Blog #4

I think that cultural and linguistic differences are something that should not only be discussed but celebrated—there is so much to be learned through exchanges of cultural knowledge, which can help people broaden their perspectives. When we embrace our identities and actively respect those of others, we strengthen ourselves and our world. Societies are shaped by the people within them, and when those people are inclusive and open minded, so are their cultures. 

One of the main things I enjoy about my group is its diversity; I don’t have many friends who did not grow up in America, and I’ve really valued meeting these people, most of whom lived in South Korea or China until they reached college age. One of my group members was born in South Korea and moved to England at the age of eight for a year where she learned English before returning to Seoul. I was born in Sydney, Australia and lived there until I was two before my family moved back to the States. Discussing the global reach of our respective childhoods is so fun, and it allows us to also begin discussing the differences in the various cultures we’ve encountered over the course of our lives. When we discuss social norms of China versus those in America or Korean attitudes toward the English language versus those of the Chinese, we are actively acknowledging the differences that exist between societies in a constructive, nonjudgemental way, which is the way all dialogues pertaining to cultural differences should take place. In looking critically at other societies and their values with respect, admiration and celebration, we can constructively compare them to our own and apply our perspectives in different settings. 

I think that discussions such as these allow people to better understand the world as a whole, not simply their own corners of it. We live in an era of globalization, and in order to ensure that we maintain a high standard of cohesion and admiration for the many cultures that make up our globe, we must listen and seek to understand each other. That’s why I consider it very important to have open dialogues about cultural and linguistic differences because it’s the things we don’t discuss that can end up ultimately harming us. Diversity is important at all social levels, and I’m very proud to be part of a program that wholly supports it. 

Blog Post #4

I'm really starting to feel more comfortable with my position as a Chat Cafe facilitator and I am starting to sense that my group members are better able to converse with each other, and me, with more ease. Going to the natural history museum was a good way to appreciate science and nature but emphasized to me that, oftentimes, actual back-and-forth conversation is the best way to truly appreciate different cultural backgrounds. After a very constructive conversation with my fellow Chat Cafe facilitators, I became a lot more inclined to foster imaginative discussions among my group members, in order to engage them more in conversation. Now that we have had the chance to share some very unique visual experiences, I wish to ask them to reflect on these museum visits and ask them about their personal interests and future goals. I've noticed that artwork can express personal identities and inner passions quite accurately when the artists attempts to explain what their artwork means to them, so I am eager to introduce some creative activities that involve such personal reflection. Although we have discussed some cultural and linguistic differences among us, I think that encouraging the use of inner artistic abilities will help to actually illustrate these differences to each other.

And then there was one

I wrote a bit on what it's like to have less and less people show up in my last blog post, so I don't want to rehash the same maudlin sentiments. Though I am still disappointed by the lack of attendance and it has grown more embarrassing each week as I write emails that I know no one will respond to. It's frustrating and, unfortunately, sometimes pisses me off. I guess I finally know how my RA felt when her Harry Potter themed pumpkin carving invite emails fell on my deaf ears. But that's enough for self pity. At least I don't spend one hour every Friday sitting alone.

Last Friday, Sarah attended my Chat Cafe session. I was excited for two reasons. Firstly, my sessions would finally regain the shape of a Chat Cafe session, with more than two people talking to one another. And secondly, I was happy for Jesse (the lone remnant of that initial venture taken in late September) since he could finally interact with other students rather than just talk to me for an hour. When we all met at the Union, I could tell Jesse was excited just to have someone else to talk to. As Sarah can attest to, I didn't really have (and never really had) any guiding schedule or plans. I typically treat Jesse as I would a coworker I met with outside of work or a budding acquaintance. Sometimes, when I hear about some of the games and regimented activities that other students do during that sessions makes me wonder if that is perhaps the right approach. I was pretty critical of this sort of stuff in an earlier blog post, but now that I hear that the facilitators who use these methods don't have trouble with attendance to the degree I do. I know Scott told me not to get to critical and start blaming myself but I think looking and examining the manner in which I conduct these sessions is important. I'm going to bring cards to my next session and introduce Jesse (and whoever else shows up) to la Viuda. I learned the game in El Salvador but I think in the US it's called Whiskey Poker.

