Melody (Zizhu) Xie – Beijing, China
Cast A ’12

Thanks to globalization, Chinese people nowadays are pretty open-minded, I even learned how to speak English by watching the TV show, Friends!  But there is still one part of our culture where we could never give up nationalism — Chinese food. During the past three months we have traveled to twelve cities in US and Europe and I went to one Chinese restaurant in each city.

I’m gonna introduce a very common but special dish – Coca Cola chicken wings! It may sound weird but it was always always the super star wherever I cooked! My host family in Denmark even finished fifteen wings in fifteen minutes, which I treat as a big compliment!

Coca Cola Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
8 chicken wings
1 tin of Coca Cola
1/10 tin of soy sauce
4 garlic cloves

Preparation:
1. Cut wings and garlic cloves.
In order to let the flavor in, cut 3 random incisions on each side of the wings. In order to let the flavor out, cut garlic cloves into random small slices.

2. Heat the pan and oil.
Put a frying pan on the stove. Use max fire to heat the pan until it is too hot to touch (you can put your hand 5-10 cm above the pan to feel the temperature). Then pour 4-6 tea spoons of cooking oil. Wait for 30 seconds.
(Tips: DON’T have water on the pan or cooking shovel, or the hot oil would begin to jump everywhere!)

3. Fry the sliced garlic and chicken wings.
Turn the fire into 80% of the max. Put sliced garlic inside. Stir fry for 1 minute to let the flavor of garlic come out. Then put chicken wings inside. Stir fry until they are well cooked and turn golden.

4. Stew chicken wings with Coca Cola and soy sauce.
Put 8 golden chicken wings, 1 tin of Coca Cola and 1/10 tin of soy sauce into a small pot. Use max fire until it boils. Then turn the fire into 40% of the max and stew for 20 minutes.

Coca Cola chicken wings get sweet flavor from Coca Cola, salty flavor and sunbath color from soy sauce, and also nice flavor from garlic. This dish doesn’t need real salt or sugar and garlic is very good for immune system. Enjoy your first REAL Chinese dish!

Being in Up with People means having a lot of opportunities. I never imagined that I would have the chance to visit the Foreign Affairs Office in Sweden. My name is Fady and I am a refugee from Iraq and live in the United States. Sweden is a special country for me because of the huge number of refugees and immigrants that it hosts, especially from Iraq. Sweden is considered the European country that hosts the largest number of refugees. While we were in Stockhom, I had the chance to visit the Swedish Foreign Affairs Office with a group of Up with People’s students. There we had a brief introduction about Sweden, immigrations, how to be a diplomat, what it means to be a diplomat, and the different experiences that you may have if you work as a diplomat. We also discussed the current situation of refugees and immigrants, and what the government is trying to do in order to integrate them into the Swedish community. We also spoke briefly about the United Nations and its different branches. The millennium goals of the United Nations and the role of the United Nations in the world were topics I really enjoyed.

After this amazing experience, we joined the rest of the cast in a group discussion with other international students going to school in Sweden about integration. It was a really thoughtful conversation where we heard a lot of success stories of immigrants and refugees in Sweden. We were able to hear different points of view from Swedish citizens and immigrants about integration and different ways of establishing bridges between the different people of the Swedish community.

I am thankful to Up with People for giving me this opportunity to expand my vision and knowledge about hot topics like immigration, and give me the opportunity to visit the Foreign Affairs office in Sweden. Our next stop will be Mexico, where the tradition, culture, history and arts mix together to form a unique story and I can’t wait to dive into this experience.

Cast A had an incredible week in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Eskilstuna is about an hour west of Stockholm. It is a community with a lot of industry, and is home to many recent immigrants to Sweden. The issue that our sponsor, Sparbanken Rekarne, brought us in to talk with youth about was being inclusive between cultures. We were there to recognize some of the divide and tension currently existing in the city, and to talk about it with youth openly and honestly.

