FREE EVENT! Free spring water will be provided. No need to order anything.

Time: 3:00-6:00 pm + optional dinner/bubble tea etc. depending on the interests of the group.

Location: Foodcourt of the Sheppard Center

Socializing from 3-6 pm + Optional dinner/bubble tea at 6 pm (depending on the interests of members by then). Welcome to join us anytime after 3 pm but before 5 pm
I will try out a "free-style" language exchange from 3-5 pm. Kind of like TorontoBabel's style, but we do it at its food court this time so that it's totally free and no alcohols. Free spring water will be provided.

Check out the most updated meetup details (for this time) at

"Toronto ESL" http://www.meetup.com/Toronto-ESL/

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We will have two main areas for this "multi-meetup":

(1) One for socializing and language exchange in a casual setting (kind of like the TorontoBabel style, but we do this in the food court for free),

(2) Another follow a relatively systematic and organized procedure to facilitate language exchange among people originally from all over the world. See the attached procedure associated with this area.

You are free to switch between these two areas and language groups.


Check out the last event at

http://www.meetup.com/Toronto-ESL/events/28...


Suggestions are welcome^^

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I: Theme: Language exchange between English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and more (Germany, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Farsi, Hindi, etc. depending on the availability and interests of respective native speakers/learners) , in no particular order.

Cost: Free!

Number of attendance: Unlimited (We can accommodate 200+ attendants without problems.)

4-session multi-language exchange (1+2+1): You can be a learner for at least two language-exchange sessions, and serve as a teacher for one language-exchange session. And then everyone would participate in a free-style conversation session.

Language learning + optional socializing: Besides knowing language-exchange partners in Sessions 1, 2, and 3, you get to socialize in Sessions 0 and 4, and the optional bubble tea and/or dinner to follow. But feel free to leave earlier in Session 4 for whatever reason.

While RSVP, please answer questions regarding your native/advanced language(s) and the languages you are interested in learning

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II. Venue:

Location: Food court of the Sheppard Center (lower level)

(Note: The organizer will provide free bottles of spring water. You can also buy your own beverage/food from there.)

Traffic: Subway accessible + Virtually free parking (see the following instructions for "free" parking)

Parking: Two-hour free underground parking in the Sheppard Center parking lot (please check whether they still have this offer that Sunday). You can move your car out and back in at around 4:30 pm, and then you don't need to pay for parking.

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III. Agenda:

1. 3:00-3:20 pm (20 min.): Session 0 Native Speakers Meet and Chat

After knowing the rough numbers of attendants from each language group, I'll make a floor plan for 8 language areas and make it available during the meetup. We will also put signs on tables.

Your only job (regarding the procedure) is to sit in your allocated area according to your native language during this stage. Just be energetic and upbeat and we'll take care of the rest for the remaining stages.

2. 3:20-3:50 (30 min.): Session 1 Language-exchange Conversation

3. 3:50:4:20 (30 min.): Session 2 Language-exchange Conversation

4. 4:20-4:40 (20 min.): Break

5. 4:40:5:10 (30 min.): Session 3 Language-exchange Conversation

6. 5:10-6:00 (50 min.): Session 4 Free-style Conversation + Socializing

7. 6:00: Bubble tea + Dinner (optional)

8. 9:00 pm: Socializing (optional, depending on members' interests)

Optional "language tags" will be provided for free.

You should contribute as the native speaker teacher for at least one session (either session 1, 2, or 3), and you can join a few language groups of your choice as a learner for the remaining two sessions. If you are interested in many languages, feel free to switch after 15 min. into a session. If no members participate in your language group as a teacher, you can join another group as a learner.

(Note: For some members you actually practice English while teaching your own native language, and some groups alternate between teaching and learning during a session if members of the same group happen to be interested in each other's native language.)

We will have a team to direct and give out instructions regarding how to proceed to the next agenda in the agenda. Feel free to come to us for any assistance needed.

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IV: Topics you may prepare in advance:

Here are a few topics you can prepare in advance if so desired: What's fun in Toronto? (Where to go? What to do? Coming or past events that we may (or should have) check out. Romantic places or things to do near Toronto. Tasty or exotic restaurants...)

At the beginning of a session, everyone introduces himself/herself briefly in the language they want to learn + in English if so desired. Then let members who have prepared for the aforementioned theme/topics talk about their opinions or share the info they know. Then be self-organized and talk about any appropriate topics your group feel like, or consult the native speakers in your group for your language questions. Native speakers can lead the discussions of their groups when appropriate.

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Note: You do NOT need to read and understand the following details.

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Note: The following detailed procedures are for the organizer team and people who prefer to read and understand the proceedings of this meetup in advance.

We'll have our team to explain and direct members for transitions from stage to stage. You'll know how it works anyway after attending our events a couple of times.

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V: Agenda with Detailed Procedures:

1. 3:00-3:20 pm (20 min.): Session 0 Native Speakers Meet and Chat

Partition the food court into English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese areas (and more languages depending on availability)

Sit with other native speakers of the same language in the area your language. Chat and socialize.

(Note: We need this stage to properly divide people into subgroups of teachers and learners, and to let everyone knows the "home base" of his/her language.)

2. 3:20-3:50 pm (30 min.): Session 1 Language-exchange Conversation

1/3 of the people from each language group stay as the teachers, and the rest go to the area of the language they want to learn.

Typically a conversation subgroup has 3-6 people, with one or two native speakers in that subgroup. For professional language instructors and popular teachers, the group can be bigger as long as their are interested learners.

3. 3:50:4:20 pm (30 min.): Session 2 Language-exchange Conversation

Teachers in Session 1 become learners and go to the area of the language they want to learn. Half of the learners in Session 1 become teachers and go to their respective "home bases". The other half of the learners in Session 1 remain learners and either stay at the same seats or go to another areas to learn another language of interests.

4. 4:20-4:40 pm (20 min.): Break

Feel free to stand up or move around and greet/chat with other members

Move you car if so desired (but make sure to come back unless you are committed to something else important already...)

5. 4:40:5:10 pm (30 min.): Session 3 Language-exchange Conversation

Learners in both Sessions 1 and 2 become teachers and go to their respective "home bases". The remaining people are learners and go to the areas they want.

6. 5:10-6:00 pm (50 min.): Session 4 Free-style Conversation + Socializing

Move to a nearby stand-up area as guided by organizers. (Also in the food court.)

Mix & mingle for language exchange purpose or networking + Optional exchange of contacts (screen names, e-mails... of members' choice)

Prepare to go for the dinner and/or bubble tea nearby (depending on the preference of attendants that day).

Leave your contacts on my computer if you feel like to. (Optional, nothing forceful. Leave anything you are comfortable with. Even screen names plus the group where you signed up are good enough for me to be able to contact you. They are kept confidential. No access from anybody else.)

(Note 1: Moving around is encouraged in this stage.)

(Note 2: Feel free to leave earlier if you need to or are not comfortable for whatever reason. See me for any assistance you may need.)

7. 6:00 pm: Bubble tea or Dinner (optional)

8. 9:00 pm: Socializing (optional, depending on members' interests)