Blog Post #4

My group had a great session this past Monday! Four of the six members showed up (these are the same four that usually show up to all of the sessions), and one of them even brought a friend along! Since they are a quieter group, I brought in a bag of discussion questions, and we passed it around and had each person pull out a question to answer. After he/she answered it, we opened it up to the rest of the group. The questions were really different; they covered culture, politics, personal information, and funny scenarios. This activity worked really well, as it gave the group a lot of new things to talk about, and we were able to compare different opinions and perspectives. I hope to keep using different activities and games during our future sessions. I would also hope to spend some time in our class sharing different ideas of what has worked well with other groups. Next week, I will be visiting Bella's session, so I'm excited to see how a different group interacts.

We have briefly discussed cultural and linguistic differences in our group, especially during our last session. We talked about different dialects and accents, and how language plays a role in cultural assimilation. One of my members even said that accent was the most difficult part for him in adjusting to American culture. Nothing else was hard for him; he had so much knowledge of the U.S. from movies and media, that nothing surprised him after he came! Overall, culture and language are two topics that come up very frequently within our discussions, and I would love to learn more ways to expand upon these themes so that it does not get too repetitive!

Post 4: Apple cider and adventures to come!

This past Monday, I had the privilege of attending Emma's conversation circle. She even brought everyone apple cider, which was a bonus! Aside from the delicious cider, we spent the hour talking about Halloween, scary movies, and Emma's recent research trip to Italy. The flow of the conversation was very natural. I did not feel like I, nor anyone else, was pressured to speak; it was very much so a conversation among friends. At times, there were some moments of silence, but it did not feel awkward. I think we forget that in normal discourse, whether that be on the street, with friends, among family members, etc., there is a certain level of silence that occurs. It allows for those involved to process what is going on in the conversation, gather their thoughts, or think about switching topics. Not every silence needs to be filled. I actually find that I am most comfortable around people in situations where I do not feel pressured to have to talk during a few seconds of silence, where I am OK with enjoying the other's company even if no one is talking at the moment.

One thing that I really enjoyed about Emma's circle is the physical location of it. It was held in the Café in East Quad. So while it felt very coffee shop-esque, it still felt like it had a comfortable level of intimacy. Perhaps this is because the only people around us were fellow students, diligently working on homework or catching a quick bite to eat. This location is contrasted with where my circle and I typically have our conversations each week. My group meets on the 4th floor of the LSA Building in the lounge right outside of the elevators. At the time we meet, the space is typically empty with the occasional student passing through to get to class, so it is usually a pretty quiet space. In fact, the last time we met, we were the ones who were told we were being a little too loud! I have found that I really like this space, because it's comfortable and has few distractions. This week however, my group and I decided we would meet at Bubble Island instead of our normal location, just to give us a different environment. Plus, we meet during 5-6, so our stomachs are usually grumbling in anticipation of dinner. I definitely foresee snacks happening at Bubble Island. I look forward to changing up the location and breaking from our normal routine. I hope that it isn't too packed and that there's room for everyone to comfortably sit and talk, but we will make it work regardless, I'm sure. Until next time!

Blog Post #4

During our chat cafes, we have casually delved into such conversations when I ask my participants where they have gone out to eat or what they like to do for fun. We ended up spending a lot of time discussing the cultural differences between the U.S. and China, where all my participants are from. They have shared the differences in lifestyle and the importance of certain cultural events in China, such as Chinese New Year. Yet, they seem to be adjusting quite well. Some have been in the country longer than others but for the most part, all of them are happy with the opportunities available in the U.S. and are happy with their freedom to growth as individuals, without restricts from their parents or the Chinese government. Hence, they are willing to embrace the culture in order to take advantage of what the U.S. has to offer and what China doesn’t. On the other hand, linguistic differences seem to be an ongoing problem that cannot be easily solved. For instance, when they walk into a restaurant, the waiter or waitress has difficulty understanding them and what they would like to order. This is due to their accents, which I told them, takes time to improve upon. Practice is key in that department. I do think, though, that there is an overlap of linguistic and cultural differences, despite them being treated differently for our purposes. Linguistic barriers can make cultural differences even more pronounced.

