English Conversation Cafe

[Alexia Borson]

Summerit seems is the time to explore new places, see new sights, meet new and old friends, and of course, eat new food. Thus far, my summer has taken me to British Columbia, both Vancouver and Victoria. Here are a few of my highlights.

New places: The serenity of the Nitobe Japanese garden on the campus of the University of British Columbia should not be missed. This is one of the best Japanese gardens I have ever visited. Perhaps it helped that it was a rainy day.

New Friends: Some of the new friends are those from the summer project that Bridges held at the University of British Columbia. It is such a delight to work alongside so many godly and goodhearted people.

Some of the new friends we met were students who were either working or studying at UBC. I met people from China, Ghana, India, Italy, and the Philippines, to name a few. They were kind enough to tell us about their spiritual interests, their heroes, and their cities.

Old Friends: Much to my surprise, a former student from KSU happened to be in Victoria at the same time we were. This was such a gift from the Lord. It almost seemed dream-like to see her in a place that neither of you are connected with.

Last fall when I was in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I overheard some museum guards in the caf. The book title, The History of the World in 100 Objects came up. Someone in that group recommended the book to the others. I knew then and there I should look that book up.

It turns out that the objects in the book came from the British Museum and arranged in time periods beginning with 2,000,000 BC until AD 2010. As I read it, I was stuck by how much I was unfamiliar with. The objects came from all over the world.

Why am I writing about this on a website that promotes conversation with people unlike Americans? Precisely, because wherever your friend is from, there is likely to be an object in this book that they may know something about. It is the beginning of a great conversation.

Every year I keep track of the books I read on a spreadsheet complete with the title, author, and a brief comment. At the end of the year, it gives me such satisfaction to look over the list. So far, I have read five books in 2024.

Why read? Besides the sheer pleasure of stories or gaining information and insight about whatever you happen to be interested in, the breadth of knowledge you gain helps you become more empathetic and connect with others. When we connect with others with what they are interested in, then our lives become richer and deeper.

I use his approach when it comes to physical fitness. I also use his approach to other disciplines as well such as taking care of indoor plants, cleaning bathrooms, prayer, practicing an instrument, and reading.

It is December already. The shadows are coming earlier. The nighttime temperatures have dropped. We have had a little snow. Browns, dull yellows, and gold dominate the landscape. Christmas lights are up bringing cheer on especially drab days.

Everyone learning another language needs practice to perfect their skills. What better way to help your international friends than offering a English conversation discussion? But what to discuss and how to prepare is a problem.

Everything is ready to go. You have sitting around you people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. The topic and questions lie before you. Take a deep breath.

How will you give everyone equal opportunity to speak?

How will you keep the very talkative opinionated person from taking over?

How will you encourage the quiet person to contribute?

How will you give people the freedom to not contribute comfortably?

How will you manage your own impulses to speak when the group may need a moment of silence?

Mutual Invitation is a way of facilitating discussions that takes care of each of the previous questions. Here is how it works. The facilitator asks one of the group to read an opening paragraph from the discussion guide. After that person reads, they will invite someone else to continue the reading or answer the first question. The invited person will answer or say pass. When they are done, they will invite someone else in the group to take the next question or read the next paragraph.

The credit for this method goes to Rev. Dr. Eric Law who wrote about the method in his book, The Wolf Shall Dwell With the Lamb, 113. Here at Bridges International, at Kansas State University, student leaders have easily picked up this system. It is easy to teach and easy to use. I have fewer worries about including everyone and keeping someone from taking over the conversation. I highly recommend this method. It works very well with the discussion guides on this website.

To thrive means to prosper or to flourish. The opposite is to decline or stagnate. All of us recognize when plants wilt and suffer due to inadequate water, fertilizer and sunshine. But what does it take for humans to thrive?

We asked what are the necessities of life and what can we live without? Is it necessary to have purpose in life, good relationships, protection under the law, or to experience beauty in our surroundings?

