The A to Z English Podcast

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about whether or not they think it's ethical for people to eat meat. Transcript: 00:00:00JackHey, A to Z English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:49JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social.00:00:54JackAnd today we're doing another topic talk and today's question is, should humans switch to a plant based diet to protect animal rights?00:01:06JackWhat do you think, social?00:01:08XochitlShould humans switch your plan beside? Well, I have been vegan in the past, Jack, and I've also been vegetarian in the.00:01:16XochitlSo I had.00:01:18XochitlThe even the plant based diet on multiple occasions, but I never judge anyone who didn't because it's a very hard switch because the world is kind of built around assuming that you have a normal diet and now vegan food is way more accessible. Back. When I was vegan in high school.00:01:36XochitlUh, it was very hard to be vegan. You couldn't go out to eat anywhere. You couldn't buy any like ready made vegan food at the store and there weren't any products like, there weren't any good veggie burgers or vegan.00:01:45JackYeah.00:01:49JackNo impossible burgers or anything like that.00:01:52XochitlNo. So it really sucked. And then?00:01:56XochitlI yeah. So I don't know. And then there.00:01:59XochitlAre there were there?00:02:00XochitlWas a phase where I would eat plant.00:02:01XochitlBased like uh?00:02:04XochitlTwo weeks out of the month and then the other two weeks, I just see normal, but that was more. That was like, yeah, I mean, yeah, it was kind of a whole thing, not in the ways you might you might expect but but.00:02:11JackFor health.00:02:22XochitlYeah, so, so I don't know, this is a tricky 1 because to me now I like me, I enjoy me and I enjoy having food freedom and getting to eat whatever I want and.00:02:37XochitlI think that as people, us being vegan is like far less or us consuming meat or choosing not to consume meat or choosing to eat plant based or not plant based whatever it may be is far less damaging to the environment or has far less of an impact overall than these giant greedy.00:02:57XochitlCorporations and industries that are.00:03:00XochitlChoosing practices that are they know, have been harmful for years, like the fracking industry and. And so I think ultimately, yes, it's just like our little drop in a bucket or drop in the ocean and we can choose to do it or not to do it. I don't think it really necessarily makes you better.00:03:20XochitlOr not, or neither do I I I just think it's so much more impactful for a corporation to.00:03:28XochitlAnd the government to put in regulations than it is for people to just go like Meatless Mondays or something.00:03:35JackYeah, my my problem with with eating meat and.00:03:41JackIt's the factory farming is I have a real problem with that because I know that there are definitely animal abuses that are happening. And yet, even though I know that intellect.00:03:51XochitlYeah.00:03:55JackReally, it's really hard for me to make the switch to vegan or vegetarian or be vegan or vegetarian, even though I know that it's probably morally the right thing to do until farming practices become more ethical.00:04:15JackAnd you know, because I think that like.00:04:18JackYou know the the way that they, you know, pack chickens into tiny little space.00:04:24JackIs.00:04:25XochitlRight. These, like tiny cages and they can't, can't walk or anything.00:04:29JackYeah. Yeah. And they, they Peck each other to death and they they all kinds of really horrible things happen. Same with like cows or sorry, the same with cows and same with pigs as well. And yet I just.00:04:45JackLove meat? That is funny. I really have no excuse. You know, it's just like and. And when I don't eat meat, I I kind of feel the color kind of drain out of my face, you know, like I I feel weak when I'm not eating protein. And and I know that you can get protein from other sources.00:05:07XochitlRight.00:05:08JackYou can, you know, it's not like vegans don't eat protein.00:05:12JackBut it's just so much cheaper and so much easier to just buy like a bag of chicken breasts and or some, you know, some pork or something like that.00:05:24XochitlWell, it's kind of tastier and it's like blade rip because like it, it's probably cheaper to buy like a big thing of tofu or a big thing of beans and cook it. Really. Hmm. But it's it is convenient. And it's like something that you're used to. Right. So it's like.00:05:33JackMHM.00:05:39XochitlIt's just hard to break that like it's tasty. Like I'll be real with you. I don't want to eat like a like a.00:05:39JackYeah.00:05:48XochitlI'd rather eat a plate of chicken wings than like a.00:05:51XochitlTofu and beans dish or something.00:05:54XochitlMost of the time.00:05:54JackYeah, you know.00:05:56XochitlIf I lived, if.00:05:57JackI lived in Mexico and I could get like a really nice plate of like beans with rice.00:06:03XochitlOh yeah.00:06:04JackI think I could actually. I I think in Mexico I could actually do it. You know it's.00:06:10발표자At least.00:06:11XochitlThey're like vegetarian, right? Yeah.00:06:14JackYeah, maybe not vegan. I might not be. I might still want to eat like eggs or something like that.00:06:20JackAnd maybe drink milk or something like that, cause I do. I do like milk in my coffee. But you know there there are other alternatives. You know, I could. I could drink oat milk or almond milk or something like that and.00:06:36XochitlI like oat milk more than I like regular milk, but it's like worse for you, so.00:06:40JackYeah, it's not right health wise, it's probably it's not better, it just might be better for the environment perhaps or or it might be.00:06:48JackBe more ethical to you know.00:06:53XochitlWell, one, one that interesting thing with like dealing with the ethics of it, Jack is like.00:06:59XochitlIt's not necessarily like, uh, you could just eat. I mean, it's more expensive, but you could eat organic meat that has ethical practices you.00:07:10JackThat's true. That's true. If you if you source the right the right product, you you, you can find stuff that's a little bit more ethically growing or whatever. That's true. That's true. Yeah, I guess, you know, for me.00:07:13XochitlCould.00:07:30JackIt just comes down to dollars and cents in. In many ways it's just I just like, I don't want to pay the extra money for it.00:07:39JackAnd so I I just, I just kind of push it to the back of my mind that like ohh it's probably not as bad as they say it is, you know, but I do, I think it is pretty bad actually this the factory farming situation and I I think it's you know it it'll be interesting to see like in the future.00:07:59JackWhat happens when they start growing lab? You know, lab grown.00:08:02JackEat.00:08:04XochitlYeah.00:08:04JackThat that'll be interesting because you know, there may may be a time when when they they don't need animals at all anymore, we we may not have to to deal with that at all. I don't know how people might be disgusted by it.00:08:18XochitlI definitely would be less disgusted by lab grown meat than I would be by like.00:08:23XochitlHow the practice is you know what I mean?00:08:26JackYeah, yeah, watching the animals torture each other into death in these tiny cages.00:08:32JackSeems less disgusting than than growing some meat in a lab, so.00:08:36XochitlEat lamb meat seems like it would be really sterile. And like with the conditions that they have in these factory farms, like a lot of the meat probably has like nasty infections and stuff like so they think.00:08:46JackAntibiotics. Yeah, all that sort of stuff, yeah.00:08:48XochitlYeah, like they have to have antibiotics to avoid infections and all that nasty. So I don't know. I. Yeah, I I honestly would would be more interested in love me because I would think it would. It would be so. I mean, I wouldn't want to like.00:09:02XochitlDie from some weird mutation, you know, stupid, but you know, I mean, I'm sure that would be unlikely, but.00:09:07JackYeah.00:09:09JackYeah. Yeah. Well, I'm thinking I I may. I may make. I may make another run at vegetarianism here in the in the near future, but I'm I. I've got to mentally prepare myself for it.00:09:10XochitlYeah, yeah.00:09:22XochitlYeah, you don't have to go all or nothing. You can. You can just like, slowly introduce more vegetarian meals into your diet.00:09:30JackYeah.00:09:31XochitlAnd you know, like, you know, maybe have a.00:09:36XochitlOr go like pescatarian or something which is so easy to do in Korea. I think there's a lot of good. Yeah, you could go like pescatarian and you could just slowly like phase.00:09:40JackYeah, that's true.00:09:45XochitlOut and.00:09:46XochitlThere's not that much dairy.00:09:50JackYeah. And for our listeners, pescatarian means seafood. So you could just go like fully seafood diet.00:09:57JackYeah.00:09:57XochitlYeah, you just go like a seafood diet pretty much. So, yeah. I mean, yeah, I don't know. I think that the. Yeah, I get it. I mean, most of the time here in Mexico.00:10:09XochitlSo.00:10:10XochitlIt's kind of more accessible to get like meat that's butchered locally and that you know the practices are good. Like, you know, you see the chickens running around and you know that they're healthy and happy.00:10:24JackYeah, before before its head got lopped off at.00:10:28JackLeast it had.00:10:28JackA good life, you know. Enjoy

Did you enjoy the Barbie movie? Well, in this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl describes what kind of Barbie she thinks she would be, and Jack describes what kind of Ken he would be?Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A to Z English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:50JackWelcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk. And right now social something that's trending on on TikTok and on on the Internet right now is comes from the the Barbie movie and.00:01:10JackThe question that people are asking themselves is what kind of Barbie are you like, could you describe your Barbie and what kind of Ken are you? So could you describe your Ken? So maybe you could describe your Barbie and I'll describe my Ken.00:01:28XochitlOK, I'm like uh.00:01:32XochitlI don't know.00:01:35XochitlI think I OK. Ideally what I would like to be in fashion Barbie, you know, I have all these clothes and I.00:01:41XochitlI love clothes.00:01:42XochitlBut I don't really dress up that much anymore, like how I used to, but I used to love clothes, so I think I would be like fashion Barbie, you know. But now I'm kind of more like a.00:01:56XochitlLike.00:01:59XochitlMet Barbie or something? I don't know. Like, like a beige Barbie. Something I don't like. Kind of disillusioned with life. Ever so slightly. Yeah.00:02:11JackTrying trying to figure it out, Barbie.00:02:13XochitlTrying to figure it out, Barbie. Yeah, but you know, it's done better this year. I gotta say, the trend, the end of tail end of 27 was a great time where I started a bunch of projects, including our English corner. So with you. So I'm really excited.00:02:29XochitlAbout that and yeah, so maybe right now I would actually be like.00:02:35XochitlAn iconic Barbie that had all the jobs like veterinarian, doctor, Fashionista like you know, the one that's doing everything I'm doing a lot like the English corner, the coffee business, selling clothes.00:02:42JackYeah.00:02:51JackWhat? What kind of clothes, like, talk about the clothes you stuff. Cause I think that that's that would be like I can. I can picture your Barbies clothes because of the you know you you sell clothes on. I I see you post like dresses like you you're you're big into like thrifting right like.00:02:51XochitlYeah.00:03:09XochitlYes, yes.00:03:10JackYeah.00:03:11XochitlYeah, I saw.00:03:11JackSo lots of like prints or something. Is that what they are kind of kind of prints with like UM?00:03:16XochitlIt can be. I think they're just. It just really depends. It's more so for me right now I'm selling like American clothes. So and Mexico American clothes is is popular because it's higher quality. Traditional American garments are high quality like cotton and stuff. But like regular everyday wear.00:03:37XochitlThose is pretty low quality.00:03:39JackYeah.00:03:39XochitlIt's like worse than she and quality or whatever. Like it's very bad. So being that it's so bad, American clothes is quite popular here. So I just kind of pick whatever I think looks nice. And I think other people will like and bring that and sell it.00:03:58XochitlBeer so it could be like uh, dresses with plants or.00:04:03XochitlDresses for graduation or like the.00:04:07XochitlYou know, sweaters and different, just different articles of clothing that I think that will sell and and it's been going pretty well. I think the only issue is like the price point because it's in Mexican peso, so it's it's actually cheap for the US but for Mexicans a lot of people only make.00:04:24XochitlLike.00:04:25Xochitl300 pesos. They're like $15 a day.00:04:28XochitlAnd as you know, most clothes is like.00:04:28JackOhh.00:04:32XochitlAt least 25 bucks or 25 feet.00:04:34JackOhh yeah yeah, even if you buy off the clearance rack or something, you know at Macy's still going to be 20 or 25 bucks, you know.00:04:39XochitlYes.00:04:43XochitlRight. Yeah. So that's kind of just the only thing that I'm struggling with and I'm kind of thinking about bringing in accessories and stuff that are like a little bit cheaper or or maybe like skin care. I've been thinking when I go to Korea about buying like cheap clothes and skin care, I'm selling them here as well. The cool thing about Korea is you can like.00:05:03XochitlShe had like, boxes of stuff back, so.00:05:06발표자Yeah.00:05:07XochitlIt's kind of fun so.00:05:08JackWhat's your? What's your accessory? If you that goes with your your Barbie?00:05:13XochitlOhh, they hadn't suffered one there.00:05:15Jack20 right. Yes, of course, yes.00:05:20XochitlYou basically have 4 successor. At this point it is like I left him for a day and a half to get a couple like that, which is a really, really beautiful village here in Laka.00:05:31JackMHM.00:05:32XochitlFor my birthday trip and he came back and he's all sick and everything. I was like, what's wrong with him? So I took him to the vet today and he was like, oh, he was stressed cause you left him. And then like?00:05:41XochitlHe, like his stomach, probably hurt because he ate like some different food. We we switched him to a different diet and like all that together, made him have like a problem. Like he got Giardia, which is like, you know, travelers area type thing. Yeah. And so it was really. It was really scary.00:05:56JackYeah.00:06:01XochitlBecause you seemed really safe.00:06:02XochitlBut he's doing fine now.00:06:04XochitlBut it's like a fourth successor. I gotta take him everywhere with me, or else he.00:06:07XochitlGets sick, so.00:06:08JackYeah, I'm not sure how how well this Barbie is going to sell the the Barbie with the the duende accessory with diarrhea, but.00:06:17XochitlNo, no diarrhea, but just playing and they're just healthy. Then they're suffering. Yeah.00:06:21JackHow's he doing today? OK.00:06:23XochitlIt's just like a purse dog that you have to take everywhere.00:06:26XochitlHe's looking at.00:06:26JackRight, right. You need you need a. You need a bag, maybe something maybe. Maybe a bag. That's a kind of.00:06:27XochitlMe.00:06:27XochitlNow I'm talking about.00:06:38JackA local like locally made you know what Hawken bag that you could put when they in. That'd be a pretty cool little Barbie, yeah.00:06:45발표자Yes.00:06:46XochitlYeah, I think that would be cool. He's wearing his little sweater right now, too. He's cold, so that would be be like a blue hoodie. Yeah, well, what kind of Ken are you?00:06:51발표자Nice.00:06:55JackUM, yeah, so I'm. I'm definitely like teacher Ken. My my Ken is is has a shaved head. So that's the I'm I'm representing the bald.00:07:00XochitlOh yeah.00:07:08JackThere so bald can, but my accessory would be a a trucker hat, a trucker cap. So you can cover a KENS bald head with a with a nice trucker cap. And I'm trying to think like, what would Ken's what what's what's my uniform?00:07:28JackLet's say my uniform is pair jeans, some tennis shoes at T-shirt and then maybe like because I'm a teacher, I'll throw like a like a a a suit jacket over the top of that. So.00:07:45XochitlHmm.00:07:45JackThis is definitely of the the strangest can ever. But yeah, I think that would be my that would be my, my, my accessory and my outfit. And maybe maybe my school bag. You know, that would be my, you know, putting students, papers and and things like that.00:08:05JackInside that would be my that would be my other accessory. So the trucker hat and and a a a school bag, yeah.00:08:15JackYeah. I don't know. Yeah. Teacher. Teacher care.00:08:18발표자Oh.00:08:19JackYeah.00:08:20XochitlI often see.00:08:20발표자Yeah.00:08:25XochitlWhat was I gonna say? I often see.00:08:30XochitlGen. Z represented is wearing like beanies as well, which you also do.00:08:34JackOhh, that's right. I'm. Yeah, that's when I try to be cool. But it's it's it's like dressing one generation below my my actual station in life.00:08:46JackSo.00:08:46XochitlI don't think so, because every time I see Gen. X like represented in skits, they're always wearing like a they they dress exactly like you. It's so crazy when I see this guy like go skits because he's not Gen. XI. Think he's like a millennial. Maybe he's. No, I think he must be like a millennial and he he pulls, like skits like showing like.00:09:06XochitlRumors that were genex that were ex millennial and Gen. Z.00:09:09XochitlEric, you know, and I definitely relate hard to like a mix between the dense and millennial because you know I'm a customer, but when he does the Gen. X, it looks it's like looks just like you like. It looks so much like I gotta send you because I think you would get a kick out of it. It's so similar to you. And then like the the, the Gen. Z.00:09:30XochitlLike like for example they have like the meeting and the tenses still sleeping.00:09:34JackOh, yeah, yeah, yeah.00:09:34XochitlAnd that is me. That is kind of like me.00:09:38JackI think I'm. I'm a customer as well. Like I'm kind of right between millennial and and Gen. X because I'm like, you know, I'm like a really young Gen. X or a really old Gen. Z or sorry, really old millennial. Yeah.00:09:45XochitlYeah.00:09:50XochitlMillennial, you mean? Yeah.00:09:53XochitlYes.00:09:54JackNo.00:09:55JackI can I can kind of. I can. I can go. I can go either way, depending on my mood for the uh for the day, I guess, yeah.00:09:55XochitlYes.00:10:03XochitlYeah, I'm gonna send you one of those gifts so you can take a look at it. Yeah. Alright. Well, listeners, let us know what kind of Barbie or Ken would you be? I'm

