Every time I meet someone in the middle of America, I wait out and get a feel for their political agenda. More often than not, it will be much to the right of mine. I did the same yesterday when we arrived into Warrensburg, Missouri, a small town only 65 miles outside of Kansas City.

We were scheduled to stay with families. A woman in her late fourties came up and introduced herself-her name was Janis. She seemed shy but genuine. We started talking, and she told me that she was living in Warrensburg because of her affiliation with a local university, Central Missouri State U. She did not go to college until she was in her thirties, but once she did, she couldn't stop and already she has earned two master's degrees, working on her third.

To my surprise, Janis told me that she was a women's studies minor. A feminist in the middle of Missouri? You have got to be kidding! Our conversations flowed from there. I learned that Janis is strongly opposed to the current war on terrorism and is involved with some progressive groups in Kansas City. Her way of practicing fair trade is by participating in an adopt-a-farmer program, through which women of her town are paired up with local women farmers and they agree to buy most of their produce from them. At dinner, Janis could name where every item came from. It was probably the first time when I ate something and knew that it was grown by people who are treated with respect. It was an unbelievable feeling.

Janis confessed that before hosting me, she was a little nervous. On the roster of the group, it says that I keep kosher, and she wasn't sure what that meant. She called every Jewish person she has ever known, including a professor of hers who has since moved to California, to find out what the restrictions were on kosher food. Needless to say, I was touched.

Janis has two auto-immune diseases, and she believes that it may have something to do with the climate and the water of her area. By eating organic, she has been able to send one of the diseases into remission.

I may also mention that I got to sleep in a big comfortable bed. Before going to sleep, I enjoyed some time in a steamy hot tub. And the next day, Janis packed us lunch!

Our ride out of Warrensburg was rather short-only 30 miles-and most of the ride I spent thinking about my host stay. About Janis' kindness, her anxiousness to learn new things, her desire to make a difference in the world. We agreed to keep in touch, and I am working on a reading list for Janis with my favorite cultural studies authors.