Blog #6

Over this semester, I have not only gotten to watch all of my participants grow more confident in their English and get excited about discovering new places in Ann Arbor, but also to become friends with each other as well. It has been wonderful to have both groups grow and share their experiences in a new country. It has also been a reminder about all of the different ways of life that exist around the globe, which has been important to me, given certain aspects of the current political climate in this country. I have learned a lot from my group over the semester, and I think that I will use this in my everyday life, both in and out of classes. It has given me a greater understanding of other cultures (especially China), as well as introduced me to some wonderful new people!

To improve in the future, I will make a more detailed schedule ahead of time with all of the things I want/ plan to do. This semester has taught me where participants may be excited to go, as well as what is fun to do at the various places. For example, TeaHaus was a big hit, despite being a bit of a walk, and one of my groups asked to go back for our last meeting so that they could try more teas! This will also allow me to make sure that I am always very prepared (and not waiting for craft supplies to arrive the day I want to use them!). I think it also allow me to incorporate a few more crafts in on the weeks where we do not visit anywhere.

Overall, Chat Café has been a wonderful experience, and I am excited to do it again and to learn even more from other students!

One final post....

It's hard to believe the semester is already coming to a close. I remember sitting in that eerie room in the basement of the dental building waiting for more people to arrive - only to discover that it would be a class of just 2 students. Never having had a class with just me, one other person, and the professor, I was a little nervous about how it would pan out. But Chat Cafe has been one of the most rewarding classes I've taken. 

Even though I was very anxious before my first meeting (wondering what I'd do if the conversation stalled or my group members didn't have fun), it has only gone up from there. Each session was something different; either in terms of activity or location. Based on student reactions, it was a good strategy to do this because they got a chance to explore Ann Arbor which they said they previously hadn't gotten to do.

One of the funniest times I had in Chat Cafe was when we were discussing our favorite TV shows and the quietest guy in the group looks sheepishly around before informing us that his favorite show is Desperate Housewives. I was completely shocked; I rarely find people who can tolerate that show besides me, and of all people, an international student in my Chat Cafe group turns out to be a Wisteria Lane fan - what are the odds? We spent a while discussing how irritating Teri Hatcher's character was and how everything in the show was so messed up and fun. I was pleasantly surprised to form a bond over such an unlikely topic. 

I've learned so much from being a Chat Cafe facilitator, and I know it'll translate to to other areas of my life, as well. Doing this has helped me develop my ability to adapt to novel circumstances. A lot of times, if someone didn't show up or there was an issue with our meeting place, etc. I had to figure out a different activity for us to do. 

Also, I learned that there is a lot a I don't know about the culture of international students. Sometimes a student would react in an unexpected way to a question asked and when I asked about it, they would reply "we don't really talk about that back home" or "that's too personal" or "I didn't understand it, I've never seen it." It has both taught me to be more attuned to the emotions of others and it has inspired me to learn more about the culture of others. 

I'm so glad I got this opportunity, and I am sad to see it end! 

Blog #5

I think one challenge faced by international students is getting out and exploring Ann Arbor. I remember being a freshman and being nervous to venture out into downtown, and this was without an added language barrier. A lot of the people in my Chat Café groups know about common hangouts for the international student community, such as Sweeting and a Chinese (I think) karaoke bar near North Campus. However, a lot of them have been very excited to explore coffee shops, museums, and other parts of Ann Arbor, and said they may not have tried a lot of the places one their own. Holding Chat Café in different places is one way to address this challenge. The university could also address this by creating a sort of handbook/ guide to Ann Arbor, using input from current students. I think this would be useful to all new students at the university, not just international students. However, to make it particularly useful to the international students, it would be helpful if this guidebook included things like menus, why people go to that place, (studying, casual dinner, fancy dinner, shopping, etc...),  and insider tips from other students. Even things like CVS and Walgreens could be included - some of my students didn't know what was sold at these stores! Something we take for granted was a huge revelation for many of them. This would also be different from a guide aimed at tourists in Ann Arbor. It would be targeted to include popular and/ or essential places for students, and while it's cool to go to the "touristy" attractions, the guide I have in mind would be more comprehensive and functional for the day to day life of a student.

Things I didn't always think about before...

In the bustle of school and work and everyday life, it is easy to forget that some people have to juggle the same responsibilities - with the added challenge of doing it all in a language they didn't initially learn growing up. Being a chat cafe leader has opened my eyes to struggles that international students potentially face in their daily lives. When a group member told me that he misread an exam question and made a silly mistake as a result, I marveled at the obstacles the student had had to overcome: math is hard enough, word problems easy enough to misinterpret for a native speaker, but throw in the additional difficulty of being unfamiliar with the language the question is posed, and you have an exponentially more challenging problem on hand. I asked if he had received extra time from his professor, and he said he did not nor did he ask. I was impressed by how hardworking and determined the students are to challenge themselves even further and not ask for special accommodations.

