Already Putting it in Practice - Theatre for Dialogue

I went to UT Austin for three days, but those three days were like a workshop in which I learned new teaching techniques and was re-inspired to build drama teaching practices into my projects. 

During the visit, we were able to see a production of "Get Sexy, Get Consent," which is a theatre for dialogue piece that is used to educate undergraduate students and promote consensual relationships.   It is interactive and is used to spark discussion and analysis of the scenes presented.  In the end, audience members participate in scenes and actually even change the outcome of what happens.  I was immediately in love with this project.  This is the type of theatre work that gives me goosebumps. 

This past weekend, Ramona and I led an environmental camp at an animal sanctuary in the area I live.  We were able to bus 30 kids from the community to go to this camp for free and teach them about the environment. 

We made pencil holders out of milk cartons

The coolest part is that Ramona and I figured out how to incorporate some of the theatre for dialogue techniques that I saw the cast of "Get Sexy" use to teach about how to appropriately interact with wildlife. 

We did a series of short scenes in which we had inappropriate interactions with the animals and asked the kids what stood out to them and what they saw happening. 

Then, after all of the workshops and the tour of the sanctuary we revisited these scenes... but this time, we had kids from the audience join the scenes with us and change the outcomes by using their voices. 

In this scene I'm about to throw a frog at a fan (something someone actually saw happen at a school), but the girls convince me to put it outside instead.  

It went so well!  It was the first time I had led or created anything like this and I could see that the kids learned on a deeper level than they had seemed to the last time we did this camp.  They practiced using their voices and understood that with their education came more power to make a difference. 

Also, my friend that I did this with is in the Peace Corps and is about to start grad school for social work.  Now she wants to incorporate theatre for dialogue into her work and is super excited about learning more about it. 

It makes me so excited that I am able to take this work to far away corners of the world and inspire others to do the same.   I've already learned so much from the program and I was only there for 3 days!  I can't imagine what I'm going to learn in 3 years! 

We Are All Superheroes

Another big project that was inspired by my visit to Austin was a process drama I did with my intermediate level high school English class. 

It all started with the movie, Big Hero Six.  If you are interested in seeing how a process drama works, the lesson is here.  If you're not interested in the details, just know that process drama is a way to use role play and interaction to explore a subject matter or theme.  In this case, we became super heroes in an academy that had to help a professor defeat the super villain who was melting all the ice in the world.  Through these activities, we were able to build greater conversational English skills and learn a lot of vocabulary.  Plus, it was a LOT of FUN.

And.... my lovely friend from Austin and her boyfriend played our main characters (the professor and the villain).  They sent me recordings on Whatsapp every day to play in class.  I couldn't have asked for better actors :]

You can tell by these responses that the students enjoyed it too:

1. Did you like the super hero lesson?

We did something different.  I learned more vocabulary.

It was fun. We talking more in English and learned more vocabulary.

We need different things to do.

I laugh a lot.  It was so interesting.

It was super fun listen the messages.

Was entertaining.

Was cool drawed in the class.

The movie is fantastic and I want super power.

I like because is beautiful.  Is a creative funny lesson.

I learned more English - it was very funny

Because is fantastic.

I like because is interactive.

We make super heroes, that was nice. 

Dynamic classes are nice.  We meet more we classmates and laugh a lot and learn the same time. 

Is so much funny and interactive.

Because we had the opportunity of participated together. 

I liked had super powers. 

*My favorite - Yes, because that is so entertaining and I have to use my mind to resolve the problem and I talked more in class.

2.  Would you like to do a dynamic and interactive story like this again in the future?

Yes, because we learned more vocabulary.  Because it's fun and we play and learned at the same time... it was entertaining. 

Yes, i like to do a dynamic class in the future because I learn and is cool. 

Yes, with this activities I can learn more vocabulary.

Yes, I like have more lessons interactives because is really beautiful share with my friends and is very funny. 

No, because I don't understand the activities (this same person wrote for number 1 that it was fun and interesting and they liked it...)

3.  Do you have any suggestions to improve an activity like this?

No, is fine this. 

I like crimes. 

Maybe we can have dresses (I think he meant costumes ;] )

I liked all.

 

Super Hero ESL Process Drama

Moriah Flagler and Briana Bower

El Colegio Ecoturistico – Quepos, Costa Rica

Intermediate English – Grades 8-11

March 2015

Day 1 and Day 2

Activity: Watch the movie, Big Hero Six

Homework: Individually, answer comprehension questions about the movie.

