My friends and I have talking points. My mom and I have talking points. And while everyone strays from the norm all the time, it's nice to know that I can fall back into a happy and comfortable discussion about cats with the folks I know who like to talk about their cats. Or cheese. Or work. Or Friday Night Lights. Or cats again.
This month I added a new volunteer project to the ol' schedule. I've mentioned it here before. I sit at a table with 3 or 4 people who need to practice their english. There are cards we can use to spur on the conversation, but most of the volunteers initiate conversation on their own.
My stand-by topics? Hobbies. Work. Dinner.
This week I rotated to two different groups. The first group of four people were all at different levels, and it was tricky getting them all equally excited enough to talk at length about anything. That is, until the subject of fish emerged.
Yes, the common fish was the tie that bound us all into a really interesting and passionate conversation about cooking and home countries and family memories. Even the student with the least confidence spoke elegantly about his favorite fish recipe, his belief that fish kept him strong, his love of cooking. It was just great watching our table go from quiet and polite to excited and chatty. Fish. I need to remember that one.
The next table? That's a story for another day. We talked about who should do the cooking in a household, and the ways in which men and women should be helpmates in the home(or not). And then the conversation turned dark and angsty, and it was a strong conversation, a moment of debate, but it was also pretty sad.
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