Over time, I have come to understand my participants quite well. As Sofia had said, I also have been trying to make the most of my attendance. While I have four interested participants, usually there is a 2-3 persons attendance rate, making it difficult to really have those stimulated conversations. Because of that, they look to me to speak and are unable to mingle and converse amongst themselves, which is the goal of facilitation. I hope to be able to have them talk with each other more and expand upon cultural and linguistic differences in our upcoming chat café.

Blog #4

            Last Thursday, I went to visit TJ’s Chat Café, which was awesome.  Everyone in the group showed up and everyone was happy to contribute to the conversation.  The hour was really laid back and the only parts that felt even a little structured were the beginning and the end, where TJ had them go around in a circle and share the high and low points from the past week and then at the end their wishes for the next week.  I really liked the way this worked because it gave everyone in the group a chance to speak up and I think it probably made them feel more comfortable talking more spontaneously during the middle part of the hour.  TJ showed us the infographic from class on Wednesday and it sparked a really lively discussion about the differences between “the East” and “the West.” 

             It was a little disheartening when only one girl showed up to my Chat Café the following Monday, but we actually had a great time talking about Fall Break and the infographic, too.  We scrolled through it together and she told me whether or not she agreed with each representation, which made for a pretty funny and informative session.  The infographic was perfect because it gave me the opportunity to ask her questions about the Eastern side and her the opportunity to ask me questions about the Western side.  I thought this was a cool way to address cultural differences between China and Michigan because it was informal, but it also allowed us to get to the heart of some really fundamental similarities and differences.

            I’m starting to get used to the spotty attendance in my group and to make the best of the session regardless of who comes.  It’s still a little irritating to be ignored, as Jessica said in her blog post, but I’m having great conversations each week with the people who do come and I think that’s the best I can do.   I’m especially excited for next week because a couple of people in my group were saying they’ve heard a lot about Zingerman’s but have never actually been there, so we’ll be going on a Kerrytown adventure!  

Blog Post 4

I had a pretty good week with cafe chat this week. I’m starting to love all my groups more. On Wednesday, Irfanul came to visit. Although I was kinda nervous at first, he was totally cool. And we needed him because I knew only 3 would show up and I had a game planned for 4 we never got to play since 4 never show up. It’s very frustrating. One guy is plain ignoring me, another guy is half ignoring me, and a girl just has something going on every week.

Anyway, the three that showed up were awesome and we played minute to win it games with partners such as flinging marshmallows off a spoon and having your partner catch it in a cup, marshmallow ping pong with binders, bounce the balloon back and forth between you and your partner but without hands or arms..etc. Irfanul and Charlotte won because they were awesome at marshmallow ping pong. I hope they had as much fun as I did during the games. We didn’t get through all the games I played but I was totally cool with that as long as they were having fun.

On Thursday, my awesome north group was all there again except this one girl but she told me she had an exam the same time as our group like 2 weeks ago so that doesn't really count. I love their attendance. It makes me so excited every time. We did this activity where we split into two teams and we both start with the same subject at the top of the page, which was, “This is our first cafe chat after fall break” and then we have to keep going from there in our teams, For example, I went first in my group and I wrote “A lot of exams are also coming up after fall break,” then Tian wrote “I will have an exam tomorrow”, and Roy (last member of my team) “I don’t want to know how bad I did on the last exam.” Halfway through, we switched papers with the other group and continued their chain. The ending statement to the example listed above was “That’s the very reason that sometimes I would prefer to go to Briarwood.” The team that had the most statements/interesting statements won. (my team won :D).

That night, Roy, Cece, and Mandy were all going to central after circle so I had people to take the bus with. Mandy and Cece were going to the UMMA and I told them the commuter south stops by there but they had never taken it that far before so I hope I was clear enough about where to get off. I tend to get lost a lot so I know how frustrating it can be.

On Friday I had conversation circle which is not really part of this but kind of similar so I’ll write about it anyways because they are really interesting. I don’t have to plan anything for that group when Adam shows up because he basically runs the circle for me. He is super awesome I love when he’s there. We talked about differences between dating culturally, but they were talking about grown-up dating which I don’t have any experience with. I feel like they were all hinting at something around me because Adam said I’m too young to understand. I got a lot of funky glances and I didn’t have much to contribute. It was pretty awkward. Then this guy bought up how Japanese writing is between Chinese traditional and simplified, and we had a really interesting discussion about that because everyone in our group either knew Chinese or Japanese. They really want to carve a pumpkin next week but I have no idea how to carve a pumpkin or where I can get a pumpkin.