Questions:

1.  What does Hero want to do instead of attending the university?

2.  Why does he change his mind?

3.  How does his brother die?

4.  Why does his brother go back in the building?

5.  What is Baymax’s profession?

6.  Why does Hero’s brother create Baymax?

7.  What does the villain want?

8.  Why is the villain upset?

9.  What does Baymax do to convince Hero not to kill the professor?

10.  What does Baymax say to disactivate?

11.  Who do Baymax and Hero save?

12.  What happens to Baymax at the end of the movie?

13.  What is your favorite part and why?

14.  Did you like the movie?  Why or why not?

Day 3

Collect homework and share answers in pairs.

Activity - Applications: Fill out super hero applications (attached)

Day 4

Receive acceptance letter from Professor Sparks of the Super Hero Academy, congratulating students on their acceptance.  (One per student - attached)

Acceptance Letter

Greetings,

We are writing to you because we know about your special powers. Do not be alarmed, we are able to detect special powers like yours, and we have not told anyone the abilities you possess.

Because of your great gift, you have been specially selected to attend the Sparks Academy for Super Heroes. Now you must know that just because you have extraordinary powers does not mean that you are guaranteed to become a great hero, but with our help and guidance, you will be able to achieve greatness.

The plane, which will take you to the Sparks Academy, departs a week from today. However before we leave and you begin your training we have many preparations to make. First and most importantly, we must make sure you are fit to join the Academy. Please meet at City Hall today, where Professor Moriah will meet you and begin your training process.

I look forward to meeting you in person, and please remember: There is much more to being a Super Hero, than Super Power.

Sincerely,

Professor Sparks

Volunteers read paragraphs of the letter and we discuss for understanding.  Add new vocabulary to our vocabulary books.

Vocabulary from Acceptance Letter

Alarmed

Able

Possess

Gift (as in ability)

Must

Guidance

Achieve

Departs

“make sure you are fit”

Listen to Audio 1 – Welcome speech from Professor Sparks: (script attached)

Add vocabulary from Listening

Vocabulary from Audio 1

Appear

Danger

Conceal

Regardless

Thrive

“look forward to”

Motto

Check for understanding.

Activity – Meeting other Applicants: Go to the academy and meet the other super hero candidates – Training!

Students walk around the room and must talk to at least three other super hero candidates.  Learn their story: who they are (alias), what their power is, and how they discovered it. Ask them questions and then switch… answer their questions.

Back to the circle – volunteers share about one person they met. 

Activity: Hero Training!

Games – Zap! (to practice speed and mental agility), Freeze (to practice stealth…variation of ghost in the graveyard), A,B,C in circle (to practice mind reading)

Audio 2: Receive urgent message from Professor Sparks saying they need to help her complete her mission, even though they are still in training. 

Vocabulary from Audio 2

“my time is running short”

“gone awry”

Capture

Codes

Vault

“I must go”

“They’re coming for me”

Homework:

Design and draw costumes for their super heroes on the provided template (attached).  List powers and gadgets you use.  Be ready to present your costume next class.

Day 5

Show them what I found in the vault: a soccer jersey from the “sele” of CR (the world cup selection) and a burnt note that says “I have him” in red marker.  Play the voice recording of the villain that was also left on a flash drive in the vault. 

Listen to Audio 3: Villain’s Plan

Villain: my plan is to take over the entire world and no one will be able to stop me… bwahahaha!

Hypothesize as a class on what these items might mean.  Who does the villain have?

Present costume designs.  Include what your powers and gadgets are.  Describe how you use your costume and describe colors if not present and other important aspects you can’t see. 

Day 6

Review:

Where is professor sparks?  Why does she need our help? What was in the vault yesterday?

Show images from Professor Sparks – attached (picture of the Chicago skyline and a tsunami covering a city)

Ask: What do these pictures tell us?  Why would Professor Sparks send them?  Oh, wait… she has sent us another message…. Let’s listen.

Audio 4: Kryptonite – message from Sparks explaining what’s happening with the flooding.

