Saint Patrick’s Parade

March 17 was undoubtedly a noteworthy day this year. We organized the fourth TAKE FIVE session of the spring season. Oh, and Saint Patrick’s Day happens to have fallen on the very same Thursday. For this negligible reason we decided to go off the weather-beaten track and invite our visitors to celebrate this special day with us. We also had the honor to welcome an extraordinary guest.

We took off with the following introductory question: what would you be a patron saint of? Then, instead of reaching for the color envelopes, we continued with a nice Saint Patrick’s Day quiz compiled by Era. It contained twelve questions carefully arranged in order of difficulty. We had the wonderful plan of showing the questions on the big screen using a PPT. As the saying goes: man proposes, CD-FŰ disposes. The TV had been moved to the other room for the darts players. Mastering your ability to improvise is among the perks of being a club organizer. We ended up reading out the questions one by one. In each round the members of the three small groups had to put their heads together and find the answer in one-two minutes.

20160317_191823_LLS — The two organizers on the left are immersed in a riveting debate on how many beers they were going to order in the break. They even wrote it down just to be on the safe side.

We concluded this exciting show with two extra questions, one of which was “How many million pints of Guinness are consumed world-wide on St. Patrick’s Day?” (The astounding answer is 13 million pints.) The extra questions served as a smooth and almost unnoticeable transition to the topic of the day. The credit for the description goes to Balázs.

IT’S SAINT PADDY’S, HAVE A PINT!
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated all around the world. Not only is it celebrated, people celebrate it in fashion – mostly dressing up in green and getting severely drunk. This happens more than enough at other occasions as well, but on Saint Patrick’s Day it is definitely encouraged. Do you think that it is wrong to encourage drinking on a society level because it maximises peer pressure, or it doesn’t matter because anyone can say no whenever they want to? Do you think that peer pressure is harmful in general? Have you ever done something out of peer pressure – because everyone else was doing it?

The questions of social drinking and peer pressure planted the seeds for an insightful discussion, which was later crowned by the four speakers on the podium. After they had presented their thoughts on the matter, the conversation shifted from the original topic to social media – whether creating a Facebook account could also be the result of peer pressure today.

20160317_194524_LLS — Before the break, Era and I read out the trivia questions again with the correct answers, and announced the winner group. As a prize each member of the group could choose one thing from the menu for free.

However hard we tried, we didn’t manage to withhold our creative power when it came to the game. We had previously made a list of all the patron saints the people had said as their answer to the introductory question. We started off by giving one patron saint from the list to each group. They were then asked to come up with a name and a brief history for their saints. Finally, one person from each group took the hot seat and read out their stories. The game turned out to be so successful that it became more and more difficult to breathe from the laughter as the speakers took turns. It was indeed the perfect way to end our Saint Patrick’s Day event.

English Club Crossover

As Mac Taylor and Horatio Caine from the two CSI series met occasionally in crossover episodes, a kind gentleman from another English club was among our guests that night. Balázs and I spent an hour talking with Gergő before saying goodnight. He told us that they had founded their club just recently, and we were invited to check it out in the near future. Their club is called Chatterbox Chat Club. (Click here to see their Facebook group.) We were delighted to receive lots of compliments from Gergő on our work.

As you know, you can always find our latest event on Facebook. Keep in mind that we are open to your topic recommendations. Feel free to contact us and tell us about your ideas.

The Man with the Bell

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Another rainy night in New York. Another TAKE FIVE meeting in Budapest. As the cigarette smoke cleared I knew it would be our Christmasest evening yet. I was a hot detective working a cold case, but the weather was mild and I knew I had long passed my best shape. Still, it was a holiday club meeting and someone had to do the speaking. And if that someone is going to be someone, then that someone is going to be me. With heart full of determination and Era by my side I knew I might just get it done. Or at least give it my damnedest.

