The Joys of Spring Break

It is now Spring Break on campus and many of the students have returned home for the week. Most of the staff and faculty are also away enjoying a well-deserved rest.

But don't feel sorry for those of us still on campus. One of the nice things we are able to do in our smaller group is share our cooking skills with each other. Today two students from Pakistan, AlyNa and Ali Zain, made a heaping pot of absolutely delicious Chicken Biryani to share with us. And one of my colleagues created a supremely tasty Asian Stir Fry.

Cooking food is a way for those of us from different lands to learn about each other's cultures. But even more important, the act of cooking and sharing a meal has always struck me as being as altruistic and genuine an act as humans can undertake. Providing sustenance to those in our community shapes our identities, serves as a measure of our kindness, and defines who we are as people.

Although a persistent snow falls across our Kyrgyz mountains on this day, my heart is filled with warmth after receiving the precious gift of a meal served in a spirit of generosity.

Restaurant quality Chicken Biryani, served up on our campus