International Dinner
Aug. 2nd, 2011 11:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizzydragonThis week, our lot are taking part in the Cambridge Heidelberg Montpellier Youth Orchestra... A third of the orchestra comes from each country and each year they visit a different city in turn. Last Year A1 went to Montpellier for a week - this year all of them are involved, and D is hosting 5 students. Two french boys (one was A's host last year), and 3 german girls.... (I think the latter were a later addition when the organisers needed extra bed spaces).
Apparently last year, Alistair ended up playing lots of games of Monopoly with the French family he was staying with.... As you can imagine, games that are universal, or can be played without needing to be extremely fluent in a language are good activities... The French boys are a little younger and less confident in English, but most of us can speak it a bit to help explain things - fortunately the German girls are a bit older, and have pretty good English (and French!).
So yesterday, I went over for dinner and the visitors were introduced to FLUX... the only complaint coming from R, who despite the game lasting about 14 turns, did not get to play at all (8 players and a reverse order of play coming just before her turn!)
and some of them played the children's version of Apples to Apples... (so the language was not too tricky) but lots of fun was had trying to explain some stereotypically British things.. (raking leaves seemed to be unknown for the French? yet they understood the Blarney Stone quite quickly and they now know what a Dalek is!). We joked that people who knew each other well usually pass the play to and fro - as a german girl and french boy seemed to be doing just that! (and surprisingly, our lot did not do as well as usual - A1 and R were the only ones not on 4 apples by the end - though eventually A2 won).
I gather from A2's facebook status that having 10 people in a house with 2 bathrooms has its problems,.... but for promoting entente cordiale between different nationalities, D's house this week seems to be working well.
Apparently last year, Alistair ended up playing lots of games of Monopoly with the French family he was staying with.... As you can imagine, games that are universal, or can be played without needing to be extremely fluent in a language are good activities... The French boys are a little younger and less confident in English, but most of us can speak it a bit to help explain things - fortunately the German girls are a bit older, and have pretty good English (and French!).
So yesterday, I went over for dinner and the visitors were introduced to FLUX... the only complaint coming from R, who despite the game lasting about 14 turns, did not get to play at all (8 players and a reverse order of play coming just before her turn!)
and some of them played the children's version of Apples to Apples... (so the language was not too tricky) but lots of fun was had trying to explain some stereotypically British things.. (raking leaves seemed to be unknown for the French? yet they understood the Blarney Stone quite quickly and they now know what a Dalek is!). We joked that people who knew each other well usually pass the play to and fro - as a german girl and french boy seemed to be doing just that! (and surprisingly, our lot did not do as well as usual - A1 and R were the only ones not on 4 apples by the end - though eventually A2 won).
I gather from A2's facebook status that having 10 people in a house with 2 bathrooms has its problems,.... but for promoting entente cordiale between different nationalities, D's house this week seems to be working well.
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Date: 2011-08-02 10:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 05:31 pm (UTC)