Coffee and Climbing: MAIA Students Exercise Physical and Cultural Mobility
As winter continues to deepen, MAIA students have been partaking in all sorts of activities to keep warm and active indoors, as befits any long-term resident of New England. Our local coffee experts, SAs Sam and Jason, put on a special coffee tasting event for the enjoyment of students and staff in our beautiful atrium space. Not to be outdone, SA Leah led an excursion to Central Rock in neighboring Worcester, MA, an indoor rock climbing gym offering a unique challenge to the physically daring.
The preference for coffee over tea is often cited as a major cultural difference between China and the US. While such blanket statements are never entirely accurate, coffee is statistically less popular in China than in the US. That's why SAs Sam and Jason, our captains of caffeine, organized a coffee tasting event for MAIA's students and staff. With brews of every shade and origin, from blonde to dark, Honduras to Somalia, it was a real treat for all involved. The coffee was all brewed on-site with a French press, and there were plenty of empty cups to be seen at every tasting station.
While some improved their palate, others tackled more physical challenges! SA Leah lead a group of daring students to try their hands (and feet) at climbing the artificial rock wall at Central Rock gym in Worcester. The safety equipment and trained staff on-hand mean the activity is actually not dangerous at all, but it still takes bravery and determination to overcome ones instinctual aversion to scaling sheer walls at the mercy of gravity! Nonetheless, several students stepped up to the challenge, and many completed their climb!
Whether with hot beverages or physical activity, we're finding new and creative ways to stay warm here at MAIA!
