Chat cafe has been a wonderful experience for me, and I am very glad to have been a part of it. I met some wonderful people, had very nice conversations, and learned a lot about what life can be like for international students at UMich. I would definitely do it again, mostly because I have learned from my past experiences and from fellow facilitators about what not and what to do.
One of my favorite chat cafe sessions was when only one of my participants came. At first, I was bummed that so many of my participants couldn't make it. But, our conversation ended up being wonderful. We talked all about our families, our history with relationships, what are plans for our future are, and more. I felt honored that my participant was willing to share personal details with me and that she could trust me. It felt like we were friends instead of facilitator and participant. Another session I really enjoyed was when I prompted my group with questions about themselves. I remember a lot of us interpreted the question in different ways, which made our responses very unique and also hilarious at times. It seemed like everyone was comfortable and it was one of the times where we were sad that our hour had passed so quickly.
I learned something from each and every one of my sessions, which I really value. I am always someone who is very inquisitive and tries to be open minded, and I think chat cafe has helped me expand on those qualities. I learned about how to hold a conversation with a stranger who may not be fluent in English. I learned that there are a variety of struggles that international students go through. I learned that there are so many things that international students do not know about UMich or even American culture, which can make things hard for adjustment.
If I were to do this again, I would plan more. I always thought about how I would love to do more activities, or go to more places, but I truly never got the time. I also felt that since my sessions were on Thursday evenings, it made it hard to have an outing. I think I would have benefitted from a little more structure, although it is definitely not a necessity. I also would have tried to change up the scene more or maybe invited more students to join throughout the semester, as my group was never larger than 4 people. But, all of these things are simply suggestions. I loved my experience and I wouldn't change it!
From here, I hope to definitely be a facilitator again if I get the chance. I love being an ally to our international friends and I absolutely love meeting them and hearing their stories. I hope to use this experience as a personal learning experience, as I feel that I have grown and really pushed myself somewhat out of my comfort zone. I also hope to reach out to international students in my classes and maybe help spread the word of chat cafe or simply be a friend to them. I have learned that I am able to carry on a conversation, gauge what the group needs, and be committed to a group of students that I care about. I hope to get an experience like this again :)
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