21 October, 1998

Teaism

Tea. Warm, spicy, fragrant, sweet, or not, milky or not. In this case, both, as I sip chai from the uneven clay mug.

I am sitting at a rickety table in the upper story of Teaism, the DC-version of an Asian tea-house offering many varieties of black, white and green tea along with sweets and other dishes from the orient, primarily Japan. The chai is yummy, not as thick as some I've had and not as creamy as the Iced Chai Lattes at Starbucks. But it is good and warms the cockles of my being as I discuss coursework, pedagological opinion and how to construct a paper better with my colloquium professor, who also happens to be my academic adviser.

The atmosphere is casual and though she obviously has a lot of work to do, my professor is far more relaxed here than she is in class, smiling despite the flu which had her down for the count this morning.

I am again struck by the chummy feel of the Dupont Circle neighborhood. It is culturally rich, diverse and simply feels communally knit. After the strip-mall style of the area in which our condo sits, it is a good feeling. Kind of like a person coming starved and thirsting out of the desert into a pleasant oasis.

We talk about Smith and the community there and I realize again just how much I miss that. As I look around Dupont Circle again walking home, I notice again, just how much of that echoes here. I wonder if moving all the way out to Alexandria was the right choice and if looking for houses in Springfield will really make me happier.

Though I am stressed and overwhelmed by all the work I need to do, for the first time since I began grad school, I start to feel, despite the difficulties, that I really can handle it. I can do it. It won't be pretty, but I can do it.

I leave the tea shop with a renewed sense of purpose and capability and think to myself that it's a pity I didn't come to Teaism before, though I knew it was here. Sitting and watching the people go by while sipping hot chai is definitely a good way to decompress.