ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Meg likes birthdays

In my daughter's class, when a student is on his birthday, all other students sing “happy birthday” for him. Meg’s birthday is on summer holidays, so she misses this celebration. However, one day she came back home from her school and happily told me, that all her classmates song the “birthday song” for her. I’m surprised and answered, “but today is not your birthday!” she said, “it is!---according the lunar calendar. I’ve already check it.”

On my husband’s birthday I asked him whether he’d like a birthday cake. He said, “Don’t bother! I'd like noodles. It will make me a long life.” it is a traditional superstition---long noodles symbolize a long life. Hearing that, Meg said, “Oh, Dad, you should eat a birthday cake. Everyone should eat birthday cake on his birthday!” then she hurried to school. Before leaving, she said, “ Mum, you should persuade him to have a cake. Fruit flavor is the best. ” My husband said to me in a low voice, “She wanted to eat some cake!” She did! At this night she ate all the fruit on the top of the cake and a big piece of the cake.

In deed, we don’t have to pass the test for keeping a dog. But we should get the license to show our dog have been got an injection to prevent hydrophobia.

It is the first time I know that in the UK people have TV license. We are required to have driver license and motorcycle license. Recently we are also required to have electric bike license. But lots of people still don’t have.

They don’t think the licenses are important except for driver license.

Work is the way people exchange their ability and labor with other people, so there is no honorable(high place) work or mean(low place) work. Therefore, works cannot be distinguished as honourable and mean, can they?

Thanks for your encourage! Lewis.
Thanks for all commends!
==========
improved version:

In my daughter’s class, when a student has a birthday, all other students sing “Happy Birthday” to him. Meg had her birthday in summer holidays, so she misses this celebration. However, one day she came back home from her school and happily told me, that all her classmates sang “Happy Birthday” for her. I’m surprised and answered, “but today is not your birthday!” she said, “It is! ---according the lunar calendar. I’ve already check it.”

On my husband’s birthday I asked him whether he’d like a birthday cake. He said, “Don’t bother! I'd like noodles. It will help me to have a long life.” it is a traditional superstition---long noodles symbolize a long life.

Hearing that, Meg said, “Oh, Dad, you should eat a birthday cake. Everyone should eat birthday cake on his birthday!” then she hurried to school. Before leaving, she said, “Mum, you should persuade him to have a cake. Fruit flavor is the best. ” My husband said to me in a low voice, “She wanted to eat some cake!” She did! At this night she ate all the fruit on the top of the cake and a big piece of the cake.

In deed, we don’t have to pass the test for keeping a dog. But we should get the license to show our dog have been

got an injection to prevent hydrophobia.

It is the first time I know that in the UK people have TV license. We are required to have driver license and motorcycle license. Recently we are also required to have electric bike license. But lots of people still don’t have.

They don’t think the licenses are important except for driver license.

Work is the way people exchange their ability and labor with other people, so there is no honorable(high place) work or mean(low place) work. Therefore, works cannot be distinguished as honourable and mean, can they?

Thanks for your encouragements! Lewis.
Thanks for all comments!

By

A gorgeous wedding reception

Yesterday we went to a friend’s wedding ceremony.

It is a gorgeous wedding. The couple invited about 450 people. We ate the banquet at 45 different tables. There is a band playing in the hall. The two singers are famous in our province. They have sung songs in some movies. The host of the wedding is very professional. He entertained all the guests.

Of course, this wedding reception cost the earth. It was paid by the groom and his parents who have only one child. The groom’s grandpa also attended the ceremony. He is eighties years old and very healthy. The groom and bride are at the same 28 years. Most guests brought big gifts of money. And so did we.

Compare to them my wedding was rather small. Luckily my husband is good.

He doesn’t blame me when I don’t cook the food flavorful, make the apartment very clean or sometimes sleep irregularly.I feel ashamed for those bad habits. He gets up and sleeps really regularly.

He has just asked me if I had finished my homework which he called my blog. He doesn’t understand English, but he likes appreciating the pictures on our blogs.

Bye!
jenny

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English - new blogger

It is that time again when we have to say farewell to our current student blogger, Jenny, and give a big hello to our new blogger, Anita from Slovakia.

Jenny, it has been a really interesting month reading your, almost, daily blogs. Thank you for the effort that you put in and good luck with your English studies in the future. I hope that we will continue to read comments from you on these pages.

Anita, good luck during September.

Paul
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English - some advice

Dear all

BLOGGING PROBLEM
There seems to be a slight problem with the blogging system causing strange characters to appear instead of apostrophes or punctuation marks. We are checking this issue and hope to resolve it soon.

YOUR CONTACT DETAILS
Please do not put your email address or other contact details in the comments that you write for the student or teacher blogger. We can not publish comments that have personal contact details.

Many thanks

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English

Goodbye and good luck

Goodbye and good luck, dear friends!

Time is flying. This is my last blog. I will remember the great time we spent together in this month. Although we have never seen each other, I can feel your warm hearts around me.

Thanks ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and Mr. Paul giving us such a nice place, so we could meet each other. Thanks Lewis, his intelligence, passion, patience and encouragement helped me so much . Thanks all readers, your comments encouraged me to write everyday. Thanks my husband and daughter, they supported me even though I haven’t done our housework very well during this month.

Although my writing is not as good as I wished, I am proud that I did my best to write the blog every day except weekends. And all the pictures and writing are original. The pictures are taken by me and my friends. I am sorry for the copy bags, clothes and DVD in China, so I didn’t use any pictures even they are out of copyrights.

I hope all our dreams will be come true in the future!
I also hope our English will be as good as our native language!

See you at the next blog’s commends!
Best wishes!
Jenny

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

My first step ...

Hello, everybody!
I feel lucky to be the next blogger. I can hardly believe it. It is amazing. Thank you! On the other hand I am a little afraid because I have only been learning English for three years. It is a big challenge for me.

Firstly, I would like to welcome the next teacher blogger but I have not known her/him yet.

