Earlier this semester I spent about an hour doing the following:
1. Making dough out of corn flour
2. Making balls out of the dough
3. Then flattening the balls, fixing the shape to give them a nice roundness
4. Cooking until golden on a pan
5. Ending with a secret touch my aunt of putting them in the oven to make them puffy.
Why would I do this to myself on a Sunday at 9 am? For arepas, un arepazo if you will. I invited my group of friends over and we shared a warm breakfast while updating about our lives. Arepas are a traditional food from Venezuela and combined with avocado, cheese, ham, chicken, or nearly anything savory you would put on a sandwich, you can make the tastiest meal.
My group of friends has a variety of nationalities. There are three of us from Venezuela, three from Paraguay, one from Colombia, another from Costa Rica, two from Brazil, one from Mexico, and the last from Peru. We cover the Latin American geography, with people from north, central, and south- the part with four seasons and the part with tropical weather. This mix of culture and experiences brings a especial flavor to our friend group, with each friend being a key ingredient.
We all have different life stories, majors, tastes, and cultures. But we still found each other first semester of class, and we are still friends three years later. We have learned from each other's cultures and even one of the Venezuelans started learning Portuguese. We support each other when in need and make valuable memories by sharing life experiences. A life experience as simple as an arepazo gave us a feeling of family we cannot find so far away from our countries.
Before coming to Tufts I did not know I would find this new family. I did not know that the first time we went out for Chinese food would be only one of the first meals we would share for the next years. I did not know I would help them move out of their housing here at Tufts because their families are too far away to come. I also did not know they would be my support system, my closest friends, my plus ones for concerts and stand-up comedy shows. My freshman self wouldn’t have imagined myself living with two of these friends and feeling at home whenever we asked each other about our days at the end of them. Now, I cannot imagine my life at Tufts without them.
Share an arepa with a friend, they may end up being your chosen family.