One Year Brunch

I have been away from home for over one-year, I have been living in a third world country for over a year. I can’t believe how quickly the first year has gone by. The best part is that it has not been a countdown, it has not been a struggle to survive, but rather the anniversary mark just happened to creep up on me. It is a beautiful thing and the scary part is that from past volunteers I hear that the final year goes by even faster.

Enough about reminiscing, the brunch. It was beyond description, it was the most extravagant brunch I have seen in my entire life. True it was $30, but I would have gladly paid $50. First I thought maybe it just seems so nice because I have been eating rice and beans for the last year… nope. We were ushered to sit down and all thirteen of us just stared like little kids at Christmas. Upon arriving we were swept past a sushi bar and the salad bar. From my vantage point I could see the meat carving table and vaguely see the dessert section just on the horizon. Did I mention that this was a big brunch? The most troubling part about the brunch was where to start, there was so much food that it really did take some planning and plate management to not feel overwhelmed or stuffed. Given, we did have 4hrs and we weren’t going to leave a minute early, but I did want to keep a little bit of class. Following my friend’s lead I avoided the bread, no reason to needlessly fill my stomach, and I made a run for the fruits and antipastos first. I haven’t seen so many types of hams in my life, and the cheese. Wow, there were lox, salads, shrimp, and caviar. Each plate seemed to out due the last. As I got up for my next plate I was confronted by the meat carving section where I could get lamb, roast beef, and then finish it off with mahi mahi, seafood, or soup. I think you all get the point, the food was great and super plentiful. The dessert table did not let down, we could get freshly made crepes or chose from 10 already made dishes. All this is impressive, but what blew me away was the service. My champagne flute never got below half full. Believe me, I tried, I really did attempt to see the bottom of my flute, but I never could. The waiters seemed to just be hovering over to refill our glasses and I don’t think any of us were ready to complain.

While the food was incredible and I drank more champagne than I have since Spain, the real treat was to see all the volunteers from my group. Most I haven’t seen since in-service training and even then it was just noticing them across a table. It was great to hear about different people’s projects, their ups and downs and to know that most of us are going through the same struggles. It is easy to get caught up in your own life, but every once in a while it is nice to be reminded that others are there with you.