Chat Cafe: Winter Edition

I was pretty nervous about starting Chat Cafe again this semester.  My group from last fall had set the bar high--they were terrific, active participants who, by December, I considered to be friends.  So, naturally, I figured things would even out and I might not have such a great experience this time (eternal pessimist--isn't it charming?).  Boy, was I wrong.

My first two sessions of the semester were a tad unorthodox--at the first, three of the six people signed up for the group came, and at the second, the other three came (no one from the first session was able to attend).  Although initially dismayed by this (only two weeks in, and already half of the group can't make it--eek!), I realize in retrospect that this split, smaller group accident actually laid some really nice groundwork for us.  At those first two sessions, there was a degree of intimacy that can be difficult to establish in a group of seven in which no one knows each other.  Conversation flowed easily, we broke into pairs naturally and then came back together as a single group, and everyone became familiar with other people really quickly.  This was one of the things I was hoping would happen with the board game I created for my capstone project last semester--group members would become comfortable with just one other person, which would hopefully set them at ease with the group as a whole.  (To my slight disappointment, though, we didn't actually play the board game itself--I asked about it at the first two sessions, but no one really seemed interested, and because things were going well otherwise, I figured there was no reason to push.)

After these initial sessions, we've had pretty much full attendance--and like I hoped, the familiarity created in those first two meetings have really helped the group mesh as one.  Members are really talkative in this group, which I love--we've actually already had some really interesting discussions about Mandarin, the layout/architecture of Chinese cities, and Spring Festival.  It's interesting to me that this group seems to be a bit more open to talking about their lives before college than my previous one was--last semester, most discussions centered around life at UM and in the US, but this semester has had a bit broader reach.  I like that my two semesters facilitating have given a mix of discussion topics, because I feel that I've both been able to help familiarize students with some of the idiosyncrasies of American life and learned from them more about the world at large.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens this semester--my gut tells me things are going to go well.  This group has great chemistry, and I love that I've gotten better at letting conversations flow where they will, rather than where I want them to go.  Last semester, Chat Cafe became a bright spot at the end of my week that helped pull me through school and work, and I have no reason to think it won't continue to be that.  It's exciting to spend time with my group, and I can't wait to see what conversations unfold in the coming weeks.

Chat Cafe Check-in

My chat cafe this semester has been a very easy going group! We've had a few late adds and so there will presumably be new people at our meeting this week. It will be interesting to see how this changes the dynamic, but we had a late add earlier in the semester and it was very easy to incorporate him into our dynamic. Everyone is pretty open and comfortable so I haven't had much difficulty making sure everyone talks. We've talked mostly about school and food and I've tried to keep them updated on my favorite events on campus like UMMA After Hours (one this Friday 5-8!).

I've gone to restaurants with my groups in the past but I think cost-wise it might not be as feasible with this group. Instead I'm thinking I'll do some sort of pot-luck movie night in an open classroom which I've done in the past. Several group members mentioned they liked baking brownies, so maybe a brownie night! Since we meet after museums and such are closed I've been thinking about other activities we can do instead and I did card games a few times which I might try again or a day where we play games like 2 truths and a lie or 20 questions which worked nicely the other times I've done them. I also told them about the Wellness Zone in CAPS in the Union which is open until 7 so I might take them there to try out the massage chairs which are so nice!

All and all it's shaping up to be another great semester!

I am very surprised at how  talkative my chat cafe group was this semester. Usually, it is the grad students in my conversation circle that will direct questions at me and keep the conversation going. For chat cafe, I usually have to come up with activities to break the ice. However, my activity for this conversation circle has been pushed off many weeks already because the members have been bringing up conversation topics. One member is especially talkative and has been texting me questions about courses and asking for advice, but he has not been taking over the group. His English is on the more advanced side which I think is because of his extroverted nature, but he always waits for those who speak slower and tries to help those whose English skills are not as fluent to help others comprehend. The only problem is that he texts me in Chinese and sometimes my Chinese is not good enough to keep up with him but I am trying to accommodate to him. I respond to his texts in English but I do not feel the need to make him text me in English because I am sure he reads a lot of English for his classes and the point of chat cafe is to help for conversation.
Our meeting place is in a reserved room in East Hall, and I'm not sure if it feels too much like a class or if the meeting room is a good idea. I know it can feel lie a class at first, but I really like having a private place because I feel like it is a safer place because they know no one else can listen in on the conversation. In addition, we can play silly games without having outsiders look at us. Last semester, I had a bigger room where it would have been inconvenient to sit at the chairs around the table because there were so many tables pushed together for one big table. At first I moved the tables but that made the room feel cramped and weird to be surrounded by tables so then I had them just sit on the tables and make that the new floor, but this semester the room is smaller and it feels cozier.
Overall, I am very happy with my chat cafe group this semester and I hope we continue to have good conversations with the topics that the members bring up.