Cast A prepared for over a month to lead six 3-hour seminars for Gymnasium (high school) students in Eskilstuna (ages 17-19). For many cast members, it was their first time leading activities in schools. Our education manager, Shelsea, talked of our “three day growth spurt” and it really was true—cast members facilitated sincere and complex conversations with classroom students, while also having a good time and learning from each other to be thoughtful facilitators.

The classrooms were so diverse—each seminar was led by six UWP students, from at least 4-5 countries, and many classrooms had another 5-10 country or culture groups in the room. Immigrants in Eskilstuna are from Afganistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Eritrea, Korea, Egypt, and others. The Swedish students were at first hesitant to talk in English, but warmed up to the cast and had some really great reflections.

We opened each day with a 30-minute mini-show, and closed each seminar with a conversation… “What do I know now that I didn’t know before? What am I more aware of?”

Here are a few of the statements that students in Eskilstuna wrote:

Now I Know Statements
“Now I know that the minority and majority often want to interact with each other but believe the other group doesn’t.”
“Now I know that the world is unfair and we have to work with it more and do something about it.”
“Now I know that we all need to communicate together no matter what we are from to make a better world.”
“Now I know that Up with People is something awesome.”
“Now I know how I can invite people to the majority.”
“Now I know that I have more opportunities than others.”
“Now I know that any person can be judgmental and closed minded without really realizing.”
“Now I know that there is more than one way to interact with other cultures.”
“Now I know that I can be both the problem and the solution.”

Ashley Wright, USA
Cast A 2012

Who knew we could pack so much into one week? We’ve had the opportunity to facilitate a series of workshops with students in several schools in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The workshops centered on the subject of integration of minority and majority cultures. Just like our cast, Sweden is a melting pot of people from all over the world and integration is a hot topic here in Eskilstuna. It was so interesting to work with the students and hear what they had to say. The coolest thing was that many cast members had the opportunity to facilitate these workshops. Everyone was able to prepare, practice, and perfect his or her facilitation techniques so everyone ended up doing a fantastic job. The language barrier between our cast members and the students was an obstacle, but we were prepared and ended up being very successful.

As a part of these workshops, the cast performed a mini-show for all the students to start off each morning. I was lucky enough to be part of the group that we so passionately call the “Super Crew.” The Super Crew was responsible for the set up and strike of all of these shows. We set up one day, performed the next morning, took down the set, moved to the next facility, then started all over again…three times! We’re all starting to understand a little bit of what it was like in the “old days” of Up with People when the cast would set up, perform, and strike multiple times a week. Describing what Up with People is all about is often a little bit difficult, but I think when people see the show, our message is made very clear. It really helped the success of the workshops to begin the day with the show. The Super Crew has become a well-oiled machine after so many set up and strikes in only three days!

Overall, it’s been a successful week here in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Some of us strengthened our facilitation skills in the classrooms and some of us strengthened our biceps during set up and strike. While everyone is pretty exhausted after such a busy few days, we have all had a great time. We’re hoping for some sunshine on our ferry to Finland so we can catch some rays before we start up again. Next stop: Seinäjoki, Finland!

Rico Thompson, Bahamas
Cast A ’12

The Bahamas was founded when Columbus landed on San Salvador Island in 1492. Most of our cultural traditions and history, however, stemmed from years much earlier. The original inhabitants of our islands were part of a tribe called the Arawaks or Lucayan Indians. They cultivated and passed on the stories and culture of our islands. One tradition that stuck was the preparation of food. The Arawaks had something called “pepperpot” which was similar to a barbecue pit where they prepared pork, fish, and vegetables. They also prepared souses or soups only using vegetables and poultry found on the island. This tradition still exists today.