The evening began. At first there weren’t many of them there, but I knew better. I knew that this was always the way, and I wasn’t taken in quite so easily. Oh no, not anymore. Not after my heart was broken in Cairo, when I was still young and I thought I could handle an English Club without any bells. Well, not this time. I came prepared. As I rose from my seat they might have expected me to clear my throat, or to even use the regular bell. They had no clue what the night had in store for them. I wasn’t going to beat around the bush anymore; I took out my phone and rang the special Christmas bell application I downloaded earlier. The effect was exactly as I expected – mild amusement with hearty smiles all around. I knew instantly that this would be a good night to be a Take Fiver.

I felt like having a double whisky and a sad tune on the piano, but I got a pot of tea instead. The bell was a nice touch, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let it go into my head. The night was still early and I needed my English at its best. While we waited for the others I thought of playing word chain with a Christmas and winter theme, and I wasn’t wrong. We didn’t always keep to the theme, but hell, who does. People kept arriving, and we were shaping up to be quite a group. It was time for the introductory question and I thought to myself what the hell, I’ll ask them. And they can tell us whatever they want to. So I looked right at them, and with a smile twitching at the edge of my mouth I posed the question straight off: ’So, what do you want for Christmas?’

I could see I hit the spot; they laughed a bit and I could see them trying to come up with a witty answer. I gave them a few minutes and then told them to get to it: tell us their name and gift idea. We all spoke and had a few laughs. Some of the ideas weren’t all that bad, and in the dimmed lights you could see that they were enjoying this make-believe Take Five Santa. All those Take Fivers, eager to get on with it. What a bunch. I knew I couldn’t make them wait any longer. It was topics or nothing, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let them down. Not after they came all the way down here. And not at the last meeting of the season. I was the last to answer, and after that I let Zsombor do his thing. He’s got a way with the envelopes, you see, and he is pretty good with the crowd, too. He seemed to be in his element – he even read out the topic.

The first one was a real doozy: Grammar Nazis. It was a club member topic and a fine one at that. But it seems that fate had all the cards and there was no pass at the checker’s table. As we drew another topic, it started to get suspicious. It was also Noémi’s. That’s TAKE FIVE for you. The discussion went fine, and the speakers really gave it their best. The second topic, that Global Citizenship thing, even sparked a bit of debate, but nothing serious. It seemed everyone had something to say about it, which is nice – we are a conversation club, after all. It was time for the break and I went to the bar to get a beer. It was a long day and a cold one was in order.

It took two seconds for the break to be over, or at least it felt that way. I could hardly get a head start on my beer and already I was faced with a crowd ready to play some of our trademark games. Well, Era, Zsombor, and I came prepared, so we didn’t worry. We had something really special up our sleeves. God, we felt invincible. Even if you’ve been around language clubs as long as we have, it still gets in your head. Like a goddamn rookie after their first introductory speech.

Zsombor had an idea for the first game. As if the night wasn’t thrilling enough, he decided to add another mystery to the table, and had the members solve the story of the sock in the metro. Few people know this, but this used to be an actual case of Zsombor’s. The man’s got an obsession, but who am I to judge him. There are worst things to get riled up about, I guess. The group had no idea about all this and they went merrily about coming up with a story. That’s what being a private eye is, that’s what it comes down to. Telling stories. Hoping they are true. Sometimes desperately needing them not to be.

The groups managed to get us smiling with their crazy ideas. And there was still plenty of crazy to go around. The second round saw to that – we asked them to come up with goofy ways of giving gifts. I knew this woman once. Her idea of a gift was knife in your back, a broken heart to go with it. But these Take Fivers deserve better, and again, they made us laugh. God, you’ve gotta like these people. But the main event was yet to come. Taboo has always been a well-known TAKE FIVE game, but this time regular Taboo wouldn’t do. We knew that, we weren’t born yesterday. That’s why we said to hell with it, we’ll make our own Christmas Taboo. And damn, did we do it.