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss the question: Is cheating in a relationship ever justified? Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:49JackWelcome to the Ados English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk and social. Today's topic is a little scandalous. The question is, can cheating in a romantic relationship ever be justified?00:01:07JackShould the couple try to work through it, or is the trust permanently broken?00:01:15XochitlUh, I really don't think it's ever justified. I personally have never cheated, so I don't understand.00:01:24XochitlIt's a decision, too, I hate when people say that it's a mistake. I don't think it's a mistake. It's a choice that people actively made and you have to live with the consequences of that choice. And I think, like, if you do want to try to work through it, then the person who cheated needs to be willing to really put in the majority of the work.00:01:31JackRight.00:01:45XochitlAnd.00:01:47XochitlNeeds to be willing.00:01:48XochitlTo see that there are going to be pretty big consequences like the that person is not going to trust you. Like for a good long while. And I I think that's perfectly acceptable and absolutely normal. It'd be kind of weird if they suddenly did trust you, you know.00:02:05JackYeah, I.00:02:06XochitlAgain, you've been good.00:02:09JackOh, sorry, I I I really hate it. When. When?00:02:13JackLike cheaters, say something like UM.00:02:16JackWell, you weren't paying attention to me or you weren't being attentive as a as a partner. And so I started looking in, you know, other places to get my needs met or whatever and that sort of kind of nonsense, you know, it's like I I think this is one of those.00:02:19XochitlAh.00:02:36JackRare occasions where it's like 100 zero, you know, like it's yeah, it's it's 100% the cheaters fault and they they have to take full.00:02:49JackResponsibility for their actions. I I don't think there can be any Hemming and hawing about it. It's it's, you know, I I think it's such a it's such a red flag when when a cheater starts trying to push the blame onto.00:03:10JackHis or her partner for you know, making.00:03:13JackMe do that it. It reminds me of, like, domestic violence, right where the domestic abuser tries to blame the, you know, you know, I I don't. I didn't want to hit you. But you make me so angry, you know, and and that that's that's that's just nonsense.00:03:18XochitlMa'am.00:03:30XochitlRight, yeah.00:03:34JackLike, that's just garbage logic and so.00:03:38JackYeah, I I just, I just don't. Yeah.00:03:40XochitlYeah, I think I I'll go. I'll go a step further here and say that cheating is definitely a form of abuse because you have to be lying to cheat. And lying is emotional abuse by definition.00:03:55XochitlSo yeah, in some ways you're gaslighting your partner. You're, uh, hiding information from them. You're lying to them. You're invalidating them constantly because you're trying to make them think that they're crazy when you're cheating so that they don't hold you accountable for your actions, and you're blaming them and and shaming them. And it just.00:04:17XochitlIt's toxic and it is abusive in in the context. And I yeah, I just really, really am against cheating.00:04:27JackYeah, I like he said. That's a form of emotional abuse for sure.00:04:32XochitlYeah.00:04:33JackAnd also I think that like.00:04:36JackCommitment requires again I I there. There are a few times in life where I think it's like a 0 sum 0 sum, meaning like it's 100% zero.00:04:47JackYou know, either you're committed to your partner or or you're not, you know, and if you're, if you're always, if you're with your partner, but you've always got, like, one eye kind of looking around for something better, something. It's I I I just really hate that.00:05:04XochitlI know.00:05:07JackThat kind of behavior, it reminds me of like, UM, it happens in friendships as well, where it.00:05:15JackLike you, you know, Jack, you're good enough to hang out with at this party, but I'm going to keep my eye open looking around the the room for maybe somebody a little bit more interesting, a little bit cooler that I can go talk to. So you're good enough in the moment.00:05:35JackBut you're not. You're you're not really good enough. And that's a real self esteem killer, I I think.00:05:45XochitlYeah, he is a self esteem killer. And then ultimately though like like dealing with cheaters and talking to them, I don't think it's anything about their partner not being. Obviously it's not about the partner not not being good enough, but I don't even think it's about them thinking their partners and good enough. It's like they just have this black hole in their heart and mind.00:06:06XochitlAnd they need like constant validation and attention from other people.00:06:09XochitlPeople and most of the times they can't handle like critique. Like if something starts going wrong in a relationship instead of facing up to their responsibility and whatever is going on or talking it out with their partner. If they can't face criticism or face.00:06:10JackYes.00:06:27XochitlIssues when things get real, so they would rather just find a way to like escape in a sense and source their validation from someone else.00:06:37JackIt's almost like they're they're willing to if they don't get what they want completely, they're going to blow it. They're going to blow the whole thing up.00:06:45JackYou know, and that is like the most childish kind of toddler behavior. Like, it's the ultimate. I'm taking my ball and going home kind of behavior, right? Yeah.00:06:52XochitlYeah.00:06:59JackAnd it's so immature. So, you know, I think ultimately I the second part of that question was should the couple try to work through it?00:07:09JackYou know, I honestly don't think I don't. I just think it's. I don't think you can come back from that, to be honest. So at least I know that I personally cannot come back from that. Cheating is A is a a deal breaker in in my for me. So if if I were in a.00:07:29JackYou know, just hypothetically, I mean I'm. I'm married. I've been married for 17 years, happily married. But if I'm. I'm just thinking hypothetically in like a dating situation or something. If if that happened to me, I I would just cut my losses.00:07:47JackAnd and and and find find a new partner like that's. That's ultimately where I kind of land. And it. What what about you?00:07:56XochitlI think that I that.00:08:02XochitlI how do? How do I say this?00:08:05XochitlI think that.00:08:08XochitlPeople who stay and try to work through it like a lot, a lot of times they get almost worse judgment than the cheater. Like people calling them stupid and stuff. And I think that's so mean because they're already like a victim of this horrible situation and they like, they're really, I don't know, forgiving people, I think. But at the same time, I I.00:08:28XochitlI do think you can't come back for men even if you choose to try to work things out and try to come back from it or whatever, I personally think.00:08:37XochitlUM.00:08:38XochitlIt's like you can't, like you will always remember.00:08:44XochitlWhen they cheated on you and it will always affect yourself esteem and you're always going to be wondering like where they are and what they're doing and you're going to start behaving like a person that you don't recognize sometimes I think.00:08:58JackYeah, you're gonna turn into somebody you don't want to be like the that.00:08:58XochitlAs.00:09:01JackThe kind of paranoid looking under every every rock for some kind of evidence and it it it just consumes your your life and you're you're not really living at that point. You're you're you're more consumed with this this relationship, and nobody deserves to.00:09:22JackTo have to live like that.00:09:23XochitlNo, no one should have to live like that. So you.00:09:27XochitlYeah, I think, yeah. I mean, I think it's cool to cut your losses. It's something that it's like cheating is very common in Mexican culture, like men, especially cheating on women. I think there's a I think there's also a whole sexist level to cheating where, like in marriages, it's more common for men to cheat.00:09:47XochitlThe way that society is and to get away with it or like for.00:09:51XochitlIt to be acceptable anyway.00:09:54XochitlTo some.00:09:54JackThis is like the the boys will be boys kind of mentality.00:09:57XochitlYes, and men will be mankind equality. But I think that's.00:09:59JackI need that you.00:10:01XochitlI feel like that's true in at least every culture that I'm familiar with. To some extent, you know, and I don't. I definitely understand why people, especially people who already have kids or who are like, have been married for a long time, why they would like, want and try to work through it.00:10:07JackHmm.00:10:21XochitlLike I definitely understand.00:10:23JackYeah, that's true.00:10:26XochitlYeah, but at the same time, like I if anyone is ever in that situation, I would say don't like, just don't just cut your losses. You'll you'll always regret investing more time in fixing things than just moving on to a new relationship where you could have all the trust and respect that.00:10:46XochitlYou should have had from the start and deserved in someone else that will respect you and care about you and.00:10:57XochitlBe a reliable person that you can actu

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl talks about the organic coffee business she has started with her partner.Transcript:00:01:24JackKind of a a sky blue or or light blue color with a a really cool logo and everything on there and so I was just wondering like what's going on with that?00:01:36XochitlWell, that I started selling organic coffee. My partner is a coffee farmer in the Sierra Juarez, which is an area mountainous area of Wahaca where I live.00:01:50XochitlYeah. And he he's a farmer, so he does things like, uh, he plants beans, corn, coffee, pineapples, mangoes, avocados. But the big one of the big.00:02:07XochitlSources of income for coffee farmers are for farmers here in Osaka is coffee, is coffee used to be quite well paid, but unfortunately the the price of coffee has really gone down a lot. I'm not sure what's going on, but the market.00:02:22XochitlIt's not that there's more supply than demand. It's just I think, how.00:02:29XochitlSome things have been happening with exports to the United States and prices and the dollar and the peso and how they're moving up and down. It's caused a lot of issues and.00:02:41XochitlWell, I was talking to him and he was he was telling me that.00:02:45XochitlThey can only sell their coffee in parchment at 41 pesos, which is about like 2 bucks a kilo. A kilo is 2 point.00:02:53JackDollars a kilogram for. Oh my God.00:02:56XochitlYes, it's parchment coffee, so it's not like roasted or anything. It's just it that has to go through a whole process before it's ready to drink, but it's.00:03:05JackMMM.00:03:07XochitlIt's still far to cheap price for organic coffee, and they're not making any money off of it anymore. And also.00:03:16JackSomeone's making money though. It's like the middleman, you know, they're.00:03:19XochitlYeah, it's the middleman is making money because the the price of coffee, especially organic coffee and local coffee, has gone up on the market, but they're not paying coffee funds.00:03:21JackYeah.00:03:28JackRight. But the farmers are getting screwed on the on the the back end, yeah.00:03:33XochitlYes, it's exactly what's happening. So it's it's really been a disaster for a lot of people. And yeah, I was talking to him and I just had the idea to sell his coffee here in the city because I live here.00:03:35JackYeah.00:03:45XochitlCity.00:03:46JackHmm.00:03:47XochitlAnd you know, we talked about it and we made some plans and we kind of it just got, I just kind of posted it on an expat wahaka group saying hey, guys like would you be interested in organic coffee?00:04:01XochitlAnd a bunch of people were like, oh, yeah, you know, we didn't know how to price it. Like, we didn't know.00:04:05XochitlAnything about it?00:04:06XochitlBecause he's gonna coffee farmer and his family has done coffee farming for generations. But like he's never really been on the on this like market end of.00:04:14XochitlThings.00:04:15XochitlBecause what they usually do is they they belong to an organization coffee organization called Niche.00:04:21XochitlYeah. Which is like organic coffee organization and.00:04:25XochitlThey they give them like.00:04:28XochitlCourses and stuff on how to grow organic coffee and different varieties that are worth more money and all these kind of.00:04:34XochitlThings.00:04:35XochitlBut because of how the market's going and I don't know what's happening, they're only able to buy 200 kilos on average from each coffee farmer.00:04:45JackOh, it's nothing. 200 kilos.00:04:45XochitlAnd.00:04:47XochitlYeah, the the usual production is at least five. You usually at least have 500 kilos leftover after that, you know, even for a small farmer. So uh.00:05:01XochitlYeah. So it got to the point, you know, they have they have like at least 300 kilos or leftovers. So I talked to him and we went through the whole process of deciding to sell it and we got a lot of attention on that's that's.00:05:14XochitlWhat I could do?00:05:15XochitlAnd so we kind of had hit the ground running because I posted this just out of curiosity and I got I got, like business out the wazoo and.00:05:25JackYeah.00:05:25XochitlI was like.00:05:27XochitlTons of people inquiring and and a lot to keep up with. And so at that point we had to go ahead and we hit the ground running.00:05:34XochitlSo is he.00:05:36XochitlWe we decided to go with an artisanal process because that's pretty much how he knows how to make the coffee. So what you have to do is you have to take a like mortar and pestle, which for those of our listeners who aren't familiar, a mortar is like kind of like a a stone or wooden bowl or something and a pestle.00:05:42JackMHM.00:05:56XochitlLike a giant one, though.00:05:58XochitlAnd a puzzle is like the thing that you use to pound it. So people used to do this to like grind flour and stuff. In the olden days.00:06:05JackRight now you see a lot of people using mortar and pestle for like medicine and stuff like that.00:06:10XochitlYeah. Medicine are like herbs. A lot of people use it for, like, finely grinding herbs and teas, but he has to use a giant one to like, take all the the kind of peel the shell off of our coffee.00:06:22JackRight.00:06:23JackOK.00:06:23XochitlSo he does that all by hand, so that's crazy. It's a lot of work and hard labor.00:06:28JackWow, he must be in great shape then because.00:06:31XochitlHe hasn't. Really. Yeah, he's a really good team. But yeah, he's very strong and honestly, I don't think I would probably last two minutes trying.00:06:33JackStrong.00:06:39XochitlTo do that.00:06:40XochitlSo yeah, he he definitely he dishes the coffee that way and then we pay a local woman to hand roast the coffee.00:06:41JackYeah, me neither.00:06:51XochitlWhich is artisanal traditional method to do it?00:06:54JackWow.00:06:56JackThat's awesome. So like if people start drinking your coffee, they're they're going to be used to her roast. Basically, she kind of determines the flavor in a way like part of it comes from the the, you know, of course the bean. But then part of it also flavor of the coffee comes from how it's roasted. Right.00:06:57XochitlAnd right.00:07:08Xochitl1.00:07:16XochitlYeah. So she so depends on how you raise the coffee and there's different roasts like you can do a light roast, dark roast and medium roast, and they all have different flavor profiles. And she does kind of a medium dark roast, which works really well because they they they're hand roasted, they have like, a different. They have color variations and the beans, but once you.00:07:30JackYeah.00:07:37XochitlGrind them in your coffee grinder or whatever. It's an even color. It's a uniform color and uh, it's smells delicious because there's the sugars and the coffee beans are like caramelized because they're roasted by hand, so they're not burnt like in our machine. But that would be if you did it by machine process.00:07:51JackYeah.00:07:54XochitlAnd.00:07:56XochitlIt just comes out really great. It has really. It has like a bold uh flavor and it still has body for those who like dark roasts, but it's not like a bitter dark roast that has, like, acidic notes and floral notes.00:08:10XochitlAnd uh, it's very it has a very sweet aroma, a really pleasant like caramel like aroma and almost like some chocolate you.00:08:19XochitlKnow it's really.00:08:20XochitlBe good. I'm. I'm not a huge coffee drinker myself, but I definitely started because I had to describe it to the clients.00:08:20JackYeah.00:08:25JackYou sound like a coffee drinker, though. Jeez, you. You're describing all the notes. I mean, I just like. I just wanna. When I saw the the post, I just wanted to grab one of those bags. And just, like, open it and just stick my nose in there and.00:08:29XochitlYeah.00:08:39JackJust smell it.00:08:39XochitlYeah, was.00:08:40JackI love that smell of fresh. Oh my gosh. I bet it just it is.00:08:44JackOnly.00:08:45XochitlYes, it smells amazing and.00:08:49XochitlThere's been a lot of things to learn. We price to way too low. So now we're figuring that out because we we didn't really know about the market. And there's a single origin coffee, which means it's coffee all from the same community and the same pic of that year. And so it's like it's worth more. And then it's also organic. So it's worth more and it has expensive.00:08:55발표자Hmm.00:09:10XochitlVarieties inside the ensemble like there's different beams that we use, so we use like geisha, which is pretty expensive. Kafa Deepika, which is one of the original ones.00:09:21XochitlHas been.00:09:24XochitlPlanted for hundreds of years here and yeah, so a lot of those things that, you know, quality and expense. And then the other things we went with an artisanal process which requires a lot of Labor, manual labor.00:09:25JackYeah.00:09:37JackYeah.00:09:38XochitlSo we kind of replaced it way to that we personally 10 bucks a kilo.00:09:44Jack10 bucks a kilo. Wow. You get through like you're giving it away for free there.00:09:45XochitlYes, yes.00:09:49XochitlWe basically did. It's 200 pesos or two hundred 200 pesos kilo, which is 10, about 10 bucks.00:09:57JackSo is are you still making profit though, like at that price point?00:09:58XochitlAnd.00:10:02XochitlUh, we're barely not. If we count our hours of Labor, we're not. We're in red numbers. But if we don't count the hours of Labor that.00:10:08XochitlWe.00:10:08XochitlPut into it, then, yeah, we're making, like a tiny profit, a very tiny profit, so.00:10:15JackSo you guys have to you guys have to reprice that then eventually this first round, maybe you can you can sell it cheaply, but you know after that you're going.00:10:24JackTo have to.00:10:26JackYou know, put put it up a little bit.00:10:28JackYou know.00:10:28XochitlYeah, I don't know what to do. I I I I'm not sure how to reprice it because I like, it's scared of losing customers or something.00:10:40JackNo, that's just you that you guys just have imposter syndrome. You know, you, you just, you just you just