Blog 3: Field trip!

In order to truly understand different cultures, one must do more than merely talk about them. For this reason, I decided to take my group to the art museum for our meeting. In my opinion, this was very beneficial because many of the students had not ever been to the museum before. One of my students is in the art school and was able to be our personal tour guide! It was truly amazing to see how our interests blended, despite our differences in cultural background. International art served to demonstrate that communication gaps can be bridged without language, at times. We all had different ways of interpreting the art that we were observing, yet everyone was engaged together. I am intrigued by the cohesiveness that seemed to emerge from our experience at the museum and look forward to our next meeting at the natural history museum. I hope that this more educational approach can spark some interesting conversation in a recap session I hope to host, in which members talk about or write about their experiences.

Post #3

Four Chat Cafes down, and still going strong!

At my third meeting, it ended up just being me and four of the international students from China and Malaysia.I think it was a really wonderful by-chance happening because it gave the students who have familiarity with Asian culture a chance discuss the direct parallels between Chinese and Malaysian cultures. This was helpful because at the fourth week I noticed there was a definite change in communication with the four Chinese/Malay students: they were talking to each other like old friends really interested in each other's lives. I think they needed the opportunity to find (extremely) similar ground in order to feel comfortable with each other.
(Also, I mentioned at my first week that I had two very shy/quiet students participate in my group, but I was proven wrong this last week! They are extremely talkative, but I guess they just needed a little more familiarity before they became as comfortable as everyone else.)

Something that struck me while reading through blog posts this week was Sophie's paragraph about over planning and back-up plans. I relate to it so well because I feel like I do the complete opposite. I come up with a focus for the hour in addition to the lunch we get (ie. card games, a jar of slips of silly "icebreaker" questions, or photos of their family), and then... I hope for the best. So far, the natural flow of conversation has always been effective in creating an organic chat cafe session and I've never had to panic about what we do next. I think if I brought a well-developed back-up plan, I would be planning to use it, and that would create too much structure in the conversations... Though my approach to back-up preparation is different from Sophie's, like her though, I minimally plan to reduce my fears and anxieties about the session.

Blog #3

I don't have too many updates for this week—everyone is pretty busy and stressed out with midterms, and my group is no exception. In fact, I only had two members come to the meeting this week everyone else had to study, which is totally cool. Everyone who had to miss it took the time to let me know in advance, which made me happy.  

Over the past 4 weeks, I've found that my group is becoming increasingly comfortable every time we get together. We have no need for guided conversation anymore; we just chat about whatever comes to mind. For example, this week Xue, Haoran and I had an awesome discussion about the nature of feminism in China and America, no planning involved. I'm so pleased that my group members feel that they can share their personal ideas and beliefs without fear of being judged or disagreed with. It's something that I was hoping for before the meetings even started, and it's great that our relationships strengthened so organically. 

I can't wait to drop in on Sophie's conversation circle—I think it'll be really cool to observe her group's dynamic and compare it to my own. We can really learn a lot from discussing and interpreting each other's approaches to our groups, because it forces us to also think critically of our own. Ultimately this will make us all better, stronger facilitators. 

Sorry for the shorter post, hopefully I'll have lots of new stories to share next time! 

Blog Post 3

After my very first chat cafe meeting, I was ecstatic. Four of my member had shown up (far more than I had intended) and conversation flowed. There were no awkward pauses, no confusion amongst us, just a normal conversation that takes place on campus every day. After that session, I couldn't wait to see them again next week. Probably for two reasons: I enjoyed their company and (even though we're told not to lead discussion) I felt like I was the head of the group, the organizer, the one everyone would look to when it came to explaining the odd and perverse entity that is American culture. This was certainly not something that I was actively cultivating (working at Sweetland taught me the importance of not establishing hierarchies) but I couldn't help myself from the experience getting to my head, from me feeling as though I was the tether which bound the group together.

