Halloween is on October 31st every year and is a time for kids to dress up in costume, and to go “trick-or- treating.” In the evening on this day, you can see many children going around to homes in their neighborhood. They knock on the door, and say “trick or treat?” This means that you either give a treat (sweets) or they will pull a trick (do something mean). Sometimes the children say “trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.” You give them a treat so they do not do something bad.
When I was a child, trick-or-treating changed. In the 1980’s, there was a scare with the drug Tylenol. Someone put poison in the package, and it was sold. This is called the “Tylenol scare,” and it brought people’s attention to poisoning. Around this time, there was an increase in people poisoning sweets for Halloween, some even put razor bladed in them. So parents were very afraid for their children, and they started checking all the candy to make sure it looked safe. They would not allow their children to eat homemade sweets like popcorn balls and cookies.
Nowadays, many businesses, malls, and schools have trick-or-treating, so that the children have a safe place to go, and the parents do not have to worry about their safety or the sweets.
Adults also dress up for Halloween, and some go out the weekend before Halloween. Some bars and clubs have special events for Halloween. Instead of sweets, we get drinks (but we have to pay). If you go out at night, you can see many interesting costumes. This weekend I saw a shark with legs hanging out if its mouth, Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss, a mascot from a restaurant in the ’80’s, animals, pirates, the Incredibles, Superman, a Christmas tree, Courtney Love (a guy dressed as her), men dressed as women, and people who looked like they had some accidents.
I dressed up as autumn, with leaves in my hair and wrapped all around me. This was taken by friend, who is a photographer.
Filed under: Beginner
Halloween is coming soon, and soon you can see people dressed up in costumes. You will see witches, ghosts, monsters, etc. When I think of witches, I think of a the TV show “Bewitched.”
Have you ever seen Bewitched? It was on TV in 1960’s-1970’s. The main character was Samantha, who is a witch. She is married to Darren, who is mortal (a normal guy). He makes her promise him that she will live like a mortal, without using witchcraft and spells in their lives, but sometime she uses her magic to help Darrin and herself. Sam’s mother, Endora does not accept her mortal son-in-law, hates him and hardly can speak his name correctly. Their snoopy next-door neighbor Gladys Kravitz suspects of Samantha, but can never prove the weird situations she sees to her husband Abner Kravitz.
Samantha was an uncommon name in the United States until Bewitched came along. My name is Samantha, and people always asked if I was named after the TV Show, but I actually was not. These days, the name is more common, and there have been other TV Shows such as “Sex & The City” and “Who’s the Boss?” with characters named Samantha.
Filed under: Intermediate
The Fall TV Season started this week, and one of the new shows is “Bionic Woman,” which is a remake of the original TV show from the ’70’s. The new show basically uses the same plot, but it has been modernized. Jaime Sommers has a busy life, raising her teen sister and working. Her boyfriend has just proposed to her, and then she is in a horrible car accident. Her boyfriend Will is not just a doctor, but involved in a secret military project. He arranges for her to be involved in the project, where the limbs that she lost were replaced, as was her right eye. As a result of her bionic parts, she is super strong and athletic.
When I was in college, I worked in a restaurant. I was helping the waitress carry some food out to a table, and she stopped and said “Oh, my God, you’re Jaime Sommers!” She stood there gawking and holding the food.
Lindsay Wagner, who played the original Bionic Woman replied sweetly, “Well Jaime Sommers would like her food.”
Later on, I saw Lindsay Wagner in the hallway, and she and I exchanged a glance, as if to say “that girls was silly, wasn’t she?”
The new Bionic Woman is not targeted towards people who watched the original, but the younger generation who does not know it at all. To be honest, I barely remember the original.
Filed under: Intermediate
Reality Television is quite popular in the U.S. these days. Do you know Reality TV? It’s when people are put into real-life situation on TV. One of the first shows was the “REAL WORLD“, which was a show on MTV. The show producers selected the shows stars, and had them living together. Many shows have followed this formula. Force some strangers to live together and the drama will unfold really quickly.
Reality TV really took off after the popularity of “Survivor“. I was living in Japan at this time, and when I returned I didn’t know many of the shows. Reality TV stars had hit celebrity status and their faces were plastered all over the media. I had no idea about who they are. Who is Paris Hilton and why is she famous?? In case you don’t know Paris Hilton, she is a hotel heiress and starred in “theSimple Life” with Nicole Richie (daughter of singer Lionel Richie). The premise of the show was what happens when Hilton and Richie are taken out of Beverly Hills and forced to interact with everyday people. After this, Hilton became quite famous, and started modeling. No one knows exactly WHY she is famous, but there seems to be a strange fascination with her. Over the summer, she became quite infamous, after she was arrested for driving on a suspended driver’s license, and had to spend some time in jail for the offense.