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about "a" and "an."Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:50JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are in the grammar zone and we're going to talk about ohh and on.00:01:02JackIn social, what is the difference between those two articles? Why do we?00:01:07JackWhy do we separate those? We have two different words for them.00:01:12XochitlUM.00:01:13XochitlBecause they have to agree with the next word. So if.00:01:20XochitlThe next word starts with a the vowel. Then it has to be a N.00:01:26XochitlSo, for example, an elephant an A A.00:01:33JackAn igloo.00:01:34XochitlOn apple.00:01:35JackYeah.00:01:36XochitlYeah, an English an apple. And if it's a, it's because the next the following thing that you're referring to. Uh. Noun that you're referring to, I guess, usually starts with a a consonant and not a vowel. So it'd be like a pie, a cake.00:01:56XochitlA A car.00:01:59XochitlAnd etcetera, etcetera. Just anything that starts with the continent and then on and.00:02:04JackA podcast.00:02:06XochitlYeah, podcast.00:02:07JackMHM.00:02:09XochitlAnd an is for anything that starts with.00:02:11XochitlA vowel, I think.00:02:12XochitlIt's because it it does sound. It does make it sound smoother, like think about saying a elephant or a elephant instead of an an elephant. It just avoids your vowel noises all mushing together.00:02:21JackYes.00:02:27JackRight. It's very awkward in English to have two vowel sounds together. You we can't do that, right? They need to be interrupted by a consonant sound like uh.00:02:39JackUh, like a a egg is is 2 two vowel sounds together, right?00:02:45JackSo yeah, we can't. It's just a, it's a a phonetic rule in English that you just.00:02:45발표자Yeah.00:02:52JackIt's much easier if you break it up with the with the consonant. So we say on an egg, an apple. Any glue like that.00:03:02XochitlWell, thanks.00:03:03JackYeah.00:03:05XochitlYeah, I think that's pretty much it. It just keep in mind.00:03:09XochitlIf it's going to start with a consonant, make sure that you are using A and then if it's going to start with the vowel, the next following we're just going to start with the vowel. Make sure that you're doing AN on and yeah, that's.00:03:21JackRight.00:03:22JackWhat about? What about a an hour?00:03:25JackAnd that's an H.00:03:26XochitlUh.00:03:27JackSo we should say our.00:03:28XochitlYeah, that's true.00:03:30XochitlYeah, but you don't you say an hour. Ha. There are some exceptions to this rule, and I think it comes down to if that consonant is silent and our age is silent. So you're still making two vowel sounds. So you would do an AM hour instead.00:03:42발표자Right.00:03:49JackWhat about source? Yeah.00:03:49XochitlOf an hour.00:03:52XochitlBut see, that's not.00:03:54JackIt's not horse. Yeah, we say on horse.00:03:56XochitlYeah, I don't know why is it like that. Jake. Jack.00:04:01JackMy my name is Jack by.00:04:02JackThe way no, no, no, you're you. You are. You're exactly right. It it doesn't. The rule is not. It's not a spelling rule.00:04:12JackIt's a. It's a. It's a phonetic rule. It's a sound rule, so if it sounds like a vowel, we use on and so our is a silent H so we say an hour.00:04:26JackBut horse, we actually pronounce the H sound, so we say a horse.00:04:31JackSo so it's it's doesn't come down to spelling a lot, a lot of teachers teach it as a spelling rule in in school in grammar school, but it's not. And this is where a very strange word that a very strange example emerges here with historic.00:04:52JackI hear it all the time on the news N historic event.00:04:58JackAnd there's no reason to say. And historic if you're saying, if you're pronouncing the H, it would be all historic, not N historic. Have you?00:05:09JackHeard that before.00:05:09XochitlYeah, I I have heard that mistake. A historic. But yeah, it is a historic event. But Jack, I'm confused because when you do.00:05:20XochitlOh yeah, that's true.00:05:22XochitlA horse? A historic event.00:05:26JackYeah.00:05:26XochitlAnd you wouldn't say umm horse because it's again you're pronouncing the.00:05:33JackYeah. When people say unhistoric, they're they're being, they think they're being super smart, but they're actually being too clever that they're actually wrong. It's like, yes, exactly. It's kind of a it's a it's a weird, like academia thing. I've heard it so many times, and it used to drive my.00:05:33XochitlAh.00:05:43XochitlThey're overthinking.00:05:53JackMy my teacher in my university crazy.00:05:57JackWhen when she would hear that. And so I kind of learned from my teacher. It was like, oh, no, you gotta follow the rules, right? All historic. But if you say historic and you don't say the H, you could say N historic event. But historic is not really a word we use, right. We say historic with an H.00:06:17JackSo a historic event we have stuff.00:06:22XochitlCrazy. All right, it's nice if you have any more questions for us or any more grammar issues that you would like us to resolve here on the podcast, make sure to leave us a comment down below at A-Z, newspodcast.com shoot us an e-mail at AZ englishpodcast@gmail.com and also make sure that you join the WeChat or WhatsApp groups to make sure that you can talk to Jack.00:06:23JackYeah.00:06:43XochitlDirectly and join the conversation there. Remember the Jack and I are now doing a special corner. Yeah, English corner. So that's a lot of fun. It's only 80 RMB or 10 USD dollars.00:06:49JackEnglish corner.00:07:00XochitlPer month. So for 20 classes you're basically paying $0.50 a class, and it's really great. It's a community where a lot of people are excellent English speakers and we really enjoyed putting it together. It's one hour a day from Monday to Friday, and if you want more information, make sure to message.00:07:05JackExactly.00:07:19XochitlOr Jack directly on the WeChat or WhatsApp groups.00:07:23XochitlAnd we'll see you guys next time.00:07:24XochitlBye bye bye.00:07:25JackBye.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/grammar-zone-a-historic-or-an-historic/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl presents Jack with a conundrum:Would you rather have your daughter or wife encounter a strange bear or a strange man while alone in the woods?Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:49JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have another topic talk for you and social you have kind of a I don't know what you would call like a situation or a conundrum. A conundrum is like a difficult decision or difficult situation.00:01:09JackSo what is your? What is the conundrum?00:01:12XochitlJack, this has become really popular in my medicines in the last, maybe even couple of months and it's very popular amongst American medicine. So I'm curious to hear what your answer is. So without any context, let's say that your wife and your daughter are in the woods.00:01:32XochitlLost and alone. And they have, you know, no Internet cell service. Whatever to call you or call anyone else.00:01:39XochitlWould you rather they come across a strange man that no like you? You don't know? They don't know. Nobody knows him or his intentions or anything. Or would you rather they come across a bear?00:01:50발표자Yeah.00:01:51JackNo. OK. So just to for our listeners there, in in, in case you didn't catch that you said social that my my wife and my daughter are in the woods just walking in the woods. They have no cell phone, no way to to contact anybody.00:02:12JackAnd the question is, would I rather they come across a bear or a strange man that they don't know?00:02:21XochitlYes, correct.00:02:23JackOK.00:02:25JackThis is, you know, this should be an easy question. I mean, if we lived in like a, like, a a reasonable world, you know, where we, you know. But I feel like I listen to a lot of, like, true crime podcasts. And so I just, I've listened to too much true crime to.00:02:44JackTo to answer this one easily, what kind of bear is it? Is it a grizzly bear?00:02:50XochitlDon't know. We don't know what kind.00:02:52XochitlOf bear it is. It's just.00:02:52JackYou don't know what kind of bear it is. It could be a brown bear. It could be a black bear. It could be a a grizzly bear.00:02:57XochitlCome here. Just sit there. It's just like you don't know what kind of man it is. You.00:03:03XochitlAlso don't know.00:03:04XochitlWhat kind?00:03:04XochitlOf bear it is. Yeah, have.00:03:06XochitlSome good choice there.00:03:09JackDo I know the gender of the bear?00:03:12XochitlUh, no.00:03:16JackAll right. Because, you know, if it if it were, uh, if it were a female bear, I would be, I would. I would choose the man because, you know, if if the if the if a if a female bear is protecting her Cubs. If her Cubs are in the area. That's a very dangerous situation. So I would.00:03:36JackI would just hope that the man is not a psychic, a psychotic killer. You know, a psycho.00:03:44JackRight.00:03:46JackIf the if the bear were male I uh, it's probably gonna just leave them alone, you know? Like it just it it they.00:03:54JackYou know, they don't really necessarily see humans as prey, necessarily, unless they're starving, you know, they'll they'll pretty much just. They might play around with you or whatever, which is terrifying. You know, that could still kill you or injure you. But generally speaking, they'll they'll leave you alone.00:04:16JackIf it's a if it's a male Baron, it's starving. It'll it'll eat you. So that in that case, I mean, there's just too many. I guess there are too many variables when it comes to the bear.00:04:25XochitlYou can't overcomplicate Jack. You don't know because also you could also think you know black bears like 100% of the time, pretty much like 99.9% of the time a black bear will run away if.00:04:38XochitlIt sees a human like it'll just take.00:04:39JackRight, right. Exactly, exactly. They're they're they're not interested in humans. Really. You know, they might be curious.00:04:44XochitlThey're scared. Blackberries are scared of humans. Actually a little bit like if they see one, I run into them. When I was camping in national parks, I we did like two week backpacking in national.00:04:53XochitlLike and they they like, run away, cause there's kind of scared of people, black bears, and they're pretty. They're kind of they're a lot smaller than grizzly bears, actually.00:04:59JackYeah, yeah.00:05:04XochitlThey're not that big.00:05:04JackThe problem is just the. The problem is that bears are just too unreliable right now for me to like if my wife and my daughter came across the bear. They're just too you just, you just never know what's going to happen.00:05:16JackLike it's just.00:05:16XochitlWell, what about men? So men are are men reliable to you?00:05:20JackWell, I think a bear is going to do what a bear is going to do, right? Like like they're they weigh 500 lbs. They're going.00:05:25XochitlOK.00:05:28JackThem.00:05:29JackYou know, if they decide that they want to, you know, bite you and mess you up, they'll do it. And it's really kind of like, it's very much like a a coin toss.00:05:42JackNow the man, on the other hand.00:05:45JackWhat percentage of of men are are psycho killers?00:05:52JackI mean like it's it's got to be.00:05:54JackIt's got to be minuscule, right? It's got to be like small, small percentage.00:05:57XochitlThat kind of bad Jack, because I was like, I realize that you're a good guy. And that's like, you don't think of this but like, think about it this way. How many men are psycho killers? Yeah. How many men are actually good people when they come across a woman alone in the woods?00:06:14JackI've been, I'm going to say still a large a majority.00:06:19JackA large majority are good, are good people, but there are there is a percentage of of of very bad people that are gonna that are going to be like a crime of we call this we we would call this a crime of opportunity right. It's like they're not necessarily they're not necessarily going to do.00:06:21XochitlOK, that's all.00:06:35XochitlYes.00:06:39JackAnything in society, but when when society is not looking?00:06:44JackYou know, and they feel like they can, you know, sneak their their hand into the cookie jar and get away with it. How many men, you know, what are they going to do?00:06:57JackThis is this is like the Darkest podcast we've ever done. When I think about it.00:07:01XochitlYeah, but I want to ask you something that might make it a little lighthearted and dark. Dark in a way. What would you have answered? How, what would you say if I said, would you rather that your wife and daughter come across a woman in the woods? A strange woman in the.00:07:07JackYeah.00:07:15XochitlWoods or a bear in the woods?00:07:17JackOhh woman yeah, 100 zero. Yeah, I wouldn't hesitate in.00:07:18XochitlYeah, it's.00:07:21JackA for a SEC.00:07:22JackIn.00:07:23XochitlAnd then like you see how bad it is that like we have to, we we've sat here having quite a long conversation debating whether a man or a bear is a is a worst threat. And when we think about a woman we're like, Oh yeah, that's fine because.00:07:36JackYeah, a woman is is not a threat, just like a.00:07:39XochitlNo, but also it just speaks about how poorly men behave in society and how many men are criminals and or just crappy people that.00:07:50JackYeah, I mean it is, it is really, uh it it is really.00:07:55JackIt it is, it is bad I-11. I remember a few months ago, my daughter was.00:08:02JackComing home and she got harassed by some guy.00:08:06JackYou know, she's 16 years old and yeah, I was. I was. I ran outside. I was like.00:08:09발표자Oh.00:08:13JackWhere? Where is he? I'm going to kill.00:08:14JackHim, you know.00:08:16XochitlWhat?00:08:17JackBut it's just like you know, it's what women have to deal with in society, you know, getting harassed and things like that is kind of related to this question where, you know.00:08:31JackIf if they were to come across a man in the woods.00:08:35JackIt would. That is also terrifying.00:08:39JackBut statistically, I would rather they come across a man than a bear because the bear is just too unreliable. I just don't know what the bear is going to do. I can't. I just can't trust the bear cause of the bear is just going to is going to do what's what's in its nature, you know, which is hunt or whatever, you know, like.00:08:59JackTo attack, defend whatever it feels is necessary at that moment.00:09:05JackA man if 95% of men are are are decent people, that's a pretty those are pretty good odds, right? That she's not going to come across that other 5% so.00:09:18XochitlWow, Jack, you have a really good you. You think 95% of men are decent people? I I'm not the only need a real audience or anything. I just think most men would, even. Most men would probably disagree with you on how many. What percentage of men are good people when a crime of opportunity arises.00:09:25JackThink so? Yeah.00:09:38XochitlAnd so I would have to say I'm closer to this 75 or 65% mark.00:09:44JackOhh no, I don't. I that's that's too high. I I don't think I. I really don't think that uh that there that that men are that bad. I just think that like the the the crimes we how can I say it like like it's like it's over amplified in some ways like.00:10:00JackTrue crime like because it's, you know, you only hear about the the bad stories.00:10:04발표자Like I think because.00:10:06XochitlYou're a man that you feel this way.00:10:08XochitlJack.00:10:08Ja