Additionally, they expressed confusion over how to order coffee initially, which I understood as I also did not really understand what half caf soy nonfat really meant before I started drinking coffee. But these shortened, colloquialisms make it extra difficult for people who did not grow up speaking the language to pick up and utilize.

I think as chat cafe leaders, we can make session an open and welcoming space to voice concerns, problem solve as a group, and make sure each individual feels as though they've been heard. If a problem surpasses the jurisdiction or reach of the facilitator, it is important to recommend point people that the student can contact. For instance, if a student needs more time for a test, they can speak to their professor and fill out a form to potentially gain this extended time to complete an exam.

I think solutions can be worked out in these cases to ease the transition for international students.  

Blog #4

We have talked a lot about cultural differences in both of my groups. In particular, we have talked a lot about different foods. We had a meeting at Sweeting where I tried bubble tea and sweet sticky rice with red beans. Bubble tea is Taiwanese, and my Taiwanese group members decided that Sweeting has good bubble tea, but not as good as what is available in Taiwan. They also said that it is much cheaper there because it is not a specialty, it is just everywhere, from restaurants to street food carts! We have also discussed quite a bit about the differences in education systems between the United States and other countries. It was very interesting to learn, not only what is different compared to here, but also to hear my group members discuss the similarities and differences between their own respective countries. I've also realized that it is quite unique that, in the United States, more than test scores are taken into account when applying to universities, and that we can take our entrance exams more than once. Taiwan, Malaysia, and China all have these all-or-nothing exams at the end of high school. I also know that entrance to university in France is also based on a country-wide one time test. We did come to the general consensus that there are good and bad things about all of the different systems.

We have discussed many other things beside this, and I feel comfortable taking about these differences. I'm extremely interested to learn about the other ways of doing things that take place around the world. I also enjoy sharing US culture ideas (most recently, Halloween!) and discussing them. It's always interesting hear how someone who did not grow up with the same ideas views the way things are here. 

Blog #3

I have noticed throughout the semester that planning a conversation can go significantly different than facilitating a conversation. The biggest issue is that I'll plan something, and then we don't talk about it nearly as long as I expect, which leaves me jumping from Plan A to Plan B pretty quickly. However, I have found that just taking a step back after discussing my question or activity and letting the conversation continue without me guiding it is a good way for the other students to practice their English and ensure that I am not doing too much of the talking. This also spreads out my plan to ensure that I do not run through it before time is up. Then, once the conversation slows, I'll jump back in to ask a new question or move to a new activity. Additionally, I always imagine the conversation going in a certain direction, which does not always happen. This is not a big deal, but it is definitely a huge difference between my panning and my facilitating.

Furthermore, now that I know my participants a little bit better, it has definitely changed how I facilitate. I don't plan the same things for both of my groups all of the time. My Wednesday group is slightly more introverted, and won't always talk as much; therefore, I always have extra stuff to discuss with them. I recently went to Sweeting with them, and planned all the things we could discuss, including the menu, tea, and plans for fall break. I let the conversation flow, and we discussed the menu and what we were going to order for quite awhile, but I made sure to have a new question ready for whenever we had a lull. My Friday group is quite lively (surprising for 7 PM on Friday!) and the conversation flows pretty easily. Because of this, we usually don't get through as much stuff, but we also go off on many interesting tangents. For example, last Friday we discussed what is cheaper or more expensive in the United States vs their home country. This grew out of a conversation about the UM vs MSU game!

Week 3 blog post

It's interesting to consider how different conversations turn out in practice compared to when you're planning them. For instance, I set up a loose agenda for my last chat cafe session: 10min introductions and questions, 3 min to write down questions, 15 min activity, etc.

But in the actual conversation, the times I allotted varied sometimes. We spent less time writing down questions and more time during the introduction. I think a way to combat feeling like you're getting off track is to not be too regimented about your chat cafe session. It helps to keep things flexible, so if you get "off track" you're not really in trouble because you didn't have a strict structure to stick to anyway. It helps take the pressure off I think. You don't feel a need to guide the conversation stiffly or awkwardly - you just sort of let it flow.

Now that I know my participants a little better, I sort of know what topics get the most responses (i.e. what was something you experienced this week that surprised you?).

It's interesting to hear from their POV, and it opens my eyes to all the potentially confusing things around campus. It's so easy to assume that everyone will understand something so you don't have to be too specific, but you have to keep in mind that there's a whole audience that may not see it the same way. I'm glad this class is teaching me to be more cognizant of that.