Not all of us could play, but I didn’t mind. When you’ve played as much Taboo as I have, you can’t look at the world in the same way. Some say it’s a gift, but I don’t know about that. We had just enough cards for Era to join. Zsombor measured the time and I was to investigate. Pretty ironic. Me, a private eye spending day after day looking into people’s dirt, just idly walking up and down seeing if anyone uses the forbidden words on the cards. Kind of fitting I guess. At least this time no-one would get hurt if I find something. The game was a rousing success, and we had shared winners: Regina and Noémi. It was nice to see someone win for a change. In my line of work people usually lose and they usually lose big.

We wished everyone a Merry Christmas and with that the last TAKE FIVE of 2015 was over. I knew we would see each other again in February, but I felt depressed all the same. So I did what I do best: I finished my beer, turned my collar up, and wandered out into the night.

A session of many happenings

Last Thursday turned out to be a TAKE FIVE session for the ages. There were many firsts, lots of laughter, and a lot of games. Oh, and a dear, old-time club member got hitched right at the session!

The first shock came even before the session started. It was 17:58 and there was already a bunch of us, eager to start the session. Usually, people tend to arrive a few minutes late, since it’s not always the case that CDFŰ is open before six o’clock. But that was just the beginning, and we were only starting to grasp what the night had in store for us. And, soon enough, as we were going through the usual motions, more and more people arrived – some during the introductory round, some before we handed out the topic, and a few even came during the discussion. We were astounded to count that all in all there were 27 of us! That is easily a record over the last peak in the number of visitors; that happened on the 24th of July, with 22 of us.

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The second great event you may have heard of: we’ve got new topics! With the kind contribution from a few members, and the hard(-ish) work of the organisers, 15 topics are lined up to be discussed by enthusiastic Take Fivers. Last night we drew the first of many (very high-quality) envelopes and had a promising conversation about the topic that lay within: A GLUTEN-FREE TOPIC, PLEASE.

Following this we got to hear about our members’ ideas for strange diets to follow (strange might be an understatement, but there isn’t a word in English for the creatively hilarious surreality that you’re just not sure where to put – clearly a niche in the language), and some disgusting meals were also mentioned. I would like to bring special attention to the team that made us roll with laughter by writing a poem of a fictional menu that truly no-one would or should try.

But now comes the really good part. Because, Ladies and Gentlemen, believe it or not, our longest-visiting club member, a dear friend to us all, the permanent ambassador for the underworld, and soon-to-be destroyer of life as we know it, a.k.a. Zoli got hitched! We actually had a contest: the teams had to present their brides for the dashing young gentleman to choose from, and we are happy to announce that in the end Orsi was found most suitable for this merry joining of evil and love. We wish them a blissful fake marriage, and many macabre moments to look back on!

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As a finishing touch, really the cherry on top for this already packed evening, we announced the winner of our online game. We are immensely glad to announce that Boró is the lucky one, who next time will enjoy a free club meeting, a cup of non-alcoholic beverage on the TAKE FIVE budget, and she even gets to decide what game we should play! Congratulations to her!

As you can see Dear Reader, there really were great things happening in the club on Thursday. We hope to see you next time, and don’t forget to check out our new topics in the Topic Hat!

Freshmen and flyers

“Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.” — David Letterman

September 17^th, 2015, a few minutes before 4:00 pm — we can hardly breathe. It is hot and stuffy in here. I am rolling up my sleeves in front of the mirror and wash my face. We are ready to go. Balázs and I step out of the bathroom and set out towards the lobby on the fourth floor. The venue is Building R on our campus. As we get closer, the indistinct noise of a small crowd fades in. We catch sight of Era, greet her, and the three of us settle down on a desk by the wall. The place is jam-packed with people. There are only a few untaken seats. We are waiting for our turn, perplexed.

It is time. Margit Szesztay announces the TAKE FIVE club and calls our names. I grab the packet of freshly printed flyers and take it to the “stage”. We are in the spotlight. Dozens of freshmen, graduate students and teachers are staring at us curiously. Here we go. The presentation doesn’t take off seamlessly, but that is only how we feel. The audience seems to resonate with us. They respond with laughter to every little joke. Before we finish up, I address the freshmen and encourage them to join us today for our fall season opening. “Thank you very much for your attention.” A round of applause ensues.