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl shares 3 confusing words with the listeners. She and Jack explain the meanings of the words and how to use them in sentences.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:50JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we're going to share. Well, we're going to do a we're under the vocabulary spotlight and we are going to share some words that we came across during our English corner classes that students kind of struggle with. And so so.00:01:11JackWas the first one that you you had that you came up with?00:01:15XochitlThe first one I noticed students struggled a little bit with was workload, the pronunciation, workload and then on top of that, what it meant workload is just. It's a compound word. It has the word work in it and the word load in it, and you put it together.00:01:19발표자Hmm.00:01:36XochitlWith no spaces and its workload, so workload just means the amount of work that each person is.00:01:44XochitlUh.00:01:45JackEach.00:01:45XochitlPerson's share of work so that can be at your house like domestic tasks like chores or that can also be at your job. You know, between your colleagues you may have a heavier workload if you have a higher position in the company. So that's kind of what workload refers to.00:02:08JackYeah, exactly. It's, it's it's a lot of times you hear it with the word share shared workload.00:02:15JackYou know, so you have, you have this like?00:02:18JackThe certain amount of work that you have to do at your office and then they divide it among the employees. You're gonna do this much? You're gonna do this much? You're gonna do this much? You're gonna do this much, and each piece is your workload.00:02:33JackAnd and then you basically just start working away, chipping away at it, you know, trying to to decrease it down to 0.00:02:42JackAnd of course, in the company or corporation it never gets down to 0 because there's always more work. You know you there's another workload piled on top of your old workload. And so you know, it's kind of a never ending, you know, thing but.00:03:02JackYeah, I mean, I just think that like, yeah, certain even within this podcast social and I divide certain parts of the workload, she's spends a lot of time talking to students on the app.00:03:13JackApp communicating with them, recording I my workload is. Yeah, I do like the editing and and and some of the you know adding like little music pieces or whatever to it which actually I enjoy. So it's kind of like my my workload is kind of the fun part and I get the the editing part of it.00:03:19XochitlCan I have an idea?00:03:34JackBut yeah, it's a it's a shared workload and and you know when you do that, when you share the workload, it makes it a lot easier to finish a project more quickly.00:03:47발표자So.00:03:50XochitlThe second one that I saw some students struggle with was the meaning of emotional labor. When I say emotional labor, what does that mean to you, Jack?00:03:59JackThis one I've actually I'm not too familiar with this term. This seems like uh, maybe something that is a newer.00:04:07XochitlKind of a new age term.00:04:09JackYeah, just like a Gen. Z kind of thing like.00:04:12발표자Yes.00:04:15JackMost workload is, that is that does that mean like managing your relationships with other people and and trying to keep those you know keep up with like replying to people on social media and emails and that kind of stuff is that, am I right about is?00:04:15발표자Well, let's yeah.00:04:33JackThat what an emotional workload is.00:04:35XochitlYeah, it has a.00:04:36XochitlCouple of different meanings. So some people said, uh, emotional labor, can you know it can be part of your job, like if you're working in customer service, you know, regulating your emotions and kind of managing customer emotions as well.00:04:52XochitlBut I think a lot more commonly in this new age, we use it when we're talking about women's workload in the home, which a lot of it is invisible labor, which means labor that you cannot necessarily see and appreciate. For example, if you have a stack of.00:05:12XochitlDishes and they're all gone, you know, because your mom did them. You can see that. That's another type of Labor. But that's a domestic labor, but.00:05:23XochitlWhen the kid comes flying home from school and maybe they got depressed because their friends bullied them and their mom is checking in on their kid day after day for the week and cheering them up and maybe your husband came home from a stressful job and then you have to see the in laws and you have to pick a a gift.00:05:43XochitlFor your mother-in-law, it's a lot of these things that kind of fall under an invisible guys that you can't see the person.00:05:53XochitlDoing these tasks in the same way, perhaps because they don't have a clean cut result, but overall you're doing a lot of Labor emotionally, kind of like what a a therapist would do, maybe. Or a psychologist would do. So you're you're kind of doing unpaid.00:06:13XochitlEmotional labor. You're like a, uh, unpaid therapist for your family.00:06:17JackRight, right. It's like it's not quantitative, but it's qualitative in nature.00:06:27발표자Hmm.00:06:28JackIt's like, uh, yeah, it's it. It's emotionally draining. But you don't really get any credit for it. You know, you do the dishes, you get like, a, you get a little little star sticker, you know, like, good job. You did the you did the dishes, you know, check that off the list. But.00:06:48JackAnd.00:06:49JackJohnny has a skin knee and he, you know, he's scared of skateboards now you know. So you've got to console him for 1/2 an hour. You don't. There's no. There's no sticker for that. You know, there's, there's, that's just.00:07:07JackI mean, I guess in in the traditional sense they would just say, well, that's parenting. So just, you know, suck it up and and do it you know.00:07:16JackBut it often falls on the the mother's shoulders. You know, she's the one that has to take do the the, the nurturing and the the caring for the child with the skin and the knee and the father kind of gets a pass as he, you know, marches off to his.00:07:36JackThe computer room.00:07:36XochitlDrink beer and watch TV or something.00:07:38JackYeah, yeah, yeah. You didn't ask your mom. Mom will deal with it, you know? Yeah. So emotional labor. I I like it. I dig it. Yeah, I'm. I'm. I think we should be more careful to to consider that, you know.00:07:43XochitlYeah.00:07:54XochitlYeah, I recognize it. Another thing I noticed that students were struggling with the vocabulary word to describe certain words. Certain chores. Sorry. And they they were missing one and I didn't want to interrupt, but I thought it would be be a good time to introduce the vocabulary word.00:08:15XochitlTedious Jack. What does tedious mean when attempts is tedious?00:08:16JackHmm.00:08:18JackYeah, if something is. If a task or a chore is tedious it it's just it's very.00:08:25JackWell, I'm going to use another big word to describe a big word. Monotonous and monotonous, means it's very repetitive. It's just like it's something that you do that is, it's not difficult, but it's. But it's time consuming and it's very annoying.00:08:45JackYou know, I'm trying to think of like.00:08:49JackYou know, a lot of a lot of construction work is very tedious. You know, when you're building a a wall like a like a brick wall, you have to just one brick at a time, you know, and it take, you know, it takes a long time to finish that wall. And so it's very just doing the same thing over and over.00:09:08JackAnd over and over again 100 * 1000 * 10,000 times. That is very tedious, tedious work.00:09:18JackWork.00:09:19XochitlOne of our students was talking about how she has a cat and she doesn't like to put her clothing directly into the washer because she's worried that the cat hair will damage her clogged her washer so she takes clothing item by clothing item and puts.00:09:32XochitlA lint roller.00:09:33XochitlOver it and gets rid of the cat hair that way. And so she said.00:09:39XochitlDoing laundry is incredibly tedious task for her.00:09:43XochitlI was more.00:09:43XochitlSo impressed that anyone would even think to do that, I just toss it in the washer. I I kind of shake things out. Like if I have some my sheets or whatever, I I just shake them out outside and then throw them in the washer.00:09:50JackYeah.00:09:57JackI've got those double stick tape rollers and I roll my clothes too before.00:10:02JackTo get all the dog.00:10:02XochitlHair off of him before you put him.00:10:04XochitlIn the washer.00:10:05JackYeah, yeah, just just run it up and down my shirt just to get. Yeah, yeah.00:10:08XochitlWild. I never. I didn't know this was a thing at all. Blenda doesn't shed hardly at all, so I don't even have this issue. He really doesn't shed. I can be wearing all black and and hug him and he'll sit on my lap and pet him. And. And there's like, no hair on me when I'm.00:10:16JackYeah.00:10:27JackOK. Yeah. Lily is my dog. Sheds a little bit. Not that much, but yeah, just every once in a while I'll take the roller just, you know, go over my my clothes not. Not every time. I'm not like like what she does. You're your student. But I do. We do have those, those rollers, those double stick tape rollers that that are really nice for just getting lint and stuff.00:10:41발표자Hmm.00:10:48JackOff of your

Too rich for my blood: The phrase "too rich for my blood" is an idiomatic expression meaning that something is too expensive or beyond one's financial reach. It conveys the idea that the cost or price of something is more than what the speaker is willing or able to pay. This phrase is often used in social or economic contexts to indicate that a particular item, activity, or lifestyle is financially out of reach for the person using the expression.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:50JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are going to do an MI, the jerk episode and here's the situation.00:01:00JackUh, social you and a group of your friends have a tradition of going out for dinner every Friday night. Everyone in your group has generally similar financial situations, and you typically all choose moderately priced restaurants. One Friday, you suggest a new upscale restaurant that just opened in town. The menu.00:01:20JackIs significantly more expensive than your usual spot.00:01:24JackTwo of your friends expressed concerns about the cost, saying they can't afford to spend that much on dinner.00:01:31JackYou respond by saying, come on, it's just one night you can skip it. If you can't afford it. This statement causes tension and the group ends up splitting with some going to the upscale restaurant and others opting out entirely. Question, are you the jerk for suggesting the expensive restaurant and making the comment?00:01:52JackAbout affordability.00:01:54JackHmm.00:01:56XochitlNo, I don't think so. I think if I couldn't afford something and my friends would going to do it, I would be like.00:02:03XochitlYou know to have fun. Uh, tell me what it tell me. If it's good, I'll save up and maybe next time we can all go together.00:02:11XochitlBecause, you know, sometimes people are at different points and yeah, you have. Uh, you may make the same income, but you might have different responsibilities or people might be starting different projects or have different things they need to take care of, like student loans, rent. You know, you can make the same amount of money and have vastly different expenses.00:02:31XochitlAlso prioritize.00:02:32XochitlGuys. Uh, what? You spend your money on very differently. So someone might say, you know, I don't like spending a lot of money on dinner. I'd rather spend it on a hobby or, you know, I I'm saving up for a trip. Coming up in a couple of months or something, you know? So I wouldn't be upset.00:02:53XochitlYou know you can skip it if you if you can't afford it. I wouldn't take that.00:02:58XochitlAs a comment, you know calling me broke or trying to, like, hurt my feelings. I would just think, yeah, you know, I I can't afford it. Or maybe it's not my priority to spend my money there. I might respond that I might be like, well, I can sort it, but I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. But, you know, you guys have fun and enjoy it and tell me if it's any good.00:03:19XochitlAnd then maybe we can go together next time. So yeah, I don't think this person is a jerk. Maybe they could have.00:03:26XochitlUh, avoided that comment just because it could hurt a few people's it it could potentially hurt someones feelings, especially if they're already sensitive about maybe they have other expenses and they're stressed because they don't get to go, but I don't think it it was. It will. And so I wouldn't hold it against them. So I I don't think.00:03:45XochitlThey're the jerk.00:03:46XochitlHow about you, Jack?00:03:48JackUM, yeah, I I'm thinking the the the most like jerky point of the of of the part of the of the uh situation is when he says come on, it's just one night. You know, it's like what is, what does that have to do with anything like it's still money like though.00:04:08JackYou know, it could be one night, five nights. Whatever. It doesn't matter.00:04:15JackAnd UM. But the second part of his comment where he says you can skip it if you can't afford it. I think that's that's OK, you know, like, I I don't think like everyone has to be. It's it's really like it's an odd situation when you get older, when you go from your 20s to your 30s.00:04:35JackYou know, sometimes some of your friends are like graduating from medical school or get becoming lawyers or something, and they're moving into this, like, higher.00:04:44JackTheir income bracket and all of a sudden the things that they like to do are not exactly the same as the things you like to do, like a barbecue in the backyard. They like that, but they also might like going to the fancy new restaurant in town that cost, you know, 2 or $300.00:05:04JackFor a.00:05:04JackHere and you're you're just like 2 or $300.00 for a dinner that that pays for my child's braces, you know, or something like that, you know, you know, like, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna throw $300.00 away for, you know, cold Robbie or something, you know, like, I'm not going to do that. So.00:05:26JackI I I, but I think your your answer is the best answer is that gracefully decline.00:05:36발표자And.00:05:36JackDon't make. Don't stop your feet and go like it's not fair. You know, like, you know what lifes? Not fair. You know what I mean? They have a right to go to the fancy restaurant if they want to. And you have a whole. You have a total right not to go and. But if you if you, if you make a big point out of like you know only everybody should only go to places that all of us can afford.00:06:00JackI don't think that's a fair request. I think you can just say like opt.00:06:04JackOut.00:06:04JackSay hey, tonight you guys, I'm just gonna hang at home, but I hope you have a good time and I'll catch up with you next week when we go to, you know, Burger King and watch a movie. You know, whatever.00:06:19JackWhat's wrong with that? I I don't know why you have to be, you know, hurt feelings over over over, uh, over that, you know?00:06:27XochitlI think potentially if it started migrating to the point where the group was.00:06:33XochitlSpending more on outings and you you couldn't really afford to see your friends at all anymore, then that would be a good time to bring it up and say, hey guys, you know.00:06:41XochitlI'm kind of.00:06:42XochitlGetting priced out of our get togethers and I was wondering if at least a couple of times you know every other time. Maybe we can go to a more affordable place.00:06:53XochitlUmm.00:06:54XochitlAnd you know, if your friends care about you and want you there, I'm sure that they won't be willing to meet. I'm sure they'll be willing to meet you in the middle at some point.00:07:04JackYes, I think that's that's a really fair point. I think it you know you you can say like hey at least like couple times a month, can we go to a place that's like affordable that everybody likes.00:07:14JackYou know, and then I can participate as well because, you know, I'm friends with you guys, but you know, you earn a lot more money than I do. And I think that in in that case, a lot of times they don't even think like that. You know, some most people think like, oh, if I have this much money, everybody has this much money, you know, you just you you're not you, you're not thinking.00:07:35JackClearly about like what other people are might be earning.00:07:40JackYou know, maybe your friend works for like an NGO or something like that, you know? And so they're, they're their income. They're they're doing something that they love giving back to the community, but they're not getting paid, you know, high salary as opposed to, like a lawyer or a Doctor Who's making a lot of money. It's it's totally fair.00:07:59JackJust say to them, hey, can we?00:08:02JackCan we go to, you know, the the the burger joints or the the pizza place? You know once in a while like the old days and they probably be happy. They probably love it you know like unless they're, you know, really stuck up people they they probably would enjoy going you know back to their roots and doing doing some of the stuff that you guys did when you were in college or.00:08:25JackWhen you were in your 20s.00:08:27JackSo.00:08:29JackYeah, I think your advice is is excellent. Yeah. And yeah, I would guess we're, you know, we're we're curious what.00:08:39JackWhat you guys think? Social. Do you want to take us out here with the?00:08:44XochitlAlright guys. Uh, let us know what you think. Is this person the jerk? Are they not the jerk? What would you do in their situation? Make sure to leave us a comment down below at it as being this podcast@gmail.com or sorry. Leave us a comment down below at AZ englishpodcast.com. Shoot us an e-mail at AZ englishpodcast@gmail.com and join the WeChat.00:09:03XochitlAnd WhatsApp group to join our conversation and we, Jack and I are now hosting a.00:09:11XochitlZoom Class English corner an English corner Monday through Friday for an hour a day. And if you're interested in joining, make sure to check through the WeChat or the WhatsApp group for the link and we'll see you guys next time.00:09:11JackAn English corner, yeah, yeah.00:09:26XochitlBye bye bye bye.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/am-i-the-jerk/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Ch

