📙 Part 2: Describe a person you know who is from a different culture

This episode's vocabulary

Unto (preposition) - to.

To be set in your ways (idiom) - not liking change in your life.

Stubborn (adj.) - a stubborn person is determined to do what he or she wants and refuses to do anything else.

Long-term (adj.) - continuing a long time into the future.

Gimmick (noun) - something that is not serious or of real value that is used to attract people's attention or interest temporarily, especially to make them buy something.

Dead-end job (noun) - a job in which there is no chance of progressing to a better, more important job.

Presence (noun) - a quality that makes people notice or admire you, even when you are not speaking.

Prosperity (noun) - the state of being successful and having a lot of money.

Questions and Answers

M: Bring it on, Rory, off you go.

R: It shouldn't be easy to pick just about anyone these days since everyone seems to be a walking culture unto themselves. However, the person I would like to talk about is Vanya, the producer of the podcast we work on together. Actually, he might be a very unique example of this because of his background. In addition to coming from Russia, and being a Russian speaker, he also lived in Cyprus and other places around the world like China. So he's had a very international lifestyle and a higher class of education and life experience than most people get in their youth actually. We first met just over three years ago, when we worked at the same company that ran a chain of language schools around Moscow and in the Moscow region. I'd been working there a lot longer than him. So I was very set in my ways, and quite stubborn. But he eventually convinced me that doing the podcast long-term was a great idea, rather than the gimmick I thought it was. We didn't actually meet in person initially, though, everything was done by email. And only then, after I asked a lot of questions, did anything actually come together. Despite my initial dislike of the idea of using technology and having a web presence, I quickly discovered that I quite liked being around him and Maria. That's one of the people who co-host the podcast with us. We share a similar sense of humour, despite our differences and background, and a roughly similar set of goals and ambitions. I think that's the proof that no matter where you come from in the world, if you share language and ideas, or at least have a general direction in life, you can find people to get along and be successful with. If I hadn't run into Vanya, I think my life would be very different and much, much more boring than it would have been otherwise. I imagine I'd still be in that dead-end job and certainly wouldn't have the presence or the prosperity that I do now. So I'm quite fortunate in that way. And I think, well, at least hopefully, other people who know him will agree with that as well. Not just about what he's done for me, but about what he's done for others as well.

M: And do your friends like this person?

R: Yes. Everyone that's met him has really enjoyed talking to him.

M: Hey, what a nice story! Now, dear listener, you know the whole team.

R: Almost the whole team.

M: Yeah. Almost the whole team. Yeah, we have Donya as well. We have Vanya, Danya.

R: Danya, Vanya, Masha and Rorochka.

Discussion

M: So describe a person you know, who is from a different culture. So, dear listener, this person should be from a different country from a different culture. So if you are from, I don't know, Thailand, this person could be from Scotland, there you go, Rory, right? Oh, dear listener, you can actually talk about Rory or me. Ah? There you go. So, could you think about this person from a different culture that you can talk about? Or you can make this person up. So you can imagine, or I think a safe option would be to talk about Rory.

R: Well, you could. And in fact, I've given a little help with how you might do that. Because even if you haven't met me, you could still do this because I said... Where was it? We first met over three years ago, when when we worked at the same company that ran a chain of language schools. But actually, we met via email first, or we communicated online.

M: True. Yeah, yeah, true. Vanya wrote an email to the teachers and you responded to the email. So this is how you met.

R: So you could say the same thing. You could say we haven't met in person, but we have met virtually.

M: Ooh.

R: So yes, if you want to use Maria or I in your in your answer, and you don't feel comfortable about lying, then just drop us a message on Instagram. And we will say yes, we'll talk for a little bit. And message back and forth online.

M: Yeah, that's a good strategy. I haven't met this person in person, but I met them virtually. And Rory said that it should be easy to pick anyone to talk about. Right? So to pick a person, if you pick a person, you choose a person and then you talk about this person, well, obviously what they do. So Vanya, the producer of the podcast, right? So we work on the podcast together. So you do need to describe their job, for example. And then like they come from Russia, they come from Egypt. And he or she lived in or he or she has lived in where or is leaving now. And you said that Vanya has a very international lifestyle and a higher class of education and life experience. Yeah.

R: Yes. So we could talk about their lifestyle, their education and their life experience, because that will be informed by the culture that they come from. So Vanya comes from a very international culture, because of all the travel that he's done, not just Russian culture.

M: We first met about three years ago, or we first met online. We first met yesterday. And then you can use Present Perfect. Like, I've known this person for a long time, or I've known this person for three years, for one week, for two days.

R: Two minutes.

M: Rory used Past Perfect because he talked about the past. So we first met three years ago when we worked in a school. I had been working there a lot longer. Right? So I had been working because he's talking about the past, right? So careful not to confuse I have been working and I had been working. Right? So when we met three years ago, I had been working them a lot longer.

R: Is it Past Perfect Continuous?

M: Oh, yeah.

R: Oh...

M: PPC, hey, Past Perfect Continuous. And then some descriptive adjectives, right? So I was very set in my ways. So Rory was very set in his ways, and quite stubborn. So if you are set in your ways, so you kind of follow your own way. You don't listen to anybody else. So you just do what you think you should do. Yeah?

R: Yes.

M: And you are quite stubborn. Stubborn meaning again, like I decided to do this, I'm going to do this. And nobody will convince me not to do this.

R: Unless it's Vanya, convincing me to do the podcast.

M: Hmm, yeah. And then like Vanya wrote an email and only one person answered this email and Rory answered this email agreeing to take part in this podcast. And Rory thought it was a great idea, rather than the gimmick, I thought it was. So what's this gimmick?

R: A gimmick is a term from advertising. It just means that it's something that's designed to get attention. It doesn't have or it's like a trick to get attention. It doesn't have any value of its own. But I was very wrong about that, wasn't I?

M: Yeah. So something like a gimmick. Some people wanted this podcast, to make this podcast to just attract more clients. Right? So it could have been a gimmick. But actually, it was a great idea.

R: And it turned into a business that stretches across the world.

M: Hey, an international business, hey, of ours.

R: It is. It's amazing.

M: We didn't actually meet in person initially. So initially, at the start, right? Everything was done by email. And then we met. You can say that I liked being around him, or I enjoy being around him. Again, if it's present or past. We share a similar sense of humour. Yeah? So why do you like this person? We share a similar sense of humour, or we have similar interests, for example.

R: So in addition to talking about the differences with someone who's from a different culture, we can talk about what we have in common with them as well.

M: Yeah, we have a lot in common, right? So we have a lot of similar interests, we have a similar set of goals, for example, and ambitions. So a similar sense of humour, a similar set of goals, a similar set of ambitions. And you know, if you don't have a similar set of goals, just say it, you know, just to use these nice