Esperanto-USA

The Esperanta Klubo de Auxstino (EKA) started in 2002. At first it was only 3 to 6 people meeting monthly in a restaurant. In 2003 we moved to a coffeeshop, and began meeting weekly. We found that weekly meetings (at the same time and place) made it much easier for people to remember the meetings, and gave us all a great deal more practice. As is typical, there were some people who were there almost every week and some people who would come for a while, then drop out, then come back, and so on. Eventually, the club grew to an average of 10-12 people meeting every Sunday, so we started another weekly meeting, on Tuesday nights in a pub. This lets members have diverse experiences; some people prefer a coffee shop, and some people prefer a pub. The club continues to grow and we might soon organize a third weekly meeting aimed specifically at beginners and children. The local club has been a very effective tool that each of us uses in a different way to help us learn and enjoy Esperanto. The Esperanto Club of Austin has hosted two Texas-wide congresses and the 2005 ELNA national congress.