Despite the Lunar New Year budget being reduced by 60% this year for work, I do appreciate that the Asians@ global leadership team, Hellen from Womens@, and Rui, the owner of Grass People Tree all came together to make this tea and calligraphy/fan painting event happen. This will be the third time we have partnered with Grass People Tree. I had over 100 folks sign up, far exceeding the 50 slots I had anticipated. I very much appreciated that Rui was able to work with us on budget so that we could extend it to 100 folks to experience tea with Rui’s calm presence. I am amazed with her team coordinating 100 shipments around the world with tight deadlines and the reliance on global shipping instability prone to snafus. I met with Rui and her team, Lynn and Adriann on Monday to prep for the Friday tea event. I shared with her that with the Monterey Park mass shooting that happened on Saturday that the tone may weigh heavy for some. There may be an undeniable sense of anxiety, fear, and even grief. But I think it will be a beautiful moment to be in a community , to share tea together, learn more about the indigenous tea that Rui helps cultivate, and to paint together as a group.
Mo shared a beautiful sentiment that despite this shared sense of grief that we should still give ourselves permission to reclaim joy and to celebrate Lunar New Year unabashedly. This morning I connected to Zoom 20 minutes before the event started with Rui, Lynn, and Adriann to iron out any technical difficulties. Rui and her team are masters in creating a sense of calm and groundness. We had a loose agenda starting with an introduction to their teas where we had 3 to choose from; prickly tea (non-caffeinated), osmanthus oolong, and red tai (native to Guizhou). I chose red tai and she used the words this tea was akin to a warm hug so that definitely felt comforting. I pulled out my ceylon ceramic tea set that my sister and I bought in Taiwan. I think the last time I used it was another Grass People Tree event a year ago. I was trying to remember all the steps. I rinsed the gong dao bei (the fairness cup), teapot, and cups with hot water. I placed the water kettle next to me. I also remembered the slender cup that is used to retain the aroma before taking your first sip. I used only half of the 4g package and steeped the curled dried tea leaves with hot water. One of the advantages of Grass People Tree tea is that there is no prescribed water temperature and that you find a steeping time that suits your own taste but the tea will not have bitterness. I still had two more pineapple mini tarts and peanut sweet from Sibeiho that was perfect to pair with my red tai tea. It was very soothing to hear Rui share a bit about the origins of the tea, her teacher, and her hometown. I glanced at the clock and realized we only had 15 min left but we slowly transitioned into the fan painting. There was something very comforting about painting with almost 50 other folks in quietness (although I was slightly annoyed that about 20 folks didn’t show up). Rui and her team stayed on for an extra 15 or so minutes to allow for folks to slowly transition out to help maintain this calm sense. I’m so glad that we were able to host with Rui again and hopefully this partnership continues.
I’ve always enjoyed planning Lunar New Year events for the Portland office. Although I know the scale will be much smaller this year, I was so happy that Joe, our new workplace coordinator, was just as enthusiastic about reviving this tradition for Portland. We didn’t have lion dancing but we planned for an entire table full of Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese sweets and snacks. He helped set up a social impact station writing notes for the Asian elderly in NYC supporting Heart of Dinner, an amazing non-profit organization. He ordered so many dumplings, pea sprouts, gailan, scallion pancakes from Master Kong and then dan dan noodles and veggie dumplings from Dough Zone. We had about 20 folks attend. Jessica brought her KTV setup,a bottle of Japanese whisky and red string to bring good luck for folks. It was very simple but I was extra touched by Joe’s call for allyship and acknowledgement. I felt very blessed to be able to partner with both Joe and Jessica to keep the Portland Airbnb culture alive. For KTV, we had about 6-7 folks and my goodness I was so impressed with everyone’s singing skills. Joe mentioned he casually sang opera in the past and he belted out 夜來香.
It was a wonderful feeling to be in a community with a supportive group. I do hope we will have more in-person gatherings to chip away at the isolation and loneliness the pandemic has exacerbated. I dwelled on the aspect of two asian elderly men who committed these horrible acts of violence and eroding spaces of refuge for the Asian community and the stigma behind mental health within the community. I also reflected on how heightened fear, trauma, and just how isolating especially in the last 3 years it has been especially for the elderly. I just hope that there is greater push to re-establish that sense of security and community. The small part I can commit to is to bring that sense of awareness at work, partnering with organizations like Heart of Dinner to help bridge that gap. I don’t have answers but I feel more hope when I do have communities I can turn to like my Asians@ community at work and was grateful we came together this Lunar New Year.
Travelogue 