Wrap up

I've really enjoyed being a conversation circle facilitator this past semester, as well as reading about and discussing different aspects of language learning and cultural identity in class.  Meeting with my group of international students as well as Isabella each week has been a great experience.  I feel like I have learned a lot, both about China and South Korea and about what it's like to be an international student at the University of Michigan (and what it's like in particular to be a computer science student as well, since coursework for that major was also a frequent topic!).  One of the things that I liked the most though was that I didn't even really think of it as a conversation circle or an international student group by the end, it was just an hour every week when I got to hang out with nice people and somehow get class credit for it.  While we would sometimes discuss directly cultural differences between the US and their home countries, or talk about things like internet censorship, it was almost better when those topics came up as part of a conversation about something else we all had in common, like the movie Cinderella, or the days when we played card games.  One of my favorite times was when they taught us a popular Chinese card game this past week, with a name that goes something along the lines of "Defeat the landlord." Three people can play at a time, and each round one person is the landlord and the other two are peasants who work to together to defeat the landlord.  The names of the different types of cards you can play range from the common card hands (pair, triple, straight) to those distinctly related to the figurative setup of the game (bomb, rocket).  It was really fun to play and had similar rules to some other games I've played before, but the concept is so interesting to consider and think about (there would never be a card game in the US where the goal is to defeat the landlord- we have Monopoly and Life instead where the goal is to get rich!).  So moments like those were my favorite, where we were just having a lot of fun but also got to notice some cultural differences and often would then laugh about them together.  I'm definitely going to miss my group and hope to see some of them again in the future!

I'm looking forward to working as a conversation circle facilitator again next year, and hope that I can continue to reach out to the international student population on campus in other ways as well.  I'd like to continue learning more about other countries and cultures as well as meeting new people (and learning more new card games!).

Conversation Circle Visit

Friday I finally had the opportunity to join Irish's conversation circle, and I had a wonderful time.  There were two girls there, and they were both very chatty and sweet.  We went through a series of questions Irish had prepared about education, teaching, classes, and discussed some of the differences in the way education is viewed in the US and in South Korea and the Philippines.  One of the biggest differences was in the way that extracurriculars- sports, music, art, etc- are viewed.  The girls said that in South Korea, parents are strictly interested in having their children study academic subjects, especially math and science (and English from a young age).  They don't see value in arts or music because they don't tend to lead to very lucrative careers (we were all speaking in broad generalizations of course).  In the US on the other hand, there is much more emphasis on being a well-rounded person- someone who only does all academics, all the time is almost seen as being incomplete or strange.  I think some of this is due to a genuine respect for and interest in having a wide range of interests and activities and appreciation for the arts and physical fitness, but some of it is also due to the way our education systems are set up.  Even for parents who are strictly interested in ensuring that their child ends up with a lucrative and successful career, there is a strong incentive for them to engage their children in all kinds of extracurriculars as a way to get to the best college or university.  Both girls agreed that they prefer the American interest in extracurriculars to the strict focus on academics that they grew up with.  Overall it was a good meeting and I really enjoyed getting to meet both of them!

Blog 5: What did I learn so far?

Time is really elusive. In a blink, it's already April. After the crazy winter chills, here comes the unexpectedly windy Spring. The weather here in Ann Arbor is really unpredictable; likewise, the events that occurred to me when I chose to audit this class and became, for the first time, a conversation circle facilitator. The whole experience has truly been life-changing!

What were my hesitations/questions before? What surprised me so far?

a. Hesitation/Question (Before the start of this course): Should I always talk in the circle? Or should I take more the 'Interviewer' role?

What I learned?

People love talking about themselves. So try to think of ways that will encourage the participants to talk more about their interests, their views, and their feelings. And when they are talking, LISTEN INTENTLY. Listen as a friend, not as a conversation leader. For sure, these International students, who may be here for the first time, who may or may not have enough friends, will appreciate someone whom they think will be able to GENUINELY listen to them. And once you find them opening up about themselves, that's when you realize that it is easier to talk about stuff - from silly to nerdy topics.

b. Hesitation/Question (Before the start of this course): I am a non-native speaker of English, myself. Should I fear that they underestimate me (my accent, etc.)?

What did I learn?

To be an effective conversation circle facilitator, one does not need to be a native speaker of English. One important thing I realized from this experience is that an effective facilitator is one who empathizes well with the participants - one who listens, one who understands because he listened, and one who cares because he understood.

c. Hesitation/Question (Before the start of this course): If I talk about cultural differences (i.e. American culture versus Asian culture), would I launch issues that would be very offensive?

What did I learn?

Culture is a VERY interesting topic for any discussion. In fact, I found that when you brought up a single topic - table manners, customer service, greetings, ways of cooking, and the like - people love to compare and contrast. And when the contrast is so apparent, that's when the conversation gets too intense. Some minor disagreements may get in the way, but that's where the beauty of conversation is!