Vocabulary from Audio 4

Weird

Vault

Super villain

Kryptonite

Melting

Sea Levels

Strong/stronger

Captivity

“I hope”

Follow up questions:

1. What does she hope we already did?

2. What is the villain’s kryptonite?

3. What is the villain doing?

4. What is the villain’s power?

5. What will happen if we don’t stop him?

Audio 5: “You think you’re so smart little super heroes….. I got to the vault first…” Message from Villain

Vocabulary from Audio 5

“Back to the point”

“give up”

Agreement

Await

Reply

Discussion: What are our options? Elicit these two options:

1.  Save Kaylor Navas and the world floods

2.  Don’t save Kaylor, instead keep trying to stop the villain… it’s a trick.

Activity – Video Response:

Class records video response to the villain. As a class, brainstorm a script and write it on the board.  Volunteers read the lines that we agree on to send to the villain.

They sent a response to the villain saying that he shouldn't call them LITTLE super heroes and that they would defeat him

Day 7

Review: What has happened in the story so far?  Write plot on board based on various student’s summaries.  Each volunteer says one thing. 

Audio 6 -Listen to video response from Villain: “Oh, if that’s what you want…. Try to stop me… bwahahah.”

Listen to director’s kidnapping message… (because she was absent that day for a meeting).  She begs them to rescue her from a trunk of a car.  Hahaha.

In groups: Draw a map of the villain’s lair. Show at least 6 obstacles and be ready to explain how you use your team’s own special powers to pass these obstacles.  You may not kill the villain.  Remember, his power is fire and he melts things.  His Kryptonite is the special chocolate ice cream.

A group plotting how they are going to use their individual powers to get through the maze of the villain's lair

Day 8

Finish the maps and practice.

Groups present their stories of defeating the villain to the rest of the class. 

Audio 7 – “You defeated me!!!!!” Villain’s last message

Vocabulary from Audio 7

“Curse you”

Underestimated

Potential

Watch Final Video Message from Professor Sparks

Celebrate :] 

Super Hero Process Drama Lesson Scripts

Audio 1

Hello Students, Professor Sparks speaking. I apologize that I cannot appear in person. Due to the danger of my current mission and the need to conceal my identity, I cannot contact you via video message. But regardless, I would like to welcome you all to my Academy for Super Heroes. Professor Moriah has told me great things about each and every one of you, and I have no doubt that you all will thrive here at the Academy. I look forward to working with you when I return, and always remember the Sparks Academy motto, “It takes more than super powers to make a super hero.” I wish you great luck and success on your first day of training.

Audio 2

Professor Moriah and Students I am sorry to contact you like this but I fear my time is running short. My mission has gone awry. They have found my identity, and I fear they will soon capture me. I need your help. The case file is in the vault. Professor Moriah, you know the codes. Please go to the vault this weekend so that you can help me on Monday. It will be dangerous, but please, if you can, I need you to complete my mission. I must go now - they’re coming for me. Complete my mission, and know that the safety of the school and of the world is at stake.

Audio 3

Villain: my plan is to take over the entire world and no one will be able to stop me… bwahahaha!

Audio 4

Dear students,

Professor Sparks here.  I hope you went to the vault to get this super villain’s biggest kryptonite…. You’ll probably think it’s weird, but this special chocolate ice cream is the only way to stop him from melting all of the ice in the world.  As you can already see, the sea levels are rising rapidly and soon we will all be under water.  You need to stop him.  His powers of fire are strong…. But I know you all are stronger.  Don’t worry about me.  I am in captivity, but I’ll be ok.  I hope. 

Audio 5

Villain:

You think you’re so smart….. little super heroes…… bwahahahahahaha……. I got to the vault first!  Try to stop me now!!!!! Bwahahahahahaha.

By the way, your famous little soccer player says hello.  At least I think that’s what he says…. I never learned Spanish.  Bwahahahahahaahahah!  What kind of a name is Navas anyway?! 

Back to the point… if you want Navas back, you will give up right now.  Do we have an agreement?  I await your reply. 

Audio 6

Villain:

If that’s what you want…… try to stop me!  Bwahahahahaha!!!!

(Audio that didn’t happen – can be used to inspire the work of the final project in map making/ story telling or this can be teacher led)

(Professor Sparks:

You have to do this mission alone.  I can’t help you. I found this map, though, in the room I am locked in.  I think it is a map of the villain’s lair.  Think about how to use the powers you have to get through. Make a plan.  You may be student super heroes, but you have what you need to be great!)

Audio 7

Last message from Villain:

You defeated me!!!!! Nooooooooooo!!!!! Now my plan to flood the entire world with water will never happen.  Curse you, little super heroes.  I underestimated your potential.

