we didn’t really have an agenda or plan.  We had faith that the equation of food, good people, music and fresh air would yield amazing results and we were not disappointed. 

There were countless shining moments throughout the day. 

la comida (photo by Ligia Aguiar)

A particularly shiny feature of this party was, of course, the food!  We indulged in a multi-course feast of deviled eggs (USA), Moon Cake (China), Picada, fruits, tofu, maiz (Colombia), carne picante from Korea (also known as 제육볶음 (jeyuk bokkum)) Cuzcuz Paulista (Brazil), cheese dip (Russia), brownies & Oreos (USA), French crepes, and an abundance of Poker and Aguila to wash it all down. Once we had eaten our hearts out and slipped into minor food comas, we relaxed under the shelter of a tent and played rounds of Uno. 

  

 At that point, Juan brought out a cake and we broke out in a melodious chorus of happy birthday for his lovely, youthful mom- first in English…then in Korean…then in Chinese…Portuguese…Spanish…German…French…Russian…American (just kidding, bad joke).

By FAR the best rendition of “happy birthday” I have ever heard in my life.

Celebrating our gooooooooooal!  while Carlos and Camilo look on :)

Eventually, someone decided it was time for an impromptu futbol (soccer) tournament. We went all out with co-ed teams and all nations represented. For the championship game, we ditched our zapatos (shoes), rolled up our pant legs and got dirty!  Mud, slipping and sliding, blood, sweat, tears, bruised shins, the whole bit.  My French friend, Josian and I even enjoyed a true world cup moment with the collision of our heads in mid-air (and we have the goose eggs to prove it if you’re interested).  

Visual 1.2

Somewhere in the mix, in true Colombian fashion, the aguardiente started to flow generously, served by our in-house Criollo, Juan, complete with mask and poncho (note visual 1.2).  We all became warmer and jollier and eventually moseyed on over to the karaoke machine for even more chistes (jokes, laughs) that lasted into the night. 

Cross-cultural psychology tells us that the smiles and laughter are universally recognized as signals of happiness and joy.  We certainly took full advantage of this universal language in abundance on Saturday! These people are just TOO much fun for words.  I would add two more commonalities that also seem universal among this group of people I’ve come to know as friends: openness and empathy. I’m not convinced we are born with these 2 characteristics.  If we are born this way, these attributes sure do get stamped out quickly and replaced with self-preservation, survival, competition and an “in-group/out-group”, “us vs. them” mentality (if you need further evidence of this type of socialization, go observe kids – as young as kindergarten - on a playground at recess). 

I LIKE empathy (and Juan's hat) a lot

 Ligia (Brazil), Salena (China), Camilo (Brazil),
Majang (Korea)

I believe that openness and empathy are actually the primary reasons that I travel; it seems that exchanging my own story and listening to the stories of others is one of the most profound ways, if not the only way to become a more open and empathetic human. It’s a tall order - it takes courage after all to perceive the world with empathy and openness because it is almost guaranteed that the truth of your own reality will be challenged along the way.  I had the honor of hearing Gloria Steinem speak on a panel in February and I have not forgotten her powerful words, “empathy is the most revolutionary emotion.”   My courageous friends that I’ve met in Colombia are people who have empathy and openness very much intact in their lives.  It is no wonder that this weekend’s party was pure magic given the company we are fortunate enough to keep!

We anticipate that The Hangout will evolve into a consistent space that allows people from all countries, languages and backgrounds to meet, enjoy each other and exchange stories.  We’ve got ideas for benefit concerts, open mic nights, art projects and charity events.   If you live in Colombia or will be visiting Colombia, expect an invite for the next Hangout and also let me know your brilliant thoughts for ways in which we can celebrate our stories together.  If you don’t live in Colombia and can’t come Hangout with us, find ways to celebrate stories where you are!   Also, please do my friends at LARGE minority/More Local a favor and give their fan page a "like" on Facebook. Please help them reach their goal of 1,000 LIKES -  the relevancy of many businesses are often judged by the number of Facebook 'likes' these days, so a little 'like' goes a long way! 

Until next time, peace, empathy and openness…

Melissa (USA), Ligia (Brazil), Salena (China), me!