Now, my fourth session tomorrow, I honestly can't say that I'm nearly as ecstatic as I was that first week. The past two weeks only two members have shown up with none of the other absent members sending  correspondence of any kind. Don't get me wrong, the two that show up are fully engaged and interested in coming. We have great discussions and I learned a lot of Chinese culture and hopefully gotten them to feel more comfortable and confident in their oral English skills. Now, focusing back on the absent members. I can understand that the Chat Cafe sessions don't rest high on the list of weekly priorities for this students and it shouldn't be. There is certainly no mandate for them to come and I hope that none of the members in any Chat Cafe group feel as though they are forcefully obligated to go to each session. I understand if something comes up, if there's a paper due, if there's a midterm, if you're just not feeling up for it. I understand all these things, but I can't help from feeling personally assailed by their absence. Did I scare off those first two members that first session? Was I unable to make them feel comfortable? These sorts of questions run through my mind often. I have yet to reach a cathartic revelation on these observations. Hopefully, I will soon.

Blog #3 - Forget the Plan

            Before my first Chat Café, I had written out a thorough page of notes complete with different topics my group could cover, ideas for icebreakers, questions to ask in case the conversation fell flat – the list goes on.  I didn’t use any of it.  People in my group immediately started talking and asking each other not only the standard, get-to-know-you questions, but also questions about how everyone was doing with their new lives in the U.S.  Everyone was offering advice, telling personal anecdotes and asking me all sorts of questions, ranging from how they should approach pop-culture references in lecture to why the heck Americans like donuts so much.  It was easy to get caught up in this conversation and forget all about my plan.

            I still write out some “back-up plan” notes every week and I always bring a deck of cards with me, just in case.  But I don’t do this because it’s essential to keep the conversation going, I do to it ease my own anxieties and address my own “what ifs.”  Since attendance has been irregular to say the least, each Chat Café is strikingly different from the last.  There are many different personalities in my group and, of course, we talk about different things depending on who is there.  Having a plan in my back pocket makes me feel more comfortable with this uncertainty, but it’s actually pretty far removed from what it means to facilitate a conversation.  Facilitating is much more about reacting appropriately to what’s going on in that moment than it is about preparing a list of conversation topics.  It’s about knowing when to speak and when to listen.  It’s about knowing when to make fun of yourself to make everyone else feel more at home and when to be serious. 

            I think I am beginning to get the hang of the adapting aspect of facilitating, and not just in terms of the conversation itself.  I’m accepting that I’m probably never going to have a full Chat Café and that I just have to make the best of the time I have with the people who do choose to come.  A group trip to the Natural History Museum ended up being just me and one other girl wandering around and chatting about the exhibits.  And that’s okay.  It was actually really fun.  It hasn’t been easy for me to let go of “the plan” and my preconceived notion of how each meeting was going to go, but now that I’m starting to do that, I’m realizing how much better this experience can be for us if we do just that.

Blog 3: The Nature of Conversation

I am a planner in almost all areas of my life, so I naturally thought that I would carry this over as a conversation circle facilitator. However, this hasn't been the case exactly. Sure, I come each week to Chat Café with a few questions in mind or a general topic, but I have learned to take a back seat and just let the conversation go wherever it may go. In fact, I have found it to be more comfortable and natural when I'm not walking into any session with a strict, or even loose, plan. For instance, last week we talked about popular reality TV shows in both the U.S. and China, but by the end of the hour, we were discussing different pizza toppings and types of bagels. Often times, when I find myself "facilitating" conversation, I am simply just throwing out a question to get conversation going when it's died out. Usually, the conversation gets going because I, or someone else, simply responds to someone else's story or point. My group expressed clearly that they wanted this natural atmosphere to relax each week, so I try to avoid too much planning in my sessions that makes the discussion seemed forced.

On another note, I am excited for my conversation circle this week, although I am slightly nervous. Contrary to what I just said above, I've planned a trip to the Museum of Natural History! I am excited because I love this museum and hope every one in my group will love it as much as I do. However, I am nervous on how we are going to have a "conversation," especially since we'll be walking around a lot. I don't want to lose this aspect of the week since everyone seems to enjoy it. Also, I hope it doesn't fall flat (i.e., my participants deciding this museum is not really "their thing"). But, as I've just said, I'm going to relax and just let it happen, however it may unfold. Maybe they like it, maybe they don't; maybe we'll have stimulating discussion as we peruse the depths of the museum, or maybe we'll occasionally say "that's neat" as we pass by exhibits. That's the nature of real conversation, after all!

