Connection and Community under the umbrella of Peace

The audience learns more about the history of Yerba Mate and its cultural, social and economic significance in Paraguay and Argentina, with a display of thermos and Yerba Mate drinking cups (guampas) and straws (bombillas) in the foreground and the Peace Corps quilt exhibited along the wall.

On Saturday, March 29th a group of approximately 60 people gathered at the International Peace Museum in Dayton, Ohio to experience the culture of Yerba Mate and the act of sharing tea with family, friends and strangers. The event was part of the celebration of the Season of Non-violence, a collaboration between the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and the International Peace Museum.

People traveled from across Ohio to attend the event, as well as from New Jersey, Indiana, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania and California! The main event was a book talk from Dr. Julia Sarreal on her book, ‘Yerba Mate – the Drink that Shaped a Nation’ which focuses on the socio-cultural, economic and even political importance of Yerba Mate in Argentina. However, the crowd ‘warmed up’ to the book talk by first enjoying the Yerba Mate experience using the traditional style of drinking loose leaf tea in a dried out gourd through a metal straw in a communal tea sharing ritual, with the backdrop of Paraguayan music and a display of the Peace Corps quilt, Peace Corps recruitment posters over several decades and other artifacts as part of the Ubuntu exhibit put together by the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience. There were 20+ Returned Peace Corps Volunteers from Paraguay present, as well as a few Paraguayan nationals. One of which said as leaving the event with hand on heart, ‘Thank you for sharing our culture here in the US.’

Dr. Julia Sarreal explains the importance of Yerba Mate in human connection and how in Paraguay people stop what they’re doing everyday at one or more times to sit in a circle and drink yerba mate together (called ‘terere’ in Paraguay when cold water is used). The practice keeps families connected, as well as neighbors and the larger community.

Given today’s atmosphere, participants were visibly and expressly grateful to make new connections as well as reconnect with old friends and to share time in community. As Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former US Surgeon General, promotes in his piece ‘My Parting Prescription for America’, community and relationships are critical for our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, and for our country as a whole (https://www.vivekmurthy.com/partingprescription). We, as the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience, are not only glad to provide space in sharing Paraguayan and Argentinean culture but also witnessed first-hand how appreciative everyday US Americans were to connect with others over sharing tea, and to learn together and be in community. Some young local participants came in off the street out of curiosity just to see what was going on and then stayed for the whole event.

Gourds and metal straws (bombillas) donated by Guayaki Yerba Mate for MPCE’s event. All gourds and bombillas were gone by the end of the event, used mostly by first-time yerba mate drinkers. Participants were thrilled to go home with their new tea-drinking equipment to continue enjoying yerba mate at their home with friends and family! MPCE is content to know the event is spreading human connectedness with communities across Ohio!

MPCE Board Member and one of the event organizers, Dawn Crosby, observed ‘There were people of all ages and walks of life, some connected to Peace Corps and some not at all, who enjoyed drinking mate in the traditional way. Guayaki Yerba Mate had donated cans of their energy drinks as well as gourds for drinking the traditional way, and I was surprised by how many people wanted to try the traditional way. People were delighted to try something new to them, and were then equally open and curious to learn how old and important the tradition is in South America.’ Dr. Sarreal shared as part of her book talk how one Paraguayan man shared that he believes that drinking yerba mate as is typical in rural Paraguay where the married couples drink mate together in the morning before the kids awake helps couples stay together and connected in marriage. He said that drinking mate prevents divorce in his opinion!

A family enjoys drinking mate together at the event

The Museum of the Peace Corps Experience would like to thank Friends of Paraguay, Guayaki Yerba Mate and the International Peace Museum for supporting this event. We hope to doing many more in the future – bringing together US Americans in community under the umbrella of peace, service and interculturality.

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