Before, I was so worried about bringing up cultural topics. But now, I learned that culture is so ingrained in people, so bank on that. They love to talk about what they are practicing and they love to compare the practices they are accustomed to having and do to people who do things differently.

I know that in the next few weeks, I will still be learning a lot from this unique journey as a conversation facilitator, and I am looking forward to every lesson I can bring home to.

In Conclusion

My conversation circle group has been changing constantly over the course of the semester. In the beginning, I would have different groups of people each week, and at first I found it frustrating, because I didn't feel like we were forming a group bond. But the past couple of weeks, I have really gotten to know one of my participants, who has been fairly consistent in coming. And I would consider that a success. We have had such interesting conversations (including about the use of the word interesting - and in this case I truly mean interesting) about so many different things. Some of my favorites are comparing our different backgrounds, as she is from China. I have learned so many different things about China, but also that it's hard to generalize about an entire country. I have mostly learned so many things about her as a person. And I truly cherish that opportunity through this conversation circle.

If I had to do it again, I think I would try to stress how important attendance is in the beginning, even though I think I tried to do that. But I would definitely emphasize the importance of letting me know if you can't be there, because people often would not do so. I am also torn on including more activities. I think it would have been great to do something like Emily's group with book-binding (that sounds so cool!) and a good bonding experience. But on the other hand I do like the opportunity to just sit down, take a break, and have a good conversation with people and hear about their weeks and any other things that they want to talk about. I think their group is a great example, because they had both!

As a facilitator, I learned how to be a better listener. I have learned about subtle things that occur in conversation that I usually am not aware of, but as a result of this class I now notice more often - the amount of time it takes for a silence to become "awkward", who starts the conversation, the types of things you ask in a conversation, your responses to someone and how they may perceive them and also how that might be different than what you intend. I will think of this experience when working with international students in the future, hopefully in the field of education! I truly learned so much from them and for that I am grateful.

Progress

Being a conversation circle facilitator this semester has been a surprisingly fun experience.  As the weeks went on, meeting with my group felt less like a school assignment and more like hanging out with friends.  I consider that a success for my circle; the goal of my group appeared to be to practice conversation in English, and because of the friendships formed between us, I think that goal was achieved.  I felt a big breakthrough moment occur when my group was working on book-binding: It would be silent as we concentrated on measuring out paper and sewing pieces together, and then Xin or Kyle would break the silence by asking personal questions to Jamie or me.  This was different from the beginning, where we would all sit in the coffee shop and have directed conversations.  Here, while we were making books, Xin and Kyle would begin talking unprompted by Jamie or me.  I think this shows that they have become much more confident with English speaking throughout the semester.

From being a facilitator, I have become a better listener.  I have also become more open to people who have different backgrounds and experiences than I have had in my life.  I think this will help me if I pursue a career in education because it will remind me to understand the goals and experiences of my students, therefore allowing me to help them in the most effective way.  I have learned quite a bit about the importance of language and of verbal communication, and that different cultures interpret aspects such as tone of voice or silence in different ways.  This knowledge will be useful for me as I interact with new people throughout my life.

Re: Pronunciation and Second Languages

I find the idea of English pronunciation classes being discriminatory a very interesting one.  I would agree with what was said in class and in the article about intelligibility being the most important goal when correcting or learning pronunciation with a non-native speaker.  That being said, I think it is also important to recognize that there currently exists stigma in many ways against those who speak with an accent, especially a strong one which may be intelligible but require extra effort to understand when compared to a native English speaker. (It's also interesting to note the difference in, for example, American reactions to different accents in English- British, Scottish, Australian, French, Italian, and other "Western" accents are frequently considered sexy or intriguing, while accents of ESL speakers from most other parts of the world are not seen in as glamorous a light).  Correcting this stigma is important, but will take time- for students looking to find a job next year, they may want or need a pronunciation class that can help them move past the stigma (perhaps unconscious) of potential employers, etc, associated with a strong non-native accent.  Since the classes are voluntary and it wasn't a group of international students who filed the complaint, it would seem that the students affected either do not feel that their identities are threatened by a pronunciation class, or place a higher priority on the potential gains from assimilating their pronunciation than they do on avoiding this linguistic assimilation.  

While there are delicate questions to consider here, I feel that the focus should be on reducing stigma among native English speakers towards others, on increased foreign language learning among native English speakers (which provides the best opportunity to appreciate how incredible it is that so many people learn English as a second language and then take classes, work, etc, in that second or third or fourth language), and on conversations about protecting other languages as English becomes increasingly common worldwide. Taking course options away from English learners does not, in my opinion, further these goals in a productive way. 

Why Teach Pronunciation?

Only when reading Brinton and Butner (2012) did it occur to me, that some people would think that teaching proper pronunciation would cause uneasiness to the point of considering it a form of racial discrimination. 