Video Message: Last message from Professor Sparks

Congratulations, super heroes!  You completed your mission and defeated the super villain.  Not only that, but you rescued Kaylor Navas, director Xiomara, me, and the entire world.  We will be forever grateful for your bravery and problem solving.  I would like to pronounce you all official super heroes!!! And…always remember our motto: There is much more to being a super hero, than super power. Now, I’m sorry I couldn’t deliver this message in person.. but as you can see I need to protect my identity for a while now. So, uh… thank you again; I wouldn’t be around without you. Until next time…..  Professor Sparks – over and out. 

Inspiration

Yesterday, my best friend in Costa Rica told me that she was going to teach a Spanish class to high school students to prepare for a test called the Bachillerato.  This is a test they have to take to pass the subjects and graduate.

She told me that she had never thought of doing something like this before and that I had inspired her.  She could see herself hanging flyers up around town and passing out cards with her information like I did. She wants to start group classes on the weekends to reach more students.   

When she told me this, I felt so proud and so happy that my actions could influence someone I care so much about to take positive risks.  I never told her to do this, but of course I always believed in her and knew she could.  It's so cool to see her go through this process of believing in herself and recognizing the amazing gifts she has to offer the world. 

She definitely has changed my world for the better.  

I live in a graveyard. Literally.

This is something I never ever thought I would say.  As a child, I had a great fear of graveyards. Even driving by them in a car would freak me out.

Then, I came to Costa Rica and lived across from one.  Even then, it took me a while to get used to the idea and when I looked across the path to the house on the graveyard hill I thought, at least I don't live in the graveyard.  I wondered if those kids in that house were afraid of graves.

Well, now I too live in the graveyard.  Just 200 meters up the path, I sit on my front porch - literally touching the graveyard.  The only thing that separates us is a chain-link fence. This makes me laugh. 

Oh, the fears one overcomes.

Realizations Don't Happen in One Moment

When I came to Costa Rica, I came with the hope that giving myself space, breathing, and taking my time would lead me to this sudden realization of what I wanted to do with my life. 

The truth is, at least for me, that realizations like this don't happen all at once in one moment.  They don't go "pum" like a light being turned on in a dark room.  No.  They sneak up on you like the slow change of seasons.  Like a tree slowly reaching up through a forest canopy towards the sky. 

I can't even pinpoint when I decided to pursue my MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities. Maybe it was back in undergrad when I always felt it was in my future to someday go to graduate school. 

Maybe it was while teaching middle school where a nagging feeling told me to keep going - that this wasn't my ending place, that there was more I needed to be doing.

Maybe it was when I looked up grad programs on line before I left the country and hurriedly decided to take the GRE "just in case,"  spending my last few weeks in the US studying all day at Beyond Bread and Miss Saigon... carrying my GRE book to each appointment I had just in case there was spare time to study.

Maybe it was when I decided I couldn't do the math and told my dad I wasn't going to take the test after all. Then, it was the moment that I changed my mind and kept going. 

Maybe it was when my friend, Michael, posted an NPR article on Face Book about an improv troupe using improv with Alzheimer patients and I said - "I want to do this work." 

Maybe it was in the van ride to a rural school in Costa Rica when I told Ramona that what I cared most about was helping young people develop and communicate through drama activities.

Maybe it was all those days that my projects here fell apart and I had to build them again.  The students that dropped out, the classes that randomly died.  

Maybe it was  the day in early November when I made a list of the goals I still wanted to accomplish in CR and the only things I wrote were enjoying what I had created. 

Maybe it was the moment I got online after making that list of goals and learned that I only had a month to apply for the program I really wanted to attend.   The moment that the fear of failure and the fear of success and the crying and the overwhelmedness didn't stop me.  The moment that my friends and mentors wrote those recommendations in a month with Thanksgiving and the end of the semester.  The moment I trusted enough in the process to buy my plane ticket when I wanted to say no.

Maybe it was actually in every breath and every step I've taken - In every project I've dreamed up and then although unprepared and scared.. somehow had the courage to bring to life anyway. 

