Blog 6- Reflections

I have to say, the past two conversation circles have been a great improvement from before!  I would have to attribute this success to changing the meeting location and the topics.  I decided to take the advice of some of the other conversation circle leaders, and hold a conversation circle at the Natural History Museum across from CC Little.  The two girls that showed up enjoyed the museum immensely, and we had a great time walking around and discussing the dinosaur remains.  There is something so relaxing about moving and just talking freely about whatever you observe, which is something I was afraid to do earlier in the semester for fear of running out of things to say.  When we had watched the movies, I always felt like the facilitator, but in this case, I feel as though I am on the same level as my conversation circle participants.  We enjoyed this new style so much that we agreed to meet at the museum for our next conversation circle.  I only wish I had started this earlier!

            From this point forward, I would say that I am adopting a much more comfortable attitude with the participants.  Now that we have been together for almost three months, I think of them as friends, not merely participants.  I would like to use these last couple weeks to do more fun activities with them that we would not have been able to do when we first met, such as dinners together.  We actually have one planned for later this week which is really exciting!  Additionally, some of my members had mentioned that they will be on the west coast in San Francisco during Christmas break, and I offered to show them around the city, which they sounded flattered and honored, which was really heartwarming.  I think that this transformation into true friends is something that I hadn’t anticipated, but is welcome nonetheless.  When I study abroad myself next semester, I hope to participate in a similar style of conversation circle, and have a similarly rewarding experience.  I think that I could apply my experience as a facilitator when I come back senior year, and maybe work as a Sweetland peer tutor hopefully!

Blog 6: Creative Capstone Reflections

Over the past few weeks, I have really enjoyed working on my creative capstone project for this course.  It has served as a means for me to have very meaningful conversations with people at the University.  I have decided to focus my project to be specific to the College of Engineering because I think the campaign could have a great impact there since there is a very limited amount of cross-cultural education embedded in the curriculum.

I shared a fascinating conversation with one of my professors of biomedical engineering about her experience as a faculty member who is multilingual.  I found the conversation to be important to developing a better understanding of the issue.  A few of the lasting takeaways from that conversation were that she believes that "immigrants just have to work harder" because of the inherent difficulties with living in another culture/language, she said that proficiency is more important than accent, and people need to be aware of their own biases towards pronunciation when evaluating others.

I had another conversation with the Assistant Director of Student Affairs in the College of Engineering about the more practical aspects of developing a inclusivity campaign in the college.  We talk about how it important to make the language used to be accessible to the intended audience.  For people who often study topics of identity and culture, terms that we use in discussions are actually rather confusing for others.

I have also done some academic research into studies on the discrimination of multilingual speakers.  I believe that these findings should be useful in constructing the posters for the inclusivity campaign that I am developing.

Blog 6

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks in regards to conversation circles. I held two sessions where only one participant came (very new for me) and I was able to visit Emma's where unfortunately no one showed up, but her and I had a love conversation about family and the future and the like. And even though I have this idea that I'm supposed to be bummed that attendance has been lacking, I'm not. And I think part of that is because I get it - the semester is slowly taking over each of us. But also because I think the last two conversations with Xin last week and Kyle this week were the most natural and enjoyable conversations I've had all semester. And a lot of that is me. I definitely relied a lot on having a structure to fall back on that a sort of natural flow may not have had the space to grow. In addition, I'm definitely more comfortable and engaged in a conversation with just me and another person.

I've been thinking a lot about whether or not I want to be a facilitator again. And for the longest time, I was thinking it wasn't for me. Having to come up with something every week was one more thing that I needed to think about and it constantly got back-burnered. I don't want to do that again because it doesn't feel productive or valuable for any of us.

But on Tuesday sometime between talking about Thanksgiving, Festivals in Taiwan, and whether or not her should take 125 or take a multi-lingual writers class first he asked me if I was going to do this again. I told him I wasn't sure, that it'd depend on how the credits fell. And he said, if you do it again, I'll definitely do it again.

It's a warming thought - and as we were sitting there talking about English teachers and German teachers I had a strong desire to be one again. If this is what it's like, I thought, I would love to do it again.

I still haven't decided, but what I know I'd like to do, formally or not, is to invite my participants back next semester and see if they want to take an hour, half hour out of their week, or every once in awhile to talk and catch up. Right now that feels like a good compromise.

Blog Post #5

Lately, I've been trying to think in very concrete terms how Chat Cafes benefit international students, and whether the two girls who regularly attend my conversation circles feel like it's been a helpful or enjoyable experience in any way. It's hard (impossible, probably) to force amicability and friendship to form naturally and spontaneously within a group and, similarly, it's difficult to pinpoint people's exact feelings without asking them candidly and assuming they will be honest in return. That's why, last week, when one of the girls expressed the desire to continue attending out weekly meet-ups next semester I was both pleasantly surprised and privately thrilled. I don't think the successful cohesion of our group has been due to my efforts so much as sheer luck but I'm still very happy that the Chat Cafes have brought these two students some enjoyment these past few months! 