I promised in my paragraph that if I won I would blog about the relationship between mother and daughter who do not see each other very often. So, secondly I would like to introduce myself and my family. My name is Anita Nagyová. Do not be surprised if women use ová after their names. It is common in Slovakia but nowadays this is optional. My name is enrolled in my all official documents in this way so I use it. But my daughter name is Csilla Nagy. Another curiosity about our names is that it is our Slovak name because the official language is Slovak. But we belong to the Hungarian minority living in Slovakia and if somebody asks in Hungarian: "What is your name?" we will answer: "My name is Nagy Anita" not Anita Nagy like in English. Our mother language is Hungarian and we speak in Hungarian at home. My children also have the opportunity to study in Hungarian school where they study Slovak, English and German language as well. In my childhood I used to learn Russian and German, so I have to make up leeway and I am learning English now.

Getting back to me and my family - I am married and I live with my husband and our two children in a small village in the west of Slovakia. My husband is an owner of a business and I am self-employed, too. He runs a small company that deals with exporting and importing agricultural products. We work together. I help my husband with paperwork. I also answer phonos or type letters. Our office is at home so most of the time I am at home. In the morning I do the housework. To tell the truth I have never wanted to become a successful businesswoman. It is not important to me. My biggest ambition was to be a good mother. I must say I still have high hopes of becoming a great mother. I try my best to bring my children up. Am I an old-fashioned woman, because I do not want to build my career? What do you think?

My daughter is 19 years old. She is studying psychology at a university in England. She is also working there for a living. She is coming home in September. It will be our second encounter this year. I can not wait! We are both counting the days until we see each other. Sometimes it is quite hard for me because I really miss her. On the other hand I am overjoyed that she has a chance to study in England. My son, Peter, is 15 years old. He is in his first year at secondary technical school. Speaking of school, the new school year has started. Today is the first school day. The school regularly starts on 1st September but this day is a public holiday in Slovakia. It is the holiday honoring the forming of the constitution of the Slovak Republik. The shops are closed and people do not work this day. So, my son has gone to school today and his easy life ended. He will miss the freedom of the summer vacation. Yesterday he was very excited about going to the new school. I am sure, when he comes home he will tell me his impression about the school.

Well, I must go as my son will arrive soon and I have to prepare lunch because he eats like a horse.
I look forward to reading a lot of comments.

Anita

Freddie Mercury & Queen

Welcome Lewis! It is splendid that we are blogging together during September. I read all your previous blogs and what is more I made notes all of useful phrases to my exercise book. I need to write down the new words and expressions because I can memorize them in this way. Maybe I am getting old.....

I was bleary –eyed this morning . I had a bad dream last night. I was attacked by english words. I think I was in a fever about my first blog . Do you know that feeling?

While I am doing the cooking in the kitchen I always listen to the radio. I like listening to songs of the seventies and the eighties. I listen to the channel that broadcasts song hits from this time. Freddie Mercury was born 60 years ago and today was a Freddie Mercury Day in the radio to the memory of him. I am a big enthusiast of the band Queen. So, in the morning I listened to the songs such a Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions, Do not Stop Me Now, We Will Rock You and so on. These songs put some pep into me after my bad dream.


Yesterday I went to English Club. This Club is free and for everybody who wants to improve myself in English. It was our first encounter after our summer holiday. Every Monday from 7 o´clock to half past 8 people meet in a class and play games, talk about different topics and make friends. Of course, we are all obsessed with learning English. This Club is very important to me because it is the only place where I can practise my language skills. Speaking is far, far more difficult for me than writing it. I feel still embarassed when I speak in English. In this way I would like to thank Eva for setting this Club up and for all members who keep their fingers crossed for me. I enjoy spending time very much there because the atmosphere is always good. I have found new friends and I have already learnt many new things there. Of course, yesterday we talked about our summer holidays. Everybody spoke about her/his special moment in summer. My summer was not especial and was not action packed. I lived my everyday life. I think that the highlight of my summer will be in four days when Csilla will arrive.
We are after a very hot summer. It was really sweltering and scorching. In order to escape the heat I spent days inside. I dealt with English almost every day in my spare time because I read and listened to the topics on the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English website. I would recommend this method for learners: read, read and read good topics. This method helps me but I think everybody should find her/his own way.

Bye for now. See you tomorrow. Thanks again for comments.

Anita

An unpleasant jorney

I am alone at home . My son has gone to school, my husband is attending a meeting now. I do not have to fight for control of the computer at least. We have only one pc and when they are at home I must wrestle control of it from them.

I am suprised that I have received so many comments. It is superb. Thank you ! I really enjoy reading them. Tears came to my eyes while I was reading my daughter´s comment. I have been touched.
Every Tuesday I take accounting course. It takes from 4 p.m. to half past 7. Taking part in this course is quite tiresome. Yesterday I was in a hurry to send my blog and attend this course when Csilla has registered on the computer. I could only say to her: hi! She moved from the hall to a shared house with her mates on 1st July. Unfortunately, they have not had the connect to the internet yet. If she wants to write me an e-mail or if she wants to have a chat over the computer she will have to go to a library. The problem is that she is working almost every day and she is able to go to the library when she has a day off. Maybe we will not have any chat until we see each other on Saturday.

I am into British music and I am glad when I understand several words in English. I have never sung along a song because I am not talented. If I sung every members of my family would run out of the world. I like to croon rather.


I would like to tell you that why I started to study English three years ago. I think my story is quite interesting. When my daughter was 14 years old, she started to write e-mails to girls and boys from all over the world in order to improve her language skills in English. One of them, a young boy from England, sent replies every other day. They became very good friends and he decided to visit us in Slovakia two years later. We did not have any problems at home because my daugter translated everything that I needed and they wanted to speak mainly to each other and not to me. The problem comes up when he was going home. At that time Slovakia does not have a direct flight to London. He was flying home from Austria. The airport is about 150 km away from our house. My daughter could not come with us because her passport was at the US embassy in order for her to get a visa. It means that we / my husband and I/ took him to the airport to Austria. It takes about one and a half hour to get there. We were sitting in the car silent. My husband and I did not want to speak with each other in Hungarian because we thought that it is rude. This journey was very unpleasant. In addition, I could not say goodbay to him. We only hugged each other and waved. In a crack I diceded to study English. This young man has viseted us three times since then and nowadays my daughter keeps in touch with him. I would happy if he visited us again.

In the meantime my family has arrived. I must serve lunch. I did not have to cook today because we have some leftover food. As I see it, we must not waste food whilst other people starve. Do not you think so?

Thanks once again for writing comments to me. See you tomorrow.
Anita

Do you eat to live or do you live to eat?

