Survival guides- Part Two. The answers

In August, Felicity's Study Skills High class wrote Survival Guides for their home countries.

Let us introduce the students to you in Felicity’s class: Costanza, Rakhima, Hanan, Monika, Alexey N, Louise, Laurence, Balazs, Tura, Donatella and Lino.

In last weeks Survival guides we asked you to guess what countries Tura and Donatella were talking about. Were you able to use your analytical skills?

The first person to describe her home country was Tura and the correct answer is SPAIN. Congratulations to Anonymous who posted a comment on our blog!

The second country that was described was Donatella’s. Now you know what to do and not do, when you are visiting… ITALY!
Anonymous did not get this one right, though, as they opted for Turkey.

Survival guides- Part 2

This week we asked Alexey and Louise what you should think of when you are visiting their countries;

Country one

1. We consider it the height of rudeness to eat without manners. You can’t put your elbows on the table and you have to keep your arms close to your body. It is impolite to block your neighbors view with your arms. You should never show your impatience, you have to wait for everybody to be served before you start eating. Finally, it goes without saying, you have to eat with your mouth closed.

2. It is common to have to pay to use the toilet wherever you go. There is always a cleaning lady whom you have to pay 50 cents. It is like this in cinemas, bars, restaurants, clubs etc…

3. My country is divided into two parts. There have always been problems between the two sides. Most people are okay with it, but late at night people from either side sometimes cause trouble for each other. It is like this because both sides are culturally very different. Both sides must not feel offended if they don’t want to get in trouble, and you should walk away if you see anything starting.

4. If you want to go to a restaurant in the centre of the capital, you must be careful. There are streets full of the same types of restaurants with maître d's who give you a lot of compliments.(okay that is nice) but that doesn’t mean their food is good. So it is always advisable to look in a guide book before you find your way. And you should also watch out for your clothing when you got to restaurants, bars or clubs. Some of them are very formal and you can’t get in if you are not dressed for it.

5. Last but not least, surviving in the subway. The underground is extremely dangerous at night. Some neighborhoods downtown have gangs and, if you would like to keep on living and keep your belongings, it would be better not to cross their paths. You would do much better to take a taxi when it’s too late. Taxis are not really expensive, although they start with a €4,50 minimum.

Which country are they describing?

Country 2

1. So that you don’t die just after your arrival, please keep your eyes open and watch your personal belongings while you are in places like the airport or railway stations. Pick pockets are common in this country so make sure you pay attention when out in public.
What is also common is gambling. A stranger may suggest you playing a card game or whatever. Don’t ever agree to gamble with strangers if you don’t want to lose everything you have.

2. Another thing that might kill you here is the weather. It’s freezing cold in winters and amazingly hot in summers in some areas. So, don’t forget to take some warm clothes in winter or a sun block cream in summer for some areas.

3. Due to the aforementioned weather, people often drink vodka to warm them up in the cold winters. This is the most common alcohol in this country. But be aware of fakes, some of them aren’t safe and as a consequence you could die.

4. An important cultural difference to mention is the driving style. Cutting someone up on the road is not the height of rudeness, in fact, it’s really widespread. Also, people don’t mind showing their impatience in heavy traffic by honking their horns and shouting out of their windows.

5. Another thing is people’s privacy. While people in my country are quite open, at the same time they cherish their privacy and stereotypes. Sometimes personal code is much more important then law. For example, some people don’t mind parking in places where it is forbidden just because they want to. The other thing which really ‘differs’ us from Brits is the lack of hedging, we prefer to speak our minds, and we get straight to the point without “beating around the bush” too much. It irritates most people in my country.

Which country are they describing?

So what we learned this week is that it is important to have good manners, be polite, keep an eye on your belongings, and drink vodka in cold weather.

Don't forget to look for the answers on next weeks blog!

Survival Guides- Part one. Which countries are we talking about?

Last month Felicity's Study Skills High class wrote Survival Guides for their home countries. The rest of the class then had to guess the countries being described.

