Proper Tea!

[elfs]

Friday, I woke up with a headache and stuffed sinuses, so I called in sick and got a few more hours of sleep. It hasn't seemed to help, but I'm surviving. I feel constantly exhausted and ready to fall asleep.

The tea party.
Images hosted on Flickr!. Click image to enlarge.

But that's not what I want to write about. As a rite of passage for the kids who are in the afternoon program at Kouryou-chan's school, the school hosts a tea party, and the children get to do the service. Kouryou-chan has been talking about this for days, so much so that I think her sister was getting tired of hearing about it. It was proper tea, black, with sugar and cream, and Kouryou-chan and her classmates got to hand out biscuits and finger sandwiches of peanutbutter & honey and cucumbers & cream cheese.

Candace

Kouryou-chan's teacher, Candace
Images hosted on Flickr!. Click image to enlarge.

, Kouryou-chan's teacher, led us through a brief ritual of thankfulness, very non-denominational and inoffensive as anything, and then we sat around and talked with the other children and their parents. Omaha shushed me when I commented that proper tea was an expression of British Imperial Power: tea from India, sugar from the West Indies. I like Candace a lot; she's always on in that amazing way. Pre-school teachers are clearly born, not made.

Later, when I was home, my Mom called and

Kouryou-chan on the phone.
Images hosted on Flickr!. Click image to enlarge.

Kouryou-chan got to speak with her. She said she was doing well and wants me to email her the photograph you see there, which I think is kinda scary because it's the classic "I'm on the phone" pose which I'm sure she'll be affecting all through high school if she's not perpetually IM'ing her friends on some portable thing anyway.

Anyway, I'm gonna go take a nap.

Comments

[lrodell.livejournal.com]

What a neat thing to do in school! And, yes, you're doomed. That *is* The Pose^^ (you know, when they're not on tummy on bed, kicking feet in air--I think my sister started Phone-Posing at 13? You have a little time. Prepare!^^)

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

At least they aren't teaching that proper tea is theft.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

That's true! Given Montessori's reputation for anarchy, perhaps they should.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]