What do you like to do with your international friends in the summer? Perhaps swimming, picnicking at a park or lake? How about a museum?

For starts, a museum is cool, not just because it is a beautifully designed place with architecture and layout that demands your notice. It literally is cool. They have good air conditioning.

Next, a museum is not just about your culture and time. Most museums have objects from the past. Perhaps they have paintings, sculptures, or artifacts like machinery or clothing that transport both you and your friends to a place neither of you may be familiar with. You become equals. There is a lot going in the objects you look at and therefore a lot to learn and enjoy.

Finally, sharing a museum experience will give you and your friends opportunities for new conversations.

Japanese Palace Museum, Kyushu.                           Below are three of the pieces I saw inside this palace. At the top left, I love the simplicity of the landscape, the elegance of the woman, and wonder if I am looking at a horse race (bottom piece). What do you think?

Discussing what you notice or what’s going on in an artwork allows you to get to know one another in ways that are new. Neither of you need to be an expert to look and reflect.

This summer I will go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’ve wanted to go for a long time. It is not that I will see everything. It will be about appreciating what I do see, growing in my understanding and astonishment of the creative ways people express themselves.

I wish you joy,

Jane

Finally, spring is here in Kansas. It seems like it was a long cold winter. With spring comes Easter.
How will you celebrate with your international friends?  Over the years we have had a variety of Easter events: coloring eggs, attending Good Friday services, and hosting a Sunday lunch followed by an Easter egg hunt.  One of the more popular events is a Readers Theater, written by Amos Wilson, called, The Easter Case: Did Jesus Christ Rise from the Dead?

The play calls for a cast of fourteen. We ask four students ahead of time to read the parts of the Narrator, the Judge, the Prosecutor, and the Defender. The Prosecutor and the Defender call up historical people like Pontius Pilate, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Annas, a member of the Jewish council. These “witnesses” come from volunteers in the crowd that turns up for the event. The crowd in general is the jury.  Half way through the trial and then at the end, students in small groups of 4-5, discuss the evidence. At the end they vote, based on how they understand the evidence, did Jesus Christ rise from the dead?

The script and jury notes are in the Topics from a Biblical Perspective section of the Discussion Guides. I would love to hear your comments.

A new semester demands new topics. I have added eight new Lifestyle discussion

“Welcome, New International Students to Kansas State University”

guides that we used in the fall of 2018. These topics were chosen by our students who participate in the Conversation Café.

Most of the discussion guides are at a sixth-grade reading level but a few are on an eighth-grade level.  For example, the guide on Personal Boundaries is at a higher level, not because of the writing style or vocabulary, but the concept of boundaries may be new.

Here is the list of the new Lifestyle guides. I hope you will check them out and have some fun.

Kansas Culture

Emotional Intelligence

Poetry

Favorite Phone Apps and YouTube

How to Solve Arguments

Puns

Money Tips for College Students

Personal Boundaries

I also added eight new discussion guides to Old Testament and Biblical Perspective categories. These somewhat go with the Lifestyle topics, but they stand on their own as compelling conversations.  One of my personal favorites was the one where a quote was listed and the participants decided, well, sometimes guessed whether the quote originated in the Bible or in William Shakespeare.  Here are the new Biblical themes and where to find them on the website.

New Beginnings in Genesis                                         Topics from a Biblical Perspective

Deliverance from Slavery, Exodus 2, 3                      Old Testament

Proverbs, the Book of Wisdom                                    Old Testament

Hebrew Poetry                                                                Topics from a Biblical Perspective

Dreams and Visions in the Bible                                 Topics from a Biblical Perspective

Solving Conflict in Old Testament Times,                  Topics from a Biblical Perspective
Esther

Solomon’s Perspective on Money and Wealth          Topics from a Biblical Perspective

The Bible or William Shakespeare                              Topics from a Biblical Perspective

Don’t forget to play some games and have some fun:)

This fall, our international student club called Bridges organized a hiking club.  While Kansas is not a destination state for hiking, we found some remarkably beautiful places. If you have never hiked on a prairie, then you are missing something really special.

Our first hike was to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, which is just south of Council Grove, Kansas, in case you were wondering. We started in the late afternoon because we wanted to see the sunset across the wide prairie sky. We were not disappointed. We ate our snacks on the top of a hill and watched as the sky turned colors of pink and purple and then grew dark. In the end, the heavens were lit with stars. The first wonder is the marvelous beauty surrounding us.

