If you have been keeping up with my Snapchat and Instagram stories, you know that the beginning of my last blog article is false. For the ones who haven't been and are slightly lost, let me catch you up.
Over the past week or so, hot tea has been appearing more and more on my social media. You'd ask, "But Morgan, didn't you say that you and hot tea don't get along?" Yes, yes I did. "What changed?" I'm so glad you asked.
The first Friday evening in Brighton, England, all eight of my study abroad classmates piled in a bus heading to the country side for a traditional tea time with our instructor's, Andy Coughlan, parents. All of us made our way down the winding roads and hopped off of the bus into the most gorgeous neighborhood. I mean, the sights were just lovely, with houses on rolling hills and wide open fields. This is exactly what most of us pictured England to look like.
Us girls, plus Andy, hike up a steep hill to a cute little house at the top. We were welcomed by two of the cutest and sweetest human beings on this planet. We set our things down in the sunroom and take our seats around the dining room table. Placed in front of us is an array of finger sandwiches cut into triangles, clotted cream (best described by my classmate and friend, Claire Robertson), jam, milk, sugar and scones — enough food to feed an army.
Remember in my last blog when I said that Andy's mom, Ann Coughlan, and myself were going to drink coffee at this tea party? Well, it's a tea party and if I didn't drink tea, eight-year-old Morgan would be very upset. So, when the question of, "Who would like tea?" got asked, I raised my hand.
We start to fill our plates as the tea is being poured, dress our scones and add a bit of cream and sugar to our tea. As photojournalists, we all stopped to take 1,000 pictures (you think I'm exaggerating) before we started eatomg. The first bite of my scone covered in strawberry jam and clotted cream, and I felt as if I died and gone to an English tea party heaven.
Here's the moment, I need a drink to wash the food down. I take a sip of my hot tea and... oh my gosh. This tea is liquid crack in a cup. Have I really been missing out on this for 21 years? What is this magical drink. I immediately asked Andy what kind of tea this is, and he tells me it's the tea he lives by and drinks every morning — PG Tips. I finish my first cup, two scones and four different types of finger sandwiches. After all the years of having tea parties with my Meme when I was a kid, this brought me back to being eight years old again.
Completely satisfied and full to the brim, I get ready to take a walk outside. But after clearing the table, an array of desserts are set onto the table. Excuse me, how do I fit these delicious looking desserts into my stomach? All of us being extremely full, we put one of each item on a plate, take a stellar photo and share the tasty sweets.
Another pot of tea gets put on the stove to steep, and we all head outside to the beautiful backyard. The flowers, the weather, the view and the sounds. All of it coming together in complete harmony. We sat together outside, drinking more tea all while telling ghost stories and sharing dad jokes as the sun started to slowly sink into the horizon.
So, moral of the tea party story is that I like hot tea now, and this was just the beginning of a new addiction. Also, to Ann and Sam Coughlan, we love you more than you could ever know. Thank you for opening your home to us in order to treat and culture us.
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