at Marvin PA

Mark: Ok well here I am. I am still in Mosquito City. I have been here about a week now. I have got a job and I have become a good friend of the richest man in town. He is a great guy: Peter Bestluck and Peter has a castle just outside town and I am…he has invited me out for lunch. I have just got here. I have taken a taxi. It is quite expensive but I am making so much money in my new job (that) I don’t care. Well here is Peter’s castle. Well, here we are. I am going to go inside. Hello Peter
Peter: Hello Mark. Welcome to one of my homes.
Mark: Oh thanks. How are you?
Peter: I am feeling great. Do you like the castle?
Mark: Yeah it is beautiful. It is lovely.
Peter: It is great, isn’t it?
Mark: How old is it?
Peter: Oh it is medieval.
Mark: Right.
Peter: Hundreds of years old.
Mark: Right. Ok.
Peter: It has got an extraordinary history.
Mark: Right! Wow! Tell us about the castle.
Peter: Well, let’s pop up. I have got somebody waiting to meet you. I told her …I told her about you.
Mark: Oh! Who is she?
Peter: She is my very younger sister.
Mark: You are going to introduce me to…
Peter: There is about ten years between us as far as age is concerned.
Mark: You are going to introduce me to your sister?
Peter: Yeah. I am going to introduce you.
Mark: I would love to meet her.
Peter: She would make a very good guide.

Use this post to learn English and German at the same time.

What is that?

It is a photograph.

Who is that?

That is my father.

How old is he?

He is sixty-five.

Where does he live?

He lives in Berlin.

Who is this?

This is my mother.

How old is she?

She is sixty-one.

Do you have a brother?

Yes, I do.

Where is he?

He is in France.

How old is he?

He is thirty-eight.

What does he do?

He is an engineer, an artist, a novelist.

Who is this?

This is my sister.

Where is she?

She is in America.

What does she do?

She is a nurse.

Is she married to an American?

No , she is not.

She is not married.

She is single.

Are you married?

No, I am not.

I am divorced.

Are you divorced?

Yes, I am.

You too?

Yes, me too.

at Write Pics

The Canadian: It is a land-based rig.
The Aussie: Uh-huh.
The Canadian: And we are drilling mainly for gas.
The Aussie: M-hm.
The Canadian: Natural gas. The wells range between two thousand five hundred metres to three thousand five hundred metres in depth.
The Aussie:Wow!
The Canadian: Yeah. It is really interesting. My position is called “motor man” and it is kind of like a middle position almost like a sergeant.
The Aussie: Right ok.
The Canadian: So basically I am in charge of the three workers under me. I am in charge of all the mechanical and electrical systems. The air systems. Pretty much everything that is moving on the rig.
The Aussie: Right.
The Canadian: And also…
The Aussie: How big is the rig? It is like a big machine or?
The Canadian: It is a series of machines. The actual drilling platform itself, is called “the rig”.
The Aussie: Right.
The Canadian: It is It comprises (of) a working floor.. It is about four metres off the ground.
The Aussie: Uh-huh.
The Canadian: A derrick which is about thirty meters in height
The Aussie: Right.
The Canadian: And then you have got a system of mud tanks and pumps off to one side. There’s generators to supply electricity to the rig. Off there is a changing room. There is a catwalk where all your drilling pipe is stored on.
The Aussie: Uh-huh
The Canadian: There are various components.
The Aussie: Right.
The Canadian: All in all you are looking at maybe about a hundred and fifty square metres in area.

(the sound of bells ringing from two dogs with bells on their collars playing)

The Canadian: I am also in charge of the well control so if while you are drilling into the production zone; the area down in the earth where the gas is stored…
The Aussie: Down under?
The Canadian: Yeah. It is under really high pressure so you have to control the weight of your drilling fluid.
The Aussie: It is pretty dangerous. They have explosions sometimes?
The Canadian: Sometimes. That is called a blowout
The Aussie: Right. (to the dogs) Can you guys be quiet? Do you guys mind being quiet?
The Canadian: My job is to stop that from happening and if it goes there’s warning signs and when we get these warning signs we shut the well in …
The Aussie: Right.
The Canadian: … and we divert the flow of the drilling fluid through a system of manifolds and high pressure valves … divert it into different mud tanks and if there is any gas coming up we light a flare to burn off the excess gas.
The Aussie: Right. I have seen that in pictures of oil wells.
The Canadian: Yeah, you would have. Yeah. It is interesting work. You are dealing with geology. You are dealing with fluid dynamics. Physics.
The Aussie: Do you have a background in like engineering or anything like that…mechanical…?
The Canadian: No, actually it is pretty much learn as you go. It is always on the job training. You are learning something new every day. You don’t really stagnate at work.