Blog Post #3

During my past few sessions, I've definitely noticed that facilitating a conversation is very different from planning one in advance. I tend to prepare a few discussion questions for each session, but most of the work happens during the chat. I think it's really important as a facilitator to actively listen while each participant is speaking. That way, you can look for good opportunities for follow-up questions, and mentally note potential ideas for future discussion questions. Often, we won't get to some of my prepared questions because the discussion will keep going in new and different paths. 

While I have definitely gotten to know my participants better, I still feel that attendance has had some of a negative impact on group dynamics. So far, while I've had decent attendance, no single member has made it to every session. Still, I have been trying to create positive group dynamics through activities and ice-breakers that can help them get to know each other better while practicing English. In the future, I hope to incorporate less get-to-know-you activities, and more meaningful conversations and discussion topics. 

One difficulty I've had during sessions has been transitioning between different activities. I feel that, because my group is generally quiet, I have to plan each session more carefully. However, I fear that this makes our time seem more like a class. I hope to better be able to incorporate and introduce different discussion activities without seeming too much like a teacher! 

#3 Attend with intent

So my group haven't quite bonded with one another yet. Now I don't know whether is it because my group consist of students who are not in the same year or is because I lack the ability to create a common bond among one another. As someone who enjoys having some structure in any conversation, I had made prior arrangements with different facilitates in Michigan to make sure my group does not feel that all we do is just sit and talk. In spite of my attempts, the dwindling presence of my group members seem to indicate otherwise. Most have been polite enough to send me an email a day or even an hour prior to the session and I have appreciated that. However, some did not reply and that hindered my sessions because I tend to wait for them till Michigan time (which I do not follow), only to realize it is going to be just me, my friend and one student.

After my last chat cafe, I realized that I wasn't very clear with my group about the 'no reply' policy with attendance. I was too naive to assume that people can spare one hour of their lives to come and practice English (primary goal), play or eat together after a hectic week. Being proved otherwise, I emailed the attendance policy to my group and told them clearly to take the necessary step if I am unable to satisfy their requirements.

Now that I am done 'nagging', I just wanted to thank Carson and Angelo for providing the class with the survey handout. I found it very useful and I used the 'trivia Jenga' game for my group and the student I played with enjoyed it so much that he wanted to go past the hour and play some more. The survey handout has a lot of useful information and I would definitely suggest my peers to look back and use the suggestions for future events.

Blog Post #3

I think planning a conversation in advance is good in order to have a general idea of what the dialogue will be about. However, I do think that when the real conversation takes place, it ends up taking a different course. We may be following the general theme of what I had planned (such as professional development or favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor), but the way the conversation plays out is completely spontaneous. I think that is the best way to facilitate dialogue – to let things rolling among the participants in order to allow for more creativity and different ways of thought.

By getting to know my participants better and observing them closely, I have been focusing our discussions on what will benefit them the most and how I can maximize their time wisely. I have four consistently active participants who are most interested in recruiting and finding an internship. I have been advising them on resume and cover letter help as well as interview tips and how to generally go about the recruiting process. By bringing in my experience from the business school and recruiting knowledge, I have been trying to advise them on what to do and what not to do. It seems to be working effectively. I even send them additional resources outside of class.

Blog Post 3

Last week was a pretty good week. On Wednesday, we had our meeting in the south courtyard of West quad. I am kind of scared of one of the girls in the group cuz she’s really intense, but we had a lot of fun. I always start with the rose and thorns, which is where we say the highs and lows of our week, and a lot of had no rose but many thorns. It’s getting to that point in the semester where everything is full speed and everyone is exhausted. Then, we did an activity where we all write down something interesting/weird about ourselves and we pick up someone else’s by random and try to guess whose it is. They weren’t very into it.

I also realized this person in my Wednesday conversation group has not came to any meetings and has not replied to my last two emails. I emailed him again but I think I will continued to be ignored.