Firstly, I would like to say sorry about my spelling mistake that I made in the title yesterday.
Secondly, I would like to thank you for all comments. I would also like to thank Lewis for his intresting story and for loads of new expressions in it.

I spent all day cleaning Csilla´s room before she came to make her feel comfortable. I cleaned the windows, washed the curtain, dusted the furniture, polished the floor and so on. I will only change the bedclothes on Saturday because she likes nice smelling pillowcase. My children tend to say that I am obsessed with cleaning up and this is one of my bad habits. It also causes some unimportant quarrels when they are not as careful about cleanliness as I think they should be. I believe that they will change their mind when they also become parents.

Let´s talk about food. In the southwest part of Slovakia, where Hungarian and Slovak people live together, the Slovak cuisine is more or less the same as the Hungarian because we live close to the border with Hungary. On the whole, Hungarians like eating. I like eating too, but I do not live to eat. My family has meals four times a day: breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner. My son does not eat breakfast at home because he does not want to get up early. So, I prepare breakfast for him that he takes to school. My husband and I eat breakfast at home. We prefer eating rolls with butter or cheese and ham or different kinds of salami to eating cereals with milk. Sometimes I cook poridge. We have lunch at that time when my son comes back from school, between 1pm and 2pm and the whole family eats together. I am happy because my family always has lunch at home. Lunch is the main meal of the day for us. I cook all day, so we always eat warm dishes. We often eat vegetable soup. After that we have the main dish, for example: pasta, cheese or different sorts of meat with potatoes, rice or noodles. Our popular national dishes are: Ujhazi chicken soup, goulash, fish soup, paprika chicken, stuffed cabbage, stew with noodlies. In my kitchen I do a lot of cooking and baking. I usually bake cake three times a week. I like trying new meals, so I often read cookery books or websites on the internet where I can find a lot of recipes. My family likes new tastes as well. We sometimes eat an afternoon snack, when lunch was light. We eat a slice of bread, some spread, fruit or vegetables. My son likes some crisps, but I do not like them. We have dinner between 6pm and 7pm. We eat something light or leftover food from lunch. We are together around the table in the kitchen. Over dinner we discuss what has happened to each of us during the day. My son also says what happened at school that day.
We like food from other countries, too, especially Italian. We often eat some pizza or spaghetti with bolognese sauce.. I hope that I cook healthily. I do not cook with too much fat and I cook a variety of different meals. We also like all sorts of fruit. I think it is better to eat more frequently but in small portions. On some occasions we go to restaurants.
Speaking of meals I am getting hungry. It is too late now so I have to prepare something light for us.
See you tomorrow. Have a nice dream.
Anita

White chocolate cake like a surprise

I really must say how grateful I am for receiving your comments and for Lewis´s help.

The temperatures are cooling off. It is only 22°C in the warmest part of the day. The sky is clody. There is a rainy weather today.

It is only one night and Csilla will be at home. I am getting more and more nervous. I have a few butterflies in my stomach again about Csilla flying. I hope that the authorities will be on hight alert.

In the morning I had a visitor. My father came over and I entertained him for lunch. After that we had a nice conversation over a cup of coffee. He lives not far from us in other village. It takes 15 minutes by car to get there. It is so extremely good to live close to family. He lives together with my younger brother, his wife and son. My father is doing well. He is 66 years old and he is retired. He has a garden with fruit trees and he raises animals: rabbits, pigs, chicken for own use and for us too. He brought me lots of fresh eggs so I will be able to cake Csilla´s favourite white chocolate cake tomorrow. It will be a surprise for her. I can let the cat out of the bag because I am sure, she will not be online until tomorrow.

We also have quite a big garden where we always have some work but we /my huband and I/ have green fingers. In this garden we have small vegetable pots . There is an orchard in the back of the garden. Around the house there is grass everywhere. I have a small rockery and lots of different flowers. Our garden is very nice mainly in the spring when the trees are in blossom and the flowers are colorful. I can pick fresh fruit end vegetable from our garden. During the summer I canned lots of cucumbers, green beans, peaches, apricots, nectarines and so on. I also made jam from apricots and strawberries.It saves money and it tastes better.

My son likes helping less around the house. He does the work but he always grumbles.
About one and a half week ago my son noticed that he runs out of his pocket money. My husband will offer payment to him if he fell trees in the garden. We have three apricot trees, one cherry tree and one sour cherry tree which are dried. He have to root out them, so it is quite a hard row to hoe. He started to work with a big ardor. In the afternoon he had some water blisters on his flat of the hand. In the evening he was so tired that he went to bed very early and slept like a log. Since then he has dug out three trees and our digger is broken. Now we have to buy a new one. Is it a good idea to offer payment to children for help? What do you think?

Best wishes! Have a nice weekend!

Anita

Welcome home!

Hello Everybody!

It is time to start another week. I am so happy that you are interested in my blog.

I would have liked to write earlier than Monday evening but I have been really busy with Csilla. Let me tell you the story of my weekend.

On Saturday we left our house at 7pm and went to Bratislava. Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia and there is the airport that is not very big. Nowadays more and more people want to fly so our airport is under refurbishment to make it bigger. It is about 60 km from our house. I was in a fever so I did not have a bite all day. We arrived there a little early and we were waiting in the hall. At that time some planes arrived and we were looking at the people and asking each other: “Could they be people from London?” “No, they are too brown, they must come from Dubrovnik /Croatia/”, said my son. Shortly afterwards my daughter stood in the door and I was overjoyed. All my nervousness disappeared like a shot and I felt as right as rain. We hugged each other. It was a terrific feeling. On the way home she was speaking and speaking. And she had continued the talking after we arrived home so we did not get to bed until midnight.

On Sunday morning I prepared three courses for lunch: meat soup, meat dish, potato salad with mayonnaise and cake. After lunch we watched Formula 1 on TV. My husband likes the excitement of car racing and in the course of time I came to like it , too. This weekend the championship was in Monza. The race was very exciting. In a month the race will be in Japan in Suzuka. Do you like the F1?

Later we went to visit the grandparents both from my side and from my husband´s side. As Csilla says: “We saw puppies and doggies and bunnies and kitties”. She spoke about her experiences as a student in England and as a waitress in a restaurant. Everyone was really happy to see her again.

