Chatterbox
Friendship
06/9/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Over the years, some friends come and go, but others last a lifetime. This week at Culips, we’re talking about friends. First, we talk about childhood friendships and what that can be like, and we also talk about making friends as an adult, which can be much more complicated! Harp and Maura also talk about a current topic: the effect of technology on friendships. If you’re online a lot, you might already have noticed how the Internet and social networking has changed some of your friendships. Do you still have a BFF?
| Harp: | I think the negative side of Facebook is that there are people who I didn’t want to be their friend back then, and then they find me on Facebook and I feel kind of rude not accepting their friend invitation, so sometimes I’ll accept it and then delete them a little bit later. |
| Maura: | That’s true. The word friend has kind of changed, because you used to just have a friend in your life. And then you have a friend on Facebook, which isn’t really the same. And the word friend has almost become a verb. People talk about going on Facebook and friending a person, which means that you click that you want to be friends with them. It doesn’t mean that you have any special bond or that you have anything in common. It just means that you’ve made that friend connection on Facebook. |
| Harp: | Yeah. Before I used to have a lot of friends on Facebook. But recently, in the last year or so, I’ve really cut back and deleted a lot of friends because I just want people there who I would want in my life even if Facebook didn’t exist. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Better and better | Slowly but surely |
| To block something out | To count on someone |
| Barbie | To be set |
| Drama | To make a mountain out of a molehill |
| A segue | A drawback |
| A downfall | On the other side of the globe |
| To friend someone | To go out of your way |
| To not be going anywhere |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Boots
Getting educated in Canada
05/26/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A big thank you to Carlos for asking us about education in Canada! This episode is all about that very subject. Harp and Maura talk about the Canadian public school system, and outline what college and university are in Canada. They also talk about the programs you can take and the degrees you can earn. Then they share their own experiences in school all the way from kindergarten to university and beyond!
| Harp: | People in Canada are very proud of the free public system that exists all across Canada, and they like to support it. There are very few people I know who have been to private school. |
| Maura: | Yeah, me too. There have been a lot of laws and regulations and politicians who have worked to keep the public system good and to encourage people to send their children there. |
| Harp: | Yeah. That’s true. Because private school is very expensive and we really love our public school system here. |
| Maura: | Yeah. It is usually the upper class, or the very rich Canadians, who go to private school. |
| Harp: | Yeah. Now let’s talk about our next topic, which is post-secondary education. |
| Maura: | Right. And this is just a fancy way of saying education after high school, which is also called secondary school. And post- means something that happens after. So when we talk about university or college or any other kind of degree that happens after high school, we can say post-secondary education. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To take advantage of something | A lucky duck |
| The Canadian education system vs. the Quebec education system | Vice versa |
| Post- | The difference between university and college in Canada |
| A handful | To maintain a certain average |
| A PhD | Specialized university degrees |
| To be a baby | A good route |
| To go away to school | Never say never |
| Only time will tell |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Canadian Education Centre
Customer service
05/12/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Everyone likes to get good customer service, but we don’t always get it. In this episode, we talk about tipping (where, when, and how much), and about how to handle a situation when the service was not so good. Harp and Maura also share their own perspectives of what it’s like to work in customer service. Is the customer realty always right?
| Maura: | When you go to a restaurant and you sit down, when someone takes your order and brings you your food, you should be giving them a tip at the end. Now, the amount that you tip is really up to you. |
| Harp: | Yeah, it varies. And this is where the quality of service can definitely come in, because you can leave 10% if it was bad service, or if it was really good service, you can leave 20%. |
| Maura: | Or even more. Now, when Harp says 10%, she means 10% of your bill. So, for example, if you bought a meal and it cost $10, then a 10% tip is one dollar. |
| Harp: | Now I have a question for you, Maura. |
| Maura: | I hope it’s not a more difficult math question, because I won’t be able to do it. |
| Harp: | Nope. But I’ve had this discussion with my friends. Do you tip on the amount before taxes or after taxes? |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| That very thing | How much and whom to tip in Canada |
| The bill | A grey area |
| To swear | Interac and the tip function |
| What to do when you get bad customer service | To be taken advantage of |
| The squeaky wheel gets the oil | On the other end of the line |
| Across the board | The customer is always right |
| The other side of the coin | Minimum wage |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
Canadian myths
04/28/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Many cultures around the world have traditional stories that have been told for many years. We were recently asked whether Canada has any interesting myths, so here’s an episode all about our some of our stories. We talk about Canada’s Bigfoot, a flaming ghost ship, and our lost mines. You’ll have to judge for yourself whether you think these myths are true or not. Thanks to our listeners for suggesting such great topics!
| Maura: | So Canadians have their own Bigfoot. Interesting. Now, are there any other myths that you heard out West? |
| Harp: | Yes. The other one—I love this one because I love his name—the Ogopogo. |
| Maura: | OK. The Ogopogo. I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. What is it? |
| Harp: | You’ve never heard of the Ogopogo? |
| Maura: | No, tell me about it. |
| Harp: | Well, the Ogopogo is a lake monster, and he exists in the Okanogan Lake. |
| Maura: | OK. So, I have heard of the Loch Ness Monster, which is a really famous kind of thing—monster—that lives in Scotland. It’s the same idea then, right? |
| Harp: | Exactly. The Ogopogo is similar to the Loch Ness Monster. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To see something through another person’s eyes | Word of mouth |
| That’s just a myth | Long-standing |
| Do tell | Bigfoot/sasquatc |
| That’s the thing | A hoax |
| The Ogopogo and other Canadian lake monsters | To give someone the benefit of the doubt |
| The Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait | Lost mines |
| Fishy | To lose track of something |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Canada Post
What’s your personality?
04/21/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In this episode, we talk about personality! Harp and Maura start by talking about introverts and extroverts, and the positive and negative qualities of both. They also discuss astrological signs. Do you think that when someone is born can determine their personality? Can a person’s personality change over their lifetime? Listen to this episode to hear what Harp and Maura have to say about it.
| Harp: | If we talk about extroverted people, they’re very outgoing. They’re usually telling jokes or stories, and people are listening to them. They really like being the centre of attention. They like other people’s attention to be on them. |
| Maura: | Yeah. These kinds of people are the life of the party. They’re friendly. They don’t feel shy about striking up conversation with a complete stranger. |
| Harp: | Sometimes they can come off as a little bit of a show-off, ’cause they always want to talk about themselves and their stories. |
| Maura: | Yeah. There are really pros and cons to both of these personality types. If you’re extroverted, you’re very friendly, but you can also seem, maybe, loud- mouthed or arrogant. And introverted people are thought to be more intellectual, but you could also seem, maybe, rude because you’re quiet all the time, or people might think you’re a hermit because you stay in and don’t go out very much. |
| Harp: | Yeah. And oftentimes, with introverted people, you might think they’re cold because they don’t show their feelings as much. |
| Maura: | Yeah. That’s true. But I think you really hit the nail on the head earlier, Harp, when you said that some people can be introverted and extroverted in different situations. It’s not so fixed to say that one person is always introverted and one person is always extroverted. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Cut and dried | The Perks of Being a Wallflower |
| To strike up a conversation | To come off as something |
| A hermit | To hit the nail on the head |
| The Myers-Briggs personality test | Technically |
| Zodiac signs, astrology, and horoscopes | Blood type |
| It goes to show | Like |
| It’s not an exact science | To come out of your shell |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