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A couple of students run to us for flyers and ask about the club enthusiastically. A girl and a boy appear. They would come with us and check out the club, they say. While we are waiting to move on to CD-FŰ, I strike up a conversation with them. Dorina and Dani are both first-year teacher trainees of the freshly reintroduced undivided program. I tell them not to worry about the uninteresting introductory courses. The best is yet to come.

6:00 pm — after having woven our way through the jungle of narrow streets, we arrive at CD-FŰ. The ever-delightful manager lady welcomes us with a smile. I fish the stack of flyers out of my backpack and walk up to her. I feel the bonds between TAKE FIVE and CD-FŰ are becoming stronger. They have shared our event first time since we moved here. We have put their logo on the flyer. She is grateful, and so are we. I hand her about fifteen pieces and she places them on the counter.

There is no crowd today. I count thirteen participants, including the three of us. I am holding the first color envelope in my hand. The topic is “Good intentions”. After a few minutes it turns out to be somewhat philosophical, not easily tangible. Nevertheless, the groups are eagerly discussing it, sometimes going off on a tangent. I decide to bring one more topic in, to resolve the tightening philosophical atmosphere. “Cursive writing is obsolete, or is it?” says the description. This will do, I think.

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Around 8:00 pm — we are smack dab in the middle of the game. The groups are inventing funny university courses, such as “How to be cool I.” Three more guests arrive and sit down at the farthest table. To my great surprise, James Leavey walks in. He used to be my language practice teacher in the first year. I have been expecting him for a while. He spots the beers behind us and decides to join. On the way to the bar we discuss the problem of quantity. In Hungary, a glass of beer is the small one. A pint of beer is more, but in many countries it is not the same amount as a korsó here. It is not a challenge to bridge the cultural gap, though: he orders a glass of Soproni, in Hungarian.

The fall season of 2015 is in full swing now. I kindly remind everyone to pester us with topic ideas as the black cylinder hat is getting more and more hollow. Contribute to this new season with your precious thoughts and get ready for the upcoming session! The forecast says there is an impending swarm of freshmen arriving on Thursday, 6:00 pm. Besides them, we are missing a few old dogs. Are you joining us next time?

Full house with poker face

Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting of 23 July bears special significance. We could even go as far as to say that it is a milestone in the history of our club. At 5:45 pm Era, Balázs (wearing a kilt) and I were sitting at a table drinking and eating. Little did we know that in two hours’ time we would be surrounded by a total of 19 visitors. Era was astounded, Balázs was overwhelmed, and I was flabbergasted. (Later on we switched emotions in rotation.)

Whilst the modest crowd of people were discussing the current topic – Plugged In – we kept asking the same question deep down in our souls (and occasionally out loud): is this manageable? After a brief period of breathless deliberation, we came to the following conclusion: yes, it is. And our hearts are filled with joy and excitement. However, our heart rate tends to strike an unhealthy level whenever we remember that our presentation for the freshmen is yet to come…

Over the summer we have been experimenting with new places, but for the fifth session we plan to return to the headquarters. The reason is that the two bars we have tried are too hot and/or too small, while at CD-FŰ the climate is just perfect, and we have the possibility of booking the whole room for at least twenty people.

You will find the event on Monday. Until then, check out the latest photos!

New crew member on board

We have gone a long way to becoming what we are today. The club that once had a hard time collecting five visitors for an ill-organized session is now expecting teachers from ELTE to join for the summer sessions and check out the fruit of our hard work. This post is here to present a few forthcoming changes and to break some delightful news to our faithful visitors.

First and foremost, we are honored to announce that a spirited young lady, Era, has joined the organizer group. We have long been in dire need of someone as, unfortunately, the two ladies who have been serving the club devotedly will no longer have the time to do so. Era began to attend club meetings a few months ago, and she fell right in love with it. We are looking forward to the refreshing collaboration.