Being a teacher of English in the Philippines, I see to it that I rectify, directly or indirectly, students’ 'mispronounced' words because in my understanding, they are learning the English language; hence, they should also learn the sounds of English (its properties, including patterns of stress, rhythm, and intonation, etc.) in order that they may be understood once they speak. Let me make it clear that the term ‘mispronounced’ here refers to an entirely different pronunciation of any of the sounds of a word, thereby producing confusion as to what word has been referred to, consider the example 'set - seat - sit', because a mispronunciation of any of the vowels here will, of course, imply a significantly different meaning. Let me also make it clear that English teachers never teach students to compromise their native language, even if English is the world’s lingua franca, a language that opens global opportunities. Rather, we subtly instill to students to acquire a sense of communicative competence, which means that they should establish credibility in speaking both L1 and L2 (with accent that’s deemed appropriate for every language). 

Personally, as a language teacher as well as a conversation facilitator, it is but ETHICAL and necessary to teach proper pronunciation, including accent. 

But first, the definition of ‘accent’ and the gauge to which we consider ‘correct’ pronunciation should be as clear-cut as possible to people (teachers and learners). Derwin and Munro (2010) in Brinton and Butner (2012) made a very precise definition, one that does not at all discriminate any language, saying that "accent is the degree to which an individual’s pronunciation differs from a given local variety”. This tells us that language is an intricate system, not isolated, used by a web of people coming from different cultures and social strata; hence, it has varieties. So having an accent does not mean that you are speaking a language that is ‘inferior’ to a language that is ‘superior’. Accent only highlights how unique people and languages are. So having an accent is not bad at all!

Abercrombie (1991), Gimson (1989), and Derwing and Munro (2010) in the same article, however, have all purported the importance of intelligibility in speech, which is generally the degree to which the listener would be able to make sense of the speaker’s utterance. I believe the basic goal of every communicator is to convey a message. It would be tragic, of course, if a mispronounced sound and a hardly recognizable accent will impede the receiver in understanding the message. It is then given that if you are trying to acquire a language in order to communicate, then try to achieve an accent that will be intelligible to the person you wish to communicate with.

Crystal's (2003) theory about the three circles has proven that varieties of English are real since more and more people, coming from different linguistic communities, learn and use English everyday with every possibility of changing the language (its sounds, maybe even contributing their own lexemes, etc.). This gave rise to other Englishes such as Konglish (Korean English), Chinglish (Chinese English), Spanglish (Spanish English), among others. However, being communicatively competent means that one should be sensitive to know that producing something in either of these Englishes might be an obstacle in communicating with a native speaker of English, then one should opt for a pronunciation that IS COMPREHENSIBLE by the receiver, not necessarily sounding like real native Americans because after all Americans have varied accents as well.

I have always been an advocate for teaching correct pronunciation in the language classroom because the students need this. As a language teacher, and now, a conversation leader, I think I owe it to my students and to my Chat Cafe participants, that I teach them the correct articulation of sounds. They enroll or sign up for this because they deem this necessary in their careers or in any other personal or official transactions they may be stuck into. It empowers them. makes them compete with the rest of the world. 

Yes, accents are intimately tied to speaker identity and group membership (Levis, 2005 in the same article); but teaching students how to properly articulate sounds and try to sound intelligible to most speakers of English does not mean that you are eradicating students’ cultural identity, rather, it paves the way for students to be more appreciative of multiculturalism.

Visiting Other Chat Circles

This week, I had the exciting experience of visiting another conversation circle.  Just like my group, Alison's circle had one boy and one girl looking to practice their English.  However, her group dynamic was different than mine; the girl predominantly did most of the speaking, while the boy seemed shy and did not volunteer to speak except when spoken to.  I can see how having a quieter group member could potentially be a challenge, because I was unsure if he wanted to speak up more or if he enjoyed simply listening.  In my group, the every member participates equally; however, that might be a result of the group members being friends before this semester.

The meeting was fun; both members seemed very knowledgable about American pop culture, talking about American movies and podcasts that I had never seen or even heard of.  Fun fact- we discovered that while Americans say "cheese" when smiling for a camera, the Chinese say a word that sounds like "cheese" but actually means "eggplant."  We also learned another small difference between cultures: while Americans pronounce the events of September 11th as "nine eleven," the Chinese refer to it as "nine one one" and were momentarily confused when they heard us say "nine eleven."  It was interesting to see how the conversation flowed and see how other circle dynamics work.

Meeting with other conversation circles was a beneficial experience because it allows me to compare the activities of my group to the activities of others.  It reassured me that my group seemed to have similar ideas about conversations and that we are going in the right direction in terms of group dynamic and group activities.

