51 Driving

Jeanna talks about her plans to learn how to drive and get a car.
Todd: OK, Hello!
Jeanna: Hello!
Todd: We're back. What would you like to talk about?
Jeanna: Driving.
Todd: OK. Tell us about driving.
Jeanna: Well, I'm gonna get my permit soon and then I get to drive. I'm really looking
forward to that. It's kind of the start of being independent.
Todd: Yeah, I hear you, so you say permit, is that the same thing as a license?
Jeanna: No, you have to have your permit six months before you can get a license.
Todd: Oh, really. How do you get a permit?
Jeanna: You have to take driving school, then you have to go to the DMV and take a test.
Todd: OK. What is the DMV?
Jeanna: The Department of Motor Vehicles.
Todd: OK, and they give you your license of permit so you can drive. OK, when you have a
driver's license what places do you want to go to?
Jeanna: To see my friends and to hang out, just to school and back.
Todd: OK, nice, so do you have a car right now?
Jeanna: No.
Todd: OK, are you saving?
Jeanna: Yeah!

52 English Life
Tara talks about her hometown of Redding back in England and what she likes about it.

Todd: Hello!
Tara: Hello!
Todd: Can you say your name please?
Tara: OK, my name is Tara.
Todd: And, where are you from?
Tara: I'm from England. I'm from Redding.
Todd: Redding! OK. Where is Redding in England?
Tara: It's south-east of London.
Todd: OK. What's your hometown like?
Tara: It's not quite a city, but it's big. It's quite spacious. It's not as crowded as Tokyo.
Todd: Yeah.
Tara: It's quite a few people. A lot of young people, and a lot of business there.
Todd: OK. What's the best thing about your town?
Tara: The best thing is the people. The people there are really friendly, and it's still quite
clean and safe there.
Todd: Oh, that's nice. Alright thanks, Tara.

53 Breakfast
Kentaro shares what he usually has for breakfast in the morning in Japan.
Todd: Hello!
Kentaro: Hello!
Todd: Did you have breakfast this morning Kentaro?
Kentaro: Yeah!
Todd: Really! What did you have?
Kentaro: I had a traditional Japanese type of breakfast, natto and miso soup and rice, white
rice, and fish.
Todd: Wow! Do you eat that every day?
Kentaro: Yeah, maybe five days a week I will eat Japanese style breakfast.
Todd: Oh, really! OK. Nice. And do you eat it at home or at a restaurant?
Kentaro: At home.
Todd: At home?
Kentaro: Mm-hm.
Todd: OK. Do you make it yourself?
Kentaro: Mm-hm.
Todd: Oh, really. OK. What is a typical American breakfast?
Kentaro: Well, I would say something like just toast and/or cereal and orange juice or milk.
Todd: OK. Great and have you ever had breakfast in bed?
Kentaro: In bed?
Todd: Yeah!

Kentaro: No, not really.

Todd: No, OK. And what time do people usually eat breakfast in Japan?
Kentaro: Well, I would say but maybe 7to 8. Something around that.
Todd: Around 7 or 8. OK. Great. Thanks a lot.
Kentaro: Thanks.

54 American Life
Yoko talks a little about her stay in the United States and why she went there.

Todd: OK, Yoko!

Yoko: Hi!
Todd: We're going to talk about your trip to America.
Yoko: Trip to America. OK.
Todd: OK. When did you go to the U.S.?
Yoko: It's about 4 years ago.
Todd: And what did you do?
Yoko: Actually, I went to Michigan and I worked as a volunteer teacher in public school.
Todd: OK. What was the public school like?
Yoko: It was not big, and so it was not big. I don't know how to say that, so what should I
say....
Todd: It was just a small school?
Yoko: Yeah. Small school. So only maybe 200 students I think.
Todd: Oh, really!
Yoko: Yeah, it was really small.
Todd: Wow, that is small.
Yoko: Yeah, yeah.
Todd: Did you know all the students?
Yoko: I don't think so. I just visited some classes. Yes.

Todd: So what did you think of America?

Yoko: I think it is a great country for many people who wants to try new things.
Todd: OK
Yoko: You know, so for example I did not have any special skills to teach, but they let me to
work there as a volunteer, and they gave me a great oppurtunity to meet a lot of students,
who are really nice I think.
Todd: Ah, OK. I agree. What were your students like?
Yoko: They were really motivated to learn Japanese, but they didn't learn a lot. They just,
they just wanted to play with me, from other countries. Who is from, sorry!
Todd: OK. Do you have any special memories from your trip?
Yoko: Yes, I visited lots of places by myself and I was really afraid of speaking English to
people there but they tried to understand me, and they helped me a lot and I really think OK,
they are lots of people who are nice all over the world.

55 Pasta Dish
Jessica talks about making manicotti, an Italian pasta dish.

Todd: OK, Jessica, we are going to talk about cooking.

Jessica: OK.
Todd: Now, you like to cook!
Jessica: Yes.
Todd: OK. What can you cook?
Jessica: I can cook Manicotti, Tacos, lots of food.
Todd: OK. So what is Manicotti?
Jessica: Manicotti is...it's a big noodle. It's hollow on the inside and you fill it with different
cheeses and then you put red tomato sauce over the top of it and..it's pretty good
Todd: So how do you make it?
Jessica: Well, you use Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, um , Parmesan Cheese,a little
bit of salt, and basil and stuff and you mix it all together in a pot and then you stuff it in the
noodle, and you put the noodle in the pan and shove it in the oven for 35 minutes and let it
cook.
Todd: Yeah!
Jessica: And it's good.
Todd: That sounds really good. How often do you make manicotti?
Jessica: Oh, a couple times a month, probably.
Todd: What is the secret to good manicotti?
Jessica: You got to make it tasty, cause if you add enough salt or Parmesan cheese then it
doesn't taste as good. It just tastes like your eating cheese. That's it.
Todd: OK. Well I'll remember that. Thanks a lot Jessica.
Jessica: You're welcome.

56 Japan
Kentaro talks a little about his home country of Japan and his hometown roots.
Todd: Hello! What is your name?
Kentaro: My name is Kentaro.
Todd: Kentaro. And what is your full name?
Kentaro: My full name is Kentaro Sugimori.
Todd: Sugimori.
Kentaro: Mm-hm.
Todd: OK. And where are you from?
Kentaro: I'm originally from Hamamatsu city. Which is in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Todd: Oh, really. Shizuoka is a nice place.
Kentaro: Oh, really!
Todd: Yeah!
Kentaro: Have you been there?
Todd: Yeah, I used to live there.
Kentaro: Oh..Great!
Todd: Tell me about Japan.
Kentaro: Well, Japan is, compared to the states, it's small, homogeneous, however and it's
also has it's own culture.
Todd: OK. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Japanese culture is very, very unique.
Kentaro: Mm-hm.
Todd: What is the capital city of Japan?

Kentaro: Tokyo.
Todd: Tokyo
Kentaro: I believe so.
Todd: OK! Yeah, and who is the leader of the country?
Kentaro: Well, our political leader is Mr. Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro.
Todd: OK.
Kentaro: But our psychological leader will be our Emperor.
Todd: OK. Nice, and do you like the Prime Minister?
Kentaro: Yes, I like him.
Todd: OK. Yeah, me too. Alright. Thanks a lot.
Kentaro: Thank you.

57 Abilities
Jamon talks about things he can and can not do well.
Todd: OK, Jamon, we're going to talk about abilities.
Jamon: OK
Todd: Can you cook?
Jamon: I can cook a little bit. I like cooking.
Todd: What do you like to make when you cook?
Jamon: Just simple things. I love salad. I make a huge salad.
Todd: I love salad. OK, can you sing?
Jamon: No, I can't sing. I just sing for me. On the...when I have a shower.
Todd: Oh, really, you sing in the shower? Nice, what, what songs do you sing? Like pop songs or
just...?
Jamon: No, mainly reggae. I love reggae.
Todd: Wow! Can you play any musical instruments?
Jamon: Dijuridu!
Todd: Oh, really.
Jamon: It's an Australian instrument.
Todd: Yeah, yeah. Where did you learn that?
Jamon: I learned in Switzerland.
Todd: Really. OK. Is it popular in switzerland?
Jamon: Yeah, it's popular. Everybody knows about it.
Todd: Wow. How long have you played?
Jamon: A couple of years maybe. Maybe 4 years.