Getting back to the issue of rooting the trees out in our garden, my son was working there again together with my husband. Today he shovelled the soil back into the hole and this time, he broke the shovel. Now we have to buy a new digger and a new shovel as well. His blisters on the palm of his hand have already healed.

Today I am sending you some pictures of our house and our garden. I really look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Anita

Our little ZOO

I am writing you a little earlier because I am going to the accounting course.

My family likes animals and the nature. We try to protect it as much as we can. As you know, we live in a house with garden, trees and flowers so I let my children have pets. We have one dog, a bobtail. She is 9 years old.

Our second dog was put to sleep last year because he was very ill and old /16 years/. We felt sorry for him. Then we have one tom-cat, two turtles and some fish in an aquarium in the children’s room. And of course, in our garden there are lots of birds and we can listen to their singing, especially in the morning.




I would like to tell you several stories about animals that have happened this summer. My son brought a little egg home in August and he unloaded it on his desk. Two days later this little egg started to move. We put it into a bottle and next morning a little brown lizard was in the bottle. We have never seen a lizard egg before. We transferred it into a small aquarium where we settled a rock and a case with grass in it. We had a problem. This little lizard did not want to eat at first. We offered it ants, grasshoppers. Nothing happened. Actually, the grasshopper was as big as the lizard. We were anxious and thought that it would be better if we let it go. Then we got an idea and we offered it some ant eggs. Our little lizard started eating. Since then it has had a robust appetite and is very spry. We put the aquarium under the lamp and our new pet can sunbathe on the rock in this way. I named it. Its name is “Picur“, in English it means: Dinky. My son takes care of it. I think it is a fun experience for my son and for me, too.



One day we were trimming the hedge in our garden when I saw a new molehill and a mole in it. My husband caught it and put it into a bucket. It screamed so much that we felt sorry for it and we let this small animal go in this part of the garden where we don’t have grass. It buried itself very quickly.

Another day my son was on his way home when he set his eyes on two kittens in the ditch next to the road. They were abandoned. He did not have the heart to have them destroyed, so he picked them up and brought them both home. We fed them with milk. They were so hungry that they ate and ate and ate... One of them had an injured eye and we named them, One Eye and Two Eye. My son was taking care of the kittens who enjoyed being petted. It was so nice to hear little kittens purr. They were grey and black striped. About a week later our kittens disappeared. We do not know why. We fed them three times a day and played with them and they had a good shelter. Maybe our dog was guilty. She could not make friends with them. We were calling them for two days but they did not come back. We have been very sad. My husband said: “It was their destiny“. Are you a great believer in destiny?

Thanks once again for your comments. See you tomorrow!

Anita

The girl in the picture

Getting back to the topic of destiny I really agree with Lewis and think that my decisions influence my life. However, I have a story which seems to contradict this idea.

I met my husband at a dance when I was 16 years old. He asked me for a dance. I think it was love at first sight. Next day he waited for me in front of my school. Then we spent a lot of time together and got to know each other. When I was 18 I took my final exams at my secondary school and then we got married.

I have a fascinating story about my husband and me. When I was 12 years old I attended elementary school together with my husband’s cousin. This cousin had a photo of me and he showed this photo to my husband who said: “I want to marry this girl.” He took this picture home and put it among the other photos. He was only 15 at that time. We did not know each other, we had not met each other and we lived in different villages. Many years later when we had already been married I found this photo in the chest of drawers in my mother-in-law’s house. I shouted out: “This is me in this photo!!!” My husband told me his story about the photo. It is so romantic, isn’t it?

We tied the knot 20 years ago so we will have our 20th wedding anniversary this autumn. I wonder if anyone here has similar stories. I would really like to hear them.

I would like to say sorry for writing so little today but it has been a long day and I am tired. Bye for now!

Anita

Books & films

Your parent’s story is also fabulous. I hope that my husband and I will stand by each other and we will be able celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary as well.

I have also been racking my brains for an actress who could portray me in a film but nobody comes into my mind. To be honest, I am not a big film viewer. I do not often watch the box on weekdays because there are mostly serials or soap operas that do not interest me. My favourite programmes are the documentaries and the quiz shows, for example: “Who wants to be a millionaire?” The only thing I regularly watch on TV is the news. I prefer reading topics on the computer or reading books to watching the box. When I last went to the cinema I saw an interesting film called Memoirs of a Geisha directed by Rob Marshall. I saw the film after I had read the book. The film is based on the novel written by Arthur Miller. The book is absolutely brilliant in his description of the customs and rituals of the geisha. Through the details the reader can fully understand the politics, rivalries and traditions of a Japanese geisha. I truly enjoyed reading the book. What I liked the best about it is that it is an excellent love story, drama and history together. During the film I listened to the beautiful music composed by John Williams and performed by Yo-Yo Ma.and I saw the marvellous costumes. I do not often go to the cinema because I always feel disappointed after I see the film. On the whole, I find reading books more interesting than watching films. In spite of this I have a favourite film that I have seen more times. It is Forrest Gump where the main character is played by Tom Hanks. I think that is why he is my favourite actor. He stars in many excellent films and is very popular with the public. These films both got many awards.

I love reading in my spare time. We have quite a lot of books at home. I like reading mainly autobiographies, novels and romances. My favourite writer is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. All of his books are so interesting and exciting that I can not put them down. I love his style and the way he writes. What is your favourite book and film?

When my children were small I always read them stories when I put them to bed at night. They could not sleep without the story.

Csilla is doing well at home. She enjoys her freedom that she does not have to cook, wash and so on. Of course, she helps me in the kitchen and she feeds our pets since she has arrived. She has so much to tell me. She makes me happy just by being here.

Thanks for your comments and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Anita

An interview

Your pictures are sweet, Lewis. Of course, you do make a cute couple.