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl explains the tuna fish sandwich debate question to Jack. Then, Jack offers his opinion on the situation.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A to Z Listeners this is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:50JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk, I believe, and this is the tuna fish sandwich debate and social. I have no idea what this means. Please enlighten me.00:01:08XochitlJack, I came across this and it it's kind of popular amongst American medicines in the in the group that I found. So a girl was commenting about how.00:01:21XochitlShe gave her.00:01:23XochitlMoney to go buy and cheese sandwich with all the fixings, which for others who don't know means, you know, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, whatever. And she very specifically said she wanted that ham and cheese sandwich. So he went to subway, she gave him money for both of their sandwich.00:01:37발표자 3Mm-hmm.00:01:44XochitlAnd I believe she wasn't feeling well or or something. So anyway, he went alone. So he went and bought a sandwich and he bought himself something different. And then he bought her a tuna fish salad sandwich, which he also likes. But he knows she doesn't like tuna.00:02:05XochitlAnd she doesn't really eat tuna, but he likes tuna, and he brought her the sandwich and told her that he brought her the tuna fish sandwich because he just wanted her to try his favorite sandwich, even though he got himself something different as well. So the commenters were divided on whether she should be grateful.00:02:25XochitlAnd she was actually saying she was grateful anyway, but that it kind of annoyed her. But she ended up feeling grateful that he went and got sandwiches, or if she should be upset.00:02:36XochitlThat he got her something she didn't ask for with her money, that he liked, that he knew that she wouldn't really like. So what do you think, Jack?00:02:45JackYeah, this one is. This is very uhm, here's an expression SUS like suspect, you know? Yeah, this is suck.00:02:53XochitlBut yes, that's like me. So it's like weird or kind of suspicious. That's what it stands for. Suspicious.00:02:56JackYeah.00:03:00JackSuspicious. Exactly.00:03:03JackThis reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer.00:03:09JackBuys Marge a bowling ball for her birthday that is exactly like sized for his hand and his fingers. So basically he buys her a present that she will never use and doesn't wants and that.00:03:29JackHe wants and that he will use.00:03:31JackAnd she is supposed to be grateful for that. And and this is like, this is just pure manipulation, you know, like, this is just this guy wants to eat all of the sandwiches and he's got his sandwich that he bought for himself.00:03:43XochitlRight.00:03:53JackAnd then he knows that she's not going to eat the tuna sandwich because she doesn't like tuna.00:03:59JackAnd he's trying to frame it as like I'm it's like.00:04:04JackIt's it's like the it's, it's just it's like.00:04:06JackKind of like a.00:04:07JackGaslighting, almost like like I'm I'm giving you the exact opposite of what you want and and make and and you're and forcing you to say thank you for.00:04:09XochitlYeah.00:04:18JackFor me doing it's, it's just like it's, it's awful. I mean it's it's in the grand scheme of things. It's not a big deal. It's just a sandwich. But I would be, you know, greatly annoyed. And I know my wife would be really annoyed if she told me I want this sandwich and then I showed up with a totally different sandwich.00:04:18XochitlGreat.00:04:38JackWhich containing an ingredient that I know she doesn't like and then saying, oh, but this is my favorite sandwich. You gotta try it. It's like. Well, then, why don't you buy that your favorite sandwich for yourself and give her some of yours and buy her the sandwich that she wants?00:04:56JackLike, that's what an adult would do. This is what a child would do is what this guy did. So she's married, she's not married, or she's dating a a child. Not a, not a man, you know.00:04:57XochitlYeah.00:05:07XochitlYeah, OK, good. We're on the same side of this debate. A lot of men in the comments were saying.00:05:13XochitlBecause he went and got the sandwiches, but also what he changed to you. If he if he was buying it with his own money.00:05:23JackNo, it wouldn't. It wouldn't change because like again, like she, she specifically asked for a a sandwich, a ham and cheese sandwich.00:05:33JackAnd you're showing up with a tuna sandwich.00:05:36JackIt's like.00:05:39JackYou know, kind of like, uh, if I asked you to buy me an Americano and you show up with a macchiato or something, it's like, oh, no, I didn't want the, you know, extra 300 calories of sugar or whatever. I just wanted a, a plain Americano.00:05:56JackUM, it it's just, it's just it's kind of like I I guess the the sandwich is irrelevant. It's more of like, are you listening to your partner, are you, you know, are you paying attention and and are you do you understand their wants and needs and design?00:06:12JackYears. And are you putting those desires above your own desires to have basically two sandwiches and she has none. You know, that's the that's the the manipulation here. It's like it's like a scheme. I'm gonna. I'm gonna find a way to eat my sandwich and your sandwich and you're gonna like it.00:06:27XochitlRight.00:06:34JackYou know, like you're gonna say thank you. It's it's like it's it's twisted. It's it's, it's diabolical, you know.00:06:35XochitlRight.00:06:41XochitlI know. And the crazy thing to me is that I I bet he had his wallet on him and he could have just bought himself an extra tuna sandwich with his.00:06:48XochitlMoney and gotten her what she wanted, but he was like, Nah, I'm gonna use her own money, especially if like to get myself something I want. But I agree with you. I don't think it would have changed regardless. Like, it's like if someone asks you cause especially when you're in the long term partnership and especially if you get married and stuff, usually it becomes both of your money.00:07:09XochitlRight. So it doesn't really matter. It's just.00:07:13XochitlIt comes down to are you listening to the person do.00:07:15XochitlYou care about what they want.00:07:17XochitlOr are you a selfish?00:07:19XochitlYou know.00:07:21XochitlJerk.00:07:21JackB hole. Yeah, exactly. Why. Why can't you? Why can't you buy your girlfriend a a sandwich when she's not feeling well? It's like, come on, dude. You're collecting money from your girlfriend. I mean that. That really tells everything that says everything that needs that, that I need to know right there.00:07:26XochitlYeah, yeah.00:07:35XochitlThen.00:07:42JackIs that the guys took the money from her and not only that, but he's going to buy himself a sandwich with her money. It's like.00:07:53JackSorry, sorry, lady, but you, you this guy is not a keeper, you know. Throw this one back because there's plenty of fish in the sea. Yeah.00:07:59발표자No.00:08:00XochitlAnd.00:08:04XochitlYeah, it's funny because he actually said, oh, yeah, he was sweet to get me food. So like, he gets a pass. I was like.00:08:11JackWell, how? How many miles did he walk to?00:08:13JackGet the sandwich.00:08:13XochitlWhat I'm in that situation is make the person go either one.00:08:18JackYeah. I mean, if he drove, then I can.00:08:20XochitlTimes that I wanted or you're giving that money back. Pay for sandwich that I don't want.00:08:26JackYeah.00:08:27JackNo, I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm on team. I'm I'm. I think she should have. She should have been annoyed with him. I don't know how angry you can get over a sandwich. I don't think you should start World War three. You know, in the relationship. But it's just like another little. It's it's like another little little like sign that this guy's.00:08:29XochitlYeah, you're driving back.00:08:44발표자 3Hey.00:08:47JackThe total loser, you know? That's, that's what I've that's the way I interpret.00:08:52JackAnd I'm sure there's probably a million other ways that he's of kind of a loser in that relationship as well, so.00:09:00XochitlI'm curious to know what you would have done if you had been on the receiving end of getting a sandwich you didn't want. Like would, would you make the person go back? Would you ask for your money back or would or would you call them out? Or?00:09:12XochitlWould you?00:09:14XochitlWhat we say thank you and in your mind.00:09:17JackThat's that's an interesting point.00:09:20XochitlLoser. I gotta cut him loose.00:09:22JackWhen it comes to me, there is no sandwich. Then I don't like. So you know, I'll eat anything at any time.00:09:31JackYou know, it could be a horse meat, you know, sandwich. I'll probably eat it, you know? And uh, I wouldn't say anything. I'll, I'll.00:09:41JackYeah, it it it. It's not it. It doesn't. Uh, the situation doesn't fit well with me because there's nothing on the subway menu that I wouldn't eat. Maybe if I got a vegetarian sandwich should be like a little disappointed, but still eat it. You know, I wouldn't complain, you know?00:09:59JackBut in this case.00:10:02JackI think she should be slightly annoyed because he's trying to be manipulative, you know, and it's it's it's obvious and he's trying to get her to.00:10:12JackActively participate in in the manipulation and be like you know, be grateful for.00:10:20JackA trick that he's pulling on her. So you know, I just, I I d

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about which chores they hate and which ones they don't mind.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:52JackWelcome to the agency English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host, social. And today we have a topic talk episode and social. Today's topic is what household chores?00:01:03JackDo you usually help?00:01:04JackWith and which ones do you enjoy and which ones?00:01:07JackDo you hate?00:01:10XochitlOhh well Jack, I live alone.00:01:13JackSo you do.00:01:14XochitlI.00:01:15XochitlYeah, I mean, I did and find out what. Yeah, now that I live in Mexico, I pay someone to come do some of them. And I do some of them. So that kind of works out pretty well for me. But lately, the person that I was paying to come do household chores, unfortunately.00:01:16JackSwear none of them. I don't know. It depends on.00:01:18JackHow you live, yeah.00:01:24JackYeah.00:01:34XochitlHer father got ill and I totally get that. So I've been handling them on my own.00:01:40JackMHM.00:01:40XochitlAnd and.00:01:43XochitlI like cooking. Uh, if there's other people around like I hate cooking just myself.00:01:50JackYeah, me too. I hate like it's still. There's nothing lonelier than frying. Like one egg, you know?00:01:56JackWhat I mean, it's just like what's?00:01:57XochitlOh my God. Wow. We're like.00:01:58JackWhat's wrong with my life? You.00:02:00JackKnow when you yeah.00:02:00XochitlI know it's just and we have no one to eat with and it's like just different thing. So if I'm alone, a lot of the times, they'll just end up ordering food like Uber eats or whatever. And but if there's even just one other person with me, I'm happy to cook.00:02:04JackYeah.00:02:12JackOh, nice, yeah.00:02:19XochitlOther chores that I do like wash the dishes, do my laundry.00:02:25XochitlAh, sweep mop.00:02:29JackIs is there one that like, really irks you? That just drives you crazy, that you really hate.00:02:29XochitlI don't.00:02:34XochitlOK, I don't like sleeping and mopping because it makes my back hurt, which is like weird, but I don't know why, but my back really hurts. Whenever I like sweep and mop, so I don't like that. I don't like getting.00:02:39JackAh.00:02:46XochitlEven though I don't mind sleeping in mopping, it's just the fact that my back always hurts. It like really annoys me and I don't like. Yeah, I don't like.00:02:53JackIt's yeah.00:02:56XochitlDoing the dishes I used to really like doing the dishes when I was a kid, and now I hate doing the dishes because it's like.00:03:03XochitlJust the nasty food on it. Or like other people's mouths. It not it, grosses me.00:03:09JackIt reminds me of the like Reddit thread like kids are.00:03:13JackFreaking stupid, you know, like a kid like kid kids are like, oh, man, I wish I were old enough to mature enough to wash the dishes, you know? And they kind of trick you into doing it, you know? Yeah.00:03:23XochitlAlright.00:03:27XochitlI know. And you think it's fun and then you're like, you become an adult and you have to do the dishes every day. And the kitchen is never clean. And every time you cook something, the kitchen is dirty again. And then it just makes me want to eat out all the time because then I don't have to do dishes. I don't have to clean my kitchen. I just, like, eat out of container.00:03:42JackYeah, and and eating out is not not expensive in in Mexico, in Oaxaca, right? Yeah.00:03:47XochitlNo, it it's not too expensive. You can get a full meal for like.00:03:52XochitlThree to four bucks probably like you. You can get what they call, which is like the big meal today, and you get, like, a a fresh water that, like, has a fruit flavor usually and a whole meal. And then sometimes they give you, like, dessert and you get, like, the main.00:03:55JackWow.00:04:12XochitlFish and two side dishes. And that's like 3 or $4.00. So at that point, it's like, I don't really want to.00:04:18XochitlCook so.00:04:19JackSo $3 in Korea will buy you like.00:04:23XochitlThey won't even buy you.00:04:24XochitlCoffee man like I remember.00:04:25JackYou won't even buy you a coffee. I mean, maybe you could. Maybe you could get the cup, but there won't be anything in it, you know, for the three dollars. Yeah.00:04:27XochitlNo, I never heard.00:04:32XochitlYeah.00:04:34XochitlYeah, but, Jack, what are the ones that you hate to do? And what which ones do you do in general and which is?00:04:40JackYeah. So I'm basically, I'm like I I dust I'm I vacuum and I mop. That's all. My wife asked me to do. She does the, you know, the big stuff, right, like she.00:04:50JackShe's kind of on her hands and knees cleaning the bathrooms once a week, and she does all the dusting of everywhere. I just have to dust my this little room right here, this man cave, my podcasting room, and I hate it because you know, when you're dusting.00:05:09JackLike books and stuff, there's all the you know.00:05:11JackThere's so so.00:05:12JackMany little nooks and crannies and little, you know, spaces that you have to try to get into.00:05:18JackAnd so, you know, sometimes I'm I do a good job. Sometimes I'm a little lazy with that vacuuming. I don't mind doing it that that much. I think vacuuming is is is OK, although I have been trying to, you know, pitch the idea to my wife that we should get.00:05:38JackA Roomba, you know, like a like a. Yeah, like a like a a robot vacuum cleaner. But she's not. She's. She's skeptical because of her plants. She doesn't want it to, like, knock over her plants. You know, while it's cruising around. Whatever.00:05:40XochitlOhh that's the good idea.00:05:57JackSo.00:05:58JackSo I'm stuck doing that. The one that I hate the most is taking out the trash.00:06:05JackI hate it.00:06:07JackSo I'll let it pile up like to a ridiculous level, where it's like it's like a, it's like a mountain of of like, boxes, kind of teetering. And then finally I'll be like, alright, I it's time to go. And the reason I don't like it is because we live on the third, third floor of a walk up and then I have to walk over to the recycling.00:06:28JackGarbage area which is like.00:06:29JackMaybe. Uh oh, I don't know.00:06:36JackI don't know 100 meters, you know, away from my my front door and.00:06:43JackI just like in the winter. It's freezing cold in the summer. It's hot, you know? So I just. I just don't like it. I just really hate that. So, you know.00:06:46XochitlYeah.00:06:52XochitlAlso, for listeners who don't know, separating trash in Korea is like very difficult. So.00:06:59JackThey recycle everything, you know, even food, food, garbage. It's crazy.00:06:59XochitlI it's like, yeah. And yeah, yeah.00:07:05XochitlYeah, the food garbage goes to like pigs or something, I believe, right?00:07:08JackYeah, they make some kind of.00:07:12JackYeah, some some kind.00:07:13JackOf food like the dry food after they dry it out and stuff they they feed.00:07:17JackIt to pigs, yeah.00:07:17XochitlOh, they like dehydrating it. Oh.00:07:20JackYeah, they dehydrate it. Yeah, yeah.00:07:22XochitlOh cool so.00:07:23JackYeah.00:07:25XochitlHuh. Well, anyway it so there's certain things you can't put in your food. Trash like bones, egg shells, things like that, because obviously that could hurt the pigs, so.00:07:37XochitlYeah, it is a pain, but.00:07:39JackI put everything in there that I shouldn't.00:07:43XochitlThat you did. Did you not know about this?00:07:45JackI didn't know about that. I I put egg cells and coffee grounds and everything in there. Yeah, yeah.00:07:46XochitlNo, no, I think I think coffee grounds might be OK. You have to look into it, but you're not supposed to put. You're like.00:07:53XochitlThat you're just now hearing. Yeah, yeah.00:07:56JackI thought pigs could eat egg shells. No problem. I mean, just like.00:07:59XochitlI think it's because they dehydrate it. That probably like become sharp or something. I don't know. I think you're not supposed to put egg shells. Check. Check. You're also not supposed to put bones in there. So.00:08:10XochitlJust double check though you've been living there long to me, so you know, double check. But I remember when I got there that people told me I wasn't supposed to do that.00:08:18XochitlSo then I didn't, but it was a pain. It I would. I would kind of just not do the food trash. I would kind of just put my food trash in the normal trash and just throw it away.00:08:26JackYeah, yeah, you just you.00:08:29JackIf they make it too complicated and it's too, it's too much trouble. People just won't do it. So.00:08:34XochitlI know. Yeah, it's a lot, yeah.00:08:36XochitlWhat is 1 chore that you really like doing?00:08:39JackA. A tool that I like doing well. That's a good question. I'm not sure there is one. I think you know vacuuming is because I still, I can put my my hair, put my my earbuds in and and usually I listen to our our podcast episodes while I'm vacuuming. So I'll just listen to a podcast and vacuum. You know, it's just like a.00:08:59JackYou know, sometimes I'll do, like, uh, you know, I Love Lucy. You know, I'll dance a little bit with the vacuum cleaner and, you know, kind of like that, like a like, it's a dancing partner or something if no one's home, you know, if if my wife's home, I won't do that. But yeah, make it fun. You know, if if I.00:09:16JackThen. But yeah, vacuuming is no big deal. That's it's easy.00:09:21XochitlYeah, I I like vacuuming as well.00:09:25XochitlAnd

