I made a story for Japanese language learners in Japan and abroad.

JLPT/N2 story

The Migrating Warblers concerns issues of racism. The titular birds have just returned to Texas from their migration in Guatemala. When they return, they relate tales of Central America that they find to be scandalous or gruesome. They recount their experiences in a sort of mangled "Spanglish" that disrespects the region from which they've just returned.

Send me a message for your free digital copy of this book. 

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and other stories from David Sedaris ( Adult 18+) 

The Migrating Warblers

Text：
客人：服务员，买单！
kèrén：fú wù yuán ， mǎidān ！
Guest: Waiter, check please！

服务员：好的，这是您的账单，请看一下。
fúwùyuán：hǎode, zhèshì nín de zhàngdān，qǐng kàn yīxià.
Waiter: Sure, here is your bill. Please take a look.

客人：没问题，多少钱？
kèrén：méi wèntí，duōshǎo qián ？
Guest: No problem, how much is it?

服务员：一共108块。
fúwùyuán： yīgòng 108 kuài.
Waiter: In total it's 108 yuan.

客人：好的，可以微信支付吗？
kèrén：hǎo de，kěyǐ wēixìn zhīfù ma？
Guest：Ok, can I use WeChat Pay?

服务员：当然，请扫描二维码。
fúwùyuán：dāngrán，qǐng sǎomiáo èrwéi mǎ.
Waiter: Of course, please scan the QR code here.

New words：
买单 mǎi dān：pay the bill; check please
账单 zhàng dān：bill
微信支付 wēi xìn zhī fù：Wechat Pay（Use with Wechat app）
当然 dāng rán：of course; certainly; sure;
扫描 sǎo miáo：scan
二维码 èr wéi mǎ：QR code
百 bǎi：hundred（num+～）
块 kuài：yuan, the basic unit of money in China（num+～）

Welcome to visit China ”欢迎来中国!“

L6 Part2 在饭馆儿买单[zài fàn guǎn ér mǎi dān]~Pay the bill at the restaurant

Enjoy this wonderful, short dialogue between colleagues. 

English Conversation/Dialogue

I'm not sure pt1

A listening exercise for understanding English through Korean context.

Listening script 1


Listening script 2


Listening script 3

Colt Ssam 콜트 쌤

Ep.1 - 도와주기 & 감사하기

Uma história sobre o susto que levei em uma viagem ao Amazonas. Descubra também nesse episódio o que é Pirarucu.

Keep Speaking Portuguese

Outro susto no Amazonas


You just got into bed after a long day, and you're exhausted. You plan to spend a few minutes on your phone — maybe scrolling Instagram or TikTok — and then sleep.

But when you try to sleep, it's not as easy as you thought it would be. You were so tired — what happened?

According to a new study, your phone may be the problem.

The study, done by researchers at New Zealand's University of Otago, involved 85 kids aged 11 to 14. They each spent a week wearing a body camera on their chest starting from three hours before they got into bed.

A second camera was also placed in their bedrooms to monitor their phone use once they were in bed. They also wore a device that tracked their sleep.

The researchers found that 99% of the participants used their phones in the two hours before bed. More than half used their phones while they were in bed, and about a third used their phones after trying to go to sleep.

The results showed that screen time in bed affected participants' sleep — it stopped them from going to sleep for about half an hour, and also reduced the amount of sleep they got.

The impact was larger when participants had a more interactive experience — such as playing a game — or if they used more than one screen. For every additional 10 minutes of this type of screen time, sleep time was reduced by the same amount.

Interestingly, phone use in the two hours before bed had little impact on sleep.

According to lead researcher Bradley Brosnan, the results suggest that, while current guidelines recommend no screen time in the hour or two before bed, keeping phones out of the bedroom might be enough for a better night's sleep.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Keep Screens Out of Bed for Better Sleep

Today we're talking about some vocabulary that we can use for when we really want to stop working on a difficult task but we don't. We carry on and find the energy and a way to finish! I hope you find it useful.