Chicken Souse

Ingredients:
5 lbs portion chicken wings
1 onion
8 lemons/limes (your desired amount of each)
1/4 cup lemon Juice
all-spice (your desired amount)
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
salt and pepper to taste
2 Irish potatoes (if desired)

Preparation:
Clean portion wings in vinegar and warm water. Place wings into pot containing and 8-10 cups of water. This will ensure that all remaining oils and other particles are removed. Let wings boil for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from pot and place into a bowl containing cool water, rinse well with water and lemon juice. Place wings into pot with about 8-10 cups of water or until wings are completely covered. Slice onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Add onions, celery, lime, pepper, lemon juice and all-spice seeds. Boil for about 45 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots. Boil for another 15-20 minutes. Serve with homemade bread.

What were you doing before Up with People?
Studying Administration for the hotel/gastronomy/tourism area then I traveled my first semester in UWP and when I came back I studied Communication and Business for 3 years, then decided to work as a PR for 1 year

Favorite food tried in Up with People:
Of course Filipino Adobo

Memorable host-family experience?
I have always had a good experience and all of them are great and different, but I will say in Farmington, New Mexico. I stayed with a host family that really made me feel at home and my host dad took us to Zumba classes. The classes were intense and I exercised parts of my body that I didn’t even know before and the next day I was barely able to walk so people asked me if I was trying to walk as a cowboy all the day

Career goal:
I will say to start an event organizing company that will arrange events for poor people so they can enjoy the same fantastic live experiences others get to. My idea is not so strong yet but that’s what I’d like to do.

Everything Else:
I am a really relaxed person or at least I try to make people to see that I am not worried. In my opinion stress is the worst enemy and when we want to reach our goal we need to be calm because with stress you don’t fix a problem. The most important thing I would like to share with everyone else will be, “its not important to get to your goal, the important thing is to walk the road, fall, raise yourself, be persistent and learn.”

Favorite Quote:
“No Matter how much you want to leave you could come back” Goldfish (Its a Band)

Brooke Christensen, USA
Cast A 2012

I have always taken pride in my Danish roots. I love the Bing and Grondahl statues on our cabinets and the coffee cake my dad makes for Christmas. I cannot describe the feeling I had when I found out that my cast was going to Denmark. For someone from a country of immigrants it is a magical thing to visit the home of your ancestors. It is almost as if you are seeing your life in an alternate universe and experiencing what your life could have been like.

My family at home has upheld certain Danish Christmas traditions over the years such as risalamande; a rice and milk dish designed to help fill up the children in times when food was scarce. To add a sense of adventure to the meal, mom would hide an almond in one of the bowls. If you had the almond you needed to hide it in your mouth until everyone was finished. If you were able to keep the almond a secret then you won a prize! My dad also makes a coffee cake using a recipe that has been passed down through the men in my family for generations. The week before Christmas he fills the house with smells of cinnamon and baking bread. He makes six pretzel shaped cakes a day to send out as gifts and no one is allowed to touch them until Christmas morning.

For anyone who has traveled in Up with People, you know, host family living is a big part of how you see the city you live in.  I instantly felt like part of my family during our stay in Denmark.  My 10-year-old host sister, Emilie, came to pick us up after our first operational day and she was so excited that she ran and tackled us with hugs. I could not figure out how she knew that she liked us so quickly! We had only seen her for a few hours the night before and we did not speak the same language.

As a Christian, it was really exciting to get to celebrate Easter in the fædreland. After I told my host parents, Allan and Charlotte, about my dad’s coffee cake tradition they took it upon themselves to make sure I had a kringle (as they are called in Denmark) for breakfast. I attended my first Danish church service, saw a baptism, sang hymns in Danish, and had communion. Such a cool experience! To make the day even better we had a get together with a couple other host families for a traditional Easter meal that lasted four hours! The evening ended with a sunset run around the block with the whole family.

It was too hard to say goodbye to such wonderful new friends so instead, through the tears in our eyes, we parted with a sincere “See you later alligator” and “After while crocodile.”

