Parker Coleman CP#5


Today I met with Mohammad at the CIES open house! The vibes in the Middle East room were filled with people interested in learning about various cultures. When I first walked in there was a line of people waiting for Mohammad to translate their names into Arabic. Most of the food was gone, but I did get to try their signature tea. It tasted like a bomb of cinnamon was dropped into the tea. It was a little strong for me, but it smelled divine.
Once the line of people went down, Mohammad had a moment to walk me through the table that he helped put together! He showed me a small air infuser that burnt pieces of tree bark. He asked me to smell it. I told him it smelt like burnt wood and he said “doesn’t it smell good”? I learned from the conversation that houses in the Middle East do not smell good, so they burn bark to make their homes smell better. I asked if he used it in the apartment he is staying now and he said, “oh yes!”  It was a cool experience getting to learn about his culture.





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