You had a question about Csilla’s life in England. So, I will tell you about it. My children have very different personalities. While my son, Peter, likes being at home and he does not want to go to a camp or he feels homesick after 5 days when we are on holiday, my daughter does not manage to stay in the same place. When she was 14 years old she had a pen-friend from Greece and she visited her in Athens. At first the girl came to Slovakia and spent a week with us. Then they flew to Greece together and Csilla spent one week in their house. After that she came back home alone. Next summer she went to an English language school in Malta in order to improve her language skills in English. She stayed with a family with other students from France and from Germany for two weeks. For us, the parents it was ages. Of course, she went there alone. Everybody said that she was a brave and daring girl. When she came back we thought that it was her last journey and we tried to talk her out of her next dream. We were unsuccessful because she was so stubborn and insistent. When she was 16 years old she went to the USA for 10 months. She studied in her third year of high school there as an exchange student together with American children. She lived in a host family in Virginia. When she arrived from the USA I had already known that it was not her last journey. She took her final exams in Slovakia and she applied to go to university in England. Three universities admitted her and she chose one.
Now, I would like to make an interview with her:

Why did you want to study in England?

I enjoyed my American high school exchange so much that I was almost certain that I wanted to continue my studies abroad. Now, England is a lot closer to Slovakia than the States, there is the excellent reputation of British universities and all my English friends at universities were having a great time… So, going to England seemed like a good idea.

What is the difference between the university in England and in Slovakia?

This is very difficult to tell as I have never actually attended a Slovak university. However, based on what my former classmates say, it seems like we spend less time in lectures in England. Our terms are shorter as well and most of our exams are at the end of the year rather than all year round. Most of our exams are written ones compared to the large number of oral examinations you have to take in Slovakia. Also, you can postpone your exams several times in Slovakia and you can retake them several times as long as you pay for them. In England, you get a chance to re-sit some of your exams witch you have to pay for but you are expected to pass the second time. Of course, it is also great to study in nice large lecture halls and well-equipped laboratories.

Do you feel that you are a foreigner there?

England has an extremely diverse society so even if you are a foreigner and you act like a foreigner, you do not feel out of place. But I do think that I blend in quite well… I mean, I drink my tea with milk, after all! My housemates and friends tease me at times about speaking funny and “being weird” but having got used to the English sense of humour, I do have my comebacks!

Do you have any language difficulty?

It was more difficult at the beginning of my first year, I suppose. Then, I think I got used to university level textbooks and listening to lectures fairly quickly. I still need to look up quite a few words in the dictionary but I guess they are the same words that the English students would look up as well. Less and less people ask me where I come from, so I guess my accent is getting less noticeable, too which I do think is a positive thing. Then, there is of course the slang which I need to improve on and keep up with!

Are there any differences between young people in Slovakia and in England?

The English drink slightly more, I guess… But to be fair, everyone at university has been really really nice and friendly. I didn’t have trouble making new friends and trying to fit in at all. We sit around chatting a lot, go to cinema, go for picnics in the park even – all the usual student things.

Do you get homesick there?

Of course! Most of my English friends who come from places other than Reading get homesick too and they’re lucky enough to go home for all the holidays and sometimes even a weekend or two! When I get homesick, I try to keep myself busy, which is really easy to do when you’re in full-time education and have a part-time job… Then, I write a nice long but cheerful letter to my mum so I don’t make her worry too much and it all gets much better after a while.

What are your plans for the future?

Firstly, I’d like to get a good degree at my current university in two years’ time. Then, I’d love to continue my studies and get a master’s degree as well. I’m not quite sure yet about what area of psychology interests me the most, whether I want to stay in England or go someplace else but I’ve never been famous for making long-term plans that I commit myself to. I suppose it’ll be a very spontaneous decision when that time comes…

Bye bye for now! Have a lovely weekend and I will see you all later!

Anita

Half-way through my journey

Hello Everybody!

During the weekend I was also thinking that I am half –way through my journey as a blogger. This day last fortnight I wrote my first entry. I think it was an enjoyable phase in my life I went through. I hope that all readers of my blog have similar feelings and I also hope that I did not make them tired. People who have written me comments have motivated me to write my next post. I feel the need to do my best for the next two weeks. Thank you for your kind comments. Thank Lewis for his help.

I would like to show you how difficult it is to speak for me. Last week a lovely person phoned me from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. She said that they would call me to ask about my blog, about my feelings and so on in two days. I agreed but I had already known that it will not be easy to me. I revised all sentences which I have learnt about how to make a phone call. When I was called again I was so afraid that I will not understand the questions and I will not able to say any word in English. If I had a few butterflies in my stomach because of my first entry two weeks ago, now I had a million butterflies in my stomach. So, I was called and was listening to the Talk about English on the phone when somebody said: “Anita! Jackie will ask you after three minutes.” And later: “Anita! You will come in two minutes.” I thought that I would not be able to say anything. Now I will show you the outcome on the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.



To be honest, I am not satisfied with what I said. I had so much more to say when the interview was over and I calmed down. Writing is so much easier than speaking. Fortunately, I signed up to attend an English course again. Hopefully our English teacher will come from England, so we can practise speaking, too. If I will have a chance to speak to Jackie again in the future, I hope that I will do better.

What did you all do last weekend?

On Friday evening we planned that we will visit my father on Saturday in order to help him in the garden. My elder brother lives in the Czech Republic because he got married to a Czech woman. Last weekend he came over with his twins and his daughter. They always stay in my father’s house. Anyway, we planned a big family work together. Unfortunately, on Saturday my husband‘s meeting did not end in good time so when we arrived they had finished all work We were entertained for lunch by my sister-in -law. After lunch we had a lovely time, chatting and tucking into tasty fruit from my father’s garden. The twins are loud and naughty but live far away and when they visit home once a month everyone is trying to spoil them. On Sunday they popped in to see us. They have a sweet tooth and I prepared them apple pie for the trip home. Csilla was helping with baking the apple pie because she wanted to learn to cook some meals and desserts. She seems to be better at making desserts than meals but she is improving.

I can’t wait to hear about Superman!
Bye for now! See you all tomorrow!

Anita

Shopping and fashion

Today I have to write my entry earlier than yesterday because I know that I will be tired after taking my accounting course.

Our little office, where we have the computer, is next to the kitchen so I can write and in the meantime I can cook. Today I am cooking stew with noodles and mixed vegetables salad. I am simmering the meat now and the salad is ready.

As I mentioned earlier while I am cooking I always listen to the radio. Just imagine, about a half hour ago I heard on to the radio my favourite song from the Beatles, I Should Have Known Better. It is a song that it is not broadcasted very often. As someone has strongly recommended in her comment earlier to sing along a song at least once, so I did. What is more, I danced in the kitchen. Of course, I was alone there so I was not given funny looks by members of my family. I have to admit that it was really fun.