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss three idioms related to rain.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:51JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are in the Idiom Academy and we have 3 idioms social what is what's our first one?00:01:01XochitlOur first idiom is it's raining cats and dogs.00:01:06JackOh yeah, sure.00:01:08XochitlWhat does that mean, Jack?00:01:10JackWell, it means that uh, cats and dogs are are just falling from the sky for some reason. No, what it means is that it's raining very, very hard out there outside.00:01:24JackSo we, you know it's it's it's kind of an old idiom cause I can just picture like my grandfather or my dad saying, you know, like we're going outside to go in the car and it's oh, it's raining cats and dogs out there, you know. So we.00:01:32XochitlYeah.00:01:39JackIt's it's, it's.00:01:40JackOne of the the dumbest like idiots like we have.00:01:45JackBut it's so.00:01:45XochitlYes, weird.00:01:46JackCommon like people use it still all the.00:01:50XochitlYeah, it's kind of not like it's a very nonsensical one. Like why? I don't know if it's just because, like, when it rained really hard you. I don't know what the etymology is, which means like the origin. I really like origin is I think it's just like the slamming sound, maybe of rain. It's like a cat.00:02:09XochitlFell from your roof or something on? I don't know, so.00:02:13XochitlI'm not sure it's not.00:02:13JackI mean it it it, yeah.00:02:14JackYou could just any two nouns could be like it's raining bowl bowling balls and toaster ovens. You know, like it it could be it. It makes as much sense as, you know, cats and dogs so.00:02:22XochitlRight, yes.00:02:27XochitlYeah, but for some reason we we chose cats and dogs. So like this thing.00:02:27발표자 3Yeah.00:02:31JackYeah, we chose cats and dogs. We have to live.00:02:33JackWith it, yeah.00:02:34XochitlIt's pouring. It's pouring. So which brings us to our next idiom. When it rains, it pours. Jack what?00:02:36JackYeah.00:02:42XochitlThat means only rain.00:02:43JackOhh this one I I like this one because like it's like when you when you get a little bit busy you get really busy. You know it seems like like you you you'll you'll go like weeks without any anything and then all of a sudden you have 20 things that you have to do. You know it's like.00:03:01JackIt just kind of, you know? Yeah, it's just like when it rains, it pours it a lot of rain comes, you know. But when there's nothing that nothing is happening.00:03:08XochitlRight.00:03:11XochitlWhen it rains, it pours. Or what's the other one? It can also mean when something bad.00:03:17XochitlHappens that a lot of bad things happen, like let's say ohh you know I was. I was doing fine. Let's let's been fine. And then I broke my thumb and then my mom broke her leg and then we owe hospital bills and now?00:03:38XochitlThe hospital or out of our pain medication.00:03:40XochitlThen and then my dad got in a car crash on his way.00:03:44XochitlTo.00:03:44XochitlPick us up. It's not a bad thing.00:03:45JackYeah, yeah, yeah. It's just like, yeah, yeah.00:03:49XochitlIt's kind of how it is. It's like if I don't know if you ever noticed, it's like one bad thing happens and then a bunch of bad thing happened. Happen. Bad things happen. Yeah.00:03:55JackWell, it's like.00:03:57JackIt's like it's like, uh, you know?00:04:00JackA guy sitting at home and his girlfriend just broke up with him.00:04:03JackAnd then he's, like, checks his e-mail. He got fired from his job, and he's and he gets a phone call. His grandmother passed away, you know, or something. And it's just like one after the other, after the other. It's like when it rains.00:04:08XochitlYeah.00:04:17JackIt pours, yeah.00:04:19XochitlYeah. And then the other one is, uh, take a rain check. Jack, this one has only fascinated me because I don't think I understood what this meant. And I was like a teenager, so.00:04:32JackI think I may still not know it. I mean, I know what it means, but I I'm not sure. Like what? Why they?00:04:37XochitlWhy? I guess maybe.00:04:40XochitlBecause if it's raining, well, tell them what it means and I'll then I'll give you my idea about that apology.00:04:45JackYeah. So let's say for example, let's say you, you, you said to me like, hey, Jack, let's, let's grab lunch on Tuesday. And I'm like, oh, I have a meeting on Tuesday. So can I take a rain check?00:04:59JackAnd a rain check just means can we? Can we change the date to a future time, but an unknown future time. So we will have lunch together. It's just we don't know when it's going to happen in the future. So you know, we have to make a a a a plan.00:05:08발표자Right.00:05:16XochitlRight. This means, yeah, let let's leave it for the future at some point.00:05:17발표자 3Yeah.00:05:22JackYeah, it's kind of like it's kind of like saying it's it's kind of different than saying no, you know, I'm busy because it's kind of like saying.00:05:27XochitlYeah.00:05:29XochitlPlaying later or something.00:05:31JackYeah. Well, it's it's like, it's nice. It's like a nice way to say like I want to spend time with you. I want to do this. I just can't do it at that time that you said, you know.00:05:40XochitlLike. Yeah, it's like it's nicer than maybe later. Like maybe later. It's like no later for sure. Later, for sure. You wanna do this? But.00:05:40JackAnd so.00:05:51JackYeah, maybe later is what we call blowing someone off. Basically, yeah.00:05:55XochitlYeah. Yeah. So it's not maybe later. It's like later for sure. I I do want to hang out with you. I just can't. Unfortunately, at that time. So yeah. Yeah. So it's it's a nice way to say to say that.00:06:03JackRight, exactly.00:06:05JackTake a rain check.00:06:10XochitlAnd yeah, all right, since if you have anymore questions about these idioms or any more idioms, make sure to leave us a comment down below at A-Z English podcast. Shoot us an e-mail at at AZ englishpodcast@gmail.com.00:06:23XochitlAnd make sure that you join the lead channel WhatsApp groups to talk to us directly. I would love to see and hear you guys using these idioms. I think it would be really fun. And of course if you're able to Jack and I have now started an English corner.00:06:36JackYep.00:06:37XochitlFor $10 a month, you get 20 lessons, so that's $0.50 per lesson and the 1st 10 lessons are free. So if you feel so inclined to support us and can and are able to support us, make sure to join us on the English.00:06:44발표자 3Yep.00:06:53XochitlCorner and you can do that through our WeChat group and. And so we will see you guys next time. And again thank you so much for sticking with us through the podcast. We really appreciate your support and we'll see you guys next time. Bye bye.00:07:08발표자 3Bye bye bye.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/idiom-academy-3-idioms-about-rain/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about their new venture in China with the creation of The A to Z English Corner.❤ The A to Z English Corner Class Link:  https://voovmeeting.com/p/6511832952  10 Classes for Free! Mon. - Fri. @ 9:00p.m.WeChat: atozenglishpodcast   👉 Please follow these instructions:  1. Read and check the vocabulary in the questions  2. You must have clear audio  3. You must have a good internet connection  4. You must open your camera  5. You must speak English Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.00:00:17JackAnd if you.00:00:18JackJoin the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.00:00:22JackTalk with social.00:00:23JackAnd we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.00:00:51JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I am here with my co-host social. And today we have a very special episode and today's episode is titled.00:01:03JackThe A to.00:01:04JackZ English corner.00:01:06JackAnd social, we have exciting news for our listeners out there. We are starting an English corner in China.00:01:17JackAnd we'll be teaching.00:01:18JackEvery day, you know, five days a week.00:01:21XochitlYeah, we're really excited about this. I want our listeners to know know that we're still going to be of.00:01:27Xochitl1st at least three episodes a week of 8OZ, and the reasoning for making the English corner is of course we'll be able to interact more with our students and we want to be able to keep making content for you guys because it takes a lot of effort and it takes money and time and it's expensive ultimately for Jack and I.00:01:47XochitlTo run the A-Z podcast. So yeah, this is an opportunity to benefit everyone and I'm really looking forward to it. Of course, we'll always remain loyal to the A-Z English podcast, and we'll keep making content for you guys. Ah, 100% free of charge.00:02:02JackRight. We're never going to you.00:02:02XochitlAnd.00:02:04JackYou never have to pay for the podcast.00:02:06XochitlYeah, never abandoned you for the podcast.00:02:08JackYeah, and. And the for the English corner, the 1st 10 classes are free. So you can, you know, you get to really take it for a test ride and see if you like it. You know, like you can, you can go to 10 classes for free if it's, if you enjoy it.00:02:28JackThen you will become you. You will move on to VIP status for we we settled on 80 RMB a month.00:02:38JackOK, which is about $10 a month. US ten U.S. dollars per month, but for $10 you're getting 20 classes.00:02:49JackYou know, Monday through Friday.00:02:53JackEvery every week, Monday through Friday 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM for so 9:00 in the evening in in China.00:03:03JackAnd I don't know what you know. I'm not good at math, but $10.00 for 20 classes. What does that come down to $0.50 a class?00:03:13XochitlYeah, something like that.00:03:14JackOK, OK. Yeah.00:03:17JackYeah. I mean, in the in the, in the real world, you know, one hour with a A.00:03:23JackNative English speaker.00:03:25JackIs probably about five times that much you know about 50 bucks an hour, something like that, you know.00:03:32XochitlRight, that'd be 10 times as much as $0.50. Well, right per class. OK, I'm not strong mathematician, so that's why we keep.00:03:39JackSorry. Yeah, now we're.00:03:43JackWe're we're we're mapping poorly here again.00:03:45XochitlThat's that's why weird language teachers and.00:03:48JackHi.00:03:49XochitlSo yeah, I know I'm very excited about this. I'm looking forward to being able to connect with our students because Jack told me that we're going to be hosting this so that we get to interact with each individual student and I don't know, I really look forward to that. I think that's my favorite.00:04:09XochitlPart of doing at Oz is being able to have that link with the students directly and seeing you guys grow and seeing you progress and seeing you enjoy the content that we make and I'm really excited to be able to do that full time.00:04:22JackI mean, we've gotten so much love from China, you know, like the the podcast. I mean for for sure our our largest percentage of audiences from China and a lot of that comes from Billy. Billy, I think you know some of our videos or our podcast is is they the.00:04:42JackEpisodes have been uploaded onto Billy, Billy and so people have just found us.00:04:46JackThat way, but you can also join our we our our we chat group. So our WeChat username ID is A-Z English podcast. So A-Z English podcast. So if you you can look in the description.00:05:06JackYou can join, you can click on it and join. You know, come into my our WeChat group and I'll let you.00:05:12JackAnd and that's where I'll post the the discussion questions for the the, the, the video conferencing class. And so we're using VVOV the app, it's kind of like zoom or Skype kind of similar to those, but it's a.00:05:33JackI believe a a Chinese company, VOV and so you can join the V class.00:05:41JackStraight from clicking the the link in where the discussion questions are so in in the WeChat. So yeah, I think it's it sounds complicated right now. I mean the as I talk about it, it sounds very complicated, but it's I think once we students kind of get used to it, it'll be very.00:06:00JackYou know simple, you know.00:06:02발표자Oh.00:06:03XochitlYeah, and I and I'm just really excited. I I want to thank our students that have been with us from the beginning and that have allowed us to keep creating content and to keep growing as content creators. And I know we've taken quite a few turns and divots in the last few months trying to make sure that we stay afloat.00:06:21JackYeah.00:06:22XochitlPodcast and I really appreciate guys sticking with us.00:06:23JackRight.00:06:27XochitlThrough all of that, because it's been a lot, but our fan base, you guys are unshakable, you've you've supported us through all of this. And I want you guys to know that podcasts will only be free to you. I want you guys to know that we'll still be in the WhatsApp groups. We'll still be in the WeChat groups. You can still e-mail us directly to the English.00:06:46XochitlPodcast@gmail.com you can still always leave us a comment. We'd love to see your comments at A-Z, podcast.com and.00:06:56XochitlWe're so happy that you guys are part of this journey with us and and we'll always have that in mind moving forward.00:07:05JackYeah, I can't wait to see.00:07:06JackEverybody in the English.00:07:07JackCorner. It'll be. It'll be fantastic. So we're going to have so much fun. I just. I'm really excited.00:07:14XochitlSee you guys next time. Bye bye.00:07:15JackOK.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/topic-talk-introducing-the-a-to-z-english-corner/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You can donate to the podcast here:https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/donationsor here:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastIn this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss minimal pairs. They focus on the /p/ and /b/ sounds.Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme and have different meanings. Here are some minimal pairs with the sounds /b/ and /p/:bat / patball / Paulbin / pinbark / parkbat / patban / panbet / petbake / pakebest / pestbow / powbuy / piebig / pigboat / coatback / packbeach / peachThese minimal pairs illustrate how a single phoneme change can result in completely different words and meanings. The /b/ and /p/ sounds are distinguished primarily by their voicing: /b/ is voiced, while /p/ is voiceless.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/quick-tips-minimal-pairs-with-the-sounds-p-and-b/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You can donate to the podcast here: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/donationsorWeChat: atozenglishpodcastAs easy as pie - Very easy"The exam was as easy as pie."As stubborn as a mule - Very stubborn"He's as stubborn as a mule and won't listen to reasonAs strong as an ox - Very strong"After years of weightlifting, he's as strong as an ox."As white as snow - Very white"Her dress was as white as snow."As sharp as a tack - Very sharp or smart"She's as sharp as a tack, always quick with a witty response."Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/vocabulary-spotlight-common-english-similes/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

To become an exclusive subscriber, follow this link:https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/exclusive-contentorWeChat: atozenglishpodcastPoint AtMeaning: To direct someone's attention to something by extending a finger or other object towards it.Usage:Example 1: "She pointed at the painting on the wall."Example 2: "The teacher pointed at the map to show us where the country is located."Point OutMeaning: To bring something to someone's attention, often by mentioning or highlighting it.Usage:Example 1: "He pointed out the errors in the document."Example 2: "I’d like to point out that we need to finish this project by Friday."PointedMeaning (Adjective): Sharp or having a sharp end.Usage:Example 1: "The pencil has a pointed tip."Meaning (Adjective - Figurative): Direct and often critical or indicating something explicitly.Example 2: "She made a pointed remark about his tardiness."Meaning (Past Tense Verb): Past tense of the verb "point."Usage:Example 1: "He pointed towards the exit."Example 2: "She pointed at the star in the sky."To summarize:Point at: A physical gesture directing attention.Point out: An action of indicating or highlighting information.Pointed: Can describe a physical attribute (sharpness) or imply a direct/critical comment. As a verb, it is the past tense of "point."Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/vocabulary-spotlight-3-expressions-using-the-word-point/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

To become an exclusive subscriber, follow this link:https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/exclusive-contentorWeChat: atozenglishpodcastIn this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, we talk about how parents sometimes get too involved or invested in their children's lives.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey, it is the English podcast listeners. This is Jack here. We are excited to offer you a new way to get even more involved with our podcast for just $10 a month, you can become an exclusive subscriber and join our private WhatsApp and WeChat groups as a member.00:00:20JackYou'll have the opportunity to ask questions and leave comments that we will address in a special weekly episode dedicated to our support.00:00:30발표자Yours.00:00:31JackYour generous donations help cover the operational costs of the podcast.00:00:36JackAllowing us to keep delivering the content you love to join, simply click the links in the description to pay via our stripe account or directly on the WeChat app.00:00:50JackThank you for your support. We can't wait to connect with you in our exclusive groups and hear what you have to say.00:00:57JackOK.00:00:58JackNow let's get on with the show.00:01:09JackWelcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my.00:01:13JackCo-host social and.00:01:15JackToday we are doing a topic talk episode and today's topic is.00:01:22JackDo you do you feel nervous? When? Ohh sorry. Do you feel nervous for other people when they have to do something important, you know? And so. Oh, I was just going to give, like, here's the here's the background information. My daughter has a huge performance today.00:01:33XochitlSorry, go ahead Jack.00:01:41JackAnd I'm I was. I'm so nervous. I I can't even think about it because, you know, I'm I want her to be successful. I want her to do a great job.00:01:53JackBut I don't want to jinx it. You know what I mean by, you know, I don't know, thinking too much about it or or, you know, giving her some bad luck or whatever. So I'm just trying to push it out of my mind. And I'm wondering if you ever feel that way.00:02:10XochitlYeah, I would say.00:02:13XochitlThere's so many like secondhand type of emotions, secondhand embarrassment, which means feeling embarrassed for someone else's secondhand anxiousness or nervousness where you feel anxious or nervous for someone and excited too, like you can be, oh, I'm so excited for her. I'm worried. Is she going to do well? I'm nervous.00:02:20JackYes.00:02:33XochitlYou know.00:02:35XochitlAnd yeah, I definitely felt that way before.00:02:39JackYeah, I'd love that. These that you defined it really well. Secondhand emotions. Is that what?00:02:44JackYou called it.00:02:45XochitlYeah.00:02:46JackYeah. So you know, we get this like one of the big ones is like the Olympic.00:02:51JackLike, you know, like, like the gymnastics when there's like one person has to perform some sort of like routine. And if they do it well, your country will win the gold medal. And there's I it. I feel like I get sick to my stomach when I watch those, you know.00:03:11JackBecause I'm like, I want them to to do it so well, and I feel like if I can just channel like positive energy.00:03:18JackFrom my my brain to that person. And it's so funny because it's like it has nothing to do with me. Like I I'm inconsequential, you know, like. But somehow I feel like I can control it if I just use my mind, you know?00:03:35XochitlMine Ben Jedi Powers to.00:03:37JackYeah, I feel like if I could just if I could just use my mind and I think this is common in sports too, right? Like your basketball team. You want them to win so badly if you want it badly enough.00:03:44발표자Now.00:03:50JackYou can actually affect the outcome of the game. I think we do feel that. I mean, it's totally irrational, it's illogical. It makes no sense. But I think that's why people love sports is because they feel like they're invested in it and that's how I feel today because my daughter.00:04:11JackFor for our listeners out there is a a ballerina. She goes to a ballet school in America, an Academy.00:04:18JackAnd they had their big performance today and she had a very important part that was very difficult and all week she's been struggling with it. I believe she's even said that she fell down one time while doing the practice. And so I was, like, freaking out in, in my mind.00:04:39JackAll week, you know, just totally stressed about it, because not because I'm embarrassed if she doesn't do well, it's more just like I just want her to succeed so badly for herself, for her life, that.00:04:53XochitlMm-hmm.00:04:55JackIt's.00:04:56JackIt I actually probably feel more nervous than she does about about these things, which is so funny.00:05:03XochitlYes, you always have.00:05:04XochitlNo control which makes you more nervous.00:05:06XochitlRight. It's like.00:05:06JackYeah, right. That's a great point. I have no control over it and all I can do is send positive messages from my mind, you know, like good vibes to her. But I obviously I know that's not gonna do anything. And and I I didn't wanna.00:05:23JackI didn't want to put any pressure on her, so I all I did was say, hey, good luck today. You know, instead of saying like, make sure you did do this and don't do that and you have to do this. It's like the last thing she needs is advice from a guy who has who, you know, never a day in my life. Yeah.00:05:39XochitlHe's never done that way a day in.00:05:41XochitlHis life so.00:05:43JackYou know, so. So my wife and I were really careful to not put any extra pressure on top of her because that's the last thing she needs. She needs to relax. She needs to be, you know, mentally.00:05:56JackPrepared. Yeah. Yeah, it's really fun.00:05:59XochitlI think that's.00:05:59XochitlReally important not to do and I think it's you guys should feel proud of yourselves. So I think it's very rare for parents to acknowledge that and to come to a point, especially in in certain cultures to say I don't want to put extra pressure on my daughter. I want her.00:06:16XochitlTo succeed or do the best for her on her own terms. But you know, I'm not going to give her unsolicited advice. I'm not gonna make her feel unsupported accidentally by pressuring her even more.00:06:29JackYeah. And I think that's uh, parents.00:06:31JackHave a very.00:06:33JackThere's a there's a a strong urge to do that sometimes, and I'll tell you what. Like, you know, Tiger moms and helicopter moms get a really bad reputation, but they they're nothing close. Not they're not even nearly as bad as.00:06:38발표자Yeah.00:06:47XochitlHmm.00:06:53JackSports dads.00:06:56JackSports dads are, you know, they're, you know, yelling at their kid, you know, do this, do that. You gotta prepare this and you know, don't you know, swing your baseball bat this way or kick the soccer ball this way and you know, they get so invested.00:07:16JackThat we have a word for it. It's called Vicarious to live vicariously through your child, and basically what that means is that the father is living out his sports fantasy through his child.00:07:35JackAnd so his self esteem and his self worth is all tied up in the child's performance, and that's too much pressure for a child to carry. It's such a burden and so and they and and they I feel like no one ever criticizes the sports dad. You know the crazy.00:07:54JackIt's always the tiger mom and the helicopter mom that gets the bad reputation. But there's a dad version that is just as bad.00:08:03JackOr worse so.00:08:04XochitlYeah, I have a dad just like that. And it wasn't even just about sports. It was about literally everything in my life.00:08:10XochitlAnd he could never say anything positive about anything. He was always like it just was never good enough for him.00:08:17JackRight.00:08:18XochitlHe was just. That's something about dads like that. And uh, a lot of culture that's really common. It's not as.00:08:24XochitlCommon in American.00:08:25XochitlCulture. But my dad slipped through the cracks or something. He's like, he is absolutely insane. He's so.00:08:31JackWell, your dad is old school, you know. They like the World War Two generate. You know, baby boomers like, you know, just boys don't cry.00:08:34발표자And.00:08:41XochitlThe Cold War, right? But like still? Yeah, he was a boomer. He's a he's a.00:08:46XochitlHe's a limit between Boomer and Gen. X.00:08:49JackRight, right. He he's almost Gen. X. But like what I mean by baby boomer is like their parents were like ohh, you think this is bad? Well, how about World War Two when I was flying airplanes over Germany? You know, it's like, so just shut up and eat your vegetables. You know that kind of.00:09:07XochitlYeah, you think this is bad? I'll beat you up and no, no listeners, but yeah, it was very bad. So I know his parents are really hard on him. And then he and in turn, he was really hard on us and and.00:09:08발표자Right.00:09:11JackYeah, exactly.00:09:15JackYes.00:09:20XochitlUltimately, it never helps your kids because you just give them low self esteem, which is.00:09:24XochitlWhat? Yeah.00:09:24JackYes, you give them low self esteem. You, you, you, you, you shatter their their their ego. You know they're they're kind of the their ability to like trust their instincts and trust their decision makings and process and you you just make them very much like insecure about you know the.00:09:35발표자Even though.00:09:44JackThe ground that they're standing on, you know, you know.00:09:46XochitlYeah.00:09:47XochitlYeah. And you make them like perfectionist and they're completely blinded. It says we say have a saying in English. The perfect is the enemy of the good and that's.00:09:56XochitlAs if you're only trying to do perfect things, you will just you never get anything done. It's because it's never good enough. It's like you could do a Mona Lisa painting and then you went and and tore it to shreds and threw it in the fire.00:10:07XochitlPit because yo