58 Bread
Marika talks a little about baking and making bread.
Todd: Marika, do you like bread?
Marika: Yes, I do.
Todd: OK. What kind of bread do you eat?
Marika: I try to eat whole grain bread or bagels or something that's dark.
Todd: OK. What do you like to put on bread?
Marika: My favorite thing to put on bread is tomatoes and I also like honey.
Todd: OK. But not together?
Marika: Not together, no.
Todd: Do you like mustard?
Marika: No, I don't like mustard.
Todd: Oh, I love mustard. I eat mustard and bread just plain.
Marika: No, no. I know people that eat mustard sandwiches, and no!
Todd: OK. Can you make bread?
Marika: Yes, I can. Actually, I'm a baker.
Todd: Really.
Marika: Yeah!
Todd: Wow!
Marika: I'm a pastry chef.
Todd: That's incredible.

Marika: Although, bread is kind of a different branch. I do cakes and stuff like that. I can
make bread. My grandmother makes bread all the time.

59 Driving
Kerri talks about the process of getting a driver's license in the United States.
Todd: OK. Keri, can you drive?
Kerri: Yes, I can.
Todd: Do you have a driver's license?
Kerri: I do.
Todd: OK. So, how long have you had your driver's license?
Kerri: I think I got it when I was 17 actually.
Todd: OK. How do you get a driver's license in your country?
Kerri: Well, I think it's changed since I was a teenager. At that time, you get a learner's
permit. And then you start driving with your parents. And you'd also go to drivers ed. And
then you had to pass a driving test. I think a written test as well.
Todd: OK. Did you get a perfect score on your driving test?
Kerri: I was close to perfect, yeah. I can't remember my exact score but I remember it was
pretty good.
Todd: Do all the members of your family drive?
Kerri: Yeah.

60Adjectives - Opposites
Jamon is given a word, an adjective, and says the first work that comes to his head.
Todd: OK. Ramon, we're going to talk about opposites.
Jamon: OK.
Todd: What is big?
Jamon: The earth is big.
Todd: Yeah, I agree. What is small?
Jamon: I'm small on the earth.
Todd: That's true. How much do you weigh?
Jamon: I weigh 65.
Todd: Wow! 65 kilograms.
Jamon: Yeah.
Todd: Yeah, yeah. I'm a little bit heavier, about 72....What is expensive?
Jamon: A big house is expensive.
Todd: Yeah, pretty much anywhere. Ooh..loud motorcycle. Sorry! What is small? I
mean..I'm sorry..what is cheap?
Jamon: What is cheap? The 100 Yen shop is cheap.
Todd: Yeah. What can you buy at a 100 Yen shop?
Jamon: About everything.
Todd: Yeah.
Jamon: Which is good.

Todd: Do you think 100 Yen shops are a good idea, or do you think they're
environmentally a bad idea?
Jamon: No, I like the 100 Yen shop.
Todd: Yeah. The cheap stuff. Actually. I do to. It's nice. Alright. Thanks a lot.

61 The Band
James is in a band. He talks about it and the kind of music he plays.
Todd: So, James, you're in a band!
James: Yes!
Todd: OK, tell us about your band.
James: I play in a Swedish Bubblegum Punk Band.
Todd: Swedish Bubblegum Punk Band. What exactly is that?
James: I don't know, but that's what it says on the CD.
Todd: OK. What do you play in your band?
James: I play base guitar.
Todd: OK. How long have you been playing the guitar?
James: I've been playing the guitar for about 12 or 13 years.
Todd: Oh, really! OK. Nice. Do you play any other instruments?
James: I play a little guitar and a little drums.
Todd: Since you're in a band do you meet lots of women?
James: Yes.
Todd: Really! You're a rock star.
James: Yes.

Todd: Nice. Nice. Do you tour or do you just play where you live?
James: We just play in clubs. Local clubs.
Todd: OK. What the best thing about being a musician, in the band?
James: It's really good for relaxing and having fun.
Todd: Is it your full-time job?
James: No, it's not. It's only a hobby.
Todd: Oh, OK.

62 The Weather
Marika talks about the day's weather and about the kinds of weather she likes.

Todd: Hey, Marika!

Marika: Hey!
Todd: How you doing?
Marika: I'm OK. How are you?
Todd: Good. Marika do you like summer?
Marika: No, I don't like summer it's my least favorite summer.
Todd: Wow, why?
Marika: Because I don't like hot weather. I don't like being hot and sweaty and
uncomfortable.
Todd: OK. Well, it's pretty hot in Japan so you must not like summer here.
Marika: No, I don't.
Todd: Is it hot in summer where you're from?
Marika: Yeah, it's pretty hot but usually we go away on the weekends to cottages and we go
swimming in lakes and stuff.
Todd: Oh, that's nice. Where are you from by the way?
Marika: Canada.
Todd: So, what's your favorite season?
Marika: Winter or fall.

Todd: OK. Well, what do you do in the winter?

Marika: In the winter, activities you mean?
Todd: Yeah.
Marika: I go snowboarding and I go to onsens and I walk around and I enjoy the cold
weather.

63 Ice Hockey
Like many Canadians, Chris loves hockey. He talks about his favorite sport.
Todd: OK, Chris, Friday the 13th is coming up. So, first of all, are you superstitious?
Chris: Yes. When I play sports I'm superstitious. I have a lucky shirt and stuff like that.
Todd: Oh, really!
Chris: Yeah.
Todd: So what's your lucky shirt?
Chris: It's a bungy jumping shirt that I got about 10 years ago. It's all falling apart but it's still
my lucky shirt.
Todd: OK, So you don't wash it or anything?
Chris: If I have a good game I don't wash it until I have a bad game and then I wash the
badness out.
Todd: OK. What sport are we talking about?
Chris: I play ice hockey.
Todd: Oh, really.
Chris: Yeah.
Todd: Oh, so your a hockey player! Your a pretty solid guy.
Chris: Yeah, I'm a goalie. Being a goalie it's a lot to being comfortable in the position, so if
you have a good game you don't touch anything. You do the same routine. Goalies are
known to be a little strange.
Todd: Wow. So that's cool. Are you still playing in Japan?

Chris: I've played a few times but it's just too much trouble to drag my equipment on three
trains and a taxi and about a 800 meter walk. It's just not worth it right now. If I had a car I'd
try for sure.
Todd: Oh, that's too bad. Alright, well, good luck and...so right now is your shirt dirty of
clean? Your unlucky shirt?
Chris: It's just been washed. Yeah, it needed a good washing this time.

64The Boyfriend
Tara talks about her boyfriend and what it is about him that she likes.

Todd: OK, Tara, why don't you tell us about your first boyfriend?
Tara: OK, my first boyfriend, I met in my hometown. He's called Barry. He's my first real
boyfriend. Yeah, I met him at a bar. Yeah, I had a bit of a crush on him when I was younger
and then, yeah, we met a club one night and it carried on from there.
Todd: Oh, that's nice. So what was it about Barry that attracted him to you?
Tara: He's very good looking. He's tall and he had a beard. I like beard.
Todd: Beards, really!
Tara: I like beards. I don't know why.
Todd: Short beard or long beard?
Tara: No, no short. I just like stubble.
Todd: OK. Are you still in contact with him?
Tara: Yeah, yeah, yeah. At the moment he's traveling. He's in India but, we're so young, so
we often like, separate to go traveling , and then get back together again, because I'm only
24 and he's twenty five, and we have a serious relationship but, we don't wanna, you
know, stop doing our own things in life.

65 Guitar
Tara loves to strum on her guitar. She talks about her new interest in music.

Todd: So Tara, I see you've just bought a new guitar.

