' I I n the summer of 2010, Honors College students ordered their midmorning cappuccinos not from Midnight Oil or Java City, but from Middle Eastern bazaars and Parisian cafes. From May 10 to June 1, students accompanied by International Programs Director Dr. Jeff Hopper and Honors professor Dr. Pat Garner traveled "Around the World in a Cup of Coffee," sampling the coffee and the culture of Ethiopia, Oman, Turkey and France in order to trace the history of the drink and its powerful effects on economics, politics and even society. The trip, which earned its name from Tom Sandage's book, The History of the World in Six Glasses, focused on the relationships between food, family and culture. "As Dr. Garner and I planned the course of study, the coffee tour evolved into an odyssey," Hopper said. "It turns out that coffee literally unites families, cultures, economic development, trade and even religion." Each country students visited revealed a part of the story of coffee. In Ethiopia students observed the ways coffee was grown and traded, while in Oman the group studied the ties between coffee and Islam. From Oman the group moved toTurkey, where they visited mosques, spice bazaars and the oldest coffee shop in Istanbul, a place with both Christian and Islamic influences that retained peace even in the midst of religious strife. The trip ended in Paris, France, where the students were able to have dinner in the cafe at the Palais Royal, the very site where the French Revolution began. Although sites like the Islamic mosques in Istanbul and the Queen of Sheba's palace in Ethiopia were impressive, it was not the scenes of splendor that students described as their favorite parts. Sophomore Darren Kentner and senior Gabriella Marcellini discussed their most meaningful time of the trip as being authentic interaction with locals, simply being immersed into the everyday culture of extraordinary places. "Going to where coffee started, seeing how it really actually influences people, and actually having experienced those influences [such as participating in coffee ceremonies in Ethiopia], are tangible, real-life encounters that I would have never known about had I not gotten out of the classroom and experienced them," Kentner said. Kentner and Marcellini agreed that their most memorable experience was the time they went to a coffee cooperative in Ethiopia and experienced village life there. Seeing the independent farmers working together at the same place and sharing the same ground to grow all different kinds of crops was impressive, but just past the plantation area was where the real magic happened. The children in the tiny village, most of whom had never encountered Caucasian Westerners ever before, followed the students intently. "Their genuine attitudes ~ere so captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed holding their hands whl'!~-strolling through some incredible scenery," Kentner said. When atorrential downpour b~at'l, students and children gathered under trees and huts to play "P8jiler, Rock, Scissors" together. "They didn't try to sell us Hiings; they weren't begging; they weren't doing anything," Marcellini recalled. "They were just kind of touching our skin because we were different." For Marcellini, just getting to know people, specifically the guides, was the most educational part of the entire trip. She remained in contact with the tour guides from Ethiopia and Turkey hearing about their passion for the betterment of the living conditions among their own people. "[The trip] helped me realize how crucial communication is across the globe in every culture," Kentner said. Gabrielle Pruitt around the world in o cup of coffee 41
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