After a few rounds of word chain, we are introducing ourselves and answering the warm-up question "The birth of what invention would you witness if you could travel back in time?" — After a few rounds of word chain, we are introducing ourselves and answering the warm-up question “The birth of what invention would you witness if you could travel back in time?”

The need for a new organizer has been reinforced by the fact that since the end of the exam period we have gained some popularity among ELTE teachers as well. One month ago Margit Szesztay, a teacher from the Department of English Language Pedagogy, paid a short visit to see what a club session looked like. Despite the noise and unpleasant climate, the genuine TAKE FIVE spirit managed to get across to her. She offered us a wondrous opportunity: the organizers are going to advertise the club in front of a huge crowd of freshmen on 17 September. What is more, we are planning to return with the fall season on that very day.

One of the most remarkable changes of this year is the newly introduced Summer Sessions series. We used to go on vacation during summers, but near the end of the last season, quite a number of people expressed their disappointment when we started to distribute goodbye kisses. We chewed on it for a few weeks and eventually decided to respond to the call. However, our definite intention was to make it look different from the regular fall and spring seasons, and for that reason we looked for new places where at least a ray of sunlight crept in through the windows.

We are discussing the topic "Moneyless artists" — We are discussing the topic “Moneyless artists”

The first place we tried was a café and bar called Kelet near Szent Gellért square, but as it turned out, they did not have air conditioning, and we could hardly breathe during the three-hour session. Apart from that, both the staff and the variety were fantastic, so we may even consider returning on a colder Thursday evening. As a plan B we booked a few tables at B-terv Café just a few steps from the corner of Király street and Nagykörút. Everyone seemed to like it. Besides the quality draft beers, they offer hot sandwiches too, which saved a few lives last week. The next session will be organized there.

On a more general note, the club is thriving and enjoying the summer. Launching the summer season has turned out to be the right choice since we are witnessing a growing number of attendees week by week. Chances are that the campaign in September will make matters “worse”, so we need to pull up our socks. Until then we will keep introducing new games, such as the “mock definitions” or the “funny superheroes” game we played last time. Please keep in mind that we would not like to use the Topic Hat until the fall season. Instead, we are bringing three new topics that you have sent us for the summer special.

The four elected speakers are summarizing their groups' discussion — The four elected speakers are summarizing their groups’ discussion

As lieutenant Columbo would say, “just one more thing”: a funky idea struck us a few weeks ago and we are asking you to participate. The plan is as follows: we put down a list of questions like “What was your favorite topic?” or “What do you enjoy most about the club?”… or “What’s so strange about Balázs?”, and we make a couple of two-minute long videos with anyone who would be happy to answer them. This would serve as yet another campaign to ensure that we get flooded by an unbearable sum of new people in the upcoming season.

Stay up to date with our Facebook page. See you next Thursday!

TAKE FIVE in the summer break? An exclusive mock interview

With summer coming up and the TAKE FIVE season ending, it was clearly fate’s intervention that we ran into two of the organizers as they had just finished a class. Luckily, they had some time on their hands before the next one, so we decided to ask them a few questions about the past, present, and future of the club.

INTERVIEWER: So, how did the spring season of 2015 go? Was it any different from the previous seasons?

ZSOMBOR: It was much more than we’d expected. You know, we have a genuine formula that we use every time we gather. There is a more or less thought-provoking or amusing “warm-up question” which is there to get the ball rolling, like If you had a chance to go on a beach holiday with a famous person, who would it be and why? Afterwards, we fan out the tiny envelopes which contain all the topics with short descriptions and debate questions. For this season we introduced a “summary” part, which means that after the small groups have finished discussing the topics (two or three, depending on their popularity), one speaker is elected in each group. They sit down next to each other, give a brief summary of their discussion to the “audience”, and that usually gives rise to short debates. It depends on the topics, of course. The “What is art?” topic led us to tricky grounds…

INTERVIEWER: There is a game near the end of every meeting, is that right?