I am not much into Reality TV myself, but there were a few shows I watched over the summer. The first show was “The Age of Love,” where a single, 30 year old, Australian tennis player had to choose between four American women in their 40’s and four women in their 20’s. Each week, women were eliminated until the final show when he took the last two to Australia and made his decision.
The show I have been watching now is “Gay, Straight or Taken” one women has three guys to choose from, and she finds out that one is gay, one is straight and taken, and one is straight and available. She has one day to figure out who is who. Whoever she chooses gets to go on a vacation. So the guys want her to pick them, and if she picks the wrong one, she gets nothing.
What do you think of Reality TV?
Filed under: Beginner
This time of year, there are many people moving. You can easily get free or almost free things for your home, such as furniture. In some countries, people do not like having used things, but here in the U.S., it is popular. One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.
In my neighborhood, you can find many pieces of furniture sitting outside. People leave sofas, chairs, dressers, etc. when they are moving out, knowing that someone will take them. Over the weekend, I got a free reclining chair and bar stools.
Recently it has become popular to post free things or things that you want to sell on craigslist. When I moved into my apartment, I got almost everything that I needed for my apartment from craigslist. The only problem with craigslist is that you have to take it away yourself, so you need a big car or truck. It is great if you need to get rid of stuff, you just post an ad, and people will come and take everything away.
If you can’t find it on craigslist, you can also go to thrift stores or second hand shops. I went to Goodwill and got dishes, an office chair, a vacuum cleaner, and things to decorate my apartment. I spent $40.00 and got a lot of stuff. many of the things looked almost new, and if I bought them brand new, I would have spent much more money. Also most thrift stores and second hand shops give their profits to a charity. Goodwill has programs that teach adults job skills and basic education (such as English, how to pass the American Citizenship Test, how to get a high school diploma, etc.)
Garage sales are popular too. These are where people sell the stuff they don’t want in their garage, on their driveway, or in their yard. You can check out the newspaper for ads, but most people just drive around in the morning looking for them. For some people, it is a hobby, they do it every weekend. The prices are cheap, and if you are the seller, you can make some money.
Some people also like to buy used clothes, they get them from thrift stores. You can also get used clothing from consignment shops, which have nicer clothing. If you have some clothes that you do not want anymore but are in good condition, you can take them to a consignment shop, and they will give you a percentage (%) of the price that they sell it for.
Filed under: Beginner
Next Monday, September 4th is Labor Day, which is a holiday for us in the U.S. Most companies give their employees the day off, so it is a three day weekend. The holiday is to honor workers. Many people travel over the weekend to other cities, go camping, or hang out with their friends. Many cities have festivals. In Seattle, we have Bumbershoot, which is a music festival.
One reason that it is a big weekend for us is because most public schools and some colleges and universities start right after Labor Day. Most students have had three months off, and Labor Day is the last part of summer.
It is also a big weekend for “back-to-school sales,” many parents have to buy clothes and school supplies for their kids. Over the summer, the schools send out lists of school supplies that the students should have. Often schools do not have much money for supplies, so the parents are asked to buy things for the whole class such as Kleenex tissues, glue, pencils, etc. In many countries, children wear uniforms to school, but not in the U.S., so it is a big shopping weekend. Some families spend a lot of money on clothing, especially if they have teenagers.
I am not sure what my plans are yet, but I will probably get together with my friends and perhaps go to a county fair. Do they have these in your country? Think of the book and movie “Charlotte’s Web.” The purpose is for farms and people in rural areas to compete against each other. The competitions involve animals, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, art, clothing, and other contests. You can see the results of the competitions displayed with the ribbons for 1st, 2nd , and 3rd place. There is also good food and fun exhibits, and rides for the kids. Some fairs also have a rodeo. You can see real cowboys in action!
Whatever your plans are, have a good Labor Day!
Filed under: Beginner
Many people from other countries think that Americans eat at McDonalds everyday. This is certainly not true, sometimes we eat at Taco Bell or Subway! I am joking of course. Many Americans do eat “fast food,” but it is certainly not everyday for most of us. Many of us prefer to get our fast food from coffee shops such as Starbucks and Tully’s. You can get nicer, healthier food, but it is also more expensive.
People who eat at restaurants like McDonalds because it is much cheaper. You can get a lot of food for about $4.00. I do not go to McDonalds because there is little on the menu that is healthy. Even their fruit has something on it which makes it taste funny. If I eat “fast food”, it is usually a sandwich or something from an Asian restaurant, like teriyaki chicken or a Thai dish. These foods are healthier and fill you up more than other fast food. However, I live on the west coast of the U.S., where healthy food is popular. It is not so in other parts of the U.S.
Have you ever heard of the movie “Supersize Me?” In this movie a man goes on a McDonald’s diet and has some health problems as a result. I think that one problem in the U.S. is that the sizes of things is often too big. I was suprised when I went to a Japanese McDonald’s, at how small things were. I think the smaller sizes were good.
