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!