Tune in for a special episode! Here, I share my conversation with Audrey and Abigail, the hosts of the You Don't Say?! English Podcast. We talk about cultural differences, interviewing, traveling and living abroad, culture shock, and more!

Episode originally published April 22, 2021.

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter
 
Check out the You Don’t Say?! Podcast

Check out The Culture Map by Erin Meyer.

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/cultural-differences/. 

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

See infographics for this episode on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/ExpresstoImpress/_created/.

Express to Impress

Cultural Differences and Communication: You Don't Say?! Podcast

I made a story for Japanese language learners in Japan and abroad, a story about talking on the phone using words from the JLPT N2.

JLPT/N2 story

JLPT/N2 story in 24 words that start with "あ".

HSK2

HSK2-10-3

FLO TALKS 

Show up for yourself first

Southern California is experiencing its most devastating winter fires in more than four decades.

Fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, fierce wildfires around the Los Angeles area have sent residents fleeing from their burning homes.

Santa Anas are warm, dry northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast, moving in the opposite direction of the normal winds that carry moist air from the Pacific.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling multiple blazes, from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, just north of Los Angeles, with new fires breaking out in the Hollywood Hills on the evening of January 8.

One of the fires is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

By early morning on January 9, more than 1,900 structures had been destroyed and over 130,000 people were under evacuation orders, with five people reported dead.

The fires have already consumed an area of about 110 square kilometers — nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.

Fires don't usually blaze at this time of year. But Santa Anas are happening later and later in the year, and this year's winds are much faster than usual — helping the flames spread faster once they ignite.

California had two extremely wet winters that caused lots of plants to grow, followed by a sudden drought that dried them out — which experts say has provided the perfect tinder for the flames.

AccuWeather estimated damage from the latest fires could reach $57 billion, with the weather company's Jonathan Porter saying "it may become the worst wildfire in modern California history."

Among those who have lost their homes are a number of celebrities, including actor Billy Crystal, who lost his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that he had lived in for 45 years.

Another celebrity who lost his home, The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes, wrote on Instagram: "Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire."

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Southern California Battles Devastating Winter Fires

Hello everyone! Today's episode is about an old Japanese tale, the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese zodiac originally came from China, but now it has become very familiar in Japan. I hope you enjoy it!


皆さん、ごきげんよう！今日は日本昔話の干支のお話です。干支はもともと中国から伝わったものですが、今では日本でもすっかりおなじみになりました。どうぞお楽しみください！


Moekoの日本語ベラベラtime

Epi4 : 日本昔話-干支【Japanese Podcast】

On this episode， we are going to learn how to talk about date.
Q:今日係幾（多）號呀？(What’s the date today?)
gām yaht haih géi( dō) houh a?
gam1 jat6 hai6 gei2( do1) hou6 aa3?
A:今日係三月十九號。(Today is March 19th)
gām yaht haih sāam yuht sahp gáu houh.
gam1 jat6 hai6 saam1 jyut6 sap6 gau2 hou6.

Months: (January to December)
一月、二月、三月、四月、五月、六月、
yāt yuht, yih yuht, sāam yuht, sei yuht, ńgh yuht, luhk yuht,
jat1 jyut6, ji6 jyut6, saam1 jyut6, sei3 jyut6, ng5 jyut6, luk6 jyut6,
七月、八月、九月、十月、十一月、十二月
chāt yuht, baat yuht, gáu yuht, sahp yuht, sahp yāt yuht, sahp yih yuht
cat1 jyut6, baat3 jyut6, gau2 jyut6, sap6 jyut6, sap6 jat1 jyut6, sap6 ji6 jyut6

Days of the month:
一號、二號、三號、四號……三十一號（from 1st - 31st ）
yāt houh, yih houh, sāam houh, sei houh…… sāam sahp yāt houh
jat1 hou6, ji6 hou6, saam1 hou6, sei3 hou6…… saam1 sap6 jat1 hou6

Q:今日係星期幾呀？(What day is it?)
  gām yaht haih sīng kèih géi a?
  gam1 jat6 hai6 sing1 kei4 gei2 aa3?

今日係禮拜幾呀？
gām yaht haih láih baai géi a?
gam1 jat6 hai6 lai5 baai3 gei2 aa3?

A:今日係星期（禮拜）六。(Today is Saturday.)
gām yaht haih sīng kèih( láih baai) luhk.
gam1 jat6 hai6 sing1 kei4( lai5 baai3) luk6.

Days of the week: （Monday to Sunday）
星期一、星期二、星期三、星期四、星期五、星期六、星期日
sīng kèih yāt, sīng kèih yih, sīng kèih sāam, sīng kèih sei, sīng kèih ńgh, sīng kèih luhk, sīng kèih yaht
sing1 kei4 jat1, sing1 kei4 ji6, sing1 kei4 saam1, sing1 kei4 sei3, sing1 kei4 ng5, sing1 kei4 luk6, sing1 kei4 jat6

禮拜一、禮拜二…… 禮拜日
láih baai yāt, láih baai yih …… láih baai yaht
lai5 baai3 jat1, lai5 baai3 ji6……  lai5 baai3 jat6


Daliy Conversations for Cantonese (粵語會話）

9.Ask about Date（日期）part1

请选用合适的词填空。 
Please finish the sentences with the proper interrogative pronoun.

主要的疑问代词：
什么—What； 几—how many, how old (less than ten), what time;  
多少—how many, how much;  多（大）了？--how old; 
哪儿，哪里----where;   为什么—why; 
小测试 - 1
我妈妈今年50岁，她正好比我哥哥大25岁，猜猜（guese)我哥哥 ——大了？
什么；      几；       多少；       多     ✔；

小测试 - 2
丽丽今天没有上班，你知道 ————吗？
为什么        ✔；    多少；      哪儿；      怎么样；

小测试 - 3
老师的大女儿今年都8岁了，你知道她的小儿子——岁了呢？
什么；      哪里；      几        ✔；         哪儿； 

小测试 - 4
我给小丽打电话，一直没有人接，也不知道她去——了。
哪儿      ✔；      多少；      几；          什么； 

小测试 - 5
这苹果——钱？要10块钱一斤呢，太贵了，我们还是去那边超市里买吧。
几；        多少     ✔；       哪；         什么；

小测试 - 6
我的家就在学校旁边，走路5分钟就到了。你的家在————？
什么；       多少；      为什么；     哪里     ✔；

小测试 - 7
看，这是我最喜欢的口红颜色，就买这支吧。你呢？ 你喜欢————颜色？
哪；         什么      ✔；      为什么；     多少； 

小测试 - 8
我们都走了一个小时的路了，还不见你说的那家商店，它到底在————？
什么；       哪儿       ✔；      多少；       为什么

你都清楚了吗？继续加油，我们下期再见！


Correction notebook   错题本 (Mandarin)

疑问代词的使用 Interrogative pronoun (HSK1-2)

みなさんが好きなスポーツは何ですか？最近どんなスポーツを観戦（かんせん）しましたか？📣
わたしは相撲（すもう）を見てきました〜！！