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl talks about her trip to China.To become an exclusive subscriber, follow this link:https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/exclusive-contentorWeChat: atozenglishpodcastTranscript:00:00:00JackHey, it is the English podcast listeners. This is Jack here. We are excited to offer you a new way to get even more involved with our podcast for just $10 a month, you can become an exclusive subscriber and join our private WhatsApp and WeChat groups as a member.00:00:20JackYou'll have the opportunity to ask questions and leave comments that we will address in a special weekly episode dedicated to our support.00:00:30XochitlYours.00:00:31JackYour generous donations help cover the operational costs of the podcast.00:00:36JackAllowing us to keep delivering the content you love to join, simply click the links in the description to pay via our stripe account or directly on the WeChat app.00:00:50JackThank you for your support. We can't wait to connect with you in our exclusive groups and hear what you have to say.00:00:57JackOK.00:00:58JackNow let's get on with the show. Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are doing a topic talk.00:01:16JackAnd today's topic is social's trip to China when she was 16 years old and social I I didn't know that you went to China when you were sixteen. I think this is the first time I'm learning of this and.00:01:34JackWhy did you go? Who did you go with? What did you do? You know all the WH questions? I'm so curious.00:01:41XochitlUM so.00:01:45XochitlWhat can I say about this trip?00:01:48XochitlUM, well, we went. I was learning Mandarin at the time I started learning Mandarin in the in freshman year of high school, which for our listeners that means first year of high school and in US we have four years of high school so.00:02:06XochitlMy I want to say it was my junior year. Yes, because I was 16 my junior year.00:02:12XochitlI the summer of my junior year, we went to China on a trip because as it turns out, my dad is a a university professor and his university, the Confucius Institute, holds a trip to China. And you have to pay like your ticket. But I think everything else is paid for it.00:02:29XochitlIt's like it's subsidized, so that means like they pay for a lot of your trip and.00:02:34JackSo you just buy the ticket, but they pay for like your accommodation. They pay for your food and that kind of stuff they travel.00:02:41XochitlYeah, I believe either that was the case or it's subsidized, meaning they put a lot of money towards your your accommodation and your food and your travel. And. Yeah, so it was pretty affordable. So my dad said.00:02:50JackIt lowers the price down so.00:02:53JackDon't have to pay much.00:02:55XochitlHmm.00:02:57XochitlHey, I'll pay for it. My dad found it, actually, and he said he would pay for it for me. And so I.00:03:01XochitlSaid.00:03:02XochitlYeah. OK and.00:03:07XochitlA few like only one other person who was in my class in Chinese went, and besides, that was all students from Louisville, which is the capital of Kentucky.00:03:17JackYeah.00:03:18XochitlAnd so we all went to China, and it was a a an age range from.00:03:27Xochitl1617.00:03:30XochitlPretty much and.00:03:34XochitlWe it was a really great time. I think we landed in Beijing and we went to Shanghai and Xian.00:03:41JackHmm.00:03:42XochitlAnd I really, really loved it. I think that's probably one of my favorite places that I've ever visited.00:03:48XochitlI really like the food. I liked the weather, I liked how busy it was, and there were a lot of really beautiful parks, like especially she had a really beautiful park and we spent the most time in Shannon and spent a week in Shannon. If I'm not mistaken, and went to a high school and got to meet like other kids our age. And then we went to host family and have like, dinner with them.00:03:54JackYeah.00:04:04JackYeah.00:04:13XochitlAnd we got to go shopping and we got to take the subway and like, we got to, like, eat street food and we got to go on the Great Wall. We hiked on the great.00:04:23XochitlWall of China.00:04:24JackOh cool.00:04:25XochitlYeah, we went to Shanghai, we went to like some traditional palace. I want to say.00:04:32JackYeah.00:04:33XochitlYeah, because we went to some gardens. Some like traditional gardens in Shanghai, and it was very hot and humid in Shanghai and in Beijing it was very rainy and cold. It was like.00:04:44XochitlVery because Shanghai's the South and Beijing's like the north, right? And then Shian was probably my favorite because.00:04:53XochitlThe weather was just perfect the whole time, so I really liked it there.00:04:57JackSo social you said you went to Shanghai. I I heard some quotes by a famous chef and traveler, Anthony Bourdain. And he said.00:05:00XochitlYeah.00:05:09XochitlYes.00:05:10JackShanghai makes New York City look like a.00:05:13JackThird world country.00:05:14JackCountry.00:05:15JackLike and and I I've always found that really interesting because I think the perception that Americans have of China is that it's somehow backwards or, you know, it's not developed or whatever. And if you look at some of these projects that they have and they're building.00:05:37JackAnd the things that they're doing in China, they're it looks like it looks like it's in science fiction movie like it's in the future.00:05:43XochitlYes. Yeah.00:05:46XochitlThat this was almost 10 years ago. At this point, I guess, or 10 years ago. So. But I do remember that it was really insane how tall all the buildings were, and we had a race after I think in Beijing is where we ate Peking ducks because it was a specialty. And I want to say that's from Beijing.00:05:57JackYeah.00:06:06XochitlBut he's saying.00:06:06JackYeah.00:06:07XochitlJust correct me if I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure that's.00:06:10XochitlAnd so after he had pecking dunk, it was really delicious. But it's heavy because it's kind of fatty and sugary, and it's really.00:06:15JackThe duck is the duck is is wonderful, but it's so oily and so.00:06:22XochitlYou're saying it's like delicious cake buds, and then your stomachs like so. My friends and I like waist because we were staying on like the 13th floor or something. I don't think any of it. No, it was higher than that. None of us had ever been that high up and like, stayed that high up. And so I remember that we got in like an.00:06:23XochitlRich.00:06:26JackYeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.00:06:40XochitlThere and they got an elevator and my friend and I tried to.00:06:45XochitlRace him up the.00:06:45XochitlStairs. There's no way we could make.00:06:47XochitlIt you know we.00:06:48XochitlWere just like running. It isn't good, I think made it and I made it and like they were. I think they had, like stopped on the floor because of something or something. And so they we made it close to the same time.00:06:48JackYou got to like the 8th floor and.00:06:52JackYeah.00:07:02XochitlBut I like threw up after cause I ran so hard and I was like, no, I'm not taking that.00:07:09JackAmazing duck goes in Beijing. Duck goes out. Yeah.00:07:12XochitlSo it was very.00:07:15JackOhh my gosh.00:07:15XochitlYeah, and seeing how I was very beautiful, we actually I believe we stayed at a university in Shanghai and.00:07:23XochitlIt was really nice. I remember the dorms and everything and.00:07:29XochitlWe were saying some college dorms, even though we.00:07:31XochitlWere.00:07:31XochitlHigh school students, but it's because I think the university Shanghai has like some exchange program. That's what we are looking at. And yeah, it was really fascinating. I we really enjoyed it. And I would say it's a beautiful country. I think it's one of the the.00:07:39JackYeah.00:07:48XochitlThat in Seattle are two places that I went and I was like, I love it here. I I could live here. I could stay here forever, you know.00:07:55JackYeah, yeah, yeah. Shanghai is a city that I've I absolutely must visit. I'm I'm I'm more interested in visiting Shanghai than I am in visiting Beijing. Oddly enough, I know it's the capital city and everything, but I really want to visit Shanghai. It seems like such a cool.00:08:14JackVibe, like such a cool city.00:08:16XochitlYeah. And the Chinese listeners don't hate me for this. I like the Southern accent more, even though it's more improper.00:08:25XochitlThe the northern accent is more difficult for me to pronounce because it's like it's rougher and like the the tones and like the the sounds like the consonant sounds are much sharper and the Southern accent is like.00:08:38XochitlMm-hmm.00:08:41XochitlMore, it's softer and it's easier for a foreigner because it's hard to like. Enunciate those. Those like sharp consonant sounds like like that kind of for the for the north and for the South. It might be like the instead of the. And so it was just easier for me to pronounce because my first teacher was actually southern Chinese.00:09:02JackNo.00:09:02JackOK.00:09:03XochitlAnd my tutor after that was also she was from Nanjing, so she was from the South southern capital city. I guess so I was more used to that. And then when I went to college.00:09:13XochitlThe professors were from the north and it was so hard to keep up because it's like it's a more proper, supposedly I think pronunciation.00:09:21JackOK, be more formal or something like that. Like yeah, yeah.00:09:26XochitlI guess it's more. It's kind of like how in in the southern US like dialect or regional accent, we kind of slow words together or whatever.00:09:35JackYeah, there's a southern drawl. They call it, you know, which I think it would be really funny if if for like, a a Chinese student or a Korean student to go to America and study English in Louisiana or Georgia or Alabama.00:09:38XochitlYes, OK.00:09:52JackAnd so they learn, you know, English with that, like how y'all doing, you know? Hey, y'all, you know, some

