On Thurs. Nov. 5, the Known Class invited all of campus to the Student Center for a time of drinking tea and sampling snacks from around the world. The initiative came as a collaboration between the class Student Intercultural Program and Class Cabinet.
“The heart is for people to relax, get to enjoy a little bit of different cultures, and connect in a really busy time of school and all the classes,” said Lidia Calicott, the Known Class Student Intercultural Program Representative.
Students meandered around the Student Center, visiting tables representing Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. There was rooibos chai tea from South Africa, milk tea and green tea mochi from Japan, herbal tea from Russia and Danish cookies, sweet tea and chocolate “Gansitos” from the Americas. In the center of the room, students were invited to connect with friends at tables as they tried the treats.
“I appreciate the different cultures that they are bringing,” said freshman Amanda Vindas Azofeifa. “I’m surprised seeing the different teas and foods I didn’t know about, and it’s just nice to have all these kinds of cultural experiences.”
Senior Rebecca Lewis said that she appreciated learning more about the cultural origins of teas that she had already known about, while Eli Heath said that he learned that milk tea did not have to be as sugary as boba tea is normally served in the United States. Freshman Abigail Firster said she appreciates looking at tea from different cultural perspectives.
“In America, when we talk about getting tea, people only drink tea if they’re sick, or they associate it with being sick,” said Firster. “In other countries, tea is only a breakfast thing, or like, you know, Britain, it’s always milk and tea. I think it’s just interesting that tea has a different connotation and different uses in different regions of the world.”
While the event offered a small glimpse into different cultures, it also opened the door to the connections students hold to various parts of the world.
For some, drinking tea in company with others offered an opportunity to connect over an experience that felt close to home.
“Growing up, I used to really like enjoy drinking tea, having it like after meals, dinner meals,” said sophomore Sophia Uwase, who grew up in Rwanda. “It’s like reminding me of home again, so I really like that. And I also got to see my friends and hang out, so that was nice.”
For others, the event sparked conversations about favorite teas or treats beyond those featured at the event.
“We have more than just like black tea, because we actually have different types of tea,” said freshman Jordan Luttakome, from Uganda and Tanzania. “For instance, at least back home, we have this thing called tea massala. So it’s like ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Additionally, there’s some snacks that we also take beyond just bread. We have this special type of fried donut that we have; in my culture, we call it mandazi.”
This evening was the second time that the Known class has hosted this event, making this a “Known class tradition,” said Calicott. In the end, she said, the goal of hosting International Tea is to foster three things each related to and ending with ‘tea’ – community, hospitality, and diversity.
“Seeing the diversity with one thing, but different cultures,” said Calicott. “And in a lot of cultures, hospitality is really ingrained with tea, and then just like having community of time.”
While there is not another International Tea planned for this year, the Intercultural Life department will host ‘Festival of Nations’ in the spring. Students will again have the opportunity to share and explore foods, desserts, and perhaps even more teas from cultures around the world.
