Feelings

Sometimes, I feel bored because the sky is gloomy and probably it's just a typical day on the calendar. Surprisingly, I love rainy days. A lot of my colleagues told me that they prefer sunny days, but, I feel that rainy days represent calmness and I just love the sound of the raindrops. Somehow, rainy days make me stop and appreciate more about life. Teaching makes me feel good and also bad at the same time. There are pros and cons in everything that we do, so that includes teaching too. I love my job and my students, but on my bad days when I am drenched with classes, I might also feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Sometimes I feel homesick, but at the same time, I also feel thankful that I've been given great opportunities to travel the world and live in different countries. It has definitely changed me as a person, and I am really looking forward to what's waiting for me at the finish line! Come what may!

Asking questions

How to make questions?

The simplest form of asking questions would be: 

What is.... ?  -> What is your name?
Who is.... ?  -> Who is your teacher?
Why is.... ?  -> Why is it so hot today? ( I wonder)
Which is.... ?  -> Which is your umbrella? (Pointing to several umbrellas)
Where is... ? -> Where is your hometown?
How is ....? -> How is your day?

If you want to find out more about the person you are talking to: 

(Do not forget your verbs!) 

What do you.... ? -> What do you like to do during your free time?

Who do you.... ? -> Who do you go out with usually?

Why do you.... ? -> Why do you want to learn English? 

Which do you.... ? -> Which do you like? The purple bag or the red bag?

Where do you ... ? -> Where do you learn English?

How do you.... ? -> How do you say 'konnichiwa' in English?

Topics to talk about with Foreigners

THE BIG TIP: Tourist Spots

This is very useful: probably someone start talking to you in a lift, or you are traveling and met someone at your hotel. You should really start by discussing about tourist spots in the city. Most probably we all have visited, if not, have known the famous tourist spots around. 

SHARING IS CARING: Life Philosophy

Talk about life in general. It can reflect that you are someone comfortable, intelligent, and knowing how to live the life. How about sharing the tips to live a better life with each other?

PRIVATE QUESTIONS: Not too much, please

In any culture, it's not appropriate to ask too much private questions when you have just met someone. Start simple. Try not to interrogate someone into his or her life, but instead, ask simple questions, about names: how can I write your name?: if you bump into an Italian, ask him, how can i say 'Good Morning' in Italian? Ask smart private questions. 

THE OPINIONATED ONE: I think the castle was too touristic for me

Keep your opinions to a minimum if the foreigner you've met is not so open-minded. However so, expressing dislikes in the correct way, are sometimes very acceptable because both of you might agree with each other and be best friends!

THE UNEXPECTED: Asking Directions

More often than not, as locals, we get asked for directions unexpectedly from passers-by who are either tourists or non-locals. The best way to end a conversation when they finished asking you (after they said thank you), is.. you are welcome, no problem at all, have a nice day!

Daily Routines

One of the routines that my students enjoy in my lessons is, telling me about their daily routines.

These are some examples for you!

1. I wake up at six o'clock, then I have a shower.
2. After having a shower I get dress. A few minutes later I am ready.
3. I  make my breakfast myself and eat it in 10 minutes. It is the most important meal of the day!
4. I  brush my teeth after every meal because it is good for them.
5. I always  go to work at eight o'clock because I can't be late.
6. I have lunch at my work. I never drink coffee before twelve o'clock.
7. I leave my office around 7pm everyday.
8. I usually do my shopping in the supermarket because it is very near my house.
9. On television I usually watch the News. I like reading books too.
10. After dinner, I sometimes go to a disco or my friends in town.
11. When I go to bed late I usually wake up with a headache.

Instagram

If you like instagram, fashion and cute girls, please take a look at :

https://magz.jpcolle.com/read/10-famous-fashion-instagrammers-in-japan

How to Master Your English Speaking Skills?

Here, I would gladly present you 5 quick tips to help you improve your speaking skills!

1. Do not mind the grammar too much.

A lot of us, despite speaking brilliantly in front of you, you might notice that most of us are not perfect in our grammar. The reason is because, grammar is a boring place to go to, and many of us, especially myself, tend to avoid studying any grammar at all. 

2. Wrong content is perfectly fine. 

You seem to wonder that, where all these English speakers get their content from. Most importantly, is to talk about things you like, because most probably, you would remember something because you like it. Second, if we have no content, most probably we would just put in words like:

-"oh, really?" 

-"maybe, but I'm not sure.."

-"That's interesting! Tell me more about it!"

3. Don't only learn what you need to learn.

Some students come to me and they tell me, "I would only like to learn about what's useful for my work." But the real fact in life is that, a language is not a tool for work, it's a communication medium that is basically used at home, in the society and everywhere. So, use the language to anyone, talk about any topics and make some jokes! 

4. If you don't know THAT word

Most of the time, we tend to forget some vocabulary or, we have never come across of that word before. You can substitute that word in Japanese and then, explain it in simple English that you are capable of. For example:

Yumi: Hey, do you know Japanese people have a tradition of sitting under a .. erm.. kotatsu, and eating mikan?

John: What's a kotatsu and what's mikan? 

Yumi: Oh, kotatsu is a kind of heater, like we sit around a table with a blanket covering our legs. Under the table, there is a heater which warms our legs. Mikan is a kind of orange, erm... oh yeah, it's tangerines!! 

5. If you feel shy

This is the easiest. If you feel shy, but you want to talk to others, ask questions. Let the other person talk instead of you. This may also work if you don't have content! Ask simple questions, for example:

-Do you like sushi?

-Have you been to Hokkaido?

If asking questions might be too difficult, you can also start a conversation about the weather. Or, you can also share about what happened today. For example:

Tommy: Hey, Glen. What's up?

Glen: Hey, you know what, the train was really crowded today. I could barely breathe!

Tommy: That's too bad! 

Good luck! 

Happy New Year! Welcome 2015

Happy New Year!

It's a good year to start with being busy with teaching and writing.

Just fresh from the oven, I have two new articles to share with everyone:

Knee High Boots:
https://magz.jpcolle.com/read/mix-and-match-your-coordinates-with-knee-high-boots

2015 Fukubukuros!!
https://magz.jpcolle.com/read/2015-fukubukuros-aka-lucky-bags