By Josie

A dreaded Monday. As usual I was expecting to run through the motions of my typical Monday routine. My exhilarating routine includes going to class, studying, and eating. Then I remembered my dinner plans with strangers. I was nervous about the dinner I had to attend later that night and I was also nervous to be riding there with a stranger. I did not recognize any of the names and I called my mom frantically asking what I should do. She calmed me down and gave me the recipe I needed for the cookies I needed to start preparing for the dinner. I started wishing I could have done this project back home in Marietta, Georgia instead of with six strangers, but I was already committed.

The first stranger I met was Hunter. I awkwardly waited outside of Minton for him to pick me up. I was not sure who I was looking for so whenever anybody drove by I tried to ask if their name was Hunter. Finally, Hunter leaned out of a car and asked me if my name was Josie. We quickly introduced ourselves and made our way to Molly and David’s house off of Hampton Drive in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Hunter and I arrived right on time and I was happy to be greeted by such friendly faces. David immediately came outside and greeted us with warm welcomes.

I placed my homemade cookies on the counter and then sat in the living area with everyone else. Molly introduced herself and offered us some corn salsa and guacamole. I will admit I was too nervous to eat any of the food. I was worried I would take a bite of food and that would be the immediate moment I was addressed and then there would be a dramatic pause. I am quite dramatic when I am brainstorming all the ways something could become embarrassing or stray from the intended path. I guess you could say I enjoy when things go smoothly and according to my intended plan. However, it looked delicious and I was hopeful dinner was going to look just as good. David and Molly introduced themselves more thoroughly once we all were gathered around the living room. David is a creative writing teacher here at Western Kentucky and Molly is an author. I observed David had a pen clipped on his shirt and later found out that this is because he want to have a pen on hand in case he ever had a brilliant idea or some sort of inspiration. Next, us honors 251 students introduced ourselves. I began and everyone was shocked to hear that I came to Western Kentucky all the way from Georgia. Hunter, who picked me up, introduced himself after. Hunter is from Harrodsburg and is a biochemistry major. Next, Brady introduced himself, I was happy to see a familiar face. Brady and I didn’t know each other but were familiar because we have English 200 together every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Brady is from Paducah, Kentucky and is majoring in entrepreneurship with a minor in theatre. The conversation was awkward at first but this sparked discussion about different landmarks and counties in Kentucky. I tried to follow, but I am no Kentucky native. We also had two other guests who were not Western Kentucky students. Samantha is a senior at Bowling Green High School and she will be attending American University in D.C next fall. Molly introduced her as her and David’s adopted daughter and constantly poked fun at her for going to Bowling Green High School saying it is a “snob school.” Also at the dinner table, we had Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn is a junior in high school thinking about attending Western Kentucky for photo journalism. She is from D.C, so a lot of the conversation revolved around things in D.C that Samantha should experience when she attends American. We also informed Kaitlyn about what Western Kentucky and the community of Bowling green has to offer. I am very passionate when it comes to advocating for people to step outside of their comfort zone and attend an out of state school. That was the best decision I ever made. I am also very passionate about this school because I truly believe it has so much to offer. Kaitlyn and I discussed the opportunities and I truly enjoyed our conversation. Our dinner table was diverse and it made for interesting conversation.

After introductions, the conversation settled down again. David joked around about Western Kentucky and the party scene. He asked us our thoughts and we shared funny stories of things we had seen. The more we talked, the more comfortable it became. After an hour or so we moved our discussion to the actual dinner table. Molly had set the table so beautifully and I was so excited to begin eating. Molly and David prepared a delicious bean lasagna, rice, fruit, and fried beans. We all sat down and passed the food as conversation began flowing. In between bites, Molly suggested we answer our specific question so we did not have to rush it later on. Hunter, Brady and I explained to everyone what our project is and we asked the question, “What does citizenship mean to you?” Molly immediately responded and said she believed it was actively playing a role in your community. She followed up with a story about how she once helped a family in the community with watching their children since the father was away for work and the mother needed assistance since she picked up two jobs. David piggybacked off that comment to say it is important to go out and campaign about things you feel passionate about in our country and the world. This reminded me of the Martha Nussbaum reading we read early in the semester (Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities) where she says that education should make us see ourselves as citizens of the world, not just Americans. It is important to choose what you feel passionately about and seek a way to help fix it, rather than simply complaining. By executing this concept, we can have a much more controlled say over our life. Being a citizen is advocating for what you think is best and taking action. They emphasized how being a citizen is different for people in different stages of their life. Molly and David said that the younger generations have more energy and should focus on the hands-on type of volunteering. Where the older generations have more hectic schedules and if they cannot provide their time volunteering, they should donate. However, these roles are not set in place. Wherever you are in your life, you should make a conscious effort to contribute to the community and advocate for things you feel passionate about. These are not the extent of what you can do to contribute, but they are the ones most of our conversation revolved around. With the presence of special guests, our conversations slowly veered away from the topic and onto other gossip and life discussions.

Although conversation about our required question did not last very long, I still learned a lot from this Kentucky Kitchen Table project. I entered this situation unsure about who I was about to sit down and eat dinner around table in a city I am still constantly learning new things about. I felt unsure about the entire idea. The kitchen table is a vulnerable, yet unifying place. It is a place where people come together, remove themselves from their electronic devices and take part in the present. What could I have to talk about with strangers? I expected to be out of my comfort zone for an hour, however, the power of the present took over and we were engaged in thoughtful and interesting conversation for over three hours. This project helped me remove myself from my comfort zone and engage in conversation with a diverse group and listen to their opinions on a multitude of different topics. I entered the situations nervous about how I would present myself, I did not want to be an impolite house guest. I am extremely self-conscious of proper etiquette and was worried I would embarrass myself, however, as the night continued I found myself more comfortable and my natural instincts kicked in. I became more confident with my natural instincts and was excited that my opportunity to branch out of my comfort zone went so smoothly. My dreaded Monday turned into a wonderful evening with delightful people and amazing food. Thank you, Molly and David, for inviting us into your home and being wonderful hosts.