at fooey

Mark: What was your name again?
Hannan: My name is Hannan Benetan.
Mark: One more time.
Mark and Hannan: Hannan.
Mark: Hannan. How do spell that?
Hannan: H-a-n-n-a-n.
Mark: H-a-n-a. Hannan. What part of Israel do you come from?
Hanan: Rishon le Zion. The same city as Eran.
Mark: Did you work in Africa as well?
Hanan: No. I work in Israel in a bakery.
Mark: That is a beautiful job.
Hanan: I make bread and pizza and …
Mark: So you have to wake up every morning very early?
Hanan: Yes.
Mark: And what time do you finish work?
Hanan: Every day I work for like ten hours. I guess sometimes twelve.
Mark: That is too long.
Hannan: Yes but it is ok. It is a good one.
Mark: You like it.
Hanan: Yeah I like it.

at Irp

Mark: What are the five elements?
Swami: The first is earth.
Mark: Earth.
Swami: The most solid. Rough is the earth.
Mark: Matter.
Swami: Matter. Matter. Subtler than that is water.
Mark: Water.
Swami: Subtler than water is fire.
Mark: Earth, water, fire.
Swami: Subtler than fire and invisible is air.
Mark: Air.
Swami: And then the fifth one is …you cannot see …you cannot perceive and that is space.
Mark: Or ether.
Swami: Ether.
Mark: Yeah.
Swami: First ether is born from the supreme self; from the atman; the supreme self; the formless infinite, which is the highest truth. From that comes first the space; the concept of space. Let there be space. Ok. This entire millions of miles of …square miles of area. So let me speak on space.
Mark: Mm
Swami: There is space. There is nothing there in that. And from space slowly the wind starts blowing and that is considered as wind. Wind you cannot see.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Space you cannot even feel but wind you can feel because it touches you.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Space you can only hear. In space if there is a sound …ooouuu…some sound… some vibration only is visible. You can only perceive through the ear… space… and through space… in space …slowly the wind blows. The wind blows. You can see the…the vision of the wind.. .also the blowing…also you can hear. And also it can touch you. If there is a cool breeze we feel “Oh there is wind. Oh it is windy.” So you have two perceptions. You can hear and you can touch. Two. And from wind comes fire. Hydrogen is but a form of wind.
Mark: Fire?
Swami: Air. Wind. Air. A form of air. Wind is air and if that burns you can see form. The nitrogen..acetylene gases and this cooking gas. Cooking gas; it is only gas. It is only like a wind.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: It is also like a wind. But if it burns you can see the form also.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And when fire is burning, DRRRR you hear the sound.
Mark: Mm. Crackling.
Swami: And and and. The sound effects.
Mark: Mm
Swami: Hot air
Mark: The heat.
Swami: You have two senses and the third one is you can see the form.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: The glowing form. There is a form you can see. So your eyes have come into operation.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Your ears were in operation for space for ether to hear the sound. Your skin was in operation.
Mark: For the wind.
Swami: For the wind to feel the touch.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And now your eyes have come into operation and you can see the form.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Three.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And from fire comes water.
Mark: Water.
Swami: Water. When water flows, firstly you can see the streams are giving the sound. The first element is air and water; you can feel. Water; you feel wet if you put water on the body, you feel water. Two. And water you can see the form. Water is a liquid If you hold it in a … It can take the form of a river. It can take the form of an ocean. It can take the form of a small lake. It can take the form of your bowl in which you take it; in the form of a glass.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Whatever form in which you can contain, it is in that form flexible. So water has form. And water has taste. You can drink it. Fire you cannot drink. Wind; there is no taste. Space anyway you cannot taste so you have the fourth sense of perception and that is the perception of taste. Your tongue has come into operation.

(Hindi or Pahari?)