Tara: Yeah, I have, yeah.
Todd: Yeah!
Tara: It's very nice.
Todd: So, what's the reasoning behind buying a guitar?
Tara: Well, I work at nights so I have the daytime free, and to be honest, most people they
work in the day so I'm often on my own, and I just want something to keep me entertained
in the daytime, and I don't really like reading books, so I want something to do with my
hands, so I thought buying a guitar is a good idea.
Todd: Do you have any kind of music you would like to sing or learn to play?
Tara: I'd like to learn, have you heard, there's some English bands, like Cold Play and Turn
Break so I'd like to learn that kind of style.
Todd: OK. Do you plan to take lessons or just learn on your own?
Tara: No, well a couple of my friends, they you know, they can, they learned guitar as well. I
can't really take lessons in Japan. I think that might be a bit too much, but my friends are
going to teach me. Hopefully. Yeah!

66 Teens and Computers

Jeanna answers questions about kids and technology today.

Todd: OK, Jeanna, you like the computer!

Jeanna: Yes, I do.
Todd: OK. Talk to us about computers.
Jeanna: Well, I go on the computer a lot and I talk with friends through AOL instant
messenger. And I just moved from my hometown to Sacremento so it's a good way to keep
in touch with old friends.
Todd: Yeah. Do you learn about computers at school or on your own?
Jeanna: I picked most of what I know, I've picked it up, through, ya know, the years, and
some at school, like keyboarding and such.
Todd: OK. Do you have a laptop or a PC?
Jeanna: I have a PC. A Compac.
Todd: Do you like your computer or do you want a new one?
Jeanna: I want a new one cause I think I screwed mine up and it's a little bit slow now.
Todd: OK. How long have you had your computer?
Jeanna: I've had it for about 3 or 4 years.
Todd: Oh, yeah, that's pretty old for a computer. Yeah, so do you talk to your friends every
night by e-mail?

Jeanna: Yeah, yes I do.

Todd: OK.
Jeanna: See going on and you know the gossip.
Todd: So nowadays, do high school kids talk by e-mail more than phone?
Jeanna: Most people talk by either e-mail or cellular phone. You know a lot of people don't
use their house phones as much, and a lot of people have cellular phones.
Todd: OK. Thanks a lot Jeanna.

67 Japanese Festival
Yoko is answers questions about Japanese tradition and festivals.

Todd: OK, Yoko we were just at a festival.

Yoko: Yeah!
Todd: Do you want to talk about festivals in Japan?
Yoko: Yes, OK. So, I think in Fall we have lots of kind of festivals, but it depends on the
places.
Todd: What are some things that most festivals have, like, what can you see if you go to a
Japanese festival?
Yoko: Omikoshi.
Todd: Omikoshi.
Yoko: Yes. Do you know the word?
Todd: I think so. What is Omikoshi?
Yoko: Ah, it's really difficult for me to explain in English, but Omokishi looks like a bigbox,
lots of people, adult people try to carry together, and they usually go to temples, and they
kind of celebrate a harvest or our happiness or those kind of things
Todd: OK. Do you ever carry the Omikoshi?
Yoko: Ah, you know, I'm not a strong guy so, I've never tried it.
Todd: OK. What about foods? What kind of foods do people like to eat?
Yoko: We can see lots of small shops along the street and we can buy really Japanese food,
like watagashi, it's a really sweet candy but it looks like, how do you say that?
Todd: I don't know.

Yoko: I don't know. I don't know either. White small stuff.

Todd: White small stuff.
Yoko: Yeah. Sorry. You should see it. So it's watagashi or watame. It's really popular food in
matsuri, and we can see okonomiyaki. Yeah, it's, somepeople say Japanese pancake, or
something, but tastes different.
Yoko: It's not sweet.
Todd: It's not sweet.
Yoko: It's not sweet. So vegetables, meat, and some sauce.
Todd: Oh, wow! Sounds good.
Yoko: Yeah, I think so too. You should try it.

68 Good Dog!
James talks about his beloved dog back home and how he found him.

Todd: James, I saw on your desk you have a nice picture of a dog.
James: Yes.
Todd: OK. Tell us about your dog.
James: My dog's name is Piper. He was a mutt, a homeless dog that we picked up off the street about four and
a half years ago.
Todd: Oh, wow! So what kind of dog is he now?
James: He's a yellow lab, golden retriever mix. He's very very sweet, very very fun to play with, really really nice.
Todd: Oh, that's great. Can he do any tricks?
James: No.
Todd: No.
James: We can do one trick where we point our finger at him and go Bang Bang Bang Bang and he falls over
dead, but that is the only trick he can do and he only does that maybe half the time.
Todd: OK. Does he bark a lot?
James: Usually no. Usually he's pretty good.
Todd: Pretty quiet.
James: Mm,hm!
Todd: OK. Is it a male dog or a female dog?
James: Yeah. It's a male dog.
Todd: So, no puppies.
James: No, puppies.
Todd: OK. Would you like to have another dog, another puppy?
James: It would be fun in the future but not for awhile.

69 Apples
Kentaro answers questions about this well-known fruit and related costs

Todd: OK, we're going to talk about apples.

Kentaro: OK.
Todd: OK, do you like apples?
Kentaro: Yeah. So-so.
Todd: OK, how often do you eat apples?
Kentaro: Once a week, I would say.
Todd: Once a week. How much is an apple in Japan?
Kentaro: In Japan, it depends on the season.
Todd: Uh-huh.
Kentaro: If it's like summer season's gonna be very expensive.
Todd: Uh-huh.
Kentaro: Uh-huh. But you mean..are you talking about now?
Todd: Yeah, like right now..how much does an apple cost?
Kentaro: I would say maybe about a 100..15..450 yen per an apple.
Todd: Really! Yeah..that's that's kind of expensive.
Kentaro: Yeah.
Todd: Where do apples come from?
Kentaro: Aomori Prefecture.
Todd: Aomori! Really!
Kentaro: Which is in the northern part of Japan.

Todd: OK. Oh..alright. And what colors are apples?

Kentaro: Red or green or yellow.
Todd: OK. Which color is your favorite?
Kentaro: Red.
Todd: Red. Yeah. Yeah. Actually I like the green apples.
Kentaro: Really! Why?
Todd: I don't know. I just..in America we have sour green apples.
Kentaro: Does it taste different than the red apples?
Todd: Yeah, like the red apples are sweet..and the green apples in America..they're
very sour.
Kentaro: Oh.
Todd: Yeah..so..they're very nice. Um, one last thing! What can you make with
apples?
Kentaro: Apple Juice, apple pie, and apple tea.
Todd: Apple tea.
Kentaro: Yeah.
Todd: OK. And can you make apple pie?
Kentaro: No, not really.
Todd: Yeah. Man, me neither.
Kentaro: OK. Thanks.
Todd: Thanks

70 The Commute
Yoko talks about her daily commute on the train in Tokyo.

Todd: Hello, Yoko.

Yoko: Hello, Todd.
Todd: How are you?
Yoko: Good. How are you?
Todd: Good. OK. We're gonna talk about trains.
Yoko: OK.
Todd: Do you take the train everyday?
Yoko: Yes, I have to.
Todd: Oh, really?
Yoko: Yeah, cause I don't have a car.
Todd: Oh, really?
Yoko: Yeah!
Todd: Are you have happy with that? Do you mind?
Yoko: Actually no!
Todd: Yeah, well, what's the train like in the morning when you get on?
Yoko: It's really crowded.
Todd: Yeah!
Yoko: Yes.

Todd: OK. How much is your train fare?

Yoko: Almost 500 yen.
Todd: What's the best thing about taking the train?
Yoko: Mm, nothing.
Todd: Nothing.
Yoko: Nothing. I don't think it's great. Ah, I can sleep on the train.
Todd: OK. Do you normally get a seat?
Yoko: Ah, sometimes I can.
Todd: Yeah.
Yoko: Yeah.
Todd: OK. Do you read?
Yoko: Cause I can't read a book. I'll get sick.
Todd: Oh, cause your eyes move around.
Yoko: Yeah.
Todd: Yeah, I gocha. What's the worse thing about the train?
Yoko: Ah, too crowded in Japan.
Todd: Yeah. It's terrible.
Yoko: And I have to pay.
Todd: Oh, you have to pay. Your company does not pay.
Yoko: No.

