Amal Berry: Comfortable in Her Own Skin

While all the white kids' moms sent bologna on Wonderbread to school, Amal Berry's mom packed her "weird" stuff like hummus and kibbeh. Finally, the proud day came: she opened her lunch, saw the coveted white bread sandwich, and took a bite...it was terrible. It turns out her native Lebanese cuisine was not only better tasting, it was healthy too!  Berry joins Alan to talk about growing up ethnic and how that informs her daily life...as a parent and the chief diversity officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.     

Alan Headbloom

Alan advises Americans how to be global citizens and expats how to fit in to Michigan culture without annoying their native coworkers and clients. He also tweets and blogs at the intersection of language and culture. Over decades, he's traveled, studied, or lived on six continents, putting strange foods into his mouth and emitting strange sounds from it. His use of English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Hausa, and Japanese all improve with alcohol use. He gives invited public presentations on culture and unsolicited private advice on English grammar and usage; the latter isn't always appreciated. Visit his website for information on consulting, coaching, or speaking engagements.