To Tea or not to Tea...

...that was the question!  We were almost an hour into our Scholarship Committee meeting, and the g-nuts (peanuts), bananas, mugs, and thermoses of tea sat waiting on the table.

I have learned several important lessons about tea time in Uganda.  First, no one wants to miss tea.  (It took me half a term to realize the reason students are anxious for a timely end to my morning classes is so they won't miss morning tea.)  Second, one rarely conducts business over tea.  Third, skipping tea is not an option.

So what were we going to do?  It was time to interview the applicants, and in only 45 minutes the church service was to begin.  The politely formal yet earnest discussion began.

"We cannot have our tea while we interview the candidates.  We must take it now."

"But we should not keep them waiting.  Why not have the tea after the interviews?"

"It will be time for the service. Why not have it after the service as our lunch?"

"This we cannot do! Tea for lunch?!"

"Chairman, some of us may not have eaten breakfast in anticipation of this tea.  What of them?"

After about ten minutes of discussion, we settled on permitting the hungry to discreetly munch on g-nuts while we conducted the interviews, and having tea immediately after.

Fast-forward thirty minutes.  We can hear the music of the service beginning.  Two candidates remain, waiting to be interviewed, and the tea remains to be taken.  The earnest discussion begins again, not without a good measure of humor.

"Chairman, I would like to submit that we now take our tea, and interview the remaining candidates after the service."

"I second the proposal."

"But the service is beginning!  Do we have time?"

"If we hurry."

"Take tea in a hurry?!  How could this be?"

"Perhaps we could not take the tea."

"Would you have us not take tea?" 

(Quiet, shared incredulity.)

"Let us have tea."

The two waiting candidates were invited to join us for tea, while those with responsibilities quickly enjoyed their tea and slipped out.  The rest of us unhurriedly sipped our African tea (hot milk and chai) or English tea (hot water, milk, and black tea), ate our bananas and nuts, then entered the service to join in the singing and dancing.

 

(Next: While obviously I enjoyed the importance of tea in this meeting, I was even more impressed by the caring and careful wisdom of the men and women....)