71 School Life
Jeanna is an American high school student. She talks a little about school life.

Todd: Hello!
Jeanna: Hello!
Todd: Hi, what's your name?
Jeanna: Jeanna.
Todd: OK, Jeanna, how old are you?
Jeanna: I'm 15 years old.
Todd: 15! OK, are you in high school?
Jeanna: Yes, I am.
Todd: OK. What do you think about high school?
Jeanna: It's fun. Very diverse.
Todd: What do you like to study in high school?
Jeanna: I like history a lot.
Todd: OK. Why do you like history?
Jeanna: It's interesting to learn about the past, different things, and different
cultures.
Todd: OK. What's one thing you don't like about high school?
Jeanna: People can be really cruel.
Todd: Oh, really! How? How are people cruel?

Jeanna: There's a lot of judgmental-ness.

Todd: Oh, that's too bad. So, you're nice to everybody?
Jeanna: Generally.
Todd: OK. OK. Who's your favorite teacher?
Jeanna: Probably my English teacher

72 Dear Old Dad

Kerri talks about her father and what makes him special.

Todd: OK, Keri, I've heard you talk about your father quite a bit. He sounds like a
very interesting man. Can you talk a little bit about him?
Kerri: Sure. My dad's name is Robert and he's an interesting guy. He's retired now
and lives in Oregon and in his free time he's building an airplane (wow!) Yeah!
Todd: So can he fly a plane as well?
Kerri: Yeah, he has a private pilot's license.
Todd: Wow, that must be pretty difficult. He's actually making a plane from scratch.
Kerri: Yeah. Well, he used to be an airplane mechanic, so quite awhile ago. But
yeah, he's doing all the riveting, building all the different parts of the plane and
assembling it.
Todd: Wow! So when do you think he's going to be finished.
Kerri: I don't know. I got an e-mail from him recently that said he's just putting the tail
section on soon. But I haven't seen a picture of that yet.
Todd: Wow. So are you going to go in this plane with your father as soon as it's
finished?
Kerri: I hope so. He's having someone else test fly it which made me happy when I
found out. Although I trust his work cause he's meticulous but it made me feel good
that someone else is going to try it for the first time, but yeah, after it's finished, when
he's ready to take up passengers.
Todd: Cool. Sounds fun.
Kerri: Yeah. I think so.

73 Wine
Sandra is a wine columnist. She gives tips about choosing a wine

Todd: Now, Sandra, hello!

Sandra: Hello!
Todd: Now, you are a wine connoisseur. Or wine teacher. No!
Sandra: Not really!
Todd: Not really?
Sandra: A wine connoisseur. No, that's sort of a snobby.
Todd: Oh, really?
Sandra: Yes.
Todd: Oh, OK. So, how would you describe what you do?
Sandra: A wine professional.
Todd: A wine professional. OK, so what does a wine professional do?
Sandra: Try to make money from wine.
Todd: OK.
Sandra: So, I'm a wine writer, a wine columnist. I teach wine.
Todd: OK, so let's say if I'm going to have friends over, and I'm making let's say
steak. I'm having a grilling steak. Can I serve wine with steak?
Sandra: Yes. Steak goes with almost any red wine.

Todd: Oh, really. OK. So, red. How about if I want to mix wines. Is it OK to go red
wine, white wine?
Sandra: You always start out with white wines going towards red wines.
Todd: OK, always go white wine first, then the red wine. (Yes) OK, and how about
for dessert. Is there a special dessert wine?
Sandra: There are many great dessert wines, so it depends on what you like, how
sweet you like and what you're making for dessert.
Todd: OK, so how about I'm making terimisu.
Sandra: Terimisu, then I would probably have a tawny port, either from Portugal or
from Australia, which makes great ports, or you might even go for a fruity and oaky
zinfandel, which is dry wine from California.
Todd: OK, nice. How much will that cost me?
Sandra: Depends on how much you want to spend. For a port, a tawny port,
anywhere in between 3,500 to 10,000 (OK) And for a California Zinfandel, a good
one probably about 3,000 (yen).
Todd: 3,000. I think I can maybe afford that. Not much. And, how about what would
be a good wine to start off for like appetizers or with a salad or something like that.
Sandra: I always start off with a sparkling wine.
Todd: A sparkling wine.
Sandra: Yes. I prefer champagne but if you can't afford it, even though champagne
is the lowest price anywhere in the world is in Japan
Todd: Oh, really.
Sandra: And many of my students load up on cases of champagne and have it sent
home by their companies container.
Todd: Oh, wow.
Sandra: Yes. But champagne is a good starter.

74 Horses
Daniela loves horses. She talks a little about horses and how they act.

Todd: Hello, Daniela, how are you tonight?

Daniella: Hi, Todd. I'm fine, thanks.
Todd: Now, you were showing me a picture of a horse.
Daniella: Yes.
Todd: And you were saying that female horses and male horses are different.
Daniella: They behave different to me, so maybe it's just my imagination, or not but female
horses, mares, are kind of cold and aggressive towards me cause I'm a female and I kind
of compete over the male coaches' affection, that was my conclusion because male horses
are so nice to me.
Todd: So you saying the horse can tell if it's a man or woman rider.
Daniella: Exactly, my horse can do that. She's more affectionate towards men.
Todd: Really!
Daniella: Yeah, and she's a female.
Todd: So if I want to go horse riding for the first time and I'm on my own.
Daniella: You don't have to worry because the coach will make sure the horse will behave
and it will fear the coach, at least, and it won't do anything wrong to you, but if you want to
make friends with the horse you'll probably have to work out more with a male horse.
Todd: Really.

Daniella: Yeah, for me it's very difficult to become friendly with a female horse. Maybe it's
just my impression. Maybe it's not true but that's my conclusion so far.
Todd: Well, that's good to know. Thanks.

75 Japanese Salad
Hisa gives a recipe for a unique kind of Japanese salad that she makes.

Todd: OK, Hisa, why don't we talk about food?

Hisa: Good.
Todd: OK, first of all, actually, can you cook?
Hisa: Yes, I can.
Todd: Yeah. What can you cook?
Hisa: I can cook most of the Japanese dishes. And I also like baking.
Todd: Oh, really. OK. Since you're Japanese can you tell us what things you cook in
Japanese cuisine.
Hisa: OK. I use a lot of vegetables in my cuisine, in cookery, and then I prepare lots
of Japanese type of salad, which is sometimes we call it suno-mono.
Todd: Suna-mono. OK
Hisa: Yes, with vinegar which is especially good for spring? And the summer time,
and then also pickles, is one type of thing and then I use vegetables, even cooked
kind of salad I use, that is, we call it O-shi-tashi, green leaves, throughout the year, I
use a different kind of green vegetables for salad.
Todd: Can you talk about one kind of salad that you can make? (Yes) And how do
you make it?
Hisa: OK. For example, this is spring, I tell you one kind of salad, Udo.

Todd: Udo.
Hisa: That is a white stick, kind of vegetable. Just you peel them very thick because
outside is quite bitter, so inside you slice up and then put them in the water with
vinegar because that is how you can keep this white color. It lasts long, yes, and
then, usually I put some wakame, sea vegetables, and then two ingredients I use,
and then add some ginger, which I love very much. Chop up some ginger, and then
those three things I mix with vinegar, a little bit soy sauce and then salt and then just
sometimes you can even marinate if you like.
Todd: Wow, sounds good.
Hisa: Very light.
Todd: And I can buy these ingredients at the Japanese supermarket?
Hisa: Yes, green grocer's, and it is only for spring time. Udo! Sounds like Udon. Just
you remove "n"
Todd: Udo. Good luck.
Hisa: Alright, I'll try and make it.

76 Soccer in Kenya

Alex talks about playing the world's most popular sport in his country.
Todd: Alex, when you were little, what did you like to do?
Alex: When I was small and I was in junior high school we used to like playing
soccer with my friends. Actually in Kenya, what's different from other countries, we used to make our
own soccer ball to play. So, it's very easy.
Todd: Wow. How do you make the soccer ball?
Alex: We used to collect like plastic papers and bind them with string, around them to make
something round. So it was like, you didn't have to spend any money.
Todd: Wow, that's ingeneous. That's great. So were you a good soccer player?
Alex: Not really. I used to like playing soccer but I was not very good, actually to tell the truth
Todd: Yeah, me too. I wasn't a very good athlete. I mean I like sports but I was never any good. Um,
so do you play soccer in Japan?
Alex: Sometimes, until last year when I was in school I still played soccer. Right now, actually I'm not
playing anymore because I'm like busy.
Todd: Yeah.
Alex: Yeah. You can't play soccer without a big group of people and everyone is busy right now so I'm
not playing anymore.
Todd: Yeah, that's a bummer. Like I always want to play sports but it's hard as
you get older. When's the last time you played soccer?
Alex: About one year ago. I think November of 199?,...2003, November.
Todd: OK. Actually in Kenya do you call it soccer or football?
Alex: In Kenya you call it football.

