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Chrysanthemum Tea

The annual Chrysanthemum tea event was held on Tues., Nov. 15. The Office of International Education and International Student Association hosted the event complete with delectable tea, delicious refreshments and evoking performances.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Assistant Director of International Education Valerie Borgfield and Student Assistant Emily Cordero took a moment to recognize and thank Director of International Education Irene Connelly, who will be retiring in January 2017. They honored international students Graduate Assistant Sruthi Venkataramin Sriram, who is graduating in December with a master’s in Nutrition Sciences and Student Assistant Fatima (Zaynab) Wazeer, who is graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in Child Development.

Attendees were treated to beautiful Indian songs sung by VenkataramanSriram. Her voice was full, beautiful and enveloping. The traditional songs were both lulling and evoking. The rises and falls of the songs were palpable in the room. Guests were presented with two beautiful selections from VenkataramanSriram, both of which represented her culture and offered a glimpse into an ancestral Indian tradition.

The banquet room was lined with flags that signaled where TWU international students hail from. The tables were decorated with placemats illuminating the home countries of students and each setting also included a different fact card about these countries. Canada, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, and India were some of the countries represented by TWU students. The facts on the cards included information about population, official languages, mottos and more.

Borgfield shared, “I was pleased with the outcome of the Tea. We received many compliments on the food, the space, and the performances. Several people remarked that they regretted not attending in previous years and will come in the future.”

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