Before they started, Felicity's students read a piece of writing by an Indian lady who'd moved here for university. She was giving advice to other Indian students planning to move over to the UK. Felicity's class analysed the language she'd used before they started to write their own.

This was a useful task as the students learned to use the imperative form for giving advice. They also had to use their analytical skills, and learnt about different typical cultural behaviors.

This time its Donatella and Tura’s time to give you some advice when visiting their countries:

Country one:

1. You must not feel offended if people from this country kiss you twice even though they don’t know you, that’s just a typical way of introducing themselves. You need to get used to it as soon as possible.


2. It is common to arrive late everywhere in this country. If you arrive on time you will be waiting a while for the person you are meeting. Don’t try to be on time it’s completely impossible.


3. Oil and salt are considered essentials in this country; we use it instead of the butter people use in England. Don’t feel uncomfortable if there’s a lot in every meal, people love and use them in high quantity.


4. Eating times change in every country, and in this one we have meals quite late, so it’s better to have a snack if you want to survive until the next meal. People are used to eating a lot at once and normally very healthy food. This country has very popular dishes based on rice, chicken, eggs and also potatoes.


5. Be careful! The traffic is a problem in this country, and we also drive with the right side of the road, so look twice every time you are going to cross the road and don’t be afraid when you are inside a taxi, it will be like a F1 championship
   

Which country are they describing?

Country two:

1. In this country you must not feel offended if someone forgets to thank you or to say please in each sentence; these people don’t care about it. They will entertain your request anyway.


2. When you are invited to have dinner, never show your impatience while waiting to be served; wait for the others before you start eating and resist the urge to use your mobile phone: it’s not polite. It is always advisable to finish your food to show your appreciation.


3. In this country it is common to see couples kissing in public. It is always advisable for men not to let women pay; men must look suitably kind and generous and offer everything. It is very unlikely for a couple to split the bill or let the woman pay.


4. In this country it is advisable to be overtly friendly; by the same token, you must respect older people: when you talk to someone older than you or someone you do not know very well, you must remember to use the third person as a sign of respect when speaking. You must also remember that calling people by their name is a form of confidence.


5. In this country people derive immense pleasure from watching football matches and they support their team almost always only when it wins.
   

Which country are they describing?

Don't forget to visit our blog next week so you know where to go if you want to eat and get kissed a lot, take part in a Formula 1 race and get your dinner paid for! You'll also be able to read more country survival guides....

Are you interested in the Spanish cinema and language?

It’s that time of year again; the annual London Spanish Film Festival is back for its sixth edition. The festival is a unique opportunity to see the most talked about Spanish cinema here in London, with the chance to meet award-winning directors.

The festival takes place from 24 September to 7 October at ciné lumière in South Kensington. The packed programme features 30 films and documentaries from all over Spain – including Catalunia and the Basque country. For more information, please visit the festival’s website www.londonspanishfilmfestival.com/

If you have a passion for the Spanish language, the festival is a good opportunity to practise your language skills! You might also want to consider one of IH London’s evening Spanish courses starting from 4 October www.ihlondon.com/learn-spanish-17/

As one of the festival’s sponsors, IH London is delighted to be screening three of the festival’s film for FREE at our school.

Here is the programme of our free viewings:

Mónica del Raval, by Frances Betriu
Monday 27 September, 7pm

Shorts Selection
Wednesday 29 September, 7pm

La mujer sin piano, by Javier Rebollo
Monday 4 October, 7pm

Book your FREE ticket in advance to avoid disappointment via our website www.ihlondon.com/learn-a-language/london-spanish-film-festival,216,ART.html#Book

Doors open at 6pm and films start at 7pm. You are welcome to look around the school or have a drink in our café beforehand.

We look forward to seeing you all here!

IH London students sample a Brick Lane curry

From the Wimbledon Tennis Championship to a mouth-watering night of curry. Social Programme Co-ordinator James takes IH London students to one of east London's most famous streets....

