At first, I thought that talk story was grammatically incorrect.  But I came to learn that this is a common expression in Hawaii, known as Mo'olelo. Talk story is the tradition of personally sharing important stories to preserve them for future generations.  One Hawaiian shared, "Talking story is thriving.  It's what we do . . . To talk story is to learn better and to open ourselves to learning in the give and take which will naturally happen as you share stories with another person."

Talk story, or talking life stories, helps you learn and connect with people in a deep way when practiced in any culture, especially in a cross-cultural situation.

A few months ago, I was in Malawi, East Africa visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and their two newborn twins.  After a few days of loving on our new grandbabies and helping our daughter with needs around the home, we went out with some of their Malawian friends and co-workers.

Traveling in a car with someone you have just met is a great opportunity for relationship building, for talking story, for hearing what has formed and shaped that person, what they value, and what they are passionate about.

I was fascinated to hear my new Malawian friend talk story, how he grew up as the oldest of eleven children, what it was like to live in extreme poverty, how he developed as a grassroots entrepreneur, and how his passion to use social enterprise projects is transforming his country. 

Later, he introduced me to a poor widow he helped start a small business raising chickens to sell at the market.  Six years ago, she could barely feed her family.  Now she raises 800 chickens at a time in two-week batches, buying 200 chickens at a time and then selling them at the local market when they are six weeks old.  Along the way, she earned money to feed and clothe her family and help two of her sons go to teacher training programs.  Now they teach at an international school and can care for their own families.

As I sat in the widow's living room, learning about her chicken business, she had prepared fried chicken.  It was the best fried chicken I have ever tasted!  Better than my mom's, better than Colonel Sanders', truly, better than any other fried chicken, period! 

While I ate, she talked story, telling me about her life, her challenges, and how our mutual friend had helped her start her business, a business that has changed her life and the lives of her children.  Her story is a story of transformation and hope!

What is your story? Sharing our stories with each other opens so many doors.  It creates bonds.  It creates memories.  It shares culture.  The next time you find yourself in a new situation, whether in your own culture or overseas, see if you can't talk story.