Blog Post 5

Cafe Chat has been going pretty well! I am making this blog post right now because during class when Scott asked if we had all made 4 blog posts I had a mini heart attack and couldn't remember, but I did. Now I'm paranoid.
      Anyways, last week for Halloween, I bought in a craft for my Thursday Cafe Chat. We all made pumpkins. First, we cut up little orange strips and we wrote what we were thankful about on them. Then, we put it together in a way that made a pumpkin. I didn't have as much fun as I thought as I would, probably because I had already made so many with the 2nd graders I worked with that morning, but I think they had fun. I got chills when we all went around sharing what we were thankful for. A lot of them pointed out stuff that I had never though about, and it was very eyeopening. I felt like I got to know them a lot better.
       On Friday, my conversation circle carved a pumpkin together and it was a lot of fun because I've only "worked together" on it with my dad once. (He did the whole thing) The pumpkin turned out really well but it has started to smell and my RA threw it away.
     This Wednesday, one of the girls in my Wednesday group who had stopped coming came again and I was shocked but really happy because I really liked her when I met her that first week. We spent a lot of time on rose and thorns and we were all sitting on comfortable couches. I had a lot of fun talking to them, and I am really hoping no one felt too awkward during that time. We did the activity I did with my Thursday group where we write a phrase and pass on to the next person and they have to go off that phrase, but it didn't work as well it did with my thursday group because they didn't seem to understand the way I explained it as well, and there were only 2 people in each group instead of three. However, we still had fun and they all added me on facebook finally.
     Today, I had a really good time with my Thursday group. I get to vent about my problems to them and they think it's funny even though it's not, but that's okay. Rose and thorns took about 30 minutes. Then, we played the game where we start with a written message and someone draws a picture off that message and someone writes a message off of that picture...etc. We did 6 chains at a time so everyone could have something to write or draw at the same time. I started all the chains so it wasn't as fun for me, but that's okay because it made it more fun for them because I told them that everything was about me so they made fun of me (jokingly) in their writings and drawings. All 6 ended up with me in them at the end even though I didn't specify it was me in the beginning.
    I really want to plan and do fun things with my Wednesday group, but attendance is so shaky that I'm reluctant to do any of that because I leave the house at 9am and don't get back until after conversation circle. If I plan activities, I usually bring props etc and I don't want to carry it around all day and not be able to do it...I'm not sure what to do about this.

#4

I just finished my meeting for this week and it went really well. I have a moment of panic at the beginning of every session that no one will show up, but at least so far that has never happened! This week we started a little but by talking about Halloween again what we all did for the weekend and the whole time I had in the back of my head that if I needed a topic we could talk about dealing with stress and the different things available on campus for managing stress, but our conversation flowed really normally.
I'm not sure how we got onto the topic but we started talking about weddings and one of my group members described a traditional Korean wedding ceremony, which was really cool! Per usual our conversation led to talking about tv and movies, which seems to be all of our favorite topics :). We talked about some Korean movies for a while and then all got really wrapped up in a conversation about the avengers and the new Captain America movie. At the end of the cafe I suggested that sometime near the end of the semester we should have a movie night which they were all really receptive to! So I think the next couple meetings we'll work our where we'll watch it, what movie we want to see and of course, what snacks.
Attendance has become pretty standard, there are two girls who absolutely always show up and one girl who missed two meetings near the beginning but since then has been at all the meetings. There is a fourth member who comes everyone once and a while and when he does I think it's always a nice and don't notice too different of a group dynamic.

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!