As an international student myself, I'm no stranger to the feeling of isolation and disengagement that being "foreign" can be; when I was a freshman I often felt so unattached and disconnected from the reality of "college life" that I couldn't figure who or how to be, if that makes any sense. I wonder if feeling part of a group like a Chat Cafe would have assuaged those feelings a little. It's definitely an idealistic, rose-colored notion but it'd be nice if Chat Cafes could be a moment to touch base, an hour to kind of talk freely and without the pressure of making American friends or dealing with all the intricacies of navigating a strange country. Although I'd like to continue meeting with these two students next semester, it'd be great if new members could join the group and we could explore the international experience together. 

Returning to more practical topics, tomorrow we will be meeting at Espresso Royale during the UEA's yearly Write-a-Thon! I'm not sure if it'll end up being too loud to hold a conversation but I thought it might be fun to emerge from the conversational unit and engage with an Ann Arbor cultural activity. From what I've seen, the literary scene here can be a lot of fun and very energetic, and I'm excited to see what my conversation circle members think. There's a quote (I'm paraphrasing) that goes: I want to travel the world twice. Once, to experience it myself, and a second time, to see how you experience it. Being an international student is kind of like that, maybe -- although, since you can't really be an undergraduate twice, I'm both experiencing life as a college student and seeing someone else experience it at the same time!

Blog Post 5

Attendance has been a common theme of difficulty with conversation circles the past two weeks. When I attended Megan's conversation circle a two weeks ago, unfortunately none of her participants came.  Instead of letting this be the end of the conversation, Megan and I shared a wonderful conversation and got to know each other much better.  Despite actually observing her facilitate the conversation, I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know another facilitator better, which is difficult with our class only being 1 hour per week.

Attendance has also been woefully low for my participants for my circle.  I have one student Xiaoman, who communicates and attends regularly.  It has been a great experience to get to know her on a more individual level.  I can tell that as we continue to build trust between us, she is more willing to steer conversation into more unfamiliar territories.  Overall we talk less about school and more about personal goals and life "back home."

Finally, I am very excited by my creative capstone project.  I have already arranged an interview with a non-native English speaking professor to hear about her experience to inform my project.  I have also contacted staff in Student Affairs in the College of Engineering to see if it would be possible to garner their support.

Blog 5 - Literati

A couple of weeks ago Kyle, one of my participant suggested that we go to an American bookstore for one of our sessions so this Tuesday that's exactly what we did. I was a little worried about it, to be honest. The last 'excursion' session to the Kelsey didn't feel particularly productive conversation wise. But I wanted to make sure we did what Kyle had suggested.

It went so well. And I'm trying to figure out what was different. Perhaps it was because all but one showed up. Perhaps it was because Literati was open, instead of the closed UMMA which we tried to go to first. Or perhaps it was that walk - which was at least three times longer. 

On the sidewalk we ended up splitting into groups, Xin and me talking about conferences and Kyle, Sen and Hiroki behind. My conversation with Xin was brought up by her and lasted the entire way - we had seemed to have moved beyond small talk. And when we got there, we all spread out  and Kyle came and asked me about American authors - which led to me being able to lend a book to him. Otherwise we circled about asking questions. Hiroki loved the covers of the books - a personal love of mine, and Xin and I played a non competitive game of scrabble on one of the tables. I found Sen looking at travel books and we had a nice conversation about that. I was surprised by how quickly the time passed. I found I had to say "oops, we've got to go" so everyone could make it to class on time.

On the way back a conversation struck up about bookstores in America vs. their home countries. I learned that Taiwan still has 'bookstores like department stores' and that in Japan almost everyone still buys books from bookstores - compared to trouble that bookstores are facing here because of Amazon and the like. I like the new direction this week seemed to take us in.

I plan to ask them to bring something in and talk about it for next week. Show and tell. And I hope that i'll get us talking more about each other and our stories.

DINNER!

I wish that this blog post was for next week, because I have an exciting, new group activity that I will be trying for the first time. Instead of our normal 3-4pm meeting, my conversation group will meet this coming Monday evening at the Taste of India restaurant for dinner at 6. Even though this event will still technically be a part of the conversation circle atmosphere, it is our first time meeting outside of our timer period. It feels like it will be more of a conversation among friends, rather than among participants in a circle.

For the sake of clarification, I would like to address the main question that came up in class about organizing a meal trip for the conversation circle. For my group, no complaints or issues of economic means have come as of yet. I am not sure if this is genuine (i.e. no one actually feels they are unable to pay for a dinner out) or if no one has mentioned such issues because they did not feel comfortable. I might try to get Sweetland to cover the bill in order to address these problems before the dinner. Also, I am interested to see how food will change or affect the dynamic of our group. Will there be more conversation because of the setting? Or will the food distract us? I am glad that all of my participants agreed on Indian food, because I think it is perfect for sharing. This, I hope, will add another element to the conversation.