The second wonder is the conversations that arise on a hike. I heard stories about wedding traditions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Columbia. I learned about the political turmoil surrounding Kashmir and India. Another student explained his perspective about Hinduism, Buddhism, and the caste system. And in-between was a lot of good-natured joking and teasing.

There are many ways to help international students feel welcome in the U.S: English conversation clubs, dinners in homes, and giving rides to stores and airports are among the many. But enjoying the out of doors together has to be at the top of my list of pleasurable things to do with international students. It combines beauty, conversation, and friendship. Please join us!

Every now and then it is a good thing to break free from the routine of our lives and do something different. This summer, I went to Keszthely, Hungary to help out with an English camp for high school and college students. Think “camp.”  Not the kind in the woods, living in tents, but the kind with a week-long experience in a dorm with about 90 campers per week and almost as many staff. Think camp food, skits, music, games, and free time and you’ll have a glimpse into my life this past July.

Skit time on Sports Day

What did I observe?

First, the campers had a wonderful time. Who wouldn’t? The beach on Lake Balaton was a 10 -minute walk from the dorm complete with at least 3 opportunities to buy a foggyi (ice cream) or a langos (a kind of pizza with a deep-fried dough and topped with sour cream and onions with bacon.) Or you could walk with your small group through the picturesque town that leads to a palace and garden, again laden with opportunities to treat oneself.

Secondly, the topics taught and discussed appealed to the campers. High schoolers learned about a hero journey and created and performed skits. College students studied Emotional Intelligence.

Thirdly, each afternoon, the campers and their tutors experienced intentional English conversation time that covered topics about spirituality, faith, and the Bible. Yes, this camp is operated by Christians and it is advertised that way.

Finally, each evening offered a variety of fun experiences. For example, there was a staff scavenger hunt when campers ran through the town in groups trying to locate all of the staff scattered about wearing costumes.

“The Wicked Witch of West” and Dorothy (Jane) waiting for campers.

What will I take with me? I will remember to make learning fun. I will remember the value of conversations in small groups and with individuals. I will remember the courage of some campers coming to a camp not knowing anyone, to speak a language they may not be entirely comfortable with. I will remember the joy of seeing them form friendships and leave with a sense of accomplishment.

Thank You Speak Out Camp, Hungary, 2018

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You may be surprised that I am adding a new post on the heels of my last entry a few weeks ago. Usually, I post a new thought every few months. However, in preparing for a trip to work at an English conversation camp, I came upon a resource I developed about 10 years ago. I made a bookmark that concisely explains what the Bible is about, who wrote it, the kinds of literature found in it, and why Christians value and read it. Also, the bookmark has the potential to help people begin reading the Bible to explore what is of interest to them. Are they interested in ancient history, wisdom, poetry, or biographies? Do they want to know something about the life of Jesus Christ or God’s love or the beginning of the church? Look for the bookmark under Conversation Discussion Guides/Bible Discussion Guides/Topics From a Biblical Perspective.

Perhaps this resource will open up a treasure of inspiration, direction, and life.
Happy hunting.

Jane

Parable of the Hidden Treasure by Gerrit Dou and Rembrandt van Rijn, 1630.                                                         Oil painting, 70.5 x 90 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary

Graduation is over. Summer is upon us. Here at Kansas State University, we will host a summer Conversation Café. I like the summer Café. For one thing, we have the activities outside in front of Hale Library where there is both a small plaza and green grass.

Kansas State University, Hale Library

But more importantly, we have students from around the world who come for summer classes.  Last year we met engineering students from India and English teachers from Mexico. Always, there are fun activities, good conversations and friendships are formed.

Since the Café is only 8 weeks long in the summer, I thought you might like to see the topics we chose last year. As always, students choose to discuss topics from Biblical or Lifestyle perspective. Either way, we enjoy their thoughts and learn from their contributions.

To find the list of topics and links to the guides, when you click “Conversation Discussion Guides,” you will see there is another option besides Bible and Lifestyle. You will see “Eight Weeks of Conversation Cafe.” Of course, you can always pick and choose topics from other lists on my website, depending on your audience.