The Importance of Pronunciation

After reading The Ethics of Pronunciation Teaching by Brinton and Butner, I was able to recognize the importance of pronunciation teaching, but also the ways in which it may be a sensitive topic. At the University of the Fraser Valley in British Colombia, a complaint was filed with the Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Office that the term "accent" was discriminatory, and also protested against the use of the terms "L1 (first language)" and "L2 (second language)" as well as "native speaker" and "non-native speaker". The article explains the definitions of different terms, such as accent and intelligibility and comprehensibility. What interested me most was the responses from the "Etcetera Listserv" participants, as well as the research base, all of which supported pronunciation teaching and said that it was beneficial to non-native speakers. For example, one response said that "students are choosing to take this elective course due to a perceived need" which I think is very valid. If students find it beneficial and are seeking it out themselves, I think it should be available to them. Additionally, there was a comment that "the goal of pronunciation is accent addition, not accent eradication". I don't think anyone's intent is to try and eliminate their knowledge of their primary language, or to affect their identity in any way. I think it is beneficial to receive help with pronunciation when learning a new language, and will be helpful when communicating with native speakers. Another response I found interesting was when someone wrote, "I would argue back, if pronunciation ought to be cut, shouldn't also grammar courses, or any other language courses that might promote 'correctness' or regularity of use, because such a course would be promoting the elevation of one language variety over others?" I think this is very interesting because it points out that there are many things that could be considered "incorrect". However, where do you draw the line on this delicate situation? If it is beneficial to students and they are seeking it out, is it really "incorrect"? Is it even "unethical" in the first place? Who gets to decide? In the conclusion, the authors say, "Ultimately pronunciation classes such as Butner's provide a great service to second language learners and are a potential source of empowerment rather than a source of discrimination, as alleged in the complaint directed to the UFV Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Office," and I would agree with this statement. I believe that they are much more empowering than discriminating, and that they should be available to students.

In terms of my own conversation circle, I feel like we don't focus on pronunciation much. We are often just chatting about various topics, and I find myself correcting students occasionally, but not very often. I think it's helpful just to practice in an informal setting, but I could think about ways to incorporate pronunciation practice if that is something they are interested in. I would also be interested to see if they have taken pronunciation classes before or think that they would be beneficial. From my experience living in Spanish speaking countries, I have never taken classes, but appreciate when I get to practice with native speakers and am corrected on my pronunciation. Recently I was having a conversation with a native Spanish speaker in Spanish and he told me my grammar was perfect but I had an "accent". I was somewhat disappointed. After learning and practicing it so long, it is still so obvious that I am it is a "foreign" language to me. In my opinion, I think pronunciation practice would be beneficial and as the authors said, empowering.

Participation Does Make a Difference: Reflections from Liu and Littlewood's Article

I would have to say that definitely, the perception that the West has towards the East Asian students is but among the many myths that English language classrooms have eventually learned to get away with for years. I mean, Liu and Littlewood did find out that teachers’ and students' local and academic cultural beliefs and practices as well as the teacher-centered secondary education were not precisely the factors contributing to students' negative attitude to classroom participation; in fact, they were able to prove that recently, East Asian students have generally shown positive attitudes towards English. Rather, their study was trying to highlight that this reticence in learning English could be attributable to: a) lack of experience in speaking English; b) lack of confidence in spoken English; c) anxiety from high performance expectations; and different perception of learner role. And of course, I have to agree.

When a person is born and raised in a home that does not speak English; whose breakfast table conversations and late-night tv marathon are all in their local dialect, and whose peers they hang out with mostly communicate to them using their native language, then you would expect that the person only has very limited exposure to English - only during their English class. Given this amount of time mostly listening and sometimes, speaking in English, would you expect a person to be very fluent in a language that just has a very peculiar sound and letter system compared to theirs? Of course not. 

Since fluency is an issue, this person naturally would regard his skill in spoken English very low. Each time he wants to share something, he would naturally be taken aback, to think about what to say and how to say it in a way that he would truly convey his thoughts and that the listener would understand. 

If the confidence is low, the anxiety is high, which in turn affects students' perception of their own competence. All the more would the student feel reluctant to speak, because he feels that producing the most accurate pronunciation of the words, which he thinks he is not capable of, is equivalent to competence.

The Value of Conversation Tables/Chat Cafes

Therefore, participating in conversation tables is really helpful for people who has little or no access to learning and acquiring another language. I can see its efficiency and practicality in a more natural and relaxed mode compared to the teacher-centered classroom. 

However...

It is not intended to replace the input from formal instruction; rather, it should complement the skills that the learners may have missed in the classroom.

What does this have to tell me as a Conversation Facilitator? 

And since, it is meant to complement formal education, Conversation Facilitators should at least feel the responsibility in holding conversation groups.

I understand and I also appreciate the beauty of spontaneous conversations — because that’s ideally how conversations go. However, I think holding a circle without careful planning, would be like a group with no vision at all. I do not mean here that a facilitator should overdo things or artificially set lines like a director would do to the actors of a play. Overdoing it might just ruin the beauty of real conversations, and we are not portraying roles in a play. After reading Liu and Littlewood’s study, I realized that it is really crucial to carefully plan for the conversation circles.

Thinking about what questions to ask, where to go, which topics to blurt out, and how to respond to people, yes, these are worth preparing for any conversation circle. I also realized this as I meet up with my group every Friday.