On Thursday, I got on North 20 minutes early to walk around pierpont and got lost but that’s okay because I found another place for us to have circle. It’s the reflection room for personal reflection but I doubted anyone would use it so I bought circle there after we did rose and thorns. We played human knot. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but when I play it at my summer camp, it always takes forever, but every time I try it with cafe chat/conversation circle, they solve it in like 2 minutes. Anyways, after that, we played king frog and then the game evolved to woosha, which is requires teamwork. I was on my own team because the game is more fun with more teams. It was really funny and I think they liked it. I really happy with their attendance. We had a full circle two weeks in a row which is amazing. The group deserves an attendance award I think. I hope no one ever has to use the reflection room on Thursday night so we can unofficially claim it.

I’m not sure if I plan for circle differently now that I’m starting to get to know them better. I don’t know how to be like “let’s discuss this topic” without being too awkward so I usually like to come with games. I do have a better idea of what they like though. All of us in my Thursday conversation group speak Chinese and a lot of play mahjong so I thought I could bring in my mahjong set sometime and we can all learn each other’s versions. However, that’s not a very American thing. There are a lot of Asians here. Between my two cafe chats and one conversation group, I only have one non Asian person.

#2

For my first session (Friday 9/25), I brought Insomnia for the circle and we hung out on the diag for the hour. While I had prepared a few questions/conversation topics should they become necessary, I found that conversation for the most part flowed naturally between my group members, four of whom were able to come to this first meeting. After going through the necessary introductions (name, hometown/country, year, major, etc.), we got right to chatting. Our conversation didn’t slow down for the full hour - we talked about everything from class-based associations with skin color in China, to Laser Tag, to seasonal activities in Ann Arbor (corn mazes, pumpkin carving), to Chinese and Korean cuisine differences. All in all I felt pretty good about the first session; while there was one rather quiet student, he did speak up at points and I wondered if it was just that he was a bit more shy than the three girls present. 

For my second session, we met at Espresso Royale on State Street - in retrospect a poor choice of location for a conversation on a Friday afternoon. This is to say, while we were able to talk to each other for the most part without difficultly, the noise level interfered somewhat with our ability to hear everyone around the table. In any case, again I had four people present (1 notified me that she could not make it, the other did not), but the two that were not present last week were able to make it, which was great! Again, conversation was pretty good - we talked a lot about the economic situation in China (3/4 were economics majors, 4/4 were from China), and this topic led to a discussion about what we had all done over the summer, since one student had interned at an investment bank in Shanghai during the onset of the crisis. 

In the end, I was happy to have had the chance to hear from Carlo and Angelo before my first session. While I prepared for (and worried about) my first sessions to a certain extent, they reminded me that my focus should be on actively participating in (rather than at the head of) the group and on being flexible to roll with whatever interests my circle members.

Blog Post #2!

Blog Post #2, and the only one that will ever be late! I caught a cold/flu/the Michigan plague (?) on Friday and have been basically sleeping ever since. HOWEVER, I am extremely glad that I got to experience two Chat Cafe group meetings before it set in!

Meeting #1: Bubble Island (6/6 attended)
Yay! As I shared in class, I was beyond ecstatic about how well my first meeting went! A lot of the participants found common ground with each other. I guess I'd say 4 of my members are quite extroverted and the other two are a bit quieter, which is totally cool. I think it leads to a good group dynamic! Two members are from Malaysia, two are from China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), and two are from Europe (someone doing a semester exchange here from Italy and someone from France). I'm actually so thrilled that they love talking about where they are from because I'm extremely curious to know about the differences from our cultures.
Anyway, for the duration of our hour together, I used the strategy of pair-conversations before sharing with the full group. I found that once the members had a chance to talk to someone else (a very low intimidation environment), they were less afraid of speaking in the larger group. We talked about the basics (year, major/s, where they're living, how college is different here) and a little more about what they wanted out of our sessions. They were pretty unanimously decided: they just wanted to talk. And, I am totally down for that. We ended up wrapping up our time together with the intent of getting lunch together next week at Chipotle, which is heavenly.
Also, I think the addition of having a photographer at our first meeting was funny, weird, and helpful, in a way. We, a mix-match of random people, were meeting for the very first time, and our interactions were getting captured! Thank goodness everyone was receptive of new things-- like, the bubble tea, too! A few people had bubble tea for the first time, and I'm glad I got to share that passion of mine with them.
Pros: Fluid conversations, good bonding
Future Concerns: WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT NEXT TIME...

