Culture To Grow allows you to travel the world from the comfort of your home, your car, or if you are still half asleep in your bed. This episode focuses on end-of-year exams since today is the start of AP exams in the US. Please listen to myself and 4 other guest speakers from Poland, Belarus, Mongolia, and Nepal. There will be a new episode every other Monday, so be sure to subscribe! 

Culture To Grow

Episode 2: End of Year Exams -- Around the World

       Tā shì shéi?
A：他 是 谁？
   Tā shì wǒ tónɡxué.  
B：他  是 我  同学。
   Tā ne? Tā shì nǐ tónɡxué ma? 
A：她 呢？她 是  你同学 吗？
   Tā bú shì wǒ tónɡxué, Tā shì wǒ pénɡyou.
B：她  不 是我  同学，她 是 我  朋友。


HSK Standard Course Level 1 Audio of the textbook

Lesson 4 text 3

Temas Presentes

Importancia del Desayuno: Se discute cómo el desayuno es esencial para la salud física y mental, especialmente en relación con la gastritis de la entrevistada.

Costumbres Familiares: La entrevista destaca el papel de las tradiciones familiares en los hábitos alimenticios y las preferencias personales de la entrevistada.

Cultura Alimentaria: Se exploran diferentes prácticas y alimentos típicos en la cultura colombiana, así como la apertura a probar comidas de otras culturas.

Percepción de la Comida: La discusión aborda la relación entre la comida, la identidad y las circunstancias de vida, enfatizando que no siempre se puede elegir lo que se come.


¿Qué tipo de desayuno mencionó la entrevistada que tuvo esta mañana?

¿Cómo describió la entrevistada su experiencia de desayunar a lo largo de los años?

¿Cuál es la preferencia de la entrevistada al comer, sola o en familia, y por qué?

¿Qué alimentos o bebidas consume la entrevistada generalmente para el desayuno en casa y en el trabajo?

Según la entrevistada, ¿qué relación hay entre lo que se come y quién es una persona?

Talk Time with Jhon!

Arroz con Huevo 😋 

Reviewing Japanese Grammar via Genki1

Let's Review Lesson 3, Genki 1

▼スクリプト
みんなは視力（しりょく）どれぐらいある？私は目が悪くて、コンタクトをつけてるんだけど、パソコンするときは目が乾燥（かんそう）しちゃうから、めがね使ってるんだよね。でも、ずっとパソコンしてるとほんと目がヤバくなってくるから、この前ブルーライトカットのめがねを買いに行ったの。

How good is your eyesight? I have bad eyesight, so I wear contacts, but when I use the computer, my eyes get dry, so I use glasses. But my eyes get really bad when I'm on the computer all the time, so the other day I went to buy a pair of blue light-cut glasses.

日本のめがねの値段（ねだん）はピンキリなんだけど、安いのは10000円くらいから買えるよ。有名なお店は「J!NS」とか「Zoff」とか「めがね市場」かなぁ。私は今までずっと「J!NS」で買ってたんだけど、かわいいフレームがあったから今回は「めがね市場」で買ったんだよね。

Prices for glasses in Japan vary widely, but you can buy inexpensive ones for as little as 10,000 yen. I think the most famous stores are "J!NS", "Zoff", and "Megane Ichiba". I used to buy my glasses at "J!NS", but this time I bought them at "Megane Ichiba" because they had cute frames.

レンズのオプションもいろいろあって、ブルーライトカットはもちろんなんだけど、スマホを見るとき目を楽にするレンズとか、抗菌（こうきん）レンズとかいろいろあってびっくりしちゃった。

I was surprised at the variety of lens options available, including blue-light-cut lenses, lenses that make it easier for me to look at my phone, and antibacterial lenses.

視力検査（けんさ）もめがね屋さんでするんだけど、右目も左目も「0.05」ずつしかなかったからショックだった…。あと、少し右目が乱視（らんし）って言われたから、レンズは特注（とくちゅう）になって1週間後に出来上がって取りに行ったよ。もし日本でめがねを作ることがあったら、時間に余裕をもってつくったほうがいいよ。

I also had my eyesight tested at the optometrist's, and I was shocked to see that it was only 0.05 vision each for my right and left eyes.... I was also told that I had a little astigmatism in my right eye, so the lenses were special ordered and I went to pick them up a week after they were made.If you have to get glasses made in Japan, you should make them well in advance.

ちなみに、この前、子供の視力が悪くなってるってテレビで言ってたんだよね。1.0未満の子どもは高校生で63％らしいよ。たしかに私も高校生のときからコンタクトしてるなぁって思った。いつかレーシックもしてみたい！

By the way, I heard on TV the other day that children's eyesight is getting worse: 63% of high school students have less than 1.0 vision. I have been wearing contacts since I was in high school. I'd like to have LASIK someday!

ガチ日本語 - Everyday Japanese -

Ep.3 めがねをつくる

Ordering food is a very common scene in daily life. Whether you are in a restaurant, cafe or fast food restaurant. Today, let’s practice some vocabulary and sentences related to ordering food.