The leader should get to know his/her participants. In asking information about them, listen even to words that are unsaid. Look intently to the participant’s eye when they talk (but be careful not to stare, it might be rude in some cultures), and decipher non-verbal cues. Needless to say, carefully examine the participants’ attitudes, possible biases, their 'Achilles heel' (as far as cultural orientation is concerned), their interests, and their intentions as they ask questions and react during the conversation. By doing this, you will at least have a chance to examine the possible topics that you can disclose and those that you cannot. This is about being sensitive to the things that may be uncomfortable to the participants, which is very important in dealing with people. 

It is good that most of the conversation circles come in smaller groups. Evidently, the smaller the group, the more open the participants are in sharing their ideas. For me, given an hour for a smaller group would provide each participant a good chance to share his thoughts. Somehow, each participant would be compelled to say something; otherwise for him/her it would be more uncomfortable if he/she hasn’t say a word the whole time.

Of course, try to have variation, not just in places you decide to hold the conversation circle, but likewise in the topics you talk about in each session. Try to be creative by  integrating art, music, film, food, sports, even normal activities in the conversation. Gone are the days when we only learn English through chalk and board, or pen and paper. Let them talk about some of their selfies, some video clips from YouTube; you can go to a museum, cook, or maybe shop together. I believe that through these activities, the participants would be able to understand that the more realistic the tasks which require them to speak the language are, the more they would appreciate the practicality of using the language. 

What about feed backing? Before it was an issue for me, because I thought it would be awkward to correct some of the words they mispronounced. But later on, I noticed that they want me to be more straightforward in giving my feedback. So probably, it’s worth asking your participants whether or not they would appreciate receiving feedbacks. Also, as a facilitator you need to be more subtle and effective at the same time in providing these feedback. How is it done? Well, I believe you will figure that out on your own while you are facilitating your own group.

Above everything else it is but important that you and your participants are both aware of the fact that, as Liu and Littlewood put it,  “participation does make a difference”. After all, words will not have its essence when it’s not given meaning. And giving meaning to words may only be done by the participants in a conversation.

Addressing Cultural Differences

My chat cafe group is different than I expected because we spend a lot more time talking about cultural differences than working on speaking the English language correctly.  For some reason, I had pictured our group talking about vocab words and working on pronunciation.  Instead, we spend most of our discussions comparing life in the United States to life in China and Taiwan.  So far, some of our most interesting discussions have revolved around politics, religion, childhood activities, and sports.  So while I have not had the opportunity to address many linguistic differences in our group meetings, I have had plenty of experience talking about cultural differences.  Part of me wishes I knew more about Xin's and Kyle's cultures before becoming part of this group.  For example, I had heard growing up, probably from some middle school boy trying to impress everyone with his knowledge, that Chinese families could only have one child.  I never gave a lot of thought to this piece of information, letting it remain the back of my mind all these years as some urban legend.  As a result, I ended up feeling a little embarrassed when I asked Xin if she had any siblings and she answered no, her family couldn't have more than one child, because that piece of information was something I probably should have already known.  Our reading this week covered a lack of Asian students participating in class discussions, possibly as a result of anxiety about appearing as not very smart.  In some ways, I feel that anxiety when talking to my chat circle; I do not want them to think less of me for asking questions that they might consider "dumb."

Our conversation circles seem to be running smoothly.  We have finalized our group to four people, two facilitators and two participants, but due to exam schedules, we have often only had one student show up.  At the request of our group to watch a classic American movie, we watched Mean Girls, a film which is pretty much a staple in our generation's childhood.  The film is a satire on high schools, showing catty behavior by girls fighting over a boy; Kyle found the movie very entertaining.  Our conversation circles are fun and enjoyable, and something to look forward to each week.

Stuck

I feel like I'm slightly stuck as far as planning my conversation circles. I worry that I'm not doing a sufficient job and unsure if my group is enjoying their time and learning and getting out of it what they want. Each week I tend to only have two or sometimes three out of the five total that are in my group. We usually spend the hour and sometimes more chatting in a coffee shop. It has worked out because usually it's a small number of people and not the same every time so we have plenty of things to talk about. I have tried asking if they would like to do different activities or what they would be interested in doing, but they don't really have many answers for me. I guess that is part of my task though - to plan things out and ensure that they are getting the most out of their experience. I just would love to hear more of their feedback and what they want to do and know about. I think that relates to the article we had to read this week about the sometimes perceived lack of participation by some East Asian students. I was very interested to read that many times students do want to participate and value it as part of their learning experience, but for various reasons do not participate often. One of the reasons it gave was because of lack of confidence in their English skills and the perceived idea of failing if making mistakes while speaking English. I wonder if the ideas talked about in the article are things faced by my group members (perhaps more in class but maybe also within our group). Perhaps I should take some time to consider if I were in their shoes. I'm just unsure of how to make the rest of my chats meaningful while engaging the whole group. Any thoughts? Ideas?

