The Global Family
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Adrienne
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Todd
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Todd: OK, Adrienne we are going to talk about your family. How many people are in your family?
Adrienne: In my immediate family, there are four of us: my mother, father and my younger sister and I.
Todd: OK, and now do you see each other a lot. I mean, do you get together with your family often?
Adrienne: I see them actually fairly frequently considering we all live very far away from each other.
Todd: Oh, yeah. Where does everyone live?
Adrienne: Well, I live in Tokyo and my mother is living now in Hong Kong and my father lives in Minneapolis and my sister lives in Milwaukee which is not far from Minneapolis but she's a flight attendant, so she's rarely in Milwaukee. She actually flies to the Middle East and Europe mainly.
Todd: Wow. That's pretty cool. You've got this family like everywhere.
Adrienne: It is. It's very funny. We often go online to chat with each other and to say hello and we'll be spread out completely across the globe. It's very funny.
Todd: So, do you actually go and see your mother in Hong Kong, or your sister in the Middle East?
Adrienne: I haven't been to the Middle East. She's never there for long enough to visit, but I have been to Hong Kong several times to see my mom.
Todd: And how as Hong Kong?
Adrienne: Oh, it's a great city. Really interesting city. Lots of water. Obviously it's a harbor city, and mountains and lots of greenery so it's really beautiful for such a big city. It's not completely concrete, like a lot of major cities are.
Todd: Now, we have vacation coming up. Are you going to be going home and seeing any of your family?
Adrienne: I hope so. Yeah, my plan is to go back to America for the holiday and visit everyone there for a couple of weeks. Say hello to my family my grandmothers, my cousins, my sister, my friends, everyone who is there.
Todd: So is everyone going to be there, your mom, your dad, and your sister?
Adrienne: I'm not sure. I'm hoping that everyone can come together for some kind of family reunion. Like I said since we all live so far away.
Todd: Well, I hope you all make it.
Adrienne: Me, too.
immediate family
In my immediate family, there are just four of us.
Your 'immediate family' includes your mother, father, brother and sister. Notice the following:
- I think that only his immediate family will be at the
awards ceremony.
- How many people are in your immediate family.
fairly frequently
I see them fairly frequently considering we all live very
far away from each other.
Something that you do 'fairly frequently' is not something you do all the time, but you do do it with regularity. Notice the following:
- He doesn't see his friends as much as he used to, but he
still sees them fairly frequently.
- We eat in restaurants fairly frequently.
spread out across
We'll be spread out completely across the globe.
If a group of people is 'spread out across' the globe, it means that they are all in different places far away from each other. Notice the following:
- He has friends spread out across the world.
- Most of the people I graduated with are spread out
across the country now.
concrete
Hong Kong is really beautiful for such a big city, although
it's not completely concrete.
'Concrete' is a type of hard material that is mixed as a liquid, and then can be formed in to different shapes. It is very strong. Many cities have the reputation of being all concrete, so they would be cold and not very good looking. Notice the following:
- All of the buildings in Mexico City are made of
concrete.
- They want to make the whole driveway concrete.
family reunion
I'm hoping that every one of us can come together for some
kind of family reunion.
A 'family reunion' is when a large group of family members comes together to visit and spend time together. Notice the following:
- Every trip to my grandparents house usually ends up as a
family reunion.
- When I was a little girl, we had family reunions every
summer.
Vocabulary Quiz
concrete • reunion
Adrienne talks about making her own jewelry and how she got started.
