Çox Cups of Tea

Yesterday, I drank 6 cups of tea. This is no record (not that I’m keeping track!), and on Azeri standards, 6 cups of tea in one day is probably sub-par. Upon arrival in Azerbaijan, I started drinking tea with my host family to be polite. It’s also a very appropriate way to socialize. I didn’t particularly love drinking the tea itself, but I appreciated having this gateway into broken conversation with my family, relatives and guests. As time went on, I stopped wishing the tea in my glass would magically turn into coffee, and I began looking forward to the times when tea would be served. I enjoyed experimenting with the assortment of jams, sugar cubes, and cadies served at the same time. Now, with winter temperatures setting in, I enjoy drinking tea the most because it provides warmth to my body in places where the heat from our petch can’t reach. It’s more of a survival tool. And when yesterday, a group of 10 TEFLS ordered three pots of tea at the place we went to hang out at after our technical session, I felt that maybe I wasn’t the only one beginning to really appreciate Azerbaijan’s tea culture.