Zhao Wanyu, China
Cast A 2012

It has been three months since we first met in Denver, Colorado.  It seems like a short amount of time to get to know about each of the people in our cast, since we have one hundred and six. It’s hard to say in the beginning how much I was into this experience and how much I learned from the other 105 people that I see almost every day during the three months, but today, the last day in Oslo, I will never forget it because I finally realized, for me, how important each of you are.

That day was not an extra special day in Up with People. We prepared for the show in Mexico and we had an education workshop. We were told that the workshop was to write feedback to other cast members. We had some instructions about how to write feed back and then we were split up into our “home teams”, which are small groups of 15 people.  We were asked to write feedback for each of the member in our own home team. This was a kind of workshop that I had never done before and I thought it was a big challenge for me. It really was. I had all the names of my home team members and I started to write. For everyone that I was familiar with I started to think of the conversation that we have had and what I knew about him or her.  But I could not even start to write. Most of the people that I knew in the cast are so nice that I don’t know what I should tell them to improve. We say “hi” to each other every day, we do workshop together, we go to different communities to do service, we talk about global issues, and we practice and perform the show.  We had so many happy memories together, but for me, they seem like both familiar and strange. I was a little upset. I was afraid that I kind of realized I don’t know most of the people in our cast, not from the inner side. How come that I could not even give them feedback? But finally I did write a note to each of them. I tried my best to tell everyone my impression of them, both positive and constructive.  I was so happy that I got this special chance to talk to people. And of course, I got lots of feedback myself.  Most of the people encouraged me to participate more in the cast, show myself and to be more confident. Actually that was what I felt myself was like before. These were the weak personalities of mine which I always wanted to change. I always know it but sometimes I really need people around me to help me point out and also remind me to change.

Today I thought a lot about this workshop and I also thought a lot about the past three month. To tell the truth, I was not engaged in what we were doing in UWP during the first month because I suffered culture shock and I spent a long time to be used to it.  I began to change when I had a conversation with a friend. She was a very positive person, and she told me that life is what you want it to be, it’s your attitude that you choose to face the people around you, and UWP is an awesome experience which I should totally enjoy. I was thinking about what she said for several days and it reminded me about what I was like before I came here. It was the experience that I had been looking forward for half a year.  Why not enjoy it? I got all the feedback reminded me again that what I should do now is to fully participate, be more confident and show myself to all the cast.  I’m so excited to do that.

Last but not the least, today I was also kind of sad when I thought that there was only two month left.  When I realized that there still were people in the cast that I didn’t know well, I begin to feel grateful for that workshop, because it helped me to treasure all the people around me and the only two month that we are going to spend together. I felt so happy that I realize now and I hope it’s not too late.

Breton Shepherd, USA
Up with People HQ

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Never too old for good Mac & Cheese!

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups 2% milk
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
8 oz. process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese.

Preparation:

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

2. Reduce heat; stir in the sour cream, process cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth and cheese is melted.

3. Drain macaroni; toss with cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Stir in cream sauce.

4. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Name: Frederikke Vagn-Hansen
Age: 19
Country:Denmark

What were you doing before Up with People?
I graduated from high school in June and for the past 6 months before UWP I worked as a waitress at an Italian restaurant and as a receptionist at a private center for people with chronic pain

Favorite food tried in Up with People:
Indian Tacos from the Native American reservations! They are AMAZING!

Memorable host-family experience?
In Ruidoso, my host family took me ziplining! It was my first time and it was late in the evening, so it was very dark! Nevertheless it was SO much fun! Afterwards we made a bonfire and grilled s’mores! So yummy! I had a great night and is definetely one of my great memories already!

Career goal:
I have not found out yet what I want to study when I come back home, but Up with People really opened my eyes to how much interest I have in the communication between cultures, so maybe anthropology could be an opportunity?

Everything Else:
I went in to Up with People knowing that I would develop, but I had no idea that I would be able to notice it already! After 3 months I see a HUGE development and it feels great to be able to see and feel everything I have experienced already!

Favorite Quote:
Leave the world better than you found it.