I will be sure to post after the dinner to tell you all how it went! In the meantime, any suggestions? Thoughts about this new experiment? 

Blog #5

Interestingly enough, my participants have expressed almost no cultural frustrations.  Instead, they seem very interested in getting to know what the differences are between their own culture and the cultures of others in the group.  This is a sentiment that I also echo.  We are fortunate to have participants from Turkey/Germany as well as from China, and that combined with my American perspectives allows us to look at a given topic with varied perspectives.  One such instance came around when we were discussing the topic of amount of children allowed in a household.  The German participant mentioned that in many European countries, families are paid by the government to have extra children.  When she said that, the Chinese participants eyes widened, and they said that, in China, there are laws in place to prevent the amount of children born to each family.  While the Chinese students did not necessarily seem frustrated, they seemed confused by the differing cultures rules.

            Through my groups conversations, I have learned about how difficult it is to travel to other parts of the US, or even to Canada.  The students have mentioned time and time again how difficult the visa obtenation process is, and how difficult it may be to travel around because of the lack of train transportation, as well as the fact that none of them have cars.  Their struggles really make me appreciate how convenient it is for me to get from place to place, or travel to Canada without any difficulties.

            I don’t think it is within Sweetland’s means to find solutions for the international students.  Their area of expertise is more in acclimation to student life at the university, and I think my students are doing a great job at that so far.

Blog 5 - Progress and Thoughts on Language

I was feeling really pumped after my Kelsey Museum meeting two weeks ago. I really do like all my Chat Cafe members and am excited to see them every week! However, Jake came to visit my group last Thursday but no one showed up. That sucked. But it's okay. Jake and I actually sat and talked for an hour and got to know each other better so it wasn't a complete loss. It was interesting to compare how I've been holding conversations with my group and how I held a conversation with Jake. I think in my Chat Cafes I have been very confident and more like a leader than I was when conversing with Jake. I hadn't realized this until after talking with Jake. This was also further emphasized when I visited Jamie's group. I was part of a Chat Cafe but I was no longer the leader. I was able to sit back and become a normal member. I think I enjoy both roles, the leader and the ordinary member.

But are these roles demonstrative of normal conversation? Is there a normal leader in conversation and then members who depend upon him or her? Or is conversation actually much more equal and fluid? I imagine all the conversations I have with different people in different roles. How do I use conversation when speaking with customers? How do I speak to my subordinates and how does this change when we go out together outside an office environment? I've come to the conclusion that conversation is a funny thing. No, language is a funny thing. Sometimes a conversation has a leader and sometimes it doesn't. But why? How does a conversation begin with a leader but end with another? Do you need a leader in order to begin a conversation?

I've asked many questions that I don't know the answer to but I think they're interesting questions nonetheless.

Blog 5: Understanding International Students

I can say with confidence that a year ago I did not know anything about international students. I knew that they were here, and had I been asked could have talked about how impressive it was that they were studying at the University level in a second language. But I had never really interacted with any of these students. I hesitate to write this because it groups international students together in one jumbled mythical idea, and my own desire to understand people as individuals reacts really negatively to this kind of language. Yet I think that this is how a lot of students at the university view international students, and I've come to understand that this is extremely problematic.

It wasn't until starting my work as a peer tutor in the writing center that I really began to understand how difficult it must be to be an international student. I read essays about missing home and the difficulty in being submersed in a completely different culture. I had conversations with frustrated students who felt dumb because they couldn't figure out a way to present their brilliant ideas on paper. And I began to understand that international students face very real struggles, and though it's very exciting for many of them to be here it's also very difficult.

That being said, being a conversation circle facilitator has only strengthened my desire to reach out to and learn from these peers. Almost every week in our conversation we bring up cultural differences between China, Mongolia, and America, discussing the nature of the cultures in general, the educational systems, drivers licenses, holidays, and much more. And through every one of these cultures my own ignorance is brought to my attention. They've told me about how difficult it is to come and not know anyone, and to feel isolated by university communities, feeling most comfortable when they are with students from their own country of origin. In one specific conversation we discussed the importance of identification in the US, and how difficult it is for them to get identification. Either they have to apply for a state ID, or they have to get some sort of drivers license, which can cost a lot because they would also have to take drivers ed. classes. Otherwise, they have to carry around their passports, even to go to clubs or bars. This was something that I hadn't even thought about before we talked about it. It seems like a small thing, but for the girls in my group it's a significant concern.

This, and other conversations, have led me really to realize my privilege in being American and being a native English speaker. Besides practical knowledge about cultural differences I think this is one of the most significant things I've been learning this semester through my conversations with my group. I've been reflecting on this a lot the last couple of days. Our conversation Monday was full of small moments when I realized how difficult it must be to be student in a foreign country. Yet throughout this conversation they talked about how much they liked it here, and how cool it was to be studying at an American university. Each week our conversation leaves me with a lot to think about, which has been really good for me to understand more about international students.