However, even in regular restaurants, it can be difficult to eat healthy. Many things have fatty sauces and cheese on them. Salads have salad dressing and cheese with high calories. Although recently, many restaurants have a healthy menu, some restaurants even have menus for certain diet plans like Atkins and Weight Watchers.
Also in restaurants, the size of the meal is very large. I usually eat half and take the rest home and eat it for lunch the next day. We call this “leftovers.” I also used to take my food and give it to a homeless person sometimes. They need it more than me.
We also have some good food too. We have food from all over the world and make it our own. I guess it depends on what you like!
Filed under: Intermediate
Sometimes the American educational system can be confusing to people from other countries, so I thought that I would explain it.
Elementary, or Grade School as we sometimes call it, is for children in Kindergarten (about 5 years old) through 5th grade (about 12 years old). Then the children go to Middle School, which is grades 6-8 (12-14 years old). After Middle School, the kids go to High School, which is grades 9-12 (15-18 years old). However, when I was in school, Elementary School was K-8, and instead of Middle School, we had Junior High School for grades 7-8, and then High School. In High School, we also have names for the grades: Freshaman (9th grade), Sophomore (10th grade), Junior (11th grade), and Senior (12th grade). Unlike countries like Japan, there is no entrance exam for high school. However, if students plan to go to college there is. Students take the SAT(Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT(American College Testing program) in their Junior year, many students take the PSAT(Practice SAT) their Sophomore year. However, if a student does badly on the SAT, they can retake it again.
After High School, it gets more tricky. Some students go onto a Community College or Junior College, which is usually for 2 years, depending on the program. If the students receive a degree, it is called an Associates Degree. Some students go trade school where they learn a specialized skill, which is similar to a Community College. Many students go directly from High School to a college or university, but some go to a Community College for two years, and then transfer to a university. There are generally two types of degrees you can earn, either a BA (Bachelors of Arts) or a BS (Bachelor of Science). The main difference is that a Bachelor of Arts requires the study of a language (about 2 years), Bachelor of Science does not. Students are meant to graduate from a college or university in about 4 years, however that is not always the case. Many students take about five years, some may take even longer if they drop out and return. In my case, I got a Bachelor of Arts because I took two years of Japanese (which I promptly forgot after I was out). I finished in four years, despite changing majors halfway through, but I pushed myself so that I would finish in four years.
It is quite common on university campuses to find students we call Older Than Average (OTA). Many people change careers or get side tracked from their studies and return later. It is never too late to go back to school, and it has become popular for retired people people to audit university classes, which means that they sit in the class and do not receive credit, and their tuition is lower than regular students.
After getting a Bachelors, some students go onto Graduate School (Grad. School) to get a Masters Degree. Similar to Graduate School, is Law School, Medical School, etc. Most programs require the passing of a standardized test, such as the GRE(Graduate Record Exam), the LSAT(Law Scholastic Aptitude Test), and the MCAT(Medical College Admissions Test). I am currently in Grad School, when I finish I will be getting my Masters In Education. To get in, I had to take a Praxis I test (which is required by the government prior to starting a teaching program), and after I was in I had to take the Praxis II, which is required by the federal government before I can start my internship.
After Grad School, some go on to get their Ph.D. (Doctorate Degree). To teach in a college or university, you usually need a Ph.D in the subject you are teaching.
I think that our system is a bit different to those in other countries, and am interested what the other systems are.
Filed under: Beginner
Do you know what TGIF means? It stands for Thank God It’s Friday! We say this on Friday, it basically means: YES! THE WEEKEND’s about to start!
As far as I can tell, this is purely an American expression. There is even a restaurant called TGIFridays, I guess by going there, you are supposed to have fun.
TGIF to everyone! What a week this has been! How can it be August next week?
http://linguaespresso.com
Filed under: Beginner
The last Harry Potter book was released this weekend. People were waiting in long lines for the book. I went past a Barnes & Noble bookstore on Friday, and the line of people went all the way around the store. Some people pre-ordered the book from websites like Amazon.com, which guaranteed the book to be delivered by Saturday morning. I know someone who did this, it came in a special box, which said “ATTENTION MUGGLES – DO NOT BEFORE JULY 21!” Do you know what a “muggles” are? They are regular people, non-witches. I thought this was cute.
I have not read the books myself, but I have seen most of the movies. The latest movie was released about 2 weeks ago. I was in L.A. on that day, and was suprised to see the road closed off. It turned out that it was because of the Harry Potter movie premier. I could see a bit of the Harry Potter cast on the street. There were many people, so all I really saw was the back of Daniel Radcliffe(who play Harry Potter)’s head! I saw the movie a week later, and thought it was pretty good.