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Jack gives some common reasons why people might hate English.To become an exclusive subscriber, follow this link:https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/exclusive-contentThe reasons why some people may express a dislike for the English language can vary widely based on personal, cultural, and educational factors. Here are some common reasons:Complex Grammar and Spelling: English has many irregular rules and exceptions in its grammar and spelling, making it difficult to learn and master. For example, words like "knight" and "night" sound the same but are spelled differently, and verb conjugations can be inconsistent.Colonial History: English is often associated with British colonialism. In countries that were colonized, English might be seen as a symbol of oppression and cultural erasure. This historical context can contribute to negative feelings towards the language.Global Dominance: The prevalence of English as a global lingua franca can sometimes feel overpowering. In international settings, non-native speakers might feel pressured to learn English, which can lead to resentment, especially if they feel their own languages and cultures are being overshadowed.Cultural Imposition: The dominance of English-language media (movies, music, literature) can sometimes be seen as a form of cultural imperialism, pushing Western norms and values onto other cultures.Educational Challenges: In some educational systems, English is taught in a way that feels overly strict or punitive, leading to negative associations. Students might struggle with the language due to teaching methods that do not accommodate different learning styles.Pronunciation Difficulties: English pronunciation can be particularly challenging for non-native speakers. The same letter combinations can be pronounced differently in various words, leading to confusion and frustration.Language Pride: People may feel a strong sense of pride in their native language and view the necessity of learning English as undermining their own linguistic and cultural identity.Social and Economic Inequality: In some societies, fluency in English can be a marker of social status and economic opportunity, creating a divide between those who have access to quality English education and those who do not. This can foster resentment among those who feel disadvantaged.Understanding these reasons can foster a more empathetic perspective towards those who may dislike English. It highlights the importance of promoting multilingualism and cultural respect in global interactions.Here's a deeper look into the complexities of English language structure and pronunciation that contribute to its perceived difficulty:Language StructureIrregular Verb Conjugations:English has many irregular verbs that do not follow standard conjugation patterns. For instance, "go" becomes "went" (past tense) instead of "goed."This requires memorization of many unique forms, which can be challenging for learners.Inconsistent Spelling Rules:The relationship between spelling and pronunciation in English is often inconsistent. For example, the "ough" in "though," "through," "rough," and "cough" is pronounced differently in each word.Words borrowed from other languages retain their original spellings, adding to the complexity (e.g., "ballet" from French, "yacht" from Dutch).Articles and Determiners:English uses articles ("a," "an," "the") and determiners (e.g., "some," "any") that do not exist in all languages, requiring learners to understand their proper usage.The definite article "the" and the indefinite articles "a" and "an" are used based on specific grammatical rules that can be confusing.Syntax Variability:English allows for flexible sentence structures but also has specific rules about word order (Subject-Verb-Object is standard).Questions and negatives require auxiliary verbs (e.g., "Do you like...?" "I do not like...").Prepositions:English prepositions can be particularly tricky because their use often does not follow a logical pattern and must be memorized (e.g., "interested in," "good at," "afraid of").Pronunciation ChallengesVowel Sounds:English has a large number of vowel sounds (about 20), including diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds within the same syllable.For example, the "i" in "bit" is different from the "i" in "bite."Consonant Clusters:English frequently uses consonant clusters (multiple consonants together) which can be difficult for speakers of languages that do not use them.Words like "strengths" or "twelfth" are challenging due to their complex clusters.Stress and Intonation:English is a stress-timed language, meaning that the rhythm of speech is based on the stress of syllables rather than the syllable count.Sentence meaning can change based on intonation and stress patterns (e.g., "I didn't say he stole the money" can have different meanings depending on which word is stressed).Homophones and Homographs:Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings (e.g., "two," "to," "too").Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations (e.g., "lead" as in to guide, and "lead" as in the metal).Silent Letters:Many English words contain silent letters that are not pronounced (e.g., the "k" in "knight," the "b" in "debt").This inconsistency adds to the difficulty of spelling and pronunciation.Examples of Difficulties"The chaos of English pronunciation": A classic example is the poem "The Chaos" by Gerard Nolst Trenité, which illustrates the inconsistencies and complexities in English pronunciation.Minimal Pairs: Words that differ by only a single sound can change meanings entirely (e.g., "ship" vs. "sheep," "bat" vs. "pat").ConclusionThe irregularities and inconsistencies in English grammar, spelling, and pronunciation contribute significantly to the difficulty of learning the language. Understanding these challenges can help educators develop more effective teaching methods and learners to be more patient with their progress.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/topic-talk-why-people-hate-english/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review!https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwahttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this exclusive episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about how music can help you improve your English. Transcript: 00:00:00JackHey A-Z listeners, this is Jack here.00:00:03JackAnd if you would like to become a an exclusive subscriber to the show, you can hit the link in the description and that will take you to our Red Circle page, where for $1.99 a month you will get access to an extra two or three episodes each week.00:00:23JackAnd be careful, don't hit that donation button if you want to become an exclusive subscriber because the donation button is just a one time donation. However, the exclusive subscriber button will give you access to the extra two or three episodes.00:00:42JackEach week.00:00:44JackSo make sure you hit that exclusive subscriber button if you want access to the extra episodes.00:00:52JackNow let's get on with the show.00:00:55JackWelcome to the Ados English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we're doing another topic talk episode, and this one is how to use music in language learning.00:01:09JackAnd because I think music can be a real, UM, interesting way to, you know, improve your English. So the first one I have here is listen actively.00:01:21JackAnd what that means is start by listening to songs and trying to understand the lyrics. Uh, look up the lyrics online, read along while listening and translate unfamiliar words and phrases. And then you can repeat and even sing along with the song. And I've.00:01:42JackSeeing Korean students.00:01:45JackSeeing English songs in like almost perfect intonation just because they practiced so much and they can actually sing a song in English and it sounds wonderful. It just sounds wonderful. So what do you think about that? Listen, listening actively.00:01:53XochitlLooks great.00:02:07XochitlI think it really helps because you're doing a lot of things there. When you're memorizing lyrics. Another thing that you're doing is that you're perfecting your accent and your pronunciation. You're working on your listening skills, and you are retaining information about the meaning of the lyrics, and you're doing all of these things at the same time, which obviously is a huge.00:02:28XochitlStupid.00:02:29JackAbsolutely. Absolutely. OK. Now, #2 is kind of related to #1, uh, this one is analyzed the lyrics. And so it's like breakdown the song line by line and try to identify patterns of like grammar, verb tense, idiomatic expressions and things like that.00:02:50JackDo you do I think that could be actually?00:02:52JackIt enjoyable because you're you'll get even more out of the song. You know, you might like the the melody of the song but but not understand the lyrics. But if you sit down and just break down the lyrics and try to understand exactly what they mean and you know there's going to be a lot of idiom.00:03:14JackA lot of poetry, a lot of rhyme in there, and I think that might open some some doors. I don't know. What do you think?00:03:23XochitlYeah, I I think it really helps because lyrics are fairly poetic in their language. We use a lot of figurative language and lyrics, and I think that it really gets your gears working on decoding language and working through some of those idioms that you might have heard.00:03:43XochitlI'm working through some just figurative language. In general, things like comparisons or symbols inside lyrics. All of those things really help you think about English and language on a higher level.00:03:54JackYes.00:03:59JackOK. Yeah, I totally.00:04:02JackAnd #3, we've got four. So there's two more #3 is use music videos because being able to see the the video. And I think part of it just looking at their lips, you know, as they're speaking that you're seeing the mouth and the art articulation is good.00:04:20XochitlYes.00:04:21JackBut also the context.00:04:24JackBecause, you know, many music videos are often storytelling. You know it's it's, it's video, it's visual storytelling with a musical.00:04:34JackSoundtrack to go with it and how? How do you feel about that like and and using subtitles as well with the with the music videos?00:04:46XochitlUhm, I think that's really interesting. I think you can also try doing it without subtitles at first and just seeing how much you understand what's going on and just switch you back and forth. Don't be afraid to jump into something without subtitles and just try to see how much of it you can gather on your own just through contacts and through what you are already.00:04:53발표자Mm-hmm.00:05:04XochitlYou know, and yeah, I think watching music videos, I I really like your point about looking at the lips and the Annunciation and the pronunciation and everything. That's one of my biggest tips for language learning. And when people ask me how I like mimic pronunciation, I've always made a key point of looking at people's mouths.00:05:25XochitlThey talk another language and you see the.00:05:26JackMm-hmm.00:05:28발표자Difference.00:05:30XochitlFor example, in English our mouths are a lot more closed and we use a lot of kind of guttural sounds. Like all the way from the back of our.00:05:36발표자Throat.00:05:39XochitlBut in Spanish you open your mouth a lot more when you talk to make the vowels like bigger. And then in Korea and I noticed people using a lot of their nose when they spoke to make certain.00:05:46발표자Again.00:05:53JackOhh more nasal size. Yeah, yeah.00:05:56XochitlKind of nasal like and.00:05:58XochitlNoises and kind of Gee noises with their nose. So.00:06:01JackYeah.00:06:02JackThat's interesting. That's interesting. Yeah. Yeah, I think I think music videos is a good way, especially if you've already analyzed the lyrics. And here's another thing I I that just kind of occurred to me.00:06:15JackIs, UM, you know, a lot of song music is a good a good way to do it, because a song is something you if you find a song that really kind of.00:06:27JackThat you really that you really enjoy. Yeah. You can listen to it multiple times, like listening to a lecture, some kind of like audio recording from a book is is gonna get so boring after the third or fourth time. But a song you could listen to it 100 times. You know, you just you still enjoy it.00:06:27XochitlRight.00:06:45XochitlWasn't really every day.00:06:47XochitlIt's for per year, honestly.00:06:49JackRight, right, right. Well, I'm one of those people that when I find a song that I love, I just. I beat it into the ground, you know, I'll listen to it over and over and over again until the point where I basically can't listen to it anymore, which is, I don't know what that says about me. It's it's a a very odd thing.00:07:09XochitlA lot of people are like that. It's kind of like a hit of of good emotion.00:07:15JackYeah. It's like a dopamine.00:07:17XochitlWhen you're listening to a drug, I mean, sorry, you're listening to a song.00:07:21XochitlYeah. It's like a drug hit. Dopamine hit. Whatever. So I have no experience, I swear. But I I just remember when I was in in college, we were taking a course on music. And I remember that there was a study that said that it can be more powerful. The the what goes on in your brain chemically when you hear a song that you really like.00:07:42XochitlCan be more powerful than drugs, and I remember that really stuck with me. So yeah, it definitely keeps.00:07:47JackYeah, sure, sure. Well, I mean, it makes sense, right? I mean, there's adrenaline, dopamine and things like that that occurs naturally.00:07:56JackThrough like you go skydiving or bungee jumping that that has a a feel of like a like a drug feeling. So yeah, that you're you're not wrong. You're not wrong at all. Our last one is explore different genres listen to a wide variety of music genres to expose yourself to different vocabulary and expressions.00:08:18JackEach genre might have its own slang and cultural references.00:08:23JackI think that's interesting.00:08:24XochitlI like that. Yeah, it kind of went similar to what I talked about with the articles of what we talked about the articles earlier. Yeah, I think really diversifying the content that not only what you watch on YouTube and through YouTube channels or what you read in articles, but also the kind of genres of music you listen to and even the genres of things that you watch on Netflix, you could.00:08:43XochitlWatch a show like a horror movie comedy, A Stand up comedy, a documentary and it's very by night and you'll acquire a lot of information and new vocabulary that will really help you overcome those plateaus and keep you interested also.00:08:46XochitlOK.00:08:57JackYeah, if.00:08:58JackWant to if?00:08:59JackYou if you want to, you know, learn, learn a lot of vocabulary about heartbreak, listen to country music. You know, if you want to hear the romantic vocabulary, listen to a lot of R&B. You know, a lot of love songs. So yeah, it'll expose you to different things.00:09:07발표자Right.00:09:14XochitlRight.00:09:18JackWell, that those are four are four big ones.00:09:22XochitlAll right, listeners, if you like that, make sure to leave a comment down below letting us know which tips you're going to be using and shoot us an e-mail at A-Z with podcast@gmail.com. Leave us a comment@azenglishpodcast.com and make sure to join the WeChat and WhatsApp group so you can join Jack and I in conversation. And again if you have $1.99.00:09:42XochitlThere, we really appreciate you guys joining our exclusive podcast content. We really, really appreciate the support so far from all our listeners. It's really helped us so far be able to make and think new content for.Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok: @atozenglish1Instagram: @atozenglish22Twitter: @atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ABecome a member of Podchaser and leave a positiv

Become a monthly subscriber for just $1.99 per month and receive an additional two to three episodes per week!https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/exclusive-contentIn this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack provide three good strategies for overcoming a plateau in your language learning journey.Transcript:00:00:00JackHey A-Z listeners, this is Jack here.00:00:03JackAnd if you would like to become a an exclusive subscriber to the show, you can hit the link in the description and that will take you to our Red Circle page, where for $1.99 a month you will get access to an extra two or three episodes each week.00:00:23JackAnd be careful, don't hit that donation button if you want to become an exclusive subscriber because the donation button is just a one time donation. However, the exclusive subscriber button will give you access to the extra two or three episodes.00:00:42JackEach week.00:00:44JackSo make sure you hit that exclusive subscriber button if you want access to the extra episodes.00:00:52JackNow let's get on with the show.00:00:56JackWelcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are doing a topic talk episode and social the topic for today is I've I've pulled up three strategies for overcoming.00:01:13JackA plateau in language learning and a plateau just means that you reached a certain level and then you're not improving anymore. You're kind of stuck and you're you're kind of flatlined.00:01:25JackKnow.00:01:26JackAnd yeah, so I'll, I'll.00:01:27XochitlI'm.00:01:29JackI'll tell you the strategies.00:01:30JackAnd then you just, you know, tell me what you think about them and and and share your your your your view on on these.00:01:38JackSo the first one is.00:01:40JackDiversify your learning methods, which means changing the way you engage with the language can re energize your learning process. So incorporate different activities that target various skills, such as reading, listening, writing and speaking.00:02:00JackYou can for reading, you can choose a variety of materials such as books, articles and blogs to expand your vocabulary. You can listen to podcasts. You can follow YouTube channels and again that's right in our that's what we're doing here.00:02:18JackUM to listen to different accents and slang, and we do a lot of slang episodes. So the 80s, the English podcast is really a great way to improve your listening by writing, journaling, writing essays, or replying on online form.00:02:35JackThings. And by joining language exchange programs, finding a conversation partner or participating in speaking clubs. Or you could even join the world English Google meets class, which is something that I started with.00:02:56JackAnother another teacher here in Korea and students can for $10 a month, they can join and just have a one hour conversation. Actually, if you become a VIP, it sometimes students will talk for two or three hours a night.00:03:13JackEvery night. Every day. Yeah. So. And then there are multiple classes and what we have multiple teachers teaching different lessons as well. So you know. So there's a lot of things you can do. What what do you, how do you feel about this like?00:03:13발표자Yes.00:03:28JackDiversifying learning methods.00:03:31XochitlI think that's really good. I I actually was one of the first things I would have suggested right off the bat, especially with reading. It's really great to read varied content like you can try.00:03:44XochitlThing old English literature and you can try reading science articles and you can try reading the horoscope in a magazine or a celebrity news thing or and and you can try reading a fashion article just because you're gonna acquire a lot more different, diverse vocabulary that you don't see in every day and.00:03:53JackRight.00:04:04XochitlThat really helps be able to get you from just a proficient level to really a distinguished native speaker level.00:04:14JackI'm gonna throw. I'm gonna throw a plug for something I'm not related to it at all. I have no connection to it.00:04:21XochitlYeah, do it.00:04:21발표자But.00:04:22JackIt's called Breaking News English and what they do is they take an article and they kind of scale it down so that it's more understandable for second language learners.00:04:35JackAnd they put a new article up every single day, and you can read the article and answer some comprehension questions, some true or false questions, vocabulary matching. They've got lots of little exercises there, and I think that's just such a great.00:04:51JackWebsite I I've used it many times for my classes and I I love breaking news English. So if you're in, if you're looking for somebody to read and the articles are all different, you know it's a science article. It's a sports article. It's a news article. It's all just a bunch of different things. And like you said.00:05:10JackIf you read a variety of of material, you're gonna pick up a variety of vocabulary. If you stay in one specific area like sports only, you're gonna get a lot of sports lingo, but you may.00:05:24JackGet exposed to science or yeah.00:05:24XochitlYou'll be lacking in several social studies, sociology and all history, yeah.00:05:30발표자Right.00:05:33JackExactly, exactly. #2, the second one is set specific, achievable goals. Breaking down your learning into smaller manageable goals can help you stay motivated and measure progress.00:05:48발표자Yes.00:05:49JackHow do you feel about that one?00:05:51XochitlI think that was good. I mean for example, you could say your goal is to improve your pronunciation, but that's extremely vague. But for example, let's say that you struggle with pronouncing the R or R.00:06:06XochitlR sounds so which is really common. Then you could practice a few words that are L&R heavier that alternate between L&R within the same word.00:06:18XochitlAnd record yourself every day and you'll see your progress from the beginning of the month to the end of the month. And that will really inspire you to keep going and keep practicing and improving.00:06:30JackThat's right. That's right. I think students tend to like, try to bite off more than they can chew. You know, you you you set your goals as like I wanna. I wanna sound like a native speaker. What does that mean exactly? You wanna sound like a native speaker? Well, I mean, it's it's kind of like a a a child saying, you know, I want to be Michael Jordan.00:06:35XochitlYeah.00:06:44XochitlRight.00:06:50JackWell, there's a lot of steps that you have to take to get to that high. The highest level of of basketball or whatever sport you.00:06:50XochitlYeah.00:06:57JackMight be playing.00:06:59JackYou you have to, you know, set you small goals. Yeah. Yeah. Well, right.00:07:01XochitlPick an accent.00:07:05XochitlPick an accent for 1A neutral English or some kind. The easiest one that though, or the one that you like, or the one that you resonate the most with and there's just so many small goals from there. Just start with short words or the one you know, ones that you have a little bit of a hard time.00:07:22XochitlAnnouncing and then build up from there and gain your confidence, yeah.00:07:26JackAbsolutely.00:07:28JackAnd #3 is immerse yourself in language and immersion is one of the most effective ways to push through a plateau. And what does immersion mean?00:07:39XochitlImmersion means when you are fully surrounded by a language, in a lot of aspects. So when I was living in Korea, I was immersed in Korean because it's only foreign teacher. So all day, every day, all that I would hear were people speaking Korean around me. And I would say this is this. And patients were the biggest keys to my breakthrough and speaking Korean.00:08:00XochitlBecause at first when I got there and I would, I would hear a word and I'd.00:08:05XochitlI wouldn't know where a word began in another one and another began.00:08:08JackYes, that's a hard thing. You create a yeah, yes.00:08:11XochitlI was like, what's going on? Because so where is there so many it might be?00:08:16XochitlA sentence with only two or two words or three words, or even one word. But it has many syllables, so I was very confused. I was very confused and then with I said I said I'll never learn Korean. I'm I've gone crazy on. I don't know what I'm doing here with patients. Within a couple of weeks, I could. I could begin to distinguish where.00:08:36XochitlWords ended and and began.00:08:39XochitlAnd every month it just got better and better. And then I would feel like I hit a plateau of understanding, or sometimes I would even regress a little bit and then I would improve. And so it it's another thing is that learning of any type and especially language learning, it's not necessarily a linear improvement, is not going to be linear. You might do really well for a while, you might regress.00:08:59XochitlAfter a little bit and come back down. But overall the trend is going to be that you're improving. So you just have.00:09:04JackYes.00:09:05XochitlTo have faith, yes.00:09:06JackAbsolutely. It's a, it's a. It's a long process and it's very detailed and or tedious we say detailed.00:09:16JackAnd it takes a long time to to to grow your language skills. And yeah, I mean, like, So what social did what I did travel if possible. So that's one of the ways you can do just throw yourself right into the fire. You know, so that you have to use.00:09:29XochitlYes.00:09:35XochitlThanks.00:09:37JackThe target language you have to use English to survive. You know survival English, you know, right? But that's expensive and that's not available to everybody that that's not available. But you can do a version of that online like that. Google meets class that I was talking about.00:09:42XochitlSometimes people.00:09:53JackOn is a kind of a version of that where we have a number no native language rule. You have to speak English and so no matter what your skill level is, you've