My brother had just flown up from California to hang out in Seattle for the weekend, and our tummies were full of wonderful thai food from a local restaurant in Fremont. Hoping to burn off some calories from the thai feast, I suggested a walk along the canal. Cyclists were zooming by us on the bike trail and the water was lapping on the edge of the canal. The sun was just beginning to set and all was well with the world as I looked to my right to find a cafe that I had never seen before. Excitement overwhelms me as I sprint across the bike path, nearly getting hit by some hardcore cyclists.
As I enter Cafe Babel, a band is setting up over the the right. The homey lighting invites me in further as my curiosity drives me to the register. Multi-cultural snacks entice me to ask about the cafe. Local pastries and coffee beans supply me with abundant hope. A counter over to the left tells me that the cafe is associated with the Seattle Language Academy. Together they host multi-cultural events that encourage language and cultural understanding. Tonight, the barista told me, would be a night of African drumming.
Later that night Neal, Zach, and I headed over to my new favorite cafe, Cafe Babel. Upon approaching the cafe, we are bombarded with African drums and happy voices. My heart began to swell as we entered the multi-cultural dance party in the cafe. Kids danced in the middle of the circle as the old folks cut a rug. It didn't matter how you danced to the beat, it just mattered that you danced. It felt like I was crashing a multi-cultural family reunion simply because everyone was so comfortable with themselves and around each other.
The band is lead by Ibrahima Camara who lead the band's vocals, sabar, djembe, and the tama. They play awesome Sengalese pop music with traditional West African roots. People in the cafe enjoyed bottles of wine and pastries. Some people even brought their own food. It was a gathering of friends who acted like family.
After some prodding from my two favorite men (Neal and Zach), we all went out on the "dance floor" and danced anyway we felt like. It was a release to move my body without any restraints. No one was looking at me, we were all just having a great time. Asians were dancing with Caucasians, and Caucasians were dancing with Africans. The best part of the evening was that the multi-cultural integration was not forced or hostile. It was just a bunch of people gathering together to dance and let loose.
All of a sudden, I felt at home.
Home, being a loose term, means a piece of heaven where people of all nations can just gather together in joyful noise. I felt at home in the Vineyard church plant of Nizhnii Novgorod, and I felt at home in Cafe Babel during the multi-cultural dance party. Cafe Babel has been the only speck of home since I left Nizhnii Novgorod on that gloomy Sunday, and somehow my faith has been restored. Nizhnii Novgorod is not the only place I can feel at home. I simply must seek these new places with an open heart.
Check out Cafe Babel at www.cafebabelseattle.com and expect to see me there!
With love and hope in Seattle, Seh Veh
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