Todd: Football. I'm sorry.

Alex: Actually, I've been in Japan for sometime so I'm used to calling it soccer. In Kenya you call it
football.

77 Vending Machines
Hisa has a complaint about vending machines. She explains why.

Todd: OK, hello, Hisa!

Hisa: Hi, Todd.
Todd: How are you doing?
Hisa: Fine thanks, and you?
Todd: I'm doing pretty good. Hisa, you were telling me that you have a concern
about Japan.
Hisa: Yes.
Todd: And what is your concern?
Hisa: It's vending machines.
Todd: Vending machines
Hisa: Yes.
Todd: OK. Can you talk a little about that?
Hisa: Yes, as you already noticed, how many vending machines do you come across
a day if you are on the street?
Todd: Many, many.
Hisa: I really do not think we need that many and then each one is really
consuming energy, so that is my big concern.
Todd: OK, so what would you like to see happen in Japan with the vending
machines?

Hisa: Sorry, what? where?

Todd: Like, what would you like to happen with the vending machines?
Hisa: Yes.
Todd: Would you like more laws or..?
Hisa: Number 1, it really aggravates the scenery. Yes, and then if each one of us
take drink with us, we really don't need that many, each corner, or even one corner
you really see so many kinds. And then that is, we can really evacuate so many and
then we will have a safer, more space on the road, because even without vending
machines, imagine how narrow our roads in Japan, even the walking path so narrow,
it's dangerous.
Todd: And you were saying that you can actually can see vending machines in very
strange places in Japan, like very, very far places in the countryside?
Hisa: Yes.
Todd: Wow.
Hisa: So, just one example is on the summit of Mt. Fuji. Yes, it's a shame.
Todd: All the way on the top of Mt. Fuji?
Hisa: Yes. So those mountain climbers are talking that don't make our mountains
like Mt. Fuji. In other words, they are not to put another vending machine on the top
of other mountains, because why we need it.
Todd: Yeah, that's crazy.
Hisa: It's ridiculous.

78 Chicago
Diana talks about her city, Chicago, and what she likes about it.

Todd: OK, hello, could you say your name please?

Diana: Yes, my name is Diana Heyne.
Todd: Diana, where are you from?
Diana: I live in Chicago.
Todd: Great, Chicago! How long have you lived in Chicago?
Diana: Actually, only for a year. I'm mostly a mid-western girl. I've lived all over the
mid-west.
Todd: OK, like what places in the mid-west?
Diana: I was born in Iowa, and I lived in Indiana after that, and then I moved to
Illinois, and then I grew up mostly in Michigan, but now I live in Chicago and I love
it.
Todd: OK, so Chicago is your favorite place?
Diana: Yes.
Todd: OK, why do you like Chicago?
Diana: It's busy. Everyone in Chicago is always busy and they're doing their own
thing, and it's just fun to be in such an exciting atmosphere.
Todd: OK. Does Chicago have a lot of good food, a lot of good restaurants?
Diana: Yes. If you like to eat Chicago is a good place to go. My favorite place is the
Taco Burrito Palace.

Todd: Taco Burrito Palace. Wow. Sounds good.

79 Home
Nicoleta describes her home and how she gets her meals.

Todd: OK, Nicoleta I am going to ask you questions about your kitchen.
Nicoleta: Mm-hm.
Todd: OK, first of all, what do you do in your kitchen?
Nicoleta: Cooking mostly.
Todd: Yeah, OK. At your home, back in Germany, who cooks at your house?
Nicoleta: Well, I'm living alone so I do normally.
Todd: OK, do you cook every night or do you usually buy take-out or?
Nicoleta: No, at the weekends, yeah, mostly at the weekends.
Todd: OK. Actually what's a German dish that people cook like a..
Nicoleta: Typical?
Todd: Yeah
Nicoleta: Sauerkraut.
Todd: Really?
Nicoleta:No, Yeah, everyone asks me about sausages here by the way. But I don't
know a typical meal. Maybe really sausages. I mean, originally but yes.
Todd: OK. What's in your kitchen?
Nicoleta: Dishes and food, fridge. No microwave.

Todd: No microwave
Nicoleta: No microwave.
Todd: That's good. You're healthy. What's something you can cook very well?
Nicoleta: That I can cook very well? Soups.
Todd: OK. Like what kind of soup?
Nicoleta: Zucchini, cucumber.
Todd: How do you make it?
Nicoleta: It's very easy, just I don't know the English word, so don't ask!

80 Motorcycles
Howard is a motorcycle enthusiast. He talks about his bike and hitting the road.

Howard: Hi, Todd.

Todd: Hey, how's it going, Howard? So I heard that you're really into motorcycles.
Howard: Ah, yes, I love motorcyles. I've been riding motorcycles since I was 15 years old.
Todd: Oh, really. Wow! So, what's the allure of motorcycles?
Howard: Freedom. I like the fresh air. I like being out on my own. And I just like the feeling of riding on
a bike. It's like a bicycle without having to pedal and you go a lot faster.
Todd: Yeah, that's for sure. Do you have any good motorcylcle stories?
Howard: About 10,000 of them.
Todd: Well, have you ever like taken a special trip on a motorcycle?
Howard: I've been all over the East coast of the United States, from Pennsylvania to Florida on a
motorcycle.
Todd: Oh, wow.
Howard: Yeah, I've travelled many times and many different kinds of roads, and taken all kinds of
camping trips on bikes.
Todd: Wow, sounds great. So do you usually travel alone or in a group?
Howard: Almost always I go alone. Some guys like to travel together but I found I enjoyed it by myself
most of all.
Todd: Oh really. Oh, wow. Don't you get kind of lonely?
Howard: Never, there's always a new adventure on every trip.
Todd: Have you ever made any special friends out on the road?

Howard: Sure, bikers are like a special kind of fraternity. Every biker knows each other, and we're all
very close even though we're not close.

81 Reading
Kerri answers questions about when and what she likes to read.

Todd: Keri, let's talk about reading.

Kerri: OK.
Todd: First of all, do you like to read?
Kerri: Yes, I do!
Todd: What do you read usually?
Kerri: I kind of alternate between fiction and non-fiction.
Todd: OK. What are you reading now?
Kerri: I'm reading two books now. The Ethics of Startrek, which my uncle gave me, which is nonfiction, and I just started it today: A Spy in the House of Love.
Todd: Oh, OK. It looks like a pretty good book. What is it about?
Kerri: Right now I've just started, so it's about a women who has been having an affair, basically.
Todd: OK. When do you read? When do you find time to read?
Kerri: I read on the trains while I'm commuting to work. I read at night, on the weekends.
Todd: OK. What is your favorite author?
Kerri: I don't have a favorite author.
Todd: Yeah. it's kind of hard to pick.
Kerri: Yeah.

Todd: OK. Do you go to the library often?

Kerri: No, I don't.

82 Animals
Diana answers questions about her favorite animals at the zoo.

Todd: What do you think about the zoo?

Dianna: I like to go to the zoo. I like to give all the animals names, like "Bert the
Giraffe", but I wish the animals didn't have to be in the zoo, but I think it is good when
zoos save animals, and help to make their populations grow.
Todd: Yeah, they can do some good things, definitely. Ah, what is your favorite
animal?
Dianna: My favorite animal, ooh, let me think. I love cats, just as a pet but, besides
I'd pick the coolest animal, I think I would pick probably a monkey.
Todd: A monkey!
Dianna: Yeah.
Todd: Yeah, there's a lot of monkeys in Japan. Have you ever seen a monkey in the
wild?
Dianna: No, but my brother is a wild monkey.
Todd: Oh, he's going to have to listen to this now.