There are many days that the thoughts in my head get to loud.  The nights that the space between these thoughts gets to short.  Those days, the doubts win.  The voices that say things like "What if you don't like it in the US?"  "What if you don't fit in there?"  "What if you're sick of studying theatre ed... you got your undergrad in that... why are you doing that again anyway?... you didn't learn enough the first time?" "What if you forget Spanish?  You worked so hard to learn it."  "You don't like US culture.  People there are so negative."  "What are you going to do after you graduate?"  "Will you be able to work in that field?"  "Where will you live?"  "Will you ever have a family?"  "Three years is a really long time!".....  They go on and on and on until I feel as though I am being drawn and quartered by a medieval torturing device. 

While you don't have these thoughts, exactly, I bet some of them sound familiar.  In fact, when I try really hard to remember, I recall that I've had similar thoughts at every big decision in my life.  They sound different, but the ideas are all the same.  And hey, I've gotten this far - so why would I let these thoughts get me down now?  Now that they're out on paper, maybe they'll loose some of their power and perhaps even help someone who is battling with thoughts that are cousins.

And for me, it's focusing back to the source.  To all of those moments that have led me to this one.  And all of those moments ahead of me that will take me to exactly where I need to be, exactly when I need to be there, and with exactly whom I need to be there with. 

We Meet in Chairs and Shade

The way I ended up working so closely with Ramona, the Peace Corps volunteer in my area, is such a random story that I am convinced we were meant to be partners in these crazy projects.  All of our interactions are serendipitous - one there to help the other when she needs it... synergizing our skills to create things neither of us had previously imagined. 

All of this began from a delay on a plane a year and a half ago when I looked behind me and saw a guy in a peace corps shirt.  The rest was set in motion, just because I spoke to him.  Life is crazy like that... the way talking to one person can influence your life so greatly for so long after when you could just as easily not reached out in the first place.

Standing in line to get off the plane, I never imagined the things Ramona and I would be working on together now.
I brought her into the theatre and we did the play together.
She supported me in building my improv troupe and showed up to practice even when she was tired. 
She wouldn't let me give up when kids stopped coming, encouraged me to send emails, and went with me to hand out flyers. 
She helped me become a better English teacher and showed me the new techniques I needed to tame and engage my high school class.
She listened to me while I thought of how to create my creative presentation for my grad school interview.  She stopped me from "laminating" at my grad school interview ;]
She got us our first improv show.
She bravely yelled with me and joined the craziness that was guerrilla improv.  
She got me involved in Kids Saving the Rainforest and worked with me to create a "theatre for dialogue piece" for the camp.

Together, we learned lines we didn't even understand. We traveled to rural schools sharing the joy of theatre. We went over bridges in buses that normal people would be afraid to walk across. We processed life and the quirks of life in Quepos.  We laughed, cried, and continued on.  One batido at a time.  One crazy bus ride after another.  From airport drop offs in the middle of the night to trying to get our teenage improvisors home from a far away town... we always made it through together - "yes anding" all the way. 

Ramona and I.... we meet in chairs and shade.  We reminisced the other day about how we never really have planned or organized meetings, and yet we meet in the most random places at the perfect times that things need to happen.  We have planned camps on "a group's bench" at the colegio in the middle of the morning when we really had no reason to be there, planned the subbing of my English class at the "malecon" during the carnival parade, invented the plot of my process drama on the bus to San Mateo, learned lines in the batido shop, and randomly developed a theatre for dialogue piece/ rehearsed it in the oven like courtyard of PANI (child protective services) office.  We don't need fancy rehearsal spaces or offices.  We meet in chairs and shade and change the world one project-we-never-thought-we-could-do at a time. 

Thanks, Ramona. You've helped me to believe in myself and the projects I've created as well as the projects I know I can create in the future.  I am so grateful we were able to share this experience together.  And we sure did meet some incredible people along the way ;]

Aguaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

More Onomatopoeias in Spanish

"Purulum purulum" is the sound of something falling.  When that something hits the ground, it goes "pum!"

Example: I was walking when "purulum purulum"... me caí!

"pum" can also be used for something exploding.

Also, the verb for beep is pitar.  I wander what the onomatopoeia is for "beep beep"....? "pit pit?"  I'll have to do some research.

It is so important, though, in story telling to have these onomatopoeias mastered.  It's also so important to have the right vocalizations when saying expressive words like, "alláaaaaa!!!" It has to go up in pitch at the end to signify that it's super far.  Then, the pitch goes down again as if the thing that flew so far away is landing in a far off land.

