PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is a program of PAX Laurasian Exchange and is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program sponsor.

Three friends’ fun food film

We decided to create a project with our virtual pal Kayla (USA). At first, we had different ideas. We wanted to do dances, songs, languages, etc. In the end, we came to the conclusion that representing our cuisine will be the best decision and sharing our project in video form would be the most interesting for the PAX community.

One of the difficulties in making a project was managing time. Because of the time difference, it was difficult to find a time appropriate for cooking in a live chat. So, we found a solution: we filmed ourselves and then consolidated all our videos together.

The filming process was the most difficult part. There were a lot of obstacles that stopped us from filming. Firstly, we had to find plenty of time to film ourselves, because nothing went successfully the first time.

Secondly, we had to make a film script, which would not only show our traditional food but arouse interest and give a logical conception. Last but not least was video editing, which also requires technological knowledge and a lot of to-do lists!

I'm hungry!

—Polina's little brother

During this project, all of us learned each other's cuisine, which helped us to understand American, Georgian, and Estonian culture better. After all, it's impossible not to speak about food when it comes to culture.

This project also allowed our families to try and experience another culture (they helped a little with cooking and a lot with eating). With this project, we gained lifelong skills that we could share with our friends to make our society more diverse and multicultural.

This project also can have big prospects. In the future, there can be lessons or activities, where teenagers from all around the world can exchange their knowledge about cuisine. This activity can help preserve the cultural traditions and pass this knowledge to the future generation. And to make this project everlasting, there can also be a book with all the recipes from all the teenagers who shared their food as part of the project. This would be a perfect culmination!

—Pikria (FLEX, Georgia) and Polina (FLEX, Estonia), Virtual Program

 

The Dishes

- Kama: a finely milled flour mixture used, in this instance, for a dessert

- Khachapuri: a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread

- Apple pie: a pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apple, this dessert is an unofficial symbol of the United States and one of its signature comfort foods.