Spices are an integral part of almost every cuisine in the world and are something that most of us now take for granted. Yet spices used to be an incredibly valuable commodity and were the preserve of only the very richest in some societies. Learn more about how they went from being the preserve of the very richest in society to something that we sprinkle on our dishes without worrying about the cost.

English Learning for Curious Minds

The Curious History of Spice

今期我地就分享下喺灣區生活嘅衣食住行同玩，想知灣區生活係點，值唔值得留低，就一定要聽下啦。我地主要傾下對灣區嘅生活觀感，其中覺得一定要寫低分享嘅餐廳就有呢幾間：台山風味餐廳（三藩市唐人街），皇帝湯（Oakland唐人街），美食坊（San Leandro，英文名Asian Fusion），西貢漁港（El Cerrito），北方佳香（Berkeley），家家樂燒味（三藩市，英文名Do Eat）。好唔好食純粹個人感覺，冇廣告，如果覺得唔好味我地唔負責。當然都有分享過我地唔鍾意嘅餐廳，但係就唔開名啦，都係戈句，各人口味唔同

夠鐘煲粥 Congee Time

EP.18 灣區生活舒唔舒？

In questo podcast parlo di Medellìn, una delle città più conosciute della Colombia, come è cambiata dopo essere stata al centro delle dispute tra i gruppi armati per poco più di trent'anni, e adesso come si è trasformata in una città allegra, attiva non soltanto a livello economico ma anche culturale; come la gente ha cambiato la loro storia e adesso è una città bella e piena di arte. A livello grammaticale: uso dei tempi dell'indicativo: presente, passato prossimo; condizionale. Vocabolario dei viaggi, luoghi da visitare a Medellìn. 

Vivendo tra due lingue

Medellìn, la città della eterna primavera

Listen and chant then try reading them on your own.
ant, axe
I see an ant and an axe. 

Follow me for more phonics.


Phonics Short Vowels

I see an ant and an axe. 

「150年後の国宝展」という展示を見てきました。
とても楽しくて、勉強になる時間でした📝⭐️

SeikaのPodcast🎧

Ep.24 「博物館（はくぶつかん）」に行ってきました🦖⭐️

Saiba mais sobre uma das escritoras brasileiras mais importantes do século XX e seu conto Felicidade Clandestina.

Music by Fae Spencer from Pixabay.

Vamos ler em Português?

01 - Felicidade Clandestina, de Clarice Lispector (EM PORTUGUÊS)

I detta avsnitt berättar jag om min enormt långa resa som varat i 3+ år.  Jag har varit i Sydostasien och spenderat den största delen av tiden i Australien. 

Resan började i juni 2019 och den kommer avslutas i december 2022. Jag hade inte tänkt att resa såhär länge men livet hände. Jag är spänd /  nervös / rädd för hur det kommer kännas att återvända till Sverige efter såhär många år. Jag pratar om mina känslor och tankar kring att återvända till Sverige.

Tankar på svenska

Tankar på svenska : Min enormt långa resa som varat 3+ år (B1+)

Whether you live to work or you work to live, having a healthy work-life balance is good for both you and your employer.

Here are just a few ways to keep your balance healthy!

Plan
It can help to plan your time, making sure to include social activities in those plans, says Allaya Cooks-Campbell from job coaching website BetterUp.

Even scheduling a night in front of the TV is enough — it will give you a bit of time to switch off.

If you're able to, you could also plan to take short breaks during the day, and perhaps even use them to take a walk or read a few pages of a book.

Use apps to help
Cooks-Campbell also suggests using an app to block distracting websites during the work day — which might include things like social media.

You can then do the same in the evening and block work apps, if you find it difficult to stop checking them.

Be kind to yourself
It's important to be realistic about your work-life balance, and not to get too stressed if you don't follow your plan. That's according to Kate Eby from work management company Smartsheet.

Being kind to yourself, she says, can help you improve your mental health.

Talk to your boss
If you're finding it difficult to get your work-life balance right, speaking to your manager may be a good idea — although not everyone will feel comfortable doing this.

It may be that you have been given too much work to do, or there is a better way to do it — and talking to your boss could help you work smarter, not harder.

However, Cooks-Campbell says different things work for different people — so you have to find what's right for you!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Plan, Be Kind: Tips for a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Using English at work as a second language can be challenging. If you spend a lot of time on the phone this is even more true! Today we're talking about Business English vocabulary and communication skills that you can apply to your phone calls to sound more natural, native, and professional when you make or answer phone calls. We might call it telephone English! We talk about how to clarify information, how to ask someone to wait, how to transfer a call, and more. At the end of the podcast we'll have a quiz to check your understanding and find out how much of the new vocabulary and ideas you can remember. 

Don't forget, if you want to work with me in one on one, private sessions then I am a full time Business English coach and tutor. I spend my whole professional life helping international professionals to improve the way that they communicate at work. You can book some of my time at right here on iTalki and I look forward to speaking with you soon!