83 New Addition
Masako is so happy about her new grandchild. She shares her feelings.

Todd: Masako, I was very surpised to hear that you are actually a grandparent.
Masako: Yes, yes
Todd: You look very young. I was very shocked. Tell me about your grandchild.
Masako: She's a baby. Of course. A baby, a baby girl. And her name is, it's Holly.
Todd: Uh-huh.
Masako: Holly
Todd: Holly
Masako: Holly. H-O-L-L-Y. And in, with Japanese kanji, it's written with the two parts,
and one part is the tree, and another part is winter. So she was born in winter. Her
name is winter tree.
Todd: Oh, that's nice.
Masako: And it's, her name is "Shuu". It sounds like a boys name, but her parents
want to, want her to be a boyish girl.

Todd: Oh, OK. Oh, like a tomboy.

Masako: Yeah, maybe.
Todd: Maybe. Um, so how does it feel to be a grandmother?
Masako: I'm very proud of it. And then I know if I see her, if she's with me, living near
to my house, then I forget every other thing and then I'm just very...how do you say?
A grand mother who is really occupied with her grandchild.
Todd: Oh, yeah, like just um
Masako: Baba-baka in Japanese.
Todd: Baba-baka....Well congratulations on the grandchild.
Masako: Thank you very much.

84Cold Remedy
Marion feels sick. She talks about a special cold remedy she was given.

Todd: OK, hey, Marion, how are you feeling today?

Marion: I'm really tired. Kind of, I don't know, my throat's really scratchy, so maybe
I'm coming down with something.
Todd: Oh, no. That's terrible. Are you taking anything for it?
Marion: Actually, I am. I had a private student last night and she told me some wild
formula to do. And she asked me to take coca-cola, boil it, add some ginger, and
then drink it, however, I'm caffiene sensitive so it kept me up pretty much all night,
so I'm really tired today.
Todd: How did it taste?
Marion: It wasn't bad. If it was probably mid-afternoon, I would love it, but 11:30 at
night it kept me up.
Todd: Oh, no.
Marion: Yeah.
Todd: Are you going to try it again, but maybe in the morning?

Marion: No I think I'm just going to stick with the regular cold syrup, and just take
that.
Todd: Yeah, that stuff tastes terrible.
Marion: It does.

85 Favorite Foods
Diana talks about food she loves and what she likes to put on it.

Todd: OK, Diana, we're going to talk about food. You were just talking about food in
Chicago. What kind of good food can you get in Chicago?
Dianna: Chicago is famous for its Chicago style pizza or their hotdogs. The pizza is
different because they put the sauce on top I guess, and like they have just
amazinlgy huge toppings like sausages the size of your hand.
Todd: Wow, seriously. Whoa! What other toppings can you find on a pizza?
Dianna: Just normal pizza toppings like mushrooms and pepperoni, lots and lots of
cheese, tomatoes, feta cheese is my favorite, it's kind of weird but it tastes good.
Todd: I love feta cheese. Nice. OK. What is your favorite topping?
Dianna: My favorite topping on pizza is weird but I like pineapple.
Todd: Oh, yeah.
Dianna: Yeah I love it. It tastes good with cheese and sauce.

86 First Job
Roe talks about his first job and how successful he was at it.

Todd: OK, Roe, why don't we talk about your first job.
Roe: OK
Todd: Yeah, tell us about your first job.
Roe: You mean my official full-time first job, talking about!
Todd: Yeah, sure. How about that?
Roe: OK. That was right after graduating university. I became a salesman.
Todd: Oooh, salesman! Nice.
Roe: Yep, salesman.
Todd: What were you selling?
Roe: I was selling nothing.
Todd: Nothing
Roe: Nothing. Well, basically I was selling a membership. So, that's, it's not
something people can see or visualize, but it's like just membership, so.
Todd: Was it like a membership to a country club?

Roe: Yeah, actually a private resorts and golf clubs.

Todd: Nice. Was this in Japan or in the US?
Roe: In Japan.
Todd: Wow. What was the best thing about your job?
Roe: Troubles! Cause I have to knock on people's houses.
Todd: Oh, wow, it was door to door
Roe: Exactly without any appointments and membership costs 5 million yen.
Starting, starting costs.
Todd: 5 million yen to start and you must have been in very rich neighborhoods.
Roe: No, actually we just go to any areas. We just stop off at a station and we start
from there.
Todd: Really. Were you successful?
Roe: It's a long story but to be honest with you, how many memberships do you
think I sold in a year?
Todd: Wow, I don't know. I will take a guess. In one year, maybe one, two a week, so
my guess is, I don't know, a hundred.
Roe: One!
Todd: One! One!
Roe: Can you believe it!
Todd: So you must, so you remember the lucky person? Probably still remember
that person
Roe: And you know what, the person who bought my membership, is who? My
father.
Todd: Ooh, that's a tough job.
Roe: It was rough, really. It was really rough.
Todd: That's a lot of rejection, every day. No, no, no

Roe: I know, I mean if you think about it, that's natural though, I mean 5 million yen.
and I can't really show the place, cause I can't take the person to the place. all I can
do is show the picture and speak and that was right after the bubble economy
bursted, so nobody had really, nobody had money, so.
Todd: Wow, man so were you depressed? Were you sad?
Roe: It was very interesting. It was hard to motivate myself. The people would call
the police, and call me like a robber Yeah, yeah, cause I had to like open the gate
and run to the door and stick my leg so that they won't shut the door.
Todd: Seriously
Roe: Yeah, that's how you do it. Door to door sells.
Todd: Wow, that's, that's a tough job. I don't think I could do a job, what's your job
now? What do you do now?
Roe: I am, I work for Yokohama city and I am in a place called Yokohama
Convention Bureau. It's a city job.
Todd: OK, so the Yokohama Convention Bureau. OK, so you deal with foreigners,
naturally cause it's in English.
Roe: And travellers and visitors and what have you.
Todd: Do you like your job now?
Roe: Interesting! Like I said I meet talk to about over 2,000 people a day, so it's kind
of tiring though.
Todd: Wow, 2,000 people a day.
Roe: About 200 people an hour. My office is at the station. Yokohama station. Right
out of the gate of the JR, so people are going to stop by.
Todd: You, that's a lot of talking. You must be tired of talking.
Roe: I am tired.

87 Bowling
Joel just finished bowling. He talks about his game.

Todd: So, Joel, how was the bowling match?

Joel: Not bad, I won the first one but I lost the second one.
Todd: Yeah. How's your arm feeling?
Joel: Not bad. My hands are a little tired but my arms fine.
Todd: OK, so, are you going to go home and put some ice on it or?
Joel: No, I don't think so. I think I need to get a beer.
Todd: A beer. OK, actually as soon as we finish this I'll be right with you. Why is
bowling so popular do you think?
Joel: It's cheap and you can spend as much time here as you want. That's what I
like about it. I noticed like, we can sit there and talk and we're not under a time limit

or anything. We can just take our time. And you don't need any special skills to play
it. Anybody can do it.
Todd: Yeah. How long have you been bowling?
Joel: Not long. Maybe I've only been ten or fifteen times in my whole life.
Todd: Oh, really. (Yeah) Well you look pretty good for only ten or fifteen times.

88 Likes and Dislikes

Keith talks about his preferences in animals, seasons and much more.

Todd: OK, Keith, I'm going to ask you about preferences.

Keith: OK.
Todd: Which do you prefer, dogs or cats?
Keith: Dogs.
Todd: Because?
Keith: Well, because they're actually friendly animals. Cats are kind of aloof.
Todd: Which do you prefer, summer or winter?
Keith: Oh, summer, definitely.
Todd: Yeah, why?
Keith: Well, because winter in Tokyo is kind of dry, cloudy. It's not much fun.

Todd: OK. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Keith: Night person, all the way.
Todd: OK. Are you moody in the mornings?
Keith: No, I'm usually asleep in the mornings.
Todd: And what do you prefer, Japanese food or Western food?
Keith: Well, in Japan, Japanese food cause the sushi here is great.