生词：

1.菜单 (càidān) - Menu
2.服务员 (fúwùyuán) - Waiter/Waitress
3.特色菜 (tèsè cài) - Specialty dish
4.饮料 (yǐnliào) - Beverage
5.主菜 (zhǔcài) - Main course
6.小吃 (xiǎochī) - Snack
7.甜点 (tiándiǎn) - Dessert
8.结账 (jiézhàng) - To pay the bill
9.味道 (wèidào) - Taste
10.推荐 (tuījiàn) - Recommend

句子练习：

请给我菜单。 (Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān.)
Please give me the menu.

您有什么推荐的特色菜吗？ (Nín yǒu shénme tuījiàn de tèsè cài ma?)
Do you have any recommended specialty dishes?

我要一杯饮料。 (Wǒ yào yì bēi yǐnliào.)
I would like a drink.

这道菜的味道怎么样？ (Zhè dào cài de wèidào zěnmeyàng?)
How does this dish taste?

请帮我结账。 (Qǐng bāng wǒ jiézhàng.)
Please help me check out.

对话练习：

对话一：
 A: 你好，请问几位？ (Nǐ hǎo, qǐng wèn jǐ wèi?)
Hello, how many people?
B: 两位，请给我们菜单。 (Liǎng wèi, qǐng gěi wǒmen càidān.)
Two people, please give us the menu.

对话二：
 A: 这道菜是什么？(Zhè dào cài shì shénme?)
What is this dish?
B: 这是我们的特色菜，您可以试一下。 (Zhè shì wǒmen de tèsè cài, nín kěyǐ shì yīxià.)
This is our specialty dish, you can try it.


点餐经历
上周末，我和朋友去了一家中餐馆。我们到了以后，服务员给我们菜单。
我点了一个宫保鸡丁，一碗米饭和一杯茶。我的朋友点了一个炒面和一杯水。
我们等了一会儿，菜就来了。宫保鸡丁很好吃，米饭也很好。朋友说炒面很好吃。
吃完以后，我们叫服务员结账。我们用手机支付，非常方便。
这次吃饭很开心，食物很好，服务也很好。

Last weekend, my friend and I went to a Chinese restaurant. When we arrived, the waiter gave us menus. I ordered a Kung Pao Chicken, a bowl of rice and a cup of tea. My friend ordered a fried noodles and a glass of water. We waited for a while and the food came. The Kung Pao Chicken was delicious and so was the rice. Friends said the fried noodles are delicious. After we finished eating, we asked the waiter to pay. We paid by mobile phone which was very convenient. I enjoyed my meal this time, the food was good and the service was excellent.

开口说汉语    "Chinese Chit-Chat"

点餐 Ordering food

You can read the podcast here >> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pEWvcpKH_0muRzGdtt8Bj6kzhuOwPpcz/view?usp=sharing

Lisa's Podcast

American Woman Finds Love in the Digital World: Marries AI Chatbot, Declares Him the 'Perfect Husband’

Tässä jaksossa pohdin omien kokemuksieni kautta kielen oppimista. Kiteytettynä neuvoni kielen oppimiseen:

1. Päätä mitä kieltä haluat opiskella ja pysy siinä päätöksessä.
2. Tutustu erilaisiin tapoihin opiskella kieltä ja löydä oma tapasi oppia.
3. Jatka sitkeästi eteenpäin. Älä luovuta ensimmäisen vaikean jakson aikana.
4. Panosta tavoitteeseesi rahallisesti, ajallisesti ja henkisesti.
5. Matkusta kohdemaahan, jos mahdollista. Osallistu arkielämään, kielikurssille ja paikalliseen kulttuuriin. Kieltä on muuallakin, kuin vain oppikirjoissa.




Suomea for you

10.jakso: Miten oppia kieltä?

There's an old English saying that goes: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

But according to a recent study, "late to bed and late to rise" may actually be better for your brain — though researchers didn't check if it does anything for your health or your wallet.

A study published in BMJ Public Health looked at data from nearly 27,000 people who reported how long they slept, and whether they were a "morning lark" — someone who wakes up early — or a "night owl," who sleeps late.

The participants, aged between 53 and 86, also did cognitive tests that checked their reasoning, memory, and how quickly they could process information.

It was found that night owls performed best on the cognitive tests — ahead of those who described themselves as neither morning people nor night people. And morning larks had the lowest cognitive scores of all.

People's bodies have times when they naturally prefer to sleep. And Raha West of Imperial College London, the study's lead author, said that while it's possible to gradually shift your sleeping times, it's very difficult to completely change from a morning person to a night person.

However, she also said the results just show the trend, and not the truth for every individual.

The authors also noted that their results, which focused on older adults, contrasted with past research on adolescents, which found that young morning larks actually had better health and better mental well-being.

Speaking to The Guardian, Jacqui-Ann Hanley of Alzheimer’s Research UK, who wasn't involved with the study, also said it isn't clear if being a morning person leads to poorer cognitive results in older adults, or if the weaker cognitive abilities that come with aging just make people get up earlier.

The study also found that people generally got better cognitive scores if they reported sleeping between seven and nine hours each night.