V ponedeljek, 24. 4. 2017, sta prišla na našo šolo naravna govorca angleščine. Oba trenutno živita v Budimpešti in sta tam tudi zaposlena. Ronald prihaja iz Kalifornije, Greg pa z Irske. Ronald nam je predstavil Kalifornijo in tamkajšnje življenje, nam nekaj povedal o svojem življenju, poklicu in zakaj se je preselil v Budimpešto. Greg pa nam je pripravil več iger, v katerih smo preizkušali svoje znanje angleščine. Obe delavnici sta bili zelo zanimivi, predvsem pa poučni, zato bi lahko take stvari večkrat organizirali. Z obema predavateljema smo naredili tudi intervju.
Greg Lyons:
What is your name and where are you from?
I’m Greg Lyons and I’m from Ireland, but I was born in England and I moved to Ireland with my parents when I was three.
How did you come to Budapest, Hungary?
I used to live in Germany, but then I got bored and I went back to Ireland. I wanted to live somewhere else, but not very Western, so I wanted to go a little bit towards the East of Europe. I thought Budapest would be a good choice.
Do you speak Hungarian or learn it?
I tried to learn, I can speak a little bit. I can get by but my Hungarian isn’t perfect. My German is better, because I spend a lot of time in Austria working there and then I moved to Germany and Switzerland.
How do you like Slovenia and Hungary?
I love both of them. This is about my fifth time in Slovenia, but this is the longest time I spent here, because usually it was just a day trip. All together I was in Slovenia maybe about 5 days, but I intend to spend more time here, because it’s a lovely country.
What is your job?
I teach English.
What are your hobbies?
I’m a big football fan, Liverpool, so I like English football. I like traveling as often as possible, in my job I do it every week for about 6 months a year and then I go back to Ireland to rest. I also like reading, writing, eating and watching Youtube videos, usually documentary, history or crime.
You mentioned you like traveling. Where have you been and where do you want to go, what is your dream vacation?
I have been in England, Ireland (obviously), Germany, Switzerland, France, Hungary, Austria and now I’d like to spend more time in Slovenia to add that to my list. I really want to go to Mongolia to see the steppe, it’s beautiful. From Budapest you can go to Mongolia by train, so it will be a very exciting journey.
Ron Woodward:
What is your name and why are you here today?
My name is Ron Woodward and I’m here today to talk in English, because I’m a native speaker of English and I’m helping you to feel good about talking in English.
Where are you from?
I’m from San Francisco, California. I was born and raised there, went to elementary school, high school and university there.
And how is the high school life there?
Oh, high school life was a lot of fun. There were a lot of parties, but it was just like here. We would go for 4 years, freshman, sophmore, junior, senior and we changed classes for every subject with 5 minute breaks, one 15 minute and one 30 minute break. The best thing was our senior ball or senior prom.
How was that?
That was fantastic. We had to ask a girl for a date and me and my friends saved money for a limo and then we went to the girls’ houses. Girls gave us a rose that we put on our tuxedo and we gave them a corsage and they wore it around their wrist. Mother and father took pictures. Then we went to dinner and after that to the dance.
How do you find it in Europe, when did you move here?
I moved here 4 years ago, because my wife got a job opportunity in logistics. So we moved to Hungary and I found an opportunity to teach English in Austrian schools. This is my first school in Slovenia and I absolutely love it, it’s a very nice community.
How do you like Slovenia in general?
I love it. It reminds me of my home in Lake Tahoe. The people are really friendly, the food is good and I’m hoping to get more opportunities to be here longer.
Can you compare the life in California with life here?
I haven’t been in Slovenia long enough to figure that out, but I can compare it with Hungary. Californian people are more easy going, they’re chilling out all the time, they’re more relaxed.
What about food here and back in California?
Here I heard, that Slovenia has really good fish dishes! My favourite food in California are the fish tacos. You take the tacos, you know, the ones from Mexico, you put fish into it, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole. That’s one of my favourite dishes. And my other fun food that I like to eat when I go to Disneyland or fun parks are the corn dogs. Those are hotdogs on a stick, surrounded by a crunchy bread bed with a little bit of a honey taste. Those are some of my favourites. And, of course, pizza.
What do you do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
I like treavelling – I like to go to different countries, see where other people live. I like to understand different cultures in their countries, I find that really fascinating.
What countries do you like the most?
If I had to pick: New Zeland, Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, The Caribbean islands, all trough Europe – there are so many countries, I can’t even list them.
What about your family?
Well, I’m married *proudly shows his ringfinger*. I have a Hungarian wife. I find it interesting, that you wear your engagement ring on your left hand, just because it is closer to your heart…
Do you have some interesting facts about California that you could tell us?
Sure! I lived in San Francisco in Tahoe and in San Diego. The weather is fantastic. There is 38 million people there and you will find every nationality around the world living there. And the food is wonderful, because every nationality that lives there brings a piece of home with them and they have these authentic realfoods. I haven’t been in a Slovenian restaurant there, but I have been in an Austrian and a Hungarian one – I have a lot of Hungarian friends that live in California.
Do you ever miss California? And do you go back there?
Yes, I miss it. I go back twice a year: for Christmas and for the summer. To see my friends and family.
Thank you a lot for your answers.
