Why I am teaching at italki Today, one of my students (I actually prefer to call her ‘friend’) asked me, “Why do you teach on italki? “ I have been meaning to write a notebook entry for a long time. By hearing that question, I thought that it would be a great topic for me to write about. I have been an italki member since the year of 2011, when I went to great lengths to improve my English. Since my major was Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, I also applied to teach Chinese at that time. However, due to the pressure from working as a full-time teacher, I had to quit my teaching at italki. Last year, my husband told me that next year he would be very likely to work in Israel for at least half a year. I visited Israel last year, and the beauty of the Mediterranean Ocean was embedded in my memory. Thus, I resigned from a full-time teaching job this summer and decided to go to Israel with my husband next year. I have started to work part-time at a local language institute, teach Chinese at italki, and also write Chinese podcasts for a website since August. As a Chinese who was raised in a typical Chinese family, I took it granted that I should go to a graduate school after completing college education and find a job after obtaining the Master’s degree. I was afraid to stop because I was told all the time that life is a fierce competition, and if I take a break, and I will be left behind. Therefore, it’s not an easy decision for me to quit a good job. However, my experience during these months proves me that my decision was correct. Teaching online enables me to meet with people from all over the world, hear their stories and some of them are even more motivated and proactive than my previous students at a school setting. I am very satisfied with my life now, and I am grateful for the late ‘gap year’. If time went back to the beginning of 2015, I would make a New Year resolution like this: in this year, I will discover myself and explore the world. :D

New Vocabulary/expression from Evan Williams' TED Talk 1. If they want to launch their business, they'll need to raise venture capital. 2. Our business is expanding rapidly, so we need to ramp up hiring. 3. We'd been tinkering around with the idea before we decided to launch the business. 4. Sometimes you have no idea whether an idea will become successful or not. You just have to follow hunches. 5. Since we launched the business, many new ideas for our product have been cropping up. 6. And in my case, when I hit send, up to 60,000 people will receive that message in a matter of seconds. 7. The L.A. Times actually turned to Twitter to dispense information as well. 8. And they're tweeting, in some cases, from behind closed-door sessions with the President. 9. The President himself is our most popular Twitter user, although hi tweets have dropped off as of late.

New Vocabulary_August 19 *Troubadour/ˈtru bəˌdɔr/: one of a class of medieval lyric poets who flourished principally in southern France from the 11th to 13th centuries, and wrote songs and poems of a complex metrical form in langue d'oc, chiefly on themes of courtly love. *reciprocation/rɪˌsɪp rəˈkeɪ ʃən/: a mutual giving and receiving. *infatuation: foolish or all-absorbing passion or an instance of this *momentarily: for a moment; briefly They seemed to momentarily forget the rest of the memorial, many taking pictures and posing in turns. *pristine: having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied. *curtsy: a respectful bow made by women and girls, consisting of bending the knees and lowering the body. *posh: sumptuously furnished or appointed; luxurious a posh apartment *elope: to run off secretly to be married, usually without the consent or knowledge of one's parents.

A question about a sentence translation in English Hello everyone! Does anybody know how to express the meaning of "today is unique" "today cannot be duplicated" in a better written way? I am trying to translate a Chinese sentence "今天是不可复制的" into English, but I am not sure if my translation above is good enough. I believe native speakers can give me better expressions. Thank you guys in advance!

How Americans call their spouse in family? One of my friends asked me the question. According to American movies, I know "darling" "honey" and sth. else could be used. However, I want some more accurate answers:)Thank you guys~