ZSOMBOR: Oh, yeah, the game. I have a feeling that everyone is looking forward to that from the moment they walk in. There is a selection of games we alternate throughout the season. If I remember correctly, the games we played in the spring were Alibi, Taboo, Last Letter, and a game we simply call “Nóra’s game” as she was the one who recommended it years ago. It always seems to work because it relies on the guests’ creativity. They all have to come up with a few words which, then, all go into a hat. And… I’m not gonna tell you more. Join us next time and see for yourself! (laughs) Oh, and I played two rounds of chess with Antal, but that’s another story. I hope I’ll have a chance in the summer to make up for that last time.

INTERVIEWER: The readers may also be interested in how the TAKE FIVE club has come to be what it is today.

ZSOMBOR: That’s quite an uninteresting story. I was walking around on Margaret Island in the summer of 2011, and I came across a sign on a post that read “conversation club”. They offered four languages. I became interested right away. For some reason, however, I couldn’t attend the weekly sessions, but as I kept thinking about it, something struck me. I posed myself the question: If you are studying to be a teacher and you already give lessons, why don’t you found your own club? I chewed on it for a while and then decided to give it a shot. Nothing to lose, I thought.

INTERVIEWER: Watching these old photos, the club looked very different. Is it just the photos?

ZSOMBOR: No, it was indeed very different. First, we started out in an empty room of an art gallery in the 5^th district. The topics weren’t well organized, to say the least. Sometimes we just picked a slip of paper with “old music vs. modern music” on it, and tried to discuss it. It didn’t really work out. The topics seemed like those sloppy oral tasks from your language exam book. Although the special TAKE FIVE atmosphere came to life in the very first year, it wasn’t quite enough. I decided to raise the stakes, so to speak. I assembled a group of three organizers, including myself, and we began to work hard. We beefed up our Facebook page, created an independent website, and spent a great deal of time collecting topics. This was in 2013, I guess.

INTERVIEWER: Balázs, where do you come into the picture? Were you part of that first organizer group?

BALÁZS: No, I wasn’t part of the organizers at first. I believe I started attending the club in … now let’s see, I’m always in trouble when I’m asked this because I honestly don’t remember (laughs). I think I first attended in the spring season of 2013. I was good friends with Fanni by then, and she suggested I check out the club. Needless to say, it was love at first sight, and I don’t recall that I missed many occasions. I was a regular club member at first, and then in (turns to Zsombor), yeah in the beginning of 2014 I became an organizer. Zsombor hasn’t turned me out yet (laughs), so I suppose I’ll stay on board.

INTERVIEWER: Although all of you were insistent on going on holiday, rumor has it that you have planted the seeds for a summer season. Would you mind telling us a few words about that?

BALÁZS: Yeah, we’re glad you asked. We are proud to say that the rumors are true, and special TAKE FIVE summer sessions will, most likely, be held. It seems that enough people are interested, which is always lovely to see. There will be a few changes, though. First of all, these sessions will be primarily run by me, as I can’t expect the others to take on this responsibility in the summer.

INTERVIEWER: And what about the structure of the club meetings?

BALÁZS: No major changes there. The warm-up question stays, followed by discussion in small groups, and then the game. The only thing that’s different is that we’re going to give the guests a bit more freedom in the choice of topics. They may bring articles that they find interesting, or just an idea, as long as they prepare a few thought-provoking questions as well. Or, occasionally, there won’t be any topics, but they will have to come up with something together, like a sales pitch for whacky summertime inventions. We actually tried this game once this season, and it’s a lot of fun.

ZSOMBOR (laughs): What was your crazy idea? A concrete inflatable mattress?

BALÁZS: No, mine was the palinka-based suntan lotion!

INTERVIEWER: It sounds like a hilarious game! Also, it must require quite a high level of language proficiency. What is the minimum level that you recommend for the visitors?

