I enjoyed going to the teahouse because it wasn’t what I expected. I thought that we would be sitting in rows instead of one line, and I thought we would be sitting on rolled up tatami mats instead of sitting flat. When we first entered the actual place that held the ceremony I thought the room looked like the one we had seen in the video. I thought the garden that they created was also very similar to the ones the video had and explained. It was very simple and it looked like it had been taken out of nature and placed in a New York City building. I found it understanding how our distractions were taken away from us, phones, watches, and even jewelry because when I was in the teahouse there was nothing to focus on except what was going on in the moment. Few minutes into the ceremony I didn’t feel like I was in the city. It was very quite.
It was a very relaxing and peaceful experience. I enjoyed being the special guest because it was interesting to see everything up close and right in front of me. It was hard to sit up straight for the whole time, and I felt bad every time I moved because my clothes made a noise against the tatami mats. Each time the door opened, it opened almost half way, paused, and opened the rest of the way. Maybe this was because they wanted us to take in the moment and notice what was happening and go slowly. Everything had a purpose.
I thought the woman’s kimono was very beautiful and very authentic. There were moments where I was confused on what to do because I was the first person. I didn’t know if I should take the cookie the first time it was placed in front of me, and I didn’t know when to bow to the lady serving me. It was also nice to learn a few Japanese words such as, okasamui.
When I was given the green tea it looked much different than it did in my mind. This was the first time I