Hong Kong to Canada
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Shuan | Todd |
Todd: So, Shuan, where are you from?
Shuan: I'm actually, well, I was actually originally born in Hong Kong and I lived in Hong Kong for around six years and then I moved to Canada which is where I am from now.
Todd: Wow, so do you remember Hong Kong?
Shuan: I do. I loved Hong Kong. I still do love Hong Kong. It's always been the city that I was born in, and the city I grew up in.
Todd: What do you remember about Hong Kong?
Shuan: The massive buildings, the plethora of people.
Todd: Right, right.
Shuan: Yeah, and also the toy shops. They were some of the biggest I've ever seen.
Todd: Yeah, for a child. Did you actually learn some Chinese when you were there?
Shuan: I did. I used to be able to converse pretty much, basically converse with taxi drivers, shop keepers, people on the street if I ever got lost. I used to be able to actually ask them where, where to go, how long would it take me to get there, but I've seem to have lost all of that now.
Todd: It was a long time ago.
Shuan: What was it like moving from Canada, I mean from Hong Kong to Canada?
Todd: It was a big change. I came out of Hong Kong with a really strong British accent, and I spoke just like everyone else I knew spoke in Hong Kong, but when I got to Canada I was made fun of because I said all the other words I pronounced differently to other kids, so it was a weird experience. I got laughed at a whole bunch but now you know, my accent has changed, shifted to a Canadian one. Although, I still have reminants of a British accent.
Todd: OK, actually, when you moved from Hong Kong to, was it, Vancouver?
Shuan: It's Victoria.
Todd: Oh, you lived in Victoria? What was that like going from a big city to Victoria?
Shuan: Ah, it was a depressing change I guess. We had a town house in Hong Kong, and it was just long term friends there, you know friends that I had for a long time ever since I was born and moving to Victoria, it was, it was a shock to me I guess and I needed to make new friends I needed, I needed to find a new place to hang out and since our home in Victoria was out in the country it was nowhere close to the town and there was not bus service at the time. Mind you I was a bit too young to ride the bus but it was just so out of the way that I spend most of my days at home playing with lego.
Todd: Rigth, right.
originally
I was actually originally born in Hong Kong.
'Originally' is used to show that the first place someone or something comes from. This can be used to show a difference in the past and now. Notice the following:
- Coffee originally comes from Ethiopia.
- She's originally from Vietnam, but she's lived here
since she was 12.
massive
What I do remember most about Hong Kong are the massive
buildings.
Something 'massive' is very big. Notice the following:
- It's hard to believe that such a small woman could have
a massive son like him.
- It's impossible to imagine how massive these mountains
really are when you just look at a picture.
converse
I used to be able to converse in Chinese pretty much.
Here, 'converse' means to talk. Notice the following:
- They were conversing quietly, so nobody could hear their
conversation.
- I know enough German to converse a little bit.
a whole bunch
When I got to Canada, I got laughed at a whole bunch
because of my accent.
A 'whole bunch' means the same as 'a lot.' Notice the following:
- Don't buy anything to eat. We have a whole bunch of food
at home.
- I can't come with you today, because I have a whole
bunch of homework to get done.
lego
I spent most of my days at home playing with lego.
'Lego' is little toy blocks that children can build things with. Notice the following:
- It's hard to believe it, but that statue is made
entirely of Lego.
- When he was a child, he would spend hours playing with
his Lego.
Vocabulary Quiz
whole bunch • legos