Csilla is flying back to England on Saturday morning. We have still 4 days to spend together. These days seem to be very hectic. She wants to see her hair-dresser to have her hair cut. Then she has already made an appointment to see her dentist. And we have to buy some things that she wants to take with herself to England. Speaking of shopping, I would like to share with you how we bought clothes for my son. September 29th is a public holiday in Slovakia. They celebrate the revolution of 1945. Shops are closed, people do not work this day. So my husband had time for us and we went to Hungary to do the shopping. We wanted to buy some clothes for Peter because all his jeans, shirts and jumpers were outgrown. I think you can imagine that it is hard work for me, shopping with two men and mainly clothes. We always go to the same department store in Hungary because we can buy there all things that we want. We also have a great deal of luck on this day because we ended our shopping within two hours. To tell the truth I am not keen on shopping either. I also hate trying clothes on. I only like buying food at supermarkets.

Talking about fashion, people have various attitudes to fashion in Slovakia. For some it is vital to be dressed in the latest fashion. Others prefer comfortable clothes. Whatever our attitude to fashion is, we all need to have different clothes to wear every day, and something appropriate for special occasions. At home I prefer casual clothes like old jeans, loose T-shirts and slippers. When I go out I dress differently. I wear skirts, trousers, blouses, cardigans. We do not wear national costumes unless it is a very special occasion. How about you? Do you wear traditional dresses? What do you prefer to wear in your everyday life?

I look forward to reading your responses!

Anita

A strange art exhibition

Yesterday I sang along the song by The Beatles under my breath because firstly, I am too shy, secondly, Csilla was sleeping in her room.

Peter is the tallest in our family. Only my younger brother is taller than Peter. I hope he will not have outgrown his new clothes within one or two months.

Today, when I was in town I took some photos of something interesting. There are signs with questions on them. They are questions about racial issues…
Our village has a population of only about 500 but different nationalities live together. It lies next to the main street and it is not far from a town where my son’s school is or where I attend my accounting and English courses or we do the weekly shopping. It takes 10 minutes to get there by car. It is near the river Danube and about 50-60 km away from the border with Hungary and Austria as well. About half a million Hungarians have lived in certain parts of Slovakia that used to belong to Hungary. Since 1989 Slovakia has become a country open to people from other countries and many foreigners have moved here. Apart from Slovaks, the town is inhabited by Hungarians, Romany and many Vietnamese guest workers have settled down as well. These people have different cultures, different traditions, different customs, different experiences, different ideas, different attitudes to life and so on. It brings on lots of problems. However, mixed marriages are becoming more and more common and their children attend the same school and grow up together. Sometimes unrest between groups of people of different nationalities living in the same place makes them fight. Especially, when one group is smaller than the other. Instead of living side by side, understanding each other’s customs and traditions, tolerating and accepting different lifestyles, sharing their cultures they are judging and condemning each other. An artist who lives in our town has made an art exhibition here. She created 30 signs with different texts in 4 languages and installed them in different places in the city, mainly on the mall. Lots of articles have appeared in local newspapers and people have had loads of heated discussions about these signs. Some people said that they cause trouble again and they are a provocation. Others think that it is a good idea. I also think that these signs will help to bring these groups together. Take a look at these pictures and tell me what you think about this problem?

I look forward to reading your ideas.

Anita

Would you accept a Vietnamese as a guest in your home?


Would you accept a Hungarian as your neighbour?


Would you accept a Romany as your friend?


Would you accept a Slovak as your colleague?

Who likes ironing?

Getting back to the topic of yesterday, I would like to say that we have an idiom in Hungarian that I will try to translate: ”You are as many people as many languages you speak.” When my son does not like to study new words in English and in Slovak or does not want to practise his writing skills, I always say this idiom to him. I try to explain him how important it is when people understand each other in their own language. Do you have such an idiom in your mother tongue?

All of you have already found out a lot of things about me. You know what I like doing in my free time. You know that I like cooking and baking in the kitchen, that I am obsessed with learning English and cleaning the house (the latter one is only in my children’s opinion), that I am into British music, that I like gardening, that I love reading, that I like animals and above all I love my family and I like spending time with them….

Last year in my English lesson we got a task to draw what we hate and what we hate doing. Then everybody had to explain to the classmates why she or he hates it and the others had to persuade her or him about the opposite. Drawing does not belong among my strengths, so it was quite a hard exercise for me. Finally, I drew a picture with an ironing board and an iron in it because firstly, ironing is the only housework that I hate doing, secondly only that came to my mind at that time. My classmates started to argue and persuade me that while I am ironing I can listen to music or I can have a chat with my son and so on. That is right. Actually, I do all these things while I am ironing but I have not begun to like the ironing yet.
Then we had an open debate about my classmates’ ideas. We all agreed that we hate queuing in the shops, we hate cigarette smoke, smoking and drinking. By the way, my husband gave up smoking three months ago. Csilla did not want to believe it when we told her. We are all happy that he made a step to live a healthier life. Personally, I hate mobile phoning as well, especially when people call each other in a restaurant during their lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, as a businessman, my husband uses the phone a lot. Someone stood up for her opinion that she hates animals and someone insisted on hating to wear high heeled shoes. What do you hate and what do you hate doing?

I must be going as I have to do some ironing. Only one day is left to spend together with Csilla.

Anita

Tricky price tags

It seems to me that I will write only a few words today because nothing interesting to write about comes to my mind today… unless I tell you what made me annoyed a few weeks ago. In our town there are several supermarkets. I always go to do the weekly food shopping in one of them because I usually find a wide choice of all kinds of food there that my family likes and the staff are responsive and understanding. So, I went there and I saw that there are lots of bargains. I was happy because I thought that I would save some money if I bought things cheaper than their usual price. Below several goods there were price tags showing the usual and the new price. I did my shopping and I was satisfied until I had a look at the receipt. I noticed that there were no bargains - I bought almost everything at the usual price. I made a complaint. The staff apologised to me and I got back my money. Everybody could say: “All is well that ends well!” But when I went there one week later I noticed that nothing had changed. I bought some items, I realised that I did not get a discount on them. I made a complaint again and I said that I did not want to get back the money but I wanted them to change the price. The staff were not very respectful this time. Do similar things happen in your country?