Combined Group and The Arrival

I was finally able to meet with my new group; a combined group on Mondays with Isabella and I facilitating, and with six members (although only five could come on Monday).  It was great to meet everyone, and it was very relaxed with everyone finding things to talk about.  Many of them have similar classes or majors, which makes for easy conversation.  I'm hoping in future weeks we can make sure to talk about things other than just classes, but classes are of course a very relevant subject for everyone and something they were all eager to discuss, so I'm glad we were able to discuss it together!  Since our group formed a little later and has only met in this combined manner once so far, I'm still not completely sure what the group dynamic will be like.  We would like to do some activities, but with eight people I worry about coordinating schedules if we were to meet for a meal or something outside of our usual 3 pm time slot.  I'm hoping it works out though!

I really enjoyed reading (if that is the right word) the book The Arrival.  The illustrations were beautiful and fascinating, and although I did miss the presence of words, I can see the benefits of having a book which everyone can read regardless of their native language, and with an ambiguity that allows everyone to see their own experiences rather than being limited to the more exact story that narration would have depicted.  

Do We Ever Find a Home Away from Home? (Realizations from Shaun Tan’s ‘The Arrival’)

When I first grabbed a copy of Shaun Tan’s book, ‘The Arrival’, I thought of reading a story book that my mom used to buy for me when I was a little girl - colorful and with minimal texts for me to practice reading. After all, story books have made a lot of profit since moms find them strategic in teaching reading. However, as I thumbed through the pages, I was really disappointed not to read any texts. Yes, the book is entirely made up of illustrations - of people, places, and stuff that I couldn’t even make sense of at the beginning. On the succeeding days, however, when I finally got the chance to truly commit myself to the material and try to understand why a book has no words at all, that was when things get crystal clear for me. Eureka!

Since it is considered a book, I am still certain that the author did not forget about the fundamental elements of story writing, in spite of the fact that there are no words at all, so I did a formalistic analysis of it. 

The protagonist leaves his home and family since he envisions to provide a better life for the them in a distant place. The setting might be inspired by some areas in New York, yet there are features which tell us of a place that is both familiar to us but still undiscovered and sort of part of the imagined futuristic world. The plot is very simple - he leaves home, goes through a lot of challenges as he embarks on a very strange place, then reunites with his family near the end of the story, and finally, gets to feel at home in his new home. The theme is also very simple as it talks about a man’s journey to improve life and find belongingness in the place where he thinks would provide him a more comfortable living. 

When carefully analyzing it, you would tell that the story could be just any of those hackneyed stories - stark and predictable. However, since these are all told in visuals, I am not actually certain if my analyses are all accurate. And this is what is beautiful and special about Shaun Tan’s masterpiece, that NY Times calls a ‘visually eloquent’ material.

The story is told the way the readers would interpret the pictures that looked familiar yet still is not. This is exactly what I find ‘cunning' about this book. It’s entirely the readers' interpretation or imagination that works all throughout the book so they would be able to fully grasp its message. Readers can fill the ideas on what each picture suggests - therefore, provides more room for them to relate to the struggles of the protagonist. Eventually, the more the readers are able to relate to the text, the greater is the likelihood of them appreciating the book.

Although Tan was able to meticulously show even the slightest detail of the person’s facial expressions, the places, the animals, food, etc., the ambiguities of each illustration honestly reflects any foreigner's experience of hesitations, fears, cluelessness, and anxieties once he uproots himself from the comforts of his home and decides to engage in the unknown. The struggles of language difficulties; homesickness; loss of money; change of social status; and separation anxieties that the protagonist in the novel are exactly the same things that anyone would have when we decide to leave our countries either to study or work in a foreign place. Just like the girls in my conversation circle…just like me.

Yes, the protagonist in the story is no different when compared to Heejae, Xi, Eunji, and me.

When the four of us went to America to study or work, we have undergone many difficulties - preparations way back when we were just about ready to leave, the fear of the unknown; the certain level of sadness, that one cannot explain, when leaving our loved ones; the stress of going through various security checks; problems such as finding a temporary abode, getting well with others, ordering food that sounds and looks entirely strange, changes in the activities, unpredictably crazy weather, among others.

But as the story suggests, in every problem, there will always be a way. The first time is always the hardest, but you’ll get over it eventually. You’ll find a place where you can thrive. You will meet people who will help you and make you happy. And then, you will unknowingly learn to be amused with the new people you are with and with the new place you are at.

Of course, the novel has clearly indicated the protagonist’s trouble in communicating in a world where language is way too different. And this can also be very true to our conversation circle. Although I did have a background in English, but communicating with a native speaker is far too different than when you only had the chance to listen to an ESL teacher all your life and learn the language from textbooks, so I still have minimal problems in communicating my thoughts in a much more spontaneous way or understanding the slangs of the native speakers. The other girls in my circle, of course, have serious issues with the language; however, just like the protagonist in the novel, we have all come to learn that non-verbal cues come very handy as reinforcement when words have some trouble delivering our thoughts. Facial expressions, gestures, body movements and the likes can help us convey our intentions when we lack the verbal adequacy that is needed to effectively carry a conversation.

