Mexico
 |
 |
Adrienne
|
Todd
|
Todd: So, Adrienne, you said you lived in Mexico for awhile?
Adrienne: Mm, I studied there.
Todd: Really! You studied in Mexico?
Adrienne: I did. I studied Spanish.
Todd: Wow, so what was it like being a student in Mexico?
Adrienne: Ah, it was interesting. The weather was really hot the entire time I was there. Um, and it was very confusing, cause I didn't know the language very well when I first arrived but I learned quickly because I was living in the situation every day where I had to use language so that was really helpful in the end.
Todd: So, what were the people like? What was the city like?
Adrienne: The city was small. 1 million people, and that's pretty small. The architecture is very colonial style. It's interesting. Very beautiful, old, a lot of wood and stone and the food was great. Very spicy.
Todd: Mexican food's the best.
Adrienne: I think so too
Todd: Yeah, and the people?
Adrienne: The people are really friendly, really, really friendly. Big families and they're always inviting you over for dinner, lunch and breakfast, and tea and coffee and chocolate and it's really, it's really a very familial environment.
Todd: What was your favorite place in Mexico?
Adrienne: My favorite place, still, is a town called Cholula. It's a very small town that has a pyramid, and Aztec pyramid with a cathedral on top of it and it has views of the mountains, the volcano and, um, just beautiful landscape all around. It's a great place to watch the sunset.
Todd: What volcano?
Adrienne: Po! They call it Popo, but the full name I think is Popocatepetl. It's an Aztec name.
Todd: Oh, sounds like a nice place.
Adrienne: It's beautiful.
Todd: Any plans to go back to Mexico soon?
Adrienne: Of course. I always want to go back but whether I actually make it in the next year or two, I don't know.
in the end
I had to use their language, so that was really helpful in the end.
The phrase 'in the end' talks about the final result of something. Notice the following:
- In the end we found our way there.
- He decided, in the end, that he didn't want to be a doctor.
colonial style
The architecture is very colonial style.
A 'colonial style' shows the typical style of the people that formed the colonies, which would be the Spaniards who came to Mexico. Notice the following:
- She studies colonial style architecture.
- Our new house has a very colonial style.
familial environment
The people are very friendly, and it's really a very familial environment.
A 'familial environment' is an environment where family is very important. Notice the following:
- The neighborhood were we lived had a very familial environment.
- The familial environment of the company makes it a fun place to work.
pyramid
My favorite place is Cholula, a town that has an Aztec pyramid.
A 'pyramid' is a building that is shaped like a triangle on all sides. The bottom is very wide and the top is a point. Notice the following:
- Nobody knows exactly how they built the pyramids in Egypt.
- We are trying to make a pyramid out of sand.
make it
Whether I actually make it in the next year or two, I don't know.
Used like this, 'make it' means 'return' or 'go.' Notice the following:
- We are going to try to make it to your party, but Saturday will be very busy for us.
- You have to make it to Brazil when you're in South America.
Vocabulary Quiz
pyramid • made it
