Stepping Into a New World

Connecting with someone from a different background can sometimes feel like stepping into a different world, where language, customs, and beliefs set us apart. In these moments, it’s easy to begin thinking we may never find common ground. My favorite poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, once said, “We are more similar than we think.” As a Mexican American, I’ve encountered people whose traditions, foods, and ways of seeing the world were new to me. Yet, if we place both of our cultures side by side, there’s an invisible string that binds us together.

Finding Common Ground

For example, since joining Catholic Campus Ministry, I have formed a family bond with international students from Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. From our first interaction, I wasn’t sure how we would find common ground or if they would accept me due to cultural differences. They questioned some of my traditions, such as, why is a quinceañera such a big celebration if the young girl is only joining “adulthood.” As this is not a tradition they were familiar with, I explained that it is similar to other coming-of-age celebrations, such as Americans celebrating a girl's Sweet Sixteen or the Jewish tradition of a bar and bat mitzvah at age thirteen. Despite the unfamiliar traditions, I appreciated their curiosity to know more about my culture to understand who I am. Beneath all of the questions we had for one another’s culture, we found many similarities in our foods, family values, and music.

Food as a Universal Language

Take food, for instance. There’s something magical about how food can speak across cultures and bring back memories between each bite. When my Nigerian friends introduced me to Pepe soup, they watched my every move. They wondered if I would be able to handle the spice level, if I would appreciate the flavorful cow meat, or if I would even be willing to try the soup due to its dark brown color. As a food lover, I was excited to try their homemade dish, specially made for me. The first bite I took, I immediately felt a rush of recognition. It brought me back to a well-known dish in my culture, menudo. The familiarity of a warm broth with cow meat, chickpeas, and just enough spice to make you catch your breath. Each bite I took of the Pepe soup created a link between Mexico’s and Nigeria’s beloved dishes. Pepe soup didn’t just remind me of home. It reminded me that flavors, no matter how distinct, have a way of bringing us together through stories of family and tradition. As I finished my bowl, I knew I had tasted more than just a meal—it was a little piece of home, from both their world and mine.

The Invisible String

So, are we so different from people of other cultures? Or, as Maya Angelou said, “we are more similar than we think”? To find out, we must take the first step into a world of unfamiliarity. The initial attempt can open new friendships we never knew existed. As in my experience, tasting a new dish brought me closer to my Catholic Campus Ministry family. Through food and conversation, we discovered that while our worlds may seem far apart, the invisible string binds us closer than we can imagine.