BALÁZS: We have guests ranging from A2 level [elementary language level] to C2, and I’ve never seen anyone snicker at another’s mistake or incorrect word use. Instead, they listen and nod encouragingly, which is fantastic to see. The most important thing for us is that the general TAKE FIVE spirit is maintained; a fun, inclusive group of people, where you only need to speak as much as you want to, and you don’t have to be afraid of people ridiculing you for your language skills.

INTERVIEWER: And what about the venue? I understand that lately you have been in a teahouse/pub, which is underground.

BALÁZS: Yeah, it’s a great place, but since it’s going to be summer, we will look for something outdoors. We haven’t actually decided on a place, but it will be all in the first event, we will keep everyone informed. So don’t forget to check our Facebook page!

Photos by Orsi Kutas

The more the merrier

Three days ago the club came to life with a loud and chaotic opening session. No less than 13 people attended the first meeting of the season, which is quite encouraging and startling at the same time. When we moved to this fantastic bar last year, we started off in the smallest possible room. One year passed and we ended up in the backmost room where all these people could sit around a long table comfortably.

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What if the number of visitors keeps rising? We have already hired a bunch of highly skilled economists and mathematicians to calculate probable outcomes of this tendency. It’s not that we dislike the increasing popularity of our club, but – and now comes the serious part – if we go on like this, we will have to consider making changes to the agenda to make it fit a generally bigger group of visitors. We will see.

This time we did not yet have any topics prepared. The plan was to sit down together and discuss recommendations. All thirteen people introduced themselves in two and a half sentences for the sake of the newcomers. (Balázs either said twenty sentences or used lots of commas.) We also played a brief catch-up game in which everyone had to tell us about one of their best and one of their worst experiences from the past two months.

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From the next session onwards the one and only, the original, the genuine, the peculiar TAKE FIVE routine will keep the discussion on track with the usual warm-up questions, the colored envelopes, and the ever-amusing games. Keep in mind that we gladly take your recommendations both regarding the topics and the games. Feel free to harrass us on Facebook. See you on February 26!

Special thanks to Kla for the photos! Check out her photography, and our Facebook for a few more photos from Thursday.

Winter Course, 2015

February 1, 2015: We spent a long day with a group of enthusiastic English learners (A2 and B2 levels). The daily menu contained amusing introductory games, a bit of grammar practice, translation, whodunnit, and gap-filling listening exercises. For dessert, we offered short “Awkward Situation” scenes written and performed by the teachers themselves. This was only the first intensitve English course for 2015. Stay tuned until the next two-day summer course!

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Colorful club meetings

The TAKE FIVE club seems to be working at full blast with an average of ten visitors a week. One month ago we almost broke the record of that particular night when we had a headcount of seventeen people in the room. We had to stand on a chair to handle the situation.

At the beginning of the season we made a big change by introducing the colored envelopes. Instead of obstinately sticking to one topic, we form small groups and each group draws a random topic from the hat. Every topic goes around the room to avoid boredom and embarrassed glances toward the exit. This way we can cover a wide range of interesting issues from the world of dreams through street scams to the iCloud scandal. The organizers arm in arm with British scientists are working day and night to fine-tune this new method until we win the Best English Conversation Club award.

envelopes So far we have discussed seven topics from the hat, but we keep adding new ones every week. Remember that you can recommend a topic anytime. You just need to send us a short description with a few thought-provoking questions, and if we find it suitable for a club session, we will drop it into the hat.

Let’s not forget about games either. lastletter Two sessions ago we played that Activity-like game in which we write words on cards and two teams have to describe them in various ways. Last time we tried to catch murderers by bringing back Alibi. We are proud to announce that the stocks have been refilled, so we bought the Last Letter game, which promises plenty of fun for future club meetings.

You have five chances to visit the club during this season, so don’t hesitate. And finally, a piece of important news: If you would like to take part in a two-day intensive English course and you also have an inexplicable liking for the TAKE FIVE organizers, you have a rare opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. The last weekend of November is the time, but you can read more under Angol kurzus.

Check our Facebook page for the latest event. See you next week!