I wish we were that expressive in English.  I want to say it was over theeeeeeerrreeeeeee in that way.  If I spoke the way I do in Spanish in English, people would think I was crazy.  I just might try, though... just for fun :] 

More Funny Things Students Say

"It's 90 dollars for head." - He meant to say "per head."

"The volcano explains!!!."  - After I explained that the word was explodes, she justified her answer by saying that the volcano is really angry and needs to explain that by exploding.  :]  Gotta love the justification.

"I'm going to throw this paper in the water basket."  - *waste basket

My students thoughts on racism: "We all breathe the same air.  Well, except for Mexico City... their air is polluted."

At the end of an essay test at the HS: "Moriah, I want to like you this summary :] "

In a summary of the movie Big Hero Six: "And he ends the university.  He is immortal because in the university he wears a good clothes."  I have no idea where he got this or what it is supposed to mean. 

My Favorite Student Responses - Conditional Tense

In the High School, I gave a test on the conditional tense and got some pretty amazing responses. The bolded parts of the sentence are the parts I wrote... they completed the rest. The ones that don't have bold, they wrote all by themselves. 

If I were a boy, I'd be a handsome boy.

If I met one person, I'd be kind. 

If I ate fish, I'd be dead.

If I were hateful, I'd apologize.

If I talked with a beautiful girl, I'd call all of my friends to tell them what happened.

If I was in problems, I'd call all of my friends to tell them what happened.

If I could have lunch with anyone in the world (alive or dead), I'd write a book.

If I could have lunch with anyone in the world (alive or dead), I'd choose alive. 

If I were an engineer, I'd create a Baymax.

If I were an adult, I'd be serious. 

If I were an adult, I'd run really slow.

If I could travel anywhere in the world, I'd go to my room. 

If I could travel anywhere in the world, I'd buy something for teacher Moriah.

If I could turn back time, I'd come back to school. 

If you felt sad, I'd make you happy. 



:]  They make me smile.  This kind of stuff is what makes being an ESL teacher so much fun. 

Reflections on Connections - and a BIG YES

"Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water,
the actions of individuals can have far reaching effects."
 - Dalai Lama

The past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about connectedness. About how I have gotten to where I am in life and all of the people I have interacted with along the way.  Stories appear in my mind like movie clips - vignettes in which each person clearly has an essential role in the development of the plot.  All of these characters have taught me something and helped me grow in some way.  

Then, I begin thinking about all of the stories I don't know... the movies that have not yet been written or are being written in this very moment.  All of those movies in which I am a supporting character.  The possibilities are endless and I will never see all of these movies.... but merely imagining them puts me in awe. 

This is one of the many reasons I love teaching.  Spending time with young people every day, challenging them to think about the world, supporting them in constructing their own identities, listening to their voices and helping give those voices power... these are the things I care about.  These are the things that make me say YES!

This is why I am PROUD to announce that I am saying YES to graduate school!!!!
I could not ask for a more positive, supportive, passionate, and creative learning community than the one at UT Austin's Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities MFA program. 

May I have the opportunity and courage to develop my skills of facilitation and be able to continually make a difference in the lives of those I interact with... laughing and playing all the while. 

Through All of the Differences, Seeing the Similarities

Sometimes you have to pick things apart to put them back together again. 

Sometimes you have to focus on all of the differences, all of the idiosyncrasies, all of the weirdness...

To come back to a point where you see similarities, the connection.

The happiness I find here is a part of me. 

This part of me will always be there.

No matter what river bank I pause on before jumping joyously back into the current. 

Cultural Norms as Exposed at Subway

I love observing.  In fact, I think that observing is one of my favorite activities... which is fortunate since it is something I can do anywhere. 

Today at Subway, I watched a Tico couple walk into Subway and stand, gazing confusedly at the process of ordering a sandwich.   It struck me that in Costa Rica it is common to have cafeterias where you hold your tray and pass through the line, asking for what you want on your plate. 

Maybe that's why they took a tray from the top of the trashcan - the discarded trays customers had left behind - and then proceeded to get into the wrong end of the line.  Once they realized the line was moving towards them instead of towards the food, they moved but carried their trays with them.  They looked so awkward and lost in this American style restaurant.  All of the odd looks I saw other customers in line give as they glanced their way and then back at each other in agreement.  Nobody speaking up to clue them in on these unspoken cultural norms we take for-granted. 

How interesting it was, though, to see this experience I have had so often from the other side...

A little piece of the US in the wrong country.  I guess you really do travel in a Subway ;]