This semester I participated in two CIPs, the Kyoto Cooking Circle and KLEXON, an English conversation circle.\u00a0 \u00a0The Kyoto Cooking Circle unfortunately only meets once a month, but I was able to attend a few meetings, cook some delicious food and have interesting conversations with the people I have met there. \u00a0KLEXON meets almost every week, and a volunteer session involves speaking with people both one-on-one as well as in small group settings.\u00a0 In participating in both of my CIPs, I interacted with many people who spoke Japanese but were also looking to practice English, or other foreign languages, so it was interesting to be able to easily see the differences in interactions in both English and Japanese.<\/p>\n
At a typical Kyoto Cooking Circle meeting, members are divided into tables where we first listen to a teacher\u2019s instruction on how to prepare the entire meal. \u00a0This explanation is usually a fairly formal speech style, but members are able to interject with questions or comments if needed.\u00a0 \u00a0When we return to our tables, the conversation topics are usually fairly casual, as we talk about ourselves and cook the meal together and, unless the members recognize each other from a previous meeting and speak more casually, desu\/masu style is usually used.\u00a0 Conversation over the meal is usually fun and it is a great feeling to enjoy a meal that everyone has helped to prepare. \u00a0After everyone is finished, there is a \u201cself-introduction\u201d time, something that is very Japanese. \u00a0Even if we may have been speaking casually before, these self-introductions are usually pretty formal, as well as formulaic in their content and expressions.\u00a0 Still, it is always interesting to hear about people\u2019s occupations or hobbies, in addition to the names of people from different tables, before everyone cleans up the kitchen together.<\/p>\n
KLEXON has also been an interesting experience, and I have had the opportunity to speak to many different people, both college students and young workers.\u00a0 While speaking one-on-one has primarily been in English, many of my group sessions have used Japanese to converse.\u00a0 It has been a good experience to speaking in-depth about various topics with a wide variety of people, and I have learned a good deal about people\u2019s personal experiences, Japanese culture or even recommended spots around Kyoto. \u00a0All in all, my CIPs have afforded me the opportunity to meet many different people, with some good conversations and meals as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This semester I participated in two CIPs, the Kyoto Cooking Circle and KLEXON, an English conversation circle. … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080