Culture Exchange

As a mom/non-teaching spouse here, I have to initiate any and all contact I have with students. This can be frustrating and draining. Last year, I didn't do much all year besides hold an office hour (where any student can come and "free talk"). Let's just chalk that lack of involvement to transitioning. It was a rough year.

This year has been much better in terms of transition, but I'm also much busier with 2 youngsters. Last semester, I was just trying to find a routine. Michael and I brainstormed an idea of me holding a sort of culture/home ec class at our home, but I just couldn't seem to get things organized.

This semester, I feel like I have at least 1 foot under me, so I started the class! I chose Michael's sophomore English major class because I have met several of them before. Bonus: their English is pretty dang good. He presented the idea to the class a few weeks ago. 30/35 students signed up. HA! I can only handle 5 at a time, so sadly, I won't get to them all. But I'm excited for the enthusiasm!

Last week, I taught them how to cook an American meal. I chose the classic breakfast. I wanted it to be food they could make themselves. This makes ideas limited! No baking in the oven, cheese, noodles, etc. So breakfast it was. It was tough to teach in our tiny kitchen. They basically lined up like sardines as I tried to show them what to do. They all got to flip a few pancakes, which they thought was cool.

Prepping! This is actually at my teammate's place...to avoid my kids stealing the show. :)

"Can you see?" "No, can you?"

I then showed them how to set the table and shared a few etiquette rules. I also showed them how to cut their pancakes with a knife; they had never used one before. They did great!

It was a fun night, but wow, these girls are QUIET. Michael warned me they are the 5 quietest girls in his class. I had to work really hard to keep a conversation going. Often, I'd ask a question, get a few one-word answers, then silence would take over. Hopefully this week will go better since they know what to expect.

This week, we're going to craft! Of course, Pinterest as been my inspiration. But I also want to allow them to just be creative. Their entire lives to this point, they have to study so hard, so long. They usually take breaks by watching American TV (yikes) or playing computer games. This should be a fun outlet for them!

Next week, I'll challenge them to teach me something about their culture. We'll see what they come up with!

Of course, the end goal of all of this is to build relationships with these students. I want to show them a picture of my life...and all that includes. Feel free to lift up this weekly time I'll have with these students. I'm hoping for some seed planting!!