"Last night, we set off for Brick Lane in search of a traditional ‘British’ curry. There were 15 of us and we worked out that there were eight different nationalities. We had made a reservation at Tayyabs, a famous Pakistani curry house.

On the way we stopped off at Tesco to buy some beer to wash our curry down. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the restaurant our hearts sank as it was very busy and there was a very long queue down the street. Even though we had a reservation for 7:30pm, we still had to wait a further 20 minutes for our table to be ready. While we were waiting, the students had to look through the window at the other diners enjoying their curry. Poor Ahmed was so hungry that he was ready to eat someone.

We finally got a table downstairs for 15 people. We all had poppadoms and samosas for a starter. Everyone decided to each choose one dish and then dig in to everyone else’s. We all tried naan, which is a traditional bread, and pilau rice. JJ decided to have a garlic naan, but luckily he wasn’t planning on kissing anyone that night.

Ahmed suggested we should all eat with our right hand as is the custom, but everyone opted to use a knife and fork. Susanna had to drink a lot of Coke and water because she found the curry very hot. The service was very good and the waiters were all really helpful. The food itself was excellent and everyone was extremely full or as Ahmed put “completely stuffed” at the end.

After eating a lot, everyone took a stroll along Brick Lane to let our food digest and to soak up the atmosphere of the area. All in all, it was a most enjoyable evening."

Students enjoy an 'ace' day out at Wimbledon

IH London runs a busy Social Programme for our English language students. There are events nearly every evening and weekend - from theatre trips to football games, and cream teas to club nights.

This week we slapped on our sun cream and went to Wimbledon to see the world’s most famous lawn tennis tournament....

Pamela decided that she really didn’t understand the British fascination with “queuing”. Once inside the grounds, everyone took a rest on Murray Mound (formerly Henman Hill) to watch Venus Williams go crashing out on Court Number 1 on the giant screen, which was a big shock.

Most students then decided to do some more queuing at the ticket re-sale to get tickets for the main show courts. Laura and Federik went to Centre Court, where they saw the Byran brothers play.

Meanwhile most of the others opted for Court Numer 2 to see Ana Kournikova (Esteban didn’t mind missing Spain against Portugal in the World Cup as he got to see Ana in the flesh) and Martina Hingis in doubles action against two British players. Unfortunately, the British players didn’t have much of a chance. Afterwards, Neval had her cap signed by the players.

Next, everyone did a spot of shopping in the Wimbledon shop and bought some souvenirs to take back home. Margot bought a giant sized tennis ball as a present for her brother.

Mia tried some strawberries and decided to wash them down with some Pimms. Finally, after a good day out, everyone went back home contented.

Taking Chances - part 2: The answers

Last week students in Felicity's pre-advanced English class described two more danger scenarios for you. There were three possible options for survival. Did you choose the right one?

Flavia, Mohamed and Palm asked what you would do if an island you were on was struck by a Tsunami. Here's their answer:

Trying to survive by staying where you are and hiding is not a clever idea. There is normally more than one wave during a Tsunami, so the second wave would probably kill you, so if you chose this option, you wouldn’t have a cat in hell’s chance.

Looking for a wooden board is not a good idea because you don’t know when the wave will come again. If you choose this answer, you have much less chance of surviving.

Trying to climb the hill is the best thing that you could do because you will stand a much better chance of staying alive. The only thing you can do to escape from the Tsunami is to go to high ground.

Chris and Masha asked what you would do if you were in your house during an earthquake and there was a gas leak. Here's their answer:

Don’t even think about trying to escape from the house, because if you leave the house there is a 50-50 chance of getting injured or killed by rubble falling from other buildings.

Do not in any circumstances try going into the kitchen, because there are a lot of dangerous things that might cause your death rather than the earthquake.

But if you stand next to the doorframe, there is a fair chance of surviving the earthquake, as the doorframe is a strong structure, which is almost never destroyed.

This was a great exercise for practising the language associated with risks and taking chances. It included lots of common English phrases that we use in everyday life to 'weigh up' our options when making a decision.