European Life
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Norman
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Todd
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Todd: Now Norman, you've lived in Japan for awhile. Have you lived in any other countries?
Norman: Yes, I've lived in Germany as well.
Todd: Germany!
Norman: Yes, I lived for five years. I had two contracts in Germany. The first one in the seventies, for three years. I was an immersion teacher, which means that they're English students at the elementary level who take all their courses in French, so with a particular second language approach I would teach them not only French, but I would teach them mathematics in French, science in French, visual arts in French, physical education in French
Todd: Wow, in Germany.
Norman: In Germany, yes! This was for the Canadian Armed forces. The, usually it's the man the father, who's there as a soldier, but sometimes it's the woman. But they have, they do have children and there was a need for some Canadian schooling. They hire teachers to teach the children of military personnel.
Todd: Wow! What a cool job! What did you think about Germany?
Norman: Germany is very interesting in that it's a very lively country, I find. I enjoyed certainly the nature part. Every weekend, Susan and I tried to go on what they call volksmarch, which means, it's, "volks" means popular, popular walk. You have a choice of five kilometers, ten kilometers, or fifteen kilometers walk and at the end, once you complete the walk, you get a metal, and the walk is always in some nice
village. You go up the hills, up the mountains, you have beautiful sights, and every now and then they have some kind of a food stand with a Bavarian band playing, and then you have those Bavarian sausages and it's just a whole lot of fun so we would take our children along with us and it would be quite an event.
Todd: That's nice. How long did you live in Germany?
Norman: I lived there five years total. 75 to 78,for a three year contract, and then 85 to 87, a two year contract.
Todd: Wow, so you speak German as well.
Norman: I do, I do, but now I have not spoken it for quite a long time so it would take a little bit of, let's say, review.
Todd: Wow! tri-lingual. That's cool!
contract
I had two contracts in Germany, and I lived there for five years.
A 'contract' is a work agreement between an employer and employee. It states all the responsibilities of the employer and employee. Many times contracts are for one or more years. Notice the following:
- I signed a contract for a two-year cell phone plan.
- They offered me a really good contract.
immersion teacher
I worked as an immersion teacher for children of military personnel.
An English 'immersion teacher' would teach English to non-native speakers by using only English. All of the classes and resources are in English. Notice the following:
- He has worked as an immersion teacher for children for about ten years now.
- Is it difficult to work as an immersion teacher when you don't speak the language.
food stand
They have some kind of food stand with a band playing.
A 'food stand' is place that serves a few types of food in a very informal environment. There are usually food stands at fairs and festivals. Notice the following:
- They have the best hamburgers at that food stand.
- One of the most famous food stands at the fair sells cookies.
quite an event
We would take our children with us and it would be quite an event.
If something is 'quite an event' it is very exciting. We usually use this to refer to a party or celebration. Notice the following:
- Buying a new car was quite an event for us.
- The graduation ceremony was quite an event.
tri-lingual
You speak English, French, and German - you're tri-lingual!
When you speak three languages fluently you can say that you are 'tri-lingual.' Notice the following:
- He comes from a tri-lingual family.
- This job requires you to be trilingual.
Vocabulary Quiz
an event • tri-lingual
