Enlarge Students play the "Hello Game," where they learn to say "hello" in as many as 35 languages.

Posted: November 4th, 2009 Greg Lacour

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Damaru Baral emigrated from Bhutan to the United States on Nov. 2, 2008, leaving three sons and their children in a Nepalese refugee camp. He spoke no English. He had no real job skills.

A year later to the day, the 52-year-old farmer danced on a stage in the fellowship hall at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, singing songs in English with other immigrants like him.

The occasion was the Fall Festival for Central Piedmont Community College’s Family Literacy Program, which teaches basic English-language, GED and job skills to recent immigrants, many of them refugees from countries ravaged by oppression, war or both.

Baral was referred to the class not long after settling in Charlotte, where the International Organization for Migration placed him. He lives here with his wife and two of his children. He said he hopes his three sons in the United Nations refugee camp – ages 20, 22 and 24 – can join him next year. Until then, the CPCC classes are helping him and the family he has in Charlotte adjust.

“It’s good,” he said on Nov. 2. “We don’t know how to speak English, and now we are learning.”

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Posted: October 30th, 2009 Greg Lacour

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After the screening of the Crossroads Charlotte movie, with its four visions of what Charlotte might be like in 2015, Brian Foreman asked the group at the Park Road YWCA which one they thought best reflected the Charlotte they knew.

“The Beat Goes On,” said one, referring to the segment about a still-prosperous but stagnant city.

“Fortress Charlotte,” said another, referring to the segment about a crime-ridden, economically depressed dystopia.

Vikkii Graham resolved the disparity.

“It depends on what side of Charlotte we’re talking about,” said Graham, a community volunteer. “I don’t feel like we have a unified Charlotte.”

Which, of course, was the point. The Oct. 29 discussion at the YWCA, “Beyond Festival In the Park,” was the latest in a series of conversations with Charlotte residents about the challenges facing the city and how ordinary people can help make things better.

About 10 people gathered in the Y’s auditorium for pizza and the movie, followed by a general group discussion, then a more intimate session with the group divided into two smaller ones.

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Posted: October 30th, 2009 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

Samhain (pronounced sam-HANE or SOW-en, depending on whom you ask) is the ancient version of what's now commercialized as Halloween. Commonly known as the "Witches New Year" by some who follow the Wiccan faith, this Celtic holiday pre-dates most modern religions and is a serious, not silly, day to let go of the old and make room for the future.

For the ancients, the year's seasons were important. If spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, the end of fall is a time to tuck the earth in for a long winter's nap.

So, for them, this time of year wasn't about sweets, dressing up or getting scared, it's was about celebrating the end of summer and all other things that have passed in the preceding seasonal cycle. Today, the celebration manifests itself as a time to rid yourself of anything in your life that's no longer useful -- like a bad habit or a heart ache.

"The holiday is all about purification, renewal and letting go of the old," says Christy Snow, a spiritual leader at The Spiritual Living Center of Charlotte. While she's not Wiccan, she has studied the faith for many years, along with other spiritual paths.

Because of centuries of repression and judgment, you won't find many people announcing their Samhain plans for this weekend; most will probably perform their rituals in a small group or at home.

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Posted: October 9th, 2009 Crystal Dempsey

Report by Tonya Jameson, Ayofemi Kirby and James Willamor

For more photos from the Taste of the World tour, click here.

They came from Matthews, South Charlotte, University City, Concord and beyond to participate in the seventh Taste of the World.

Despite tough economic times, the event organized by the Charlotte East group was sold out, with more than 100 people enjoying food from 15 restaurants, SMS Catering and desserts at the Vanlandingham Estate.

John Schriml said he and his wife often drive by East side restaurants to visit friends and often talk about eating at one of the restaurants. “We never take the time to do it, and didn’t know which places to go to,” Schriml said.

Schriml’s sentiment echoed many TOTW first-timers who say they want to try ethnic restaurants, but don’t know which ones are good.

Participants’ journey began at SMS Catering where guests mingled and were greeted by event supporters such as Charlotte City Council member Nancy Carter and sponsors such as Patricia Zoder of Crossroads Charlotte.

Each bus stopped at three international restaurants on the city's east side. Volunteer guides on each bus gave a background on each restaurant and it menu, and encouraged participants to get to know one another.

Facilitators on the two buses sponsored by Crossroads Charlotte shared its mission to build social capital in Charlotte through events such as Taste of the World.

"[Social capital] is the glue that holds us together as a community,” said Brian Foreman, a facilitator who works with Crossroads Charlotte. “So when there are difficult conversations that need to happen if you have social capital built up, we tend to trust each one another a little bit more.”

So, what did they get to eat?

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