One of my colleagues in an office nearby introduced the idea of a wine party to wind down and share teaching ideas on Friday afternoons and I've enjoyed three or four to date.
The interesting thing for me is that these parties have a non-Japanese, English-speaking country crowd-US, British, Aussie mostly. Having been socialized through high school in Japan and mostly hanging out with Japanese persons in college and past jobs, I tend to find it difficult to keep up--in terms of topics of interest, vocabulary, turn-taking speeds, cultural background needed for jokes etc. I always end up feeling like I'm a bystander rather than a participant in the conversation. Very difficult to take the floor and chip in at the pace things go.
But the amount I learn is amazing--books, films, theories I've never heard of, and since I know all members well enough as colleagues and they know (mostly) I'm a native speaker of Japanese with a bicultural background, they don't seem to mind too much when I interrupt to ask dumb questions. Of course, it's not just where I grew up. All of these colleagues are just well-read, well-travelled people.
For example, the other day the conversation turned to the influence of the Jewish vote on US politics and it felt like all the Brits and Aussies at the table knew more about US politics than I did. Also, I'm learning that it is probably not a matter of how much you read/watch as much as how critically and selectively you read/watch, and having a chance to talk with people about what you read/watch.
So, here's to looking forward to more wine on Fridays.
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