In the morning Csilla was in town to make some arrangements and on the way home she stopped at her grandmother to bid farewell to her.
We have had several visitors today. Firstly, my father visited us and said goodbye to Csilla. Secondly, Csilla’s two former classmates at high school popped in to chat and give Csilla a hug.

I am going now because I would like to spend this little time with her.
Bye, bye! Have a nice weekend!

Anita

A sad weekend

I hope that your weekend was not as joyless as ours. Let me share our sadness with you.
On Friday evening when all our visitors had gone home Csilla packed her suitcase and went in the garden to say goodbye to our dog whose behaviour had been a little bit unusual all week. She did not want to eat and looked very strange. We thought that she felt that Csilla will go away.

On Saturday morning we woke up quite early because Csilla’s flight took off at 10 am and she had to be at the airport 2 hours earlier. Peter did not want to go to the airport because he did not want to get emotional there so he said goodbye to Csilla at home. We left our house at about half past 7 and went to Bratislava because it takes almost one hour to get there. She checked in after we had arrived at the airport. Her luggage was weighed and she got a boarding card. Then we went to a hall where we waited for some time. We said goodbye to each other and hugged each other. Of course, our eyes were swimming in tears. When her flight was announced she had to go to show her passport at the customs and I lost sight of her….
On the way home my husband and I were sitting in the car silently. In the back of our minds we thought of her. I thought that studying in England is Csilla’s decision and I have to accept it. I have to let her to live her life.

When we arrived home we saw that our dog is seriously ill. She was not sad because Csilla went away. We immediately called a vet who arrived within half an hour. He had a look at her, shot her two injections and said that he would visit her the day after.

Then we felt the need to do something because we did not want to think about Csilla’s flying. I went to the kitchen and started to wash up the dishes that we left because we were in a hurry to the airport. Her mug reminded me of her. Then I made her bed. Her little pillow reminded me of her. The first day is always the worst because everything reminds me of her….and I am not able to take it without crying. I wanted to occupy myself so I baked a lot of croissants filled with peanut butter. I calmed down after she had sent me a text message saying she had arrived and everything was OK.

On Sunday morning we were woken up to the sound of our dog’s whimper. My husband and Peter immediately changed their clothes and went to have a look at our dog. They stroked her, gave her water, reposed her. Unfortunately, she passed away. When the vet arrived she had already been buried and we were in floods of tears. We miss her very much.

On Sunday evening I called Csilla in England to tell her the bad news. She mentioned that she will go to the library on Monday and I am sure that if she is in the library she will read my blog and I did not want her to become aware of our dog’s death from my blog. She was very sad but she said that it was nice to get a chance to say goodbye to her.

I hope that my next blog will not be full of bad news.

Your story is quite funny and made me laugh. When we are abroad on holiday next to the sea we always go to the supermarkets to see some strange food that is typical of the country. We are mainly interested in seafood because in our local supermarkets we can not find it. I did not remember any story similar to yours at the moment. I will put some thought into it and tell you if I come up with anything.

I look forward to reading all your comments.

Anita

Education

Thank you for your sympathetic words. You are so kind.
It is so interesting to hear about your plans to move to England, Lewis. I will keep my fingers crossed for you and I hope you can live a happy live there with Tomono.

Today my accounting course is cancelled because our teacher went away so I can deal with writing my blog for a little bit longer.

I would like to tell you some thoughts about education in Slovakia. There are different forms of education. In Slovakia primary schools are for children between six and fifteen. Then children can choose from different kinds of secondary schools such as: secondary grammar schools, secondary technical schools, vocational schools. Pupils can not choose what they want to study at secondary grammar schools – they have a wide range of required subjects. Studying these subjects is supposed to give them a broad knowledge in many areas and prepare them for higher education. To finish secondary grammar school, students have to take final exams from 5 subjects. One of these subjects has to be the pupil’s native language, one of them has to be a science and there has to be a foreign language as well. Then the pupil is free to choose the remaining two subjects – these are usually the subjects she or he wants to study at university. Pupils who choose to go to secondary technical schools have an idea about what they want to do in the future and take extra subjects, such as marketing, cooking, agriculture etc. They spend 5 years in secondary education and not 4 years as students of a secondary grammar school. They take final exams, too. Students at vocational school do not take final exams and they do not go to university. They get training to become hairdressers, electricians, plumbers etc. A few years ago a new type of school was introduced: the eight –year gymnasium that it is a good preparation for studying at universities. As I see, this kind of school is mainly for children who are talented.

This year we decided that Peter will continue his study at secondary technical school instead of secondary grammar school. In the beginning of September we had an appointment with the headmistress of the school and we came to this decision and we arranged his official papers. It was a hard decision and I hope that I did the best for him. We took this decision because Peter has different interests to Csilla and we wanted to let him to study that he is interested in.

On 4th September when the new school year had started I saw some children going to school for the first time. They were six or seven years old. In their hands were flowers that they took to their teachers. These children had liquid eyes and were suspenseful. They were all happy that they can go to school. What happens to these children later? Why do they hate the school at the age of 14-15? Many children do not have real goals. Perhaps, they do not get enough motivation. They do not like going to the theatre or museum. They are not interested in policy, in nature, in people, in travelling. They do not read books and newspapers. They are interested in smoking, drinking, playing computer games, going out with friends all time. Perhaps, parents do not have enough time for their children. Perhaps, teachers deal with a lot of unnecessary things at schools. For example, children have to change shoes for slippers. It seems funny to me. Secondly, teachers set a bad example, because they smoke at school, too. At parents’ meetings I have spoken about alternative education more times. Alternative education in Slovakia means that students at secondary grammar school get a choice of the subjects that they study so they do not have to study all subjects at a high level. From my point of view, children at the age of 14-15 know that they are good at science or at humanities. This year they are taking final exams, I think they should only study the subjects they will take exams from. This would be easier and less stressful for many of them.

Csilla studied in the USA a few years ago and she is studying in England now so we can compare the education systems in these countries and in my opinion the education system in Slovakia needs some big changes. What do you think about the education system in your country? I would like to read your opinion.

Bye for now!

Anita

Pollution is Everybody’s Business

Only two days are left and my time is up here as a blogger. I would like to discuss a topic that interests me.