Last week we asked if it were necessary to have a sense of awe and reverence from time to time. Everyone was quick to find a digital image of something that brought them awe. Mostly, people chose a beautiful landscape. Some pointed out the awesomeness of a great cathedral. One pointed to an awesome event of finding her phone in the middle of prairie grass just as the sun glinted on the screen at the end of the day. A few selected a person that brought them a sense of awe and reverence, such as Jesus Christ.

I wonder what brings you a sense of awe and reverence. Given how quick everyone was to show what brought them awe, I wondered if the need for awe and reverence demonstrates that people need to know there is a greater presence in this world, something that transcends the ordinary. For me that presence is God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; the same that sent his Son, Jesus Christ to bring us into a thriving relationship with him .

It turns out that the Christian church assumed that it took the wise men of the east twelve days to locate the baby Jesus after first speaking to King Herod in Jerusalem. According to the gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, the wise men were following a star that led them to the location where Jesus was, along with Mary and Joseph. There, in Bethlehem they presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Therefore some Christian traditions give gifts on the 6th instead of December 25.

The name for this day is epiphany, a day when Jesus Christ was revealed to the non-Jewish people of the world (as represented by the eastern magi. Some Christian traditions also include the baptism of Jesus and his first miracle on this day).

Today, we might use the word epiphany in a loose sense, like a realization or understanding. Surely we need both at the start of a new year. We need a realization of who Jesus Christ is as a Savior and King. We also need help in understanding things that mystify us and the faith to accept the things we cannot understand.

P.S. There is a lot of artwork from around the world that represents the eastern kings coming to Jesus. I hope you enjoy my two selections. Though depicted in different styles at different times, the intensity of the kings and the light coming from Jesus reflect the wonder of this day

Who would expect to find crocuses blooming after two hard frosts in October in Kansas? Not I, but there they were as a rode my bike down the hill and into my driveway. Their beauty took my breath away.

But if we look we find a lot of unexpected pleasure all around us. I meet international students who push through difficulties of mental health, demanding academics, family problems, and home country upheavals, in order to achieve the goals they set for themselves. Their courage takes my breath away. I am honored to be a small part of their story. And I thank God for them.

Series sponsored by Center for Advanced Study, Center for Global Studies and U.S. Department of Education Title VI Grant, College of ACES, College of Education, Counseling Center, Department of African American Studies, Department of Psychology, Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Education Justice Project, First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana, Humanities Research Institute, Illini Hillel, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, School of Social Work, Sinai Temple, Social Action Council of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, Student Cultural Programming Fee, Urbana Champaign Friends Meeting, Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice, and Women & Gender in Global Perspectives.

February 23, 2024: Nadia Bolz-Weber, Lutheran Pastor, NYT Bestselling Author, Illinois Interfaith Conference Keynote Speaker

In conversation with Rev. Leah Robberts-Mosser, Community United Church of Christ

February 17, 2023: Envisioning Equity and Excellence in Public Schools, Speakers: Angela Ward, Amy Bloomberg, and Brandon Caffey, Moderator: Imani Bazzell, Center for Civic Engagement and Social Justice

March 31, 2023: In pursuit of intersectional equity beyond the walls of academia: Learning from the marginalized Sunni-Baluch women needleworkers in peri-urban Iran, Speaker: Atyeh Ashtari, Urban Planning PhD Candidate

November 5, 2021: How Oppression and Gender Based Violence are Linked: Why an Anti-Oppression Lens to Domestic and Sexual Violence is Necessary for an Inclusive Approach, Speakers Akua Forkuo-Sekyere, Elena Gonzalez & Women's Resources Center students

Join us for Conversation Caf, where community, subject experts, elected officials, and organizational leaders are invited to gather and explore topics where civic engagement intersects with inclusion, diversity, equity, and access. This Conversation Caf discussion will be centered around "Building LGBTQ+ Allyship in Rural Ohio" and is in partnership with the Harris-Elmore Genoa Libraries' Small Town Pride book club, which travels across Northwest Ohio. These conversations are held in the Main Library gallery, where local art and food will be highlighted. A light fare will be available through purchase or donations made to SAME Caf which will be open serving locally sourced dishes. All are invited to attend Live at the Library with Crys Matthews immediately following Conversation Caf.

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