Swami: Four. You have four elements. Water. And from water has ensued the earth.
Mark: Taste. Taste. Taste.
Swami: The earth. Water is sense of taste. Ok. Water is the fourth element. The fifth element is the earth, solid earth, which is the support for human beings to exist. It is support for these mountains. It is support for this vegetation. It is support even for water.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Oceans rest on the earth.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: That is the fifth element; the earth. And the earth has… the earth can sound because … when mountains… when the earth moves you can hear the sound…. The earth has the sense of sound of the first elements.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And the earth also has the sense of touch because if a stone hits you…If a stone hits you, you can see. You can feel too. And the earth’s form is there. You can see the form. These are all the forms of the earth; mountains, vegetation; everything is earthly form. And the earth you can touch also. You can taste also. It can be tasted because when you are tasting vegetation, you are tasting a piece of the earth.
Mark: Mm:
Swami: When we eat this sabji, when we eat this daal, when we eat this roti, it is but the earth. It is a produce of the earth only.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: It can be tasted and you can…and you can smell; the sense of smell; it is the fifth sense. The earth is… so your nose has come into operation. So you have the five senses.
Mark: Mm.

at Hobo pd

Miyako: Wow! She speaks really good English!
John: So do you.
Miyako: But she speaks it better than me. She speaks it much better than me.
John: I don’t think so. I think your English is just as good as hers.
Miyako: You’re just being nice.
John: I am not. Your English is great. In fact everybody in Japan speaks great English. People say they speak bad English but it’s not true. People speak great English in this country. I can’t learn any Japanese because everybody speaks such good English and everybody wants to practise their English all the time.

at walt jabsco

Mark: So Pahl what part of Cambodia do you come from?
Pahl: I come from Kompong Cham Province.
Mark: Kompong Cham. And you were born there?
Pahl: Yes, I was born there?
Mark: How far is it from Phnom Penh?
Pahl: It is about two hours.
Mark: Two hours by bus, by car?
Pahl: By taxi.
Mark: Mm-hm.
Pahl: Yes.
Mark: Is it on the coast or inland?
Pahl: No, not on the coast or inland. It is inland but along the Mekhong River.
Mark: Ok . Its on the river. Ok.
Pahl: On the way to Laos.
Mark: Right ok. And you come from a village or a big town?
Pahl: Yes. yes, I come from a village.
Mark: Uh-huh. How many (are there) people in the village?
Pahl: Now, I am not sure of the population in my village because I have been away and I do not know how many people now.
Mark: But like a few hundred, a few thousand?
Pahl: Must be like one thousand people.
Mark: That is quite big. And everybody is rice farmers or…?
Pahl: Most people they do like small business and some people they do, yes, rice.
Mark: And when did you leave,..like.. how old were you when you left?
Pahl: When I left there?
Mark: Yeah.
Pahl: In 2000..I moved to Phnom Penh and I went to high school.
Mark: Right. Did you come down by yourself or with family?
Pahl: I came to Phnom Penh and lived in my sister’s house.
Mark: Uh-huh. So you finished your high school and then you got a job?
Pahl: Yes. No. After I finished high school I could not find a job because in Cambodia (there is) unemployment, you know?
Mark: Is really high.
Pahl: Yeah it is so hard to get a job so I just do small jobs and just get a little bit of money.
Mark: Casual jobs here and there like little things. Right. Ok. That is tough. A lot of people (are) in that situation.
Pahl: Yeah sure because we just woke up from genocide.
Mark: Yeah yeah. The war. How old were you when the Khmer Rouge were in power?
Pahl: I was not born
Mark: You were not born.
Pahl: But my parents lived through that situation.
Mark: What did you learn about the war?
Pahl: About the war I learned from school. But most documents are not open.
Mark: Uh-huh.
Pahl: They do not talk too much about the genocide.
Mark: Have you been to the prison? Tuol Sleng.
Pahl: Yes. I have been many times there.
Mark: It is horrible.
Pahl: Yeah. It is a horrible place to see there. You can se a lot of equipment they used to torture people..
Mark: Yeah
Pahl: And different years, different torture.
Mark: Mm.
Pahl: Yes. Come there. You will see. They had photos also. And they are arranged year by year.
Mark: Ten years ago I lived here. I was working here as an English teacher. And I visited a friend’s house. He was living in an apartment. The war was over but in that apartment many people were killed. And in the bathroom there was a bloodstain on the marble.
Pahl: Yeah. I see.
Mark: It is a very strange feeling.
Pahl: And even now there is still a stain on the floor?
Mark: Mm. Yeah.
Pahl: They did not want to clean it and make it new?
Mark: Even? It was like a stain. I guess they cleaned it but they couldn’t change the color.
Pahl: I see.
Mark: Mm.
Pahl: It sounds like a spirit.
Mark: Yeah it sounds like a ghost. Yeah. Do you see ghosts? Feel ghosts?
Pahl: Ghosts?
Mark: Yeah. Ghosts. Spirits.
Pahl: No, I never saw one but I just heard about people..they talk about this.
Mark: M-hm. In Thailand everybody talks about “Phi” they say “Phi”
Pahl: “Phi” in Thai language. “Phi”?
Mark: Say again.
Pahl: “Phi” is Thai language?
Mark: Yeah.Yeah.
Pahl: Some people if they don’t see something with their own eyes, they do not believe it.
Mark: Yeah.
Pahl: But for me I heard many times that people saw ghosts or spirits. Like that. But I cannot believe.
Mark: Until you see with your own eyes?
Pahl: Yeah.
Mark: Some people are very visual. Like they..
Pahl: Yeah. They see. yeah.
Mark: Other people like..sometimes you don’t see… but you feel.
Pahl: It can depend on the atmosphere around you. Something around you.
Mark: Yeah.
Pahl: Sometimes you don’t feel that but to see a movie that shows something horrible.
Mark: It has an effect on you.
Pahl: Yeah.
Mark: Yeah.

