International Eating and Reading Night: Midterm Reflection

    Last week, I attended the International Eating and Reading Night at the Carnegie Center. I volunteered as an event assistant, greeted guests, and helped with cleanup afterwards. Even though I have communicated with Erica, the program consultant at the Center, I had never gotten to visit the building before. It is a beautiful building, and very old. Its high ceiling and chandeliers are particularly elegant. I enjoyed just walking around in the century old building. Below is a picture of the meeting room.

The Carnegie Center holds an International Eating and Reading Night every year, inviting special readers as well as leaving the floor open for any guest to speak.

       I found out that until 1989, the building which now houses the Carnegie Center was actually the Lexington Public Library. According to, the plaque in front of the building, it was "the first Library west of the Alleghenies".  Below is a shot of the sign taken by photographer Vladimir Kopolovich. 

Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist and famous philanthropist, donating millions of dollars toward many charities and programs throughout his career. 

       I love the building, but the Eating and Reading part of the night was intriguing too. The thirty or more guests each brought various dishes from their homelands. There was everything from Turkish Delight to West African dishes. There were plenty of delicious dishes, and eating together is the perfect place to make new friends. 

     After the meal, various speakers read poetry and some prose in their various languages. Between German, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and many other languages, no one understood the meaning of all the readings. But the sounds were beautiful. The intricacy and grace of language constantly amazes me. What a great way to educate one another! I am excited to serve at many more of such events.