May, she will stay YOCHA STUDIO |
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Here in Uppsala, the month of May marks a turning point in the year. This is a university town, so life here tends to ebb and flow along with the academic calendar. And of course, for any university town this time of year means exams. That means those lucky students and teachers who’ve been busy enjoying themselves all year are now equally busy; preparing for exams, fretting about exams, sitting exams, correcting exams ... well, you get the idea. All this means that the streets are unusually quiet and the Uppsala becomes a quite different place, at least until August when our academic cohort and normal life return. Here at Yocha we’ve noticed the temporary absence of some regular faces, and those we see seem more than usually absorbed by their computer screens – so good luck to all! |
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Still, next month will see the arrival of holidaymakers and Uppsala becomes a different place as it takes on its ‘tourist town’ role. And, luckily for us, that means lots of new faces eager to try out a new way of appreciating authentic Chinese teas or enjoying unusual Asian snacks and lunches. Summer in Sweden is unique (when it finally arrives) and lolling on a grassy bank by the Fyris river in Uppsala might just be one of the most picturesque and relaxing places to appreciate it. So if you haven’t been here before, go for it! After a year with the team at Yocha Studio our beloved Jiajia has spread her wings and begins a new life in Germany where a lucky company has managed to recruit her. Jiajia originally joined us as a part-time helper while studying here in Sweden. She quickly became an indispensable member of the team and we, and our customers of course, will miss her cheery smile and helpful suggestions - not to mention her formidable musical talents. We wish her all the best in this exciting new phase of her career, but we don't rule out the odd visit back to Uppsala to delight us with her guzheng playing, and just to be sure we’ve confiscated her beloved instrument for ‘safekeeping’ – so no doubt we’ll see her again sometime! |
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When our founders first came up with the idea of Yocha Studio one of their main goals was to bring a taste of real Asian culture to people in this part of Sweden and impart a deeper understanding of this vast and complex continent. Well, to further that noble cause, this month we can announce that we’ve expanded our diverse team with new colleagues who hail from Thailand, Japan, China and that other famous Asian country - Sweden?! A big welcome to all of them, together we’re a real Asian rainbow! This month saw another of our Chinese Tea Blind Tasting workshops taking place – and what better way to spend a sunny Sunday morning in Uppsala than sampling different quality teas brewed in the Kung Fu style and, as the name suggests, trying to identify them ‘blind’ based only the colour, taste and aroma. At the same time, our participants had the Hurculean task of deciding which one they liked best – ‘all’ was a popular and acceptable answer! In other workshop news, May also saw our first ‘A Taste of Japanese’ event, ably hosted by locally based Japanese expert, Eriko Iwata. Those attending expanded their knowledge of Japanese language, customs and history - although, to be fair, they were already pretty knowledgeable about the country and culture. Well done to all the 親日(shinnichi) who took part and made it such a success! |
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With that, we’ll wrap up on May, look forward to June and, as always, remember if you aren’t within easy striking distance of Uppsala (or are too busy with your nose in your books this month to visit us) you can surely take a few minutes off to check out our website www.yochastudio.com or social media channels (ins/fb:yochastudio) for news on all our Asian design products available for purchase online – all with delivery to your door. Till next month (who no doubt will change her tune) * enjoy the Swedish summer, or the equivalent wherever you happen to be! The Yocha Team. *A free Kung Fu tea awaits the first customer who can reference this! |
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