at tzofia

John: Hi Miyako.
Miyako: Oh, hello John. How are things? Are we still going to go to the Mexican place on Saturday night?
John: Well, I’m still going to go but Hiroko just called and she said she has a big psychology test on Monday and she isn’t going to be able to come to the restaurant because she is going to have to study all weekend.
Miyako: That’s a shame. I thought she was really nice. I was looking forward to seeing her again.
John: Yeah, it’s a pity. But there’s no way out of it.
Miyako: How do you say shikata ga nai in English?
John: I don’t know.
Miyako: John, you really have to work on your Japanese! My English is getting better and better and Yumie’s English is getting better and better and Hiroko’s English is getting better and better and your Japanese is not getting anywhere!
John: I know! I know! I have to do something about it!

at Patryck

Mark: Sorry what did you say your name was again?
Kath: My name is Kath. Short for Katherine.
Mark: Katherine. Katherine. Mark
Kath: Hello. (laughs)
Mark: What part of England are you from, Kath?
Kath: I am from a place called Surrey which is just south of London. I live in a horrible little town called Woking.
Mark: Woking?
Kath: Not very nice but I lived in Leeds for three years before I lived back there for six months.
Mark: Woking is that spellt W-o-k-i-n-g?
Kath: It is indeed. Yes.
Mark: I would say “Woking“.
Kath: Ah you would? It is a bit of a ghetto. The ghetto of Surrey we call it.
Mark: Right.
Kath: The ghetto of Surrey.
Mark: Why is that? Coz it is just..?
Kath: It is just horrible!
Nick: (laughs)
Kath: It is like full of either pikies… Do you understand “pikies”?
Mark: No.
Kath: Like horrible “chavvie” people. Do you understand chav?
Mark: No I don’t know that word either.
Kath: How would I describe a chav? Like a townie.
Mark: Pikie, townies. Yuk! Sounds awful.
Kath: Or just like “pretentious people”.
Mark: Pretentious?
Kath: I am probably more of a pretentious person than a Pikie, I would say.
Mark: It sounds there is a big subculture of gangs.
Kath: It is not that bad. To be honest I over-exaggerate it but like a lot of the south is very nice very like posh especially Surrey where I live but then you have got the horrible part but then you go up north and you go to some of the places up there; they are a lot worse. (laughs) So it is kind of all relative because I grew up there and then moved out of there I kind of didn’t like it so much.
Mark: And you moved up north?
Kath: Yeah. I moved up to Leeds because I was at university there.
Mark: And what did you study?
Kath: Psychology. So, yes, I am reading your mind. That is what many people
so they tell me and I just go “No, I am too busy thinking about myself.”
Don’t worry about it. I am only joking. (laughs). So yeah…

at manu le manu

John: Hiroko, Miyako and I are thinking of going to a Mexican restaurant in Kyoto. Do you want to come?
Hiroko: When are you going to go?
John: We don’t know. We don’t know when we are going to go.
Hiroko: I’d like to come. I’ve never had Mexican food before.
John: You should come with us.
Hiroko: Okay, but is it going to cost a lot?
John: No, it’s quite reasonable. In fact it’s pretty cheap.
Hiroko: Okay. I really want to come. When are we going to go?
John: We haven’t decided. When do you want to go?