When Csilla had arrived to the USA, one of the first things that the host family showed her was how to select the waste. They collected papers, empty cans, food etc. in different bags and they took them to the dumpsters in this way. I can remember when Csilla told me that and we were surprised. In Slovakia we started to select waste material only a few years ago.

Maybe speaking of pollution is stereotyped. But I think it is a very serious problem. Normally, people associate the word pollution with polluted air. Each one of us can help to solve this problem by changing our old habits to help the environment. We should start to protect the environment in own yard. For example, we all know that we have a shortage of water resources so it is not a good idea to use drinking water to wash our car. Another example is that we try to recycle many of the materials that we normally throw away. When waste materials are reused, pollution will decrease. Unfortunately, last year we saw an environmental activist who threw an empty flacon away on the street. He set a bad example to my children. In my village we have the opportunity for us to collect and separate waste material. Next to the grocery there are three boxes where we can collect paper, plastic and glass. It is so nice to see that when old people go to the grocery in the morning they bring along these materials in their shopping baskets and throw them in the boxes. They set a good example to young people. We have only had this possibility lately, for about one year. We live next to the main street and lots of trucks and cars pass through our village every day. Sometimes the truck drivers pitch out their waste in front of our house. Another problem is that some people have a lot of junk around their house and when they load up a trailer and take it to the dump they have to pay at the dumpsite. But in my country people are not used to paying for dumping their waste, so they often tip out their waste next to the road or under the trees. I cannot understand these people.
How we can protect nature? What is your idea?

I had quite a hectic day so I am a little tired now. But I am feeling a little better today.
Goodnight! Have a nice dream!

Anita

What I did yesterday...

I would like to tell you my story of yesterday. We had the electricity cut off from 8 am to 4 pm. It rarely happens in our village, almost 2 or 3 times a year. I do not know the exact reason why we had the electricity cut off. In this modern life we cannot live without electricity. Yesterday I could not do the housework, I could not use the PC so I felt that I was restrained. I could not do anything so I decided to arrange some important things in town. In the morning we went to the hospital with my son because he needed to see his doctor. Do not worry, he is not ill, he only needed to go for controlling. Two days before in the hospital there was a false bomb warning. Fortunately, the authorities were on high alert, they checked everything in the hospital; ill people were evacuated and so on. So, yesterday the hospital was still under police supervision. I think people felt still intimidated because there were not as many people what we as would normally expect. We finished quite early, Peter went to school and we went home.

Of course, we still did not have electricity cut on so I went in the garden .To tell the truth my garden was full of weeds recently because I have neglected it since I have started blogging. I weeded my flowers and vegetable, I hoed, raked and so on. But time went very slowly yesterday. When I had done my work in the garden I went inside and started to read the book “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte in English. This book is not the original but it is rewritten in easy English for English learners. I thoroughly recommend these books for everybody who wants to spend time with learning English and have fun at the same time.
Finally, at 4pm we had the electricity back so I had a shower and I was in a hurry to take my first English lesson this year.

Our teacher is a young, kind, friendly person who loves teaching. He said a Chinese proverb: ”Tell me and I forget, Show me and I remember, Involve me and I understand”. He said that he teaches on the basis of this proverb. He comes from Ireland. There is 8-10 of us in the group. We are learning from an upper-intermediate level textbook. Yesterday we did not have book yet so he brought some photocopies and we read a story about the unique albino gorilla, Snowflake, who lived in the ZOO in Barcelona, Spain. Then we played a mime play. I think I will enjoy my English lessons again.

After my English lesson I prepared dinner for my family, I was able to wash up the dishes at last and I wrote my blog.

In conclusion, I would like to ask a question. Do you have any favourite words in English? If yes, what are they? I have a few words that I like such as lady bird, sunflower, butterfly and poppy seed. I have just noticed now that my all favourite words are related to nature.

I look forward to reading your comments. Bye, bye

Anita

The journey ended

My last step…

At the moment, I am sitting in front of my PC, nibbling some tasty toffee that Csilla brought us as a present from England and I am thinking about how to start my last entry…

Maybe I could start by saying that I am thankful for showing this website to my former English teacher. He showed it to me before I finished my English course last year in order to improve my language skills during the summer. In my free time I always sat in front of the computer and read all Jenny’s entries and Lewis’ answers and I felt that it was very interesting. I gathered my confidence and tried the blog competition. I said nothing to my family about this competition. First I thought, I would not have a chance. But then I changed my mind: I cannot succeed, if I do not try so I wrote my paragraph and sent it. I think it was worth the effort. I was really surprised when I got an e-mail from Paul from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. He wrote me that I was the winner. At first, I could not believe it. This way I would like to thank Paul for this good news. I know that Paul already knows who will be the next blogger in October. I also think that she or he is full of anxiety about writing the blog. I would like to say that it was a really nice experience in my life. I will never forget the excitement of writing this blog. Sometimes it was easy because I just sat in front of the PC and I wrote and wrote. Other times it was so difficult because I had to reread the text over and over again. Sometimes I rewrote the sentence if I noticed some mistakes or bad word order. If I did not know what something meant I used a dictionary to look the word up. In brief, it took me ages. To be honest, I needed about two hours and a half or more to write my entry. But I found pleasure in writing posts and I am glad because I got a lot of comments from very nice people from all over the world. I would like to thank all the people who read my entries, who wrote me comments for their kind, sympathetic and heartening words, for all their interest and encouragement. I would like to express my thanks to the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning English Staff for setting up this new blogging service for learners of English and for offering this opportunity to me. Last but not least I would like to thank Lewis for his help. I have learnt many new expressions, new words, English phrases. I understood the importance of learning English phrases and idioms because we cannot translate them from our own language. I truly agree with him that memorising expressions with the right prepositions and collocations is really important in English.
In particular, I am grateful to my family for being patient. I hope that my penfriend will understand why I did not write him.
Now I feel that it was quite a long time I spend here as a blogger but I know that I will miss the excitement of writing posts after a few days. I will continue to read the next blogger’s entries on this page so I will see all of you in October as well.
In conclusion, I would like to wish you all the best.

I have not been to England yet but I am planning to go there. Firstly, I would like to visit my daughter in Reading. I would also like to meet her friends and housemates, to visit her university. Of course, I would love to sightsee in London, too. I hope that my dream will come true one day.

Have a nice weekend! Bye!

Anita