Meeting #2: Chipotle/Diag (5/6 attended)
So, overall, I think this was a little more hectic of a meeting... We met outside of Chipotle a little earlier than 1:30 and got in line together to get lunch. HOWEVER, Chipotle at 1:30 is LOUD, and the line is LONG. It was a little awkward trying to talk to everyone in a group conversation was being pushed along in the line, but that's okay, lesson learned: Chipotle will not give a quiet setting good for conversations. A few people never ordered from Chipotle before, so I tried to give them a good run through on what to expect. So, after we finally all got our food, we trekked on over to the diag to eat and play "Never Have I Ever" (per Jessica's suggestion! good idea, Jessica). I asked who knew how to play it, and one of my members asked if it was a drinking game! Thus, we got into a little of how alcohol plays into all of our cultures and how society receives drinking. Always an interesting subject to compare the U.S. with.
A meal and quite a few rounds of "Never Have I Ever", we then pulled out a picture of our family or our dorm room (which I did ask them to bring, but totally forgot about as we just talked and played games). It was great to see how animated my members got when they talked about something they really cared about-- like their family or their personal rooms.
We also decided that getting food at each of our meetings would be a good idea because we all basically have class right before or right after the meeting-- so, we are meeting in the basement of the Union next!
Pros: Got to know each other more, shared yummy food
Future Concerns: I'm going to bring cards and homemade "easier" Taboo cards for our next meeting! I hope it's well received and that my awesome attendance keeps up!

Blog Post 2

It's funny (and probably a feeling shared by every person in WRITING 302) how much I worried and fretted over my first Chat Cafe session. My session was at 7pm on a Friday (I think it's the latest of all the sessions) so the pressure definitely mounted over the course of the week. Hearing the stories other facilitators told Carson and Angelo didn't help with my odd portentous sensation. What if no one shows up to my session?, I thought, what if they don't like me? What if they think I'm too laid-back? Too rigid? In my mind there was much to be worried about. So when Friday came around (o that fateful Friday) and the time approached 7, rather than prepare for the session, I decided to take a nap. My mind was all over the place, a jumbled amalgamation of nightmarish expectations and optimistic anxiety, so I thought it best to simply relax myself and allow my mind to cool off. When I awoke around 6:30, I still felt anxious but in an oddly rejuvenated way, in a way that I couldn't wait to find out how the Chat Cafe session would go.

And now that my first session is a week behind me, I can't wait for tomorrow. Even though two students were absent and it was somewhat awkward trying to locate them in Diag (there was an unfortunate instance where a student was offended that I dared suggest he needed to be a part of a Chat Cafe session), it was still a great time. The four students that came were all actively engaged, were keen on asking each others and just seemed like genuinely good people. All the backup plans and the backup backup plans I had in the back of my mind, stayed there. It was just as though I was hanging out with regular acquaintances. The main things we discussed were football and American college student's proclivity to alcohol consumption. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't the most appropriate ambassador for 'AMERICAN CULTURE' since I've only lived in the country three years but even the little information I could give them on things was more than appreciated. Hopefully I can try to uncover the subtleties of Chinese and Spanish culture. And though I hope that the two other students make it to the session tomorrow, I personally think that four is probably the optimum group capacity.

This is going to seem somewhat off topic but I just thought of this point as I was writing. Some other facilitators spoke about playing games during their sessions, which I thought can occasionally be a fun idea. But after thinking about it, I find the idea of playing a word game or having them complete some comprehension exercise to be ultimately patronizing. Playing a game like Taboo once is more than fine, but if you feel the need to rely on games or word exercises or even funny questions, in my mind, is condescending to the student. It's as though you think they are incapable of being interesting outside of a few word games. I know this is harsh and I am by no means indicting trying to do fun things in sessions, especially as a means to try to get more shy students to open up. This is just me jabbering. I'm curious to see what other facilitators think and am eager to hear different viewpoints.