As I mentally prepare myself for my first sessions next week, I am caught between a hyped kind of excitement and a fizzing nervousness. I really don't know what to expect (although reading the blog entries from last year did certainly help). I'm caught between wondering if I'm under preparing and I'll meet up with my group and be completely not ready to facilitate conversation or if I'll accidentally end up turning the atmosphere into a stiff classroom-like hierarchy, which I definitely don't want but can see happening-- when I get nervous I sometimes get a little more formal than I normally am, which certainly won't lead to the relaxed camaraderie that I want for the group.
Instead, I'm planning some open ended questions to start with and perhaps sticking with depending on how conversation flows in the groups and how willing the others are in picking topics to discuss. I like the idea of spending some time each session with discussing topical things (holidays, perhaps politics if it's not too divisive, etc) as well as their current struggles and triumphs with living in Ann Arbor. A friend told me about a game that he played with his roommates every night called rose/thorn/bud, where every person went around and said something positive that had happened (their rose), something negative that had happened (their thorn), and something that they were looking forward to (their bud). I think this might be a nice way to not only get to know each other, but to encourage the group to open up about how they're doing and give opportunities to support each other some. I'll have to see how this goes though. I think one of my struggles might be in being flexible in how I facilitate and thinking of alternatives when something isn't really taking hold like I want it to.
Ultimately, though, I just really want my group to enjoy themselves. I think getting to know other people, especially from cultures that are not the ones we were born into, is just exciting, and it should be a time of positivity and sharing and growth. I really hope that I can provide that atmosphere for my groups!!
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