Also, the novel has taught me that traveling may be complicated and risky, yet, amidst all the perplexing circumstances, it is always rewarding to meet and create bonds with people, learn so many lessons in life that no classroom would teach, and of course grow from the experiences away from the comforts of home. These are, of course, just some of my objectives in this conversation circle, that eventually I will be able to help the participants and myself understand that we might be different, we might come from the farthest parts of the world, but we can always find a niche wherever we want to go, if only we learn to communicate to people, to be open to whatever comes our way, and to accept that in this peculiar world we can eventually find a home away from home. 

Xi, Heejae, Me, Eunji at UMMA (2/13/2015)

Planning vs. Facilitating

Tonight I had my fourth meeting and I feel like I am starting to get to know my group better. Although, I can say that attendance is a certainly a factor in the dynamic of each meeting. The first week everyone attended and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had two boys in my group and three girls. The second week only the two boys could come, which worked out as we had a great conversation about American football along with one of my friends. Last week, only the girls could come, and although I had planned to play a game with them, we ended up chatting the whole hour. This week, once again, it was just the boys, and the girls weren't there.  I brought a card game, yet we never had time to play. It's funny how it has worked out, but I enjoy the conversation each time none the less.

One thing I really appreciate is that I am getting to know them each individually, in addition to learning about their culture in general. One of my group members really likes art museums for example, and another one loves listening to Jason Mraz.

I always feel better about having something to do, having a "plan", yet it usually ends up never being used. I feel like I act as a "facilitator" only when there is a lull in conversation, or when I try to get one of the group members to further explain what they are saying. But I also feel like I am just chatting with friends at times, when they are talking to each other and comparing the differences between Chinese and Korean music or their interest (or disinterest) in museums. I look forward to these meetings and getting a chance to take a break and have meaningful conversations with kind souls.

Blog Post #3

Having facilitated a few chat cafe circles, I am now feeling a lot more comfortable with my group.  I am no longer stressed about planning conversation topics because I can count on my group having their own questions ready to ask.  So far, some of our most interesting conversations have revolved around holidays, politics, religion, and our hobbies growing up.  Instead of planning in advance, I merely facilitate the discussion to continue if there is ever a lull in conversation.  For example, my group chose to talk about politics.  After Jamie and I answered their questions about our political beliefs, I facilitated the conversation by asking Xin and Kyle questions about similarities and differences between Chinese and Taiwanese politics.  I was able to bring new angles into the conversation, therefore fueling the talking to continue.

My approach to the conversation circles has changed as I have come to realize that neither Xin nor Kyle are very shy.  They are both curious and vocal about American traditions and their own traditions.  As a result, the conversation will almost always carry itself the entire time.  This allows me to spend more time really focusing on and listening to their questions and answers, instead of having half of my mind thinking of what to talk about next.  I am starting to feel less like we are in a school-organized program and more like we are just a group of friends talking at a coffee shop.  So far, my experiences as a chat cafe facilitator have been pleasant, and our weekly meeting have become something I really look forward to attending.  

Blog Post #2

As a result of the holiday and the slight issue of nobody signing up for my original time slot, I finally held my first conversation circle yesterday.  I am co-facilitating it with a senior named Jamie, whom I have known previously through LHSP.  Jamie has also been a facilitator for these conversation circles before; in fact, two of the people in our circle were in Jamie's group last semester.  I was nervous that this would cause me to feel out of place, but I think it worked out very well: every person in our group knew at least one other person, which resulted in us talking like old friends rather than feeling awkward about being strangers.  As Angelo and Carson assured me in class last week, this did end up working out for the better- our group dynamic was great!

The information the handouts relayed to us was accurate- my group said that they would rather chat about random topics than take a lot of field trips.  To them, it is simply enjoyable to take time out of their busy schedules to have fun and relax with friends while practicing English.  However, we did discuss a few activities outside of the normal chat café hour such as going to a baseball game, going ice skating at Yost, or meeting up to see a movie.  Jamie showed us a journal that she had hand-bound herself, and everybody was intrigued- we might all learn how to make our own journals sometime this semester.

The conversations in my circle seemed very genuine in that everybody seemed truly interested in what everyone else had to say; nobody was talking just for the sake of talking.  This being one of my first experiences with non-native English speakers, I was really interested to learn about where my group was from, how they came to choose U of M, how they felt their English was developing, and their experiences here so far.  They seemed equally as interested in learning about my life; I spent quite a while answering questions about my personal activities such as being on Michigan's sailing team.  I have only had one meeting so far, but my group seems to be wonderful.  I think the conversation flows very naturally; thankfully, everybody is an enthusiastic participant and excited to be there.