89 The Media
Kerri talks about where she gets her news and info to keep in touch with the world.

Todd: OK, Kerri, I'm going to ask you about the news. Do you follow the news
everyday?
Kerri: Sometimes.
Todd: How do you follow the news?
Kerri: Well, in Japan mostly the radio or the internet.
Todd: Oh, really. OK. What radio station?
Kerri: NPR, but on the military station.
Todd: OK. And what internet websites do you listen to?
Kerri: Well, usually it is just AP news or whatever.
Todd: OK. How much of the news do you think is true?

Kerri: I don't know. That's a tough question. I think that because there're so many
journalists that often what makes into the papers is fairly accurate, but unfortunately
some people leak information that is untrue to sway public opinion, so you have to
kind of weed through things and consider why that news story is made public.
Todd: Yeah. How do most people in your country get the news?
Kerri: I think most people in the states get the news from TV and from the main
broadcasting stations. The evening news sort of thing.
Todd: OK. Thanks Keri.

90 Life Adjustment
Keith talks about what is different and the same after marriage.

Todd: Hey, Keith. I heard you just got married.

Keith: Oh, yeah.
Todd: Nice. So, how long ago did you get married?
Keith: Oh, I got married last November.
Todd: Really, well congratulations.
Keith: Thanks a lot.
Todd: So, what's married life like?
Keith: Oh, it's great. I love married life.
Todd: How is being married different than being a bachelor?
Keith: You get less dates.

Todd: Yeah. That's for sure. That's for sure. So at home, do you share with like the
cooking and the cleaning and stuff like that?
Keith: Oh, yeah, sure. That's the only way to do it really.
Todd: Yeah. Do you cook for your wife?
Keith: Oh, yeah.
Todd: OK. What do you cook for her?
Keith: It depends on what she wants but usually I do the easy stuff like pastas and
salads and that kind of stuff.
Todd: Oh, that's nice. That's nice.

91 Likes and Dislikes

Keith talks about things that he likes and dislikes.

Todd: Hello, Keith.

Keith: Hello, Todd.
Todd: Hey, Keith, what is your favorite food?
Keith: My favorite food? Well in Japan it's probably sushi.
Todd: OK, how often do you have sushi?
Keith: Wow, probably at least two times a week.
Todd: OK. What is your favorite drink?
Keith: My favorite drink. Well, coca-cola usually.
Todd: Do you have coke every day?
Keith: No because if I drink too much I gain weight.

Todd: Oh, yeah, yeah. I got the same problem. -- OK, how about desserts. What's
your favorite dessert?
Keith: My favorite dessert? My favorite dessert is probably Tiramisu.
Todd: Tiramisu?
Keith: Yeah.

92 Opposites
Diana is given an adjective and must thing of the first word that comes to mind.

Todd: OK, Diana we're going to talk about adjectives?

Dianna: OK.
Todd: What is hot?
Dianna: An oven.
Todd: Yeah. what do you put inside an oven?
Dianna: Pizza.
Todd: Pizza. Do you bake your own pizza at home?
Dianna: I have before. I'm not a good cook though, so.
Todd: Oh, yeah, me neither. What is cold?
Dianna: The Artic ocean.
Todd: That is true. Very cold. What can you find down at the Artic?
Dianna: Oh, Polar bears.

Todd: Yeah, polar bears OK, have you ever seen a polar bear?
Dianna: Only at the zoo.

93 The Moon and Beyond

Ebony talks about space travel and what life might be like in the future.

Todd: Ebony, we were looking at the internet and we saw that the U.S. is going to try
to put people on the moon, again, in a few years. What do you think about that?
Ebony: OK, about people on the moon, I think it's really cool! I say that as a natural
reaction, but I know they've tried it before. I think it would be maybe a good idea
economically, but then again not.
Todd: Sure
Ebony: I mean, because first of all, how are we finacially in the US? What are they
doing? I think they are trying to pick up spirits or distract right now with all the other
underlying issues!
Todd: Yeah!
Ebony: Honestly, when I heard that, I was like, is this some kind of propoganda,
some kind of billboard distraction in my opinion, I mean, it's an awesome idea
though if you really think behind it, but I don't know if that's what we should be
looking at right now.
Todd: Sure, so do you think it is a waste of money or do you think it helps science?

Ebony: I think eventually it's a great thing, and it does help, and I think it's a
wonderful thing to be paying attention to, but I don't know whether it's the right
moment for it. But either way, they're doing it, so I think it would be really neat, I
mean I've always wanted to say to my, you know, one day my kids, "Ok, let's go to
vacation on the moon...I feel like going out to the suite hotel you know.Let's go look
at the stars" you know a few meteors passing by, wouldn't that be neat..to say that
and really be able to do that someday.
Todd: Gosh, it must be really, really beautiful on the moon. Well, actually, you are
very young. I think 20! 20 years old?
Ebony: Yes.
Todd: So, do you think that is going to be possible, that...
Ebony: Yeah! Yeah!
Todd: Really?
Ebony: Since I was 10. Since I was 10 years old my father would always say to me,
you know, he's about 62 right now, and so, he said, I've seen everybody go from cars
to everything and all the advances in technology is so fast, he said, 'I can't imagine
when your are my age what's it's going to be like for you at the rate technology is
advancing.
Todd: Yeah!
Ebony: So I thought, "Wow, that's really cool!" I'll be able to do that and I always did.
I always thought that and so, in a way too I'm saying, "What took you so long guys?"
Todd: Wow, so that's amazing. You could actually be going for vacation to the moon
in forty years
Ebony: Wouldn't that not be cool!
Todd: Yeah!
Ebony: Just sit there.
Todd: Or Mars.
Ebony: Mars.
Todd: Yeah! Lot of rocks.
Ebony: The red planet. I don't know about mars. I think the moon sounds kind of
cooler not as far.
Todd: Yeah!

Ebony: It depends on what they do with travel.

Todd: Yeah. You definitely would need a round-trip ticket.
Ebony: OK, thanks a lot Ebony

94Travel Tips
Jason gives travel tips for people going to London.

Todd: Jason, actually I'm going to England this summer.

Jason: Really?
Todd: Yeah can you give me some advice about where I should go. I'm gonna have
about one week.
Jason: One week. What I suggest you do then is stay in the suburbs of London for
a start, because it's a lot cheaper. If you stay in North London then you can spend all
your money on rent. And I guess you should go around Central London. That's
where all the tourist attractions are. That's where all the nightlife is. It's just got
everything you need really, but like I said rent is way too expensive there, so.
Todd: OK, now I was thinking of taking a day trip to Oxford or Cambridge or Bath.
What would you recommend?

Jason: It depends really. Bath has got a lot of history. I guess Oxford is a lot quieter,
but again there is a lot of nightlife there as well. It really depends what you want to
do, but Bath is good for history, definitely.
Todd: OK. What about Cambridge?
Jason: Cambridge I'm not too sure about. I haven't been there so.
Todd: Oh, really. OK. If I want to go to Oxford or to Bath, how can I get there? Do I
have to drive?
Jason: The easiest way is to get a train. It can vary how much you wanna pay really.
It's kind of similar to Japanese trains. But traveling as far as Cambridge and Bath
would be quite expensive, maybe 30 pounds, which is quite a lot of money really, so.

95 Beach Life
Trevor answers questions about what he takes to the beach.

Todd: Trevor, do you like the beach?

Trevor: I love the beach. The beach is great.
Todd: OK. Why do you love the beach?
Trevor: It's nice fresh air, beautiful water, you can play in the sand, and my hobby is
surfing, so I like to go surfing.
Todd: Oh..nice. How often do you go surfing?
Trevor: I try to go as often as possible, usually every weekend.

Todd: OK. When do you go to the beach? Saturday? Sunday?

Trevor: Usually early on a Saturday morning. Try to beat the crowds.
Todd: OK. What do you do at the beach besides surfing?
Trevor: Oh, just relax on the sand, watch the people, maybe have a swim, throw a
frisbee.
Todd: OK.
Trevor: Things like that!
Todd: How long have you been surfing?
Trevor: Since I was ten years old.
Todd: Wow, since you were ten. That's great! -- What do you take to the beach,
when you go?
Trevor: A towel, and my hat, my sunscreen, my surfboard, wetsuit, some food and
water, and maybe a radio.
Todd: OK. Now, you are from Australia. How are the beaches
different in Australia than Japan?
Trevor: The beaches are much bigger and white sand, clean water, very nice.
Todd: OK. Well, sounds good. Thanks a lot Trevor.
Trevor: OK. Catch you later.

