MWA1 and our common experience.

My table really found some amazing topics to dig into with MWA 1. We all found a language communities that had a profound impact on our development. Wendy, Cecelia, and Katie all wrote great scripts that taught a lot about their upbringing in a specific community.
Wendy told the story of her immigration from China to the United States using a Chinese custom of replying to a friend or colleague's greeting with, "Thank you I am fine." She discussed what it was like to find new friends and learn all about America in Colorado. We both talked about how we were motivated to make changes to our lives in order to find a place within our communities. She was guided by seniors or experienced Chinese residents, just like I found guidance from my senior teammates. Wendy continues to use, "Thank you I am fine," in every situation to help kick-start conversations. With this phrase, she could make connections with any Chinese immigrant.
Katie wrote about "kia kaha" the phrase of unity and strength among her rugby team. She talked about the bond among members of her team both in the past and present. Her coaches used the phrase to encourage them to be strong in everything they do. In a similar way, I wrote about how a split is used a tool to give a sense of accomplishment to a runner as he completed each portion of a race or workout. Our communities were both full of hardworking, blue-collar athletes.
Cecelia's community was by far the smallest, but had the most compassionate use of language. She described the acronym "IFLU" and how it bonded her to her sisters and best friend. They used many forms of both physical and verbal love language, but IFLU was the shortest and most commonly used greeting. They all used it in an endearing fashion in place of a punch to the shoulder or a forceful hug. Under the guise of a silly acronym, they had a truly heartwarming secret greeting that I admired a lot.
In general we all found terms that defined our lives both inside our language communities but in the greater social landscape. I use split ubiquitously to motivate myself as Katie does with Kia kaha. Cecelia and Wendy both found phrases that show the depth of their closest friendships. I was very inspired by everyone at our table.