Wishing you the best of summers,

Jane

Jane, 2016, Sasebo, Japan

When I started my website in 2013, I did it mainly to help myself stay organized with resources and my discussion guides. Later, it occurred to me that people doing English camps all over the world may find my website helpful.  One fun feature about WordPress is that is easy to see what countries are using the website and what they are looking at. Here is what I found out.

In 2017, there were about 3,500 visitors and about 10,000 views total. By far, the most popular page was the Lifestyle conversations with 4,000 views. The Home Page came in second at 2,000 looks. The Conversation Art Cards had 1,000 looks and Games and Topics from a Biblical Perspective each had about 400 looks.

The exciting statistic was about the countries looking at the website. There were 115 countries who looked at it from every continent except for Antarctica, of course. The top 3 were the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. India came in a close 4^th.

Recently, I heard from a ministry team from Slovakia who wanted to plan an eight-week English camp. Here is the letter emailed to me.

We gathered as a Team today to discuss what we wanted our English                   Clubs to look like this semester. Several of us came into the meeting very unsure and with a bit of anxiety since we didn’t have credible experience with English Clubs and had scattered ideas.

Then, we opened your website, and everything took off.

We have 8 solid, organized weeks of topics to discuss, games, and more. This is all thanks to you and the surely countless hours of work you invested in writing the material and organizing your website. You are serving our Team and ministry in tremendous ways here in Slovakia. You will be a part in forming and launching our university ministry here.

Thank you, thank you, Jane! I hope you are encouraged by what I shared, but also know how the Lord using you through years of English Clubs is affecting an entirely different Team thousands of miles away.

Chad

Thanks, so much Chad! And thanks to God who organizes our lives and gives us purpose and direction in ways we could not have imagined on our own.

Please check out the new Lifestyle Discussion Guides on the topics of Environmental Sustainability, Social Media, Hero Journey, and soon to come, Simplicity/Minimalism.

In Topics From a Biblical Perspective take a look at The Christian Responsibility Toward the Environment, Biblical Communication, and The Hero Journey of Jesus Christ. Soon to come is a discussion on greed.

By His Grace,

Jane, with international friends at home, 2017.

Jane Fox

kansasjfox@gmail.com

Each semester at Kansas State University, I audit one class that interests me. This means I attend the lectures but do not take the tests, pay the money, or get the credit.  Why do I do this? It is because there is so much to learn and understand.

Jane and friend welcome students to KSU. “Show us where you are from.”

This semester I am taking Cultural Anthropology. One of the lectures was devoted to communication, and in particular, communication between genders. This is where I was introduced to “genderlects,” a theory suggested by Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The word, “genderlects,” is a combination of the word dialect and gender and as the word suggests, genders communicate in a certain dialect with each other.

Our students at the Conversation Cafe wanted a discussion guide about gender. But where to begin? So, I narrowed it down to the topic of communication between genders. Then I wondered, are Tannen’s findings uniquely American or do people all over the world experience the same phenomenon? If you try this discussion, you will have to let me know what you find. What we experienced was that men and women generally communicated in the same style all over the world. What will you discover?

The lifestyle discussion, “Gender Roles in Communication,” is found under “Lifestyle Topics.” Also, you might be interested in the topic of “Politically Correct Ways of Speaking.” People from all over the world found the American fascination with this subject baffling and amazing.

On the Biblical side, check out the Biblical perspective on gender roles and how Jesus views and values people of different racial and economic backgrounds. The title of these guides is, “Understanding Gender Relationships in the Bible,” and “Jesus Loves People of Every Race, Gender, and Economic Status.”

This photo of Arnaldo, from Puerto Rico and myself, taken this summer, reminds me, to help our friends who are suffering from hurricane devastation. Let’s be as generous as possible and give to your favorite organization to help families rebuild their homes and lives.

Recently I listened to a TED Talk by Ann Lamott. In speaking about the work of writing, she suggested that part of the battle to write is to stay in your chair. For me, that means not letting myself be distracted by the lure of going outside to work in my garden.  However, today I decided to stay seated until I accomplished the task of posting new games for my website. Why? Because the new games listed, number 19- 26 are really fun. I hope you try them out.

I should tell you I did not make up these games. No, they came from Hannah, a student/friend of mine from Malaysia. They are games she played with her college friends. I sure am glad she shared them with us.

Are they laughing or crying? The photo has nothing to do with the new games listed. It is a reminder of how much fun people have playing games.