96 Vancouver
Simon talks about why he thinks Vancouver, Canada is a special place.

Todd: Hello!
Simon: Hi!
Todd: How are you today?
Simon: Not bad! Not bad!
Todd: OK. What is your name?

Simon: My name is Simon Bentz.

Todd: Simon. How do you spell your name?
Simon: S-I-M-O-N.
Todd: OK. Nice..nice name. Ah, Simon, where are you from?
Simon: I'm from Vancouver, Canada.
Todd: OK. What kind of place is Vancouver?
Simon: It's a nice place. It's got mountains, beaches, and lots and lots of Japanese
students.
Todd: Really! OK. Ah..why does it have so many Japanese students?
Simon: Because they study English there.
Todd: OK. Is it cheap to study English is Canada?
Simon: I think it is cheaper to study English in Vancouver than the United States or
England.
Todd: Oh, really! OK. Ah, what do you think about Vancouver?
Simon: I love it. You can go skiing or snowboarding in the winter, you can go
windsurfing and hang out at the beach in the summer.
Todd: Nice.
Simon: It's just a good place to live.
Todd: What is your favorite thing to do in Vancouver?
Simon: I like to hang out with my friends and play soccer.
Todd: Cool. Nice. All right, thanks.

97 My Dog
Trevor talks about his beloved dog and describes what it looks like.

Todd: Trevor, do you have a dog?

Trevor: Yeah, I do have a dog.
Todd: What kind of dog?
Trevor: My dogs a boxer.
Todd: A boxer. What does a boxer look like?

Trevor: A boxer is medium size. She's got short hair and a very short stubby nose.
And no tail.
Todd: No, tail. Nice. Which do you prefer dogs or cats?
Trevor: I'm a dog person. I like dogs.
Todd: OK. Why?
Trevor: Dogs are a man's best friend and they are always loyal.
Todd: OK. What do you mean loyal? What does loyalty mean?
Trevor: Oh, they'll stay with you, even through the hard times.
Todd: OK. Which breed or kind of dog do you like besides boxers?
Trevor: I like labrodors and I like, uh, small terriers.
Todd: Small terriers
Trevor: Small terriers. A Jack Russell small terrier.
Todd: What color is a terrier?
Trevor: Black and white.
Todd: Black and white. All right! --- What are some costs associated with keeping a
dog?
Trevor: Pretty cheap really. You got some vet costs if they get sick and they got to
have needles, but food. That's about it really.
Todd: OK. Great. All right. Thanks a lot Trevor
Trevor: See ya later!

98Aussies
Nicola compares the people of Australia with the people of Japan.

Nicola: I'm gonna laugh!

Todd: OK. Hello!
Nicola: Hello!
Todd: Hi. What is your name?
Nicola: My name's Nicola.
Todd: OK, Nicola. Where are you from?
Nicola: I'm from Australia.
Todd: Australia! Great! And where are you from in Australia?

Nicola: I'm from a state called Queensland.

Todd: OK. What is Queensland like?
Nicola: It's pretty hot. There's a lot of beaches and a lot of rainforests.
Todd: Oh, rainforests, really!
Nicola: Yeah!
Todd: Do you go in the rainforest often?
Nicola: Occasionally my friends and I go hiking there, but not that often.
Todd: OK. Are there really big snakes?
Nicola: Ahhhh..I haven't seen any yet.
Todd: OK, that's good. That's good. How do you feel about Australia?
Nicola: It's a beautiful place to live. I like travelling, so I like seeing other countries.
But when I go home I am always happy to be there. OK. Yeah, that's nice. I kind of
feel the same way about America.
Nicola: Mm.
Todd: How would you compare Australia and Japan?
Nicola: They are very different. Japanese people are quite busy, Australians are
pretty laid back. OK. OK. I see we're just about out of time so anyway thanks.
Nicola: OK. Thank you.

99 Climbing Fuji
Steven talks about climbing Mt. Fuji in the cold season in winter.

Todd: OK, Steven, what do you want to talk about?

Steven: Hiking!
Todd: Hiking! Are you a big mountain man?
Steven: Yeah, yeah, I really love getting out into the mountains.
Todd: What mountains have you climbed?
Steven: Well, recently, I climbed Mt. Fuji.
Todd: Wow, how long did it take you to get to the top?

Steven: Well, I actually climbed Mt. Fuji on four different occasions.

Todd: Wow, really!
Steven: Yeah, so it was different times each trek.
Todd: OK, did you go in summer or in spring?
Steven: No, actually, the first time I went in, to climb Fuji was in the winter.
Todd: Wow, man that must have been cold.
Steven: Yeah, well, it wasn't too bad. We had warm clothes and, you know, we were
constantly walking, so our body temperature was quite high.
Todd: Didn't you slip on the ice? Wasn't the ice really slippery?
Steven: Well, we had crampons and ice axes with us.
Todd: Really, I'm sorry, you had "crampons"?
Steven: Yeah, they're like spikes that go on your feet, yeah, basically ice shoes,
yeah, so you can actually walk on the ice with these shoes without slipping, no
problem.
Todd: Really! What was it like on the top?
Steven: Well, on that particular occasion we didn't get to the top because it was too
late in the day. We would have arrived at the top just as the just was setting and it
would have been very dangerous I think coming back down, so.
Todd: Because it would have been dark?
Steven: Yeah, yeah.
Todd: OK. Wow, well, really impressive.
Steven: Yeah, I really loved it.

100 Life in Idaho

Roe was an exchange student in Idaho. He talks about his stay while he was there.

Todd: OK, so we're here. Do you want to go ahead and introduce yourself to the
listener?
Roe: OK, my name is Hiroe Hashi. I've lived in America for about seven and a half
years. I lived in Italy for two years.
Todd: Wow! You lived in Italy too.
Roe: Right, right. So all together I've lived in a foreign country for nine and a half
years.
Todd: Wow! That's amazing. So did you live in America before you lived in Italy?

Roe: I was in Italy when I was 9 years old, no actually 7 years old to 9 years old.
Todd: Did you learn Italian?
Roe: A little bit. Basically slangs.
Todd: Wow, so then how old were you when you moved to America?
Roe: Yeah, I was 17. I was on a exchange program for when I went to Idaho.
Todd: Wow, what did you think when you first got to America?
Roe: OK. I bought new clothing cause my image was like L.A., New York, but it was
Idaho, but I didn't know what to expect, and I got of from the airplane and I said to
myself, "Oh, my god!". There was nothing there.
Todd: Yeah, so was it flat. Was it flat.
Roe: It was flat. I saw, There was...I remember the sun going down cause it was
nothing, really nothing: a flat space, 360 degrees, an airport, cowboys.
Todd: Cowboys!
Roe: Potatoes. Real Cowboys. Spuds.
Todd: So Idaho is cowboys and potatoes.
Roe: Exactly. That's all. About.
Todd: Do you still like potatoes?
Roe: I stopped eating spuds since I came back cause I ate it everyday. You go to 31
Ice-cream shop and there they have spuds ice-cream.
Todd: Wow. So spud means potato.
Roe: Yeah, spud, it's like Idaho English.
Todd: Wow. And how about cowboys. Did you become a real cowboy?
Roe: I started to grow my hair, cause if you had short hair, people used to call you
like a new-waver, like faggots. It was kind of a little disaster for somebody different to
live.
Todd: Yeah, for sure, that would be really harsh. So tell me about your family
Roe: My family! I have two brothers and a sister, and my father passed away three
years ago and my mom is working.
Todd: OK, Do you miss idaho?

Roe: Friends. I've made some best friends in Idaho actually.

Todd: Really.
Roe: Yeah, actually, I've lived in L.A., Washington State, but Idaho.
Todd: When is the last time you were in Idaho?
Roe: When I, that's when I finished my program, so a long time ago. 10, wow, 12, 13
years ago.
Todd: Wow, that is a long time. OK, and where do you live now?
Roe: I live in Yokohama.
Todd: Yokohama