Culture Exchange

**In a time of division and isolation, come be part of the community that's rebuilding the town square, one table at a time.** In BreadBreakers, we use the common space of the dining table to have conversations where neighbors can **hear, be heard, and know one another.** If you're hungry for good conversation and deeper community, join us for a Community Dinner in Reston and help blaze the trail to a healthier, more connected society and democracy. Here’s how it works: For just two hours, multiple tables of people set aside the need to "win" and instead focus on sharing, listening, and connecting. Guided by experienced table hosts, we'll tell our stories, try to understand each other, and practice being in community with those with different views or backgrounds. **At this dinner, participants will get to choose between three different topics, including some current events.** Topics range from the political, to the "slice of life", to the spiritual, to the philosophical, to the off-the-wall - but no matter which table you choose to sit at, you can be sure it'll be like no dinner conversation you've had before! You can also **suggest a topic** by emailing us at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com. Food will be provided for free. For those who wish to provide a donation to help fund BreadBreakers, you can [give here](https://pushpay.com/g/restorationrestonumc?fnd=pO6G-N7oO7FH7Mp1u-x6mA&fndv=Lock&r=No&lang=en&src=pcgl) or at the event. We'll have vegetarian and gluten-free options available. If you have any additional dietary restrictions (Celiac Disease, vegan, etc.) please let us know at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com so that we can implement the appropriate food handling procedures. **Join us, invite a friend, and be a part of the movement to mend our fractured society and normalize a better way of talking with one another.** BreadBreakers, an initiative by [Restoration United Methodist Church](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers) in Reston, VA, is a religiously inclusive community. We are a collaboration between people of all faiths and stripes. Our leadership, volunteer team, and community include people who attend Restoration and people who don't.

**Join us for Soul Coffee, an informal gathering where we can connect a bit deeper, check in on each other, and share some real soul conversation together - as always, across beliefs and traditions.** Soul Coffee is a gathering by BreadBreakers, a community for people of all stripes to build meaningful relationships and have curious conversations. **Our mission in BreadBreakers is to be a place of compassion and belonging in a time of division and isolation; to rebuild the town square, one table at a time.** Usually we do this by breaking bread and having facilitated conversations over dinner, but sometimes it's good to just meet over coffee and spend some unstructured time talking about the deep stuff. At each Soul Coffee, we'll keep it simple and talk about three questions: - How's your soul doing? - How have you experienced wonder lately? - What do you need right now? No matter your religion, or if you even are religious; no matter where you are spiritually; no matter if you even think souls exist - come to be seen and known, to just be humans together in a crazy world, to talk about those things of the spirit that are so central to the human experience but rarely get discussed. **Join us, invite a friend, and be a part of the movement to mend our fractured society and normalize a better way of being in community with one another.** BreadBreakers, an initiative by[ Restoration United Methodist Churc](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers)h in Reston, VA, is a religiously inclusive community, a collaboration between the church and those of all different beliefs. All faiths and all stripes are welcomed. Our leadership, volunteer team, and community include people who attend Restoration and people who don't.

Next meeting is June 1st. Contact the library with questions! Monthly Russian conversation groups are held on the first Monday of every month from 6:30-7:30 PM at the Germantown Public Library at 19840 Century Blvd in Germantown MD. Call the library to confirm the schedule. Ежемесячные разговорные группы по русскому языку проводятся в первый понедельник каждого месяца с 18:30 до 19:30 в публичной библиотеке Джермантауна по адресу 19840 Century Blvd в Джермантауне, штат Мэриленд. Позвоните в библиотеку, чтобы уточнить расписание.

Join our friendly English Cafe community! Enjoy snacks and conversation with people from around the world at our Language Exchange Mixer. It's the perfect place to improve your English and make international friends. -All People Community Church English Cafe

🌎 Spanish & English Language Exchange What's in store: 💬 Guided topics to spark great conversation 🎲 Board games to practice phrases while you play 😌 Open, welcoming space — all levels and opinions welcome 📖 Pick up new words and expressions naturally Crossroads has a great atmosphere and board games ready to go — the perfect backdrop for meeting people and practicing in a fun, low-key way. ¡Todos son bienvenidos! / Everyone is welcome!

To secure your spot, purchase your ticket from the Eventbrite link ([https://www.eventbrite.com/e/language-exchange-happy-hour-and-friending-tickets-568567208827](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/language-exchange-happy-hour-and-friending-tickets-568567208827)). RSVPing only on the Meetup Page doesn't allow you to attend the Event. ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE IS REQUIRED TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT. ABOUT THE EVENT Come exchange Asian Languages that you speak! We will assign tables for represented languages. All languages are welcome! However we don't guarantee the availability of a partner in that particular language, you would like to exchange. ***Ticket price includes House Wine/House Beer/Rail Drinks.*** As you all remember well, this event used to bring out hundreds of people every week. However, it was discontinued last year for obvious reasons and we couldn't gather that many people now, because of restrictions. Hence, we are downsizing and caping the number of attendees. We have super limited spots and advance ticket purchase is required. During this unprecedented time we were in lockdowns/confinements and we were not able to stay in touch with our old friends (as we used to) and couldn't make new ones. That is why we came up with the FRIENDING part. We have a lot in common :- We speak different languages, we represent different cultures, we lived/travelled to different countries, we appreciate different accents, we are internationally minded. HOW IT WORKS : We will try to assign tables for each represented languages and will direct attendees to their respective tables accordingly. All languages are welcome! However we don't guarantee the availability of a partner in that particular language, you would like to exchange. After the formal session, we will rotate attendees from table to table. So that everyone meets everyone. During this session, we use our Lingua Franca, i.e, English. You would get to meet your future friends/acquaintances/buddies/pals /partner-in-crimes or may be more:) To hang out/go out or do things together, like Biking, Hiking, Skiing, Traveling,.....etc. Also, this is an ideal event if you are new in town or not! Rules to abide : 1. Event is free and 21+ (bring ID). 2. Be respectful to your counterparts and give them a chance to exchange with others as well. 3. We all are native speakers of one or two languages and be willing to help others and try to accommodate as much as possible. 4. If you don't speak the other person's required language, LEAVE THEM ALONE. 5. Rude or aggressive members are removed from the group at an organizers discretion. 6. This is a face-to-face language exchange event. DO NOT try to arrange an online meeting, by using the comment box or direct message. 7. Most of our members complained about people writing in the comment box. Since it sends notification to all attendees. If you have any questions, send a message to the organizers. Don't write in the comment box. 8. We have ZERO TOLERANCE for solicitation. We don't allow anyone to run their own agenda at the Event. If you are interested to promote/sponsor/collaborate; contact us via (info@merevents.com). 9. When you get there, we will greet you and take you to your respective group. 10. Don't be shy of your local languages. We have diplomates assigned to different countries, who would love to practice your languages. **FOR FURTHER INFO, REFER THE EVENTBRITE LINK AND PURCHASE TICKETS. IT RULES**