LJ, Paria, and I decided to bake some brown butter banana muffins before our house meeting. Honestly, it was the perfect excuse to hang out in the kitchen, catch up, and laugh while trying not to eat the batter. By the time the meeting started, we had a plate of warm muffins to share and they didn’t last long!

Since it’s Respect Week, we focused our conversation on what respect looks like in different parts of the world. Paria told us that in Iran, if someone compliments something she owns, it’s polite to offer it to them. I loved that idea because it’s such a beautiful way of showing generosity. We also talked about France, Italy, and Bulgaria, where people use different pronouns when speaking to someone older or new as a sign of respect.

Then we brought it closer to home and thought about what respect looks like in our everyday life together. Things like knocking before going into someone’s room, asking before borrowing something, and simply listening to each other. Small gestures, but they make a big difference when you’re sharing a space.

At the end of the day, we all agreed: respect may look different depending on where you’re from, but it always comes down to kindness. And sharing muffins definitely helps too.

Lots of Love,

Aida & Yewande