After Week 1

I had my first conversation circle last Thursday, which I was excited to actually meet for after so much discussion about it!  I was a bit nervous about the group being small- only two people had signed up for my time slot- and as it turned out, only one girl showed up.  We chatted and talked about life, and Ann Arbor, and traveling, and the hour went by quickly.  I even learned a bit of English- apparently in Singapore, there is different English slang than there is here (example-- "to mug" means "to study" rather than to rob someone).  Another topic that came up which I thought was kind of funny was trying to explain the American measurement system (lb stands for pound, there are 12 inches in a foot and 3 feet in a yard, 16 oz in a pound, but there are also fl oz… and I don't know the reasoning behind any of these somewhat illogical metrics).

I enjoyed our last class meeting, and getting a chance to discuss conversation circles with people who have led them so many times.  I feel very well prepared for the circles, and have some ideas about topics and activities based on their advice, but at this point my main concern is figuring out the logistics of my circle.  I know that my student, since she is new to campus, was hoping to meet multiple people through the group and I also feel that it will make for a better experience if we have more than just the two of us.  So the question now is if we can join another group- if so, which one- and then figuring out how to deal with the different dynamics of having two facilitators and probably a larger group.

Getting Started

Reading through the ELI Conversation Circle survey results and talking with Angelo and Carson have been very helpful in preparing for my second conversation circle. I think one of the most important takeaways I gathered from it was the importance of planning ahead for our meetings. We have discussed that it is important to not force the conversation, and to just let it flow, but I think it would be nice to have some activities planned. Some of the things I saw multiple times in the survey results were playing games such as Apples to Apples, or Taboo, or doing activities with maps, like trying to name all the states in the US on a map. I think things like this will help to get conversation flowing and have people engaged in something rather than feeling like they are just sitting and staring at each other. I think it will be beneficial to discuss this with my participants though and see if it is something they are interested in, or if they do indeed just want to focus on conversation. I enjoyed hearing Angelo and Carson talk about their experiences and some of the other do’s and don’ts and how to handle certain situations. For example, we talked about how participants may often ask about something very generally they consider is American, or what is the American perspective on a certain topic, which can be hard to answer, especially when the topic is broad. You can say "I can’t speak for everyone, but in my opinion...", or "Through the experiences I’ve had, I believe this or that". I think this is important too, because you can never learn the “culture” of a place from only one person, as everyone has different opinions and experiences.

I’m excited to implement these lessons and tips that I have learned from reading and talking with Angelo and Carson. I really enjoyed meeting my group this past week, and am eager to ask them what they think regarding various activities that we could do together. Until next time!

Blog Post 2: What Experience Tells Me

John Stuart Mill once said that "There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has brought it home," which is why I really was looking forward to that afternoon when Angelo Pitillo, the Director of the English Language Institute (ELI), and Carson Maynard, the ELI Student Services Coordinator, had been invited to talk about their experiences in hosting conversation circles and of course, give us tips in order to be successful as conversation facilitators ourselves. 

Again I told them about what's holding me back on this endeavor, and it was again consoling for them to tell me not to fret and that they believe I can be good at this. They provided us very helpful handouts. 

The handouts have literally became a fountain of ideas from like ideal conversation topics, games or activities that we can integrate while chatting, things to prepare before every session, and some dos and don'ts, including some of the problems that were encountered by previous facilitators and participants.  

I read it the entire evening on Thursday and prepared an outline of the things which I think should be relayed to my conversation circle right at the beginning, to wit:

a. my objectives (since I guess there is a need for the conversation circle to have a common goal, which includes improving oneself, overcoming anxieties in talking with other people, and just having fun while learning from others);

b. "rules" (well, I don't even consider these as STRICT as the rules in school; but my rules simply include their presence and participation, and to just have fun); and

c. I gave them a little snapshot of the possible things that we can do for the whole term (which I think is effective to ignite their interest and motivation).

Then Friday came. I got to the meeting place an hour early, obviously, because I am still not too confident about myself. And then I met Heejae Lee and Xi Chen at around 12:25. We started like the way normal conversations go - introduced names, majors, reasons for joining the Chat Cafe, interests, and the conversation just went on and on that we forgot about time. 

I gave them a fun game I call 'Name Acrostics' to at least give us ideas on what sorts of people we are while sharing many of their experiences, and honestly, I learned so many things about these intelligent ladies. I never realized it could be as fun as that! And needless to say, seeing their eyes beam with joy as they share their thoughts and excitement for this conversation circle, is by far very satisfying.

What about the outline I prepared? Well, I still followed it but not entirely. It sort of helped me go back to what I was supposed to tell them whenever I find that we are already off-tangent, though. But what I was sure of was that I really took seriously what Angelo told us: that to be successful at this, we only need to remember two things - to be real, and to have fun! 

Indeed, one can only have a full understanding of and realize the beauty there is in every situation when you actually experience it. I have learned now not to overthink; or else it will ruin every little fun that's supposedly awaiting us in every experience. And now, I find myself ever ready to converse and, more importantly, LEARN! :-D

          ~ Some people succeed in finding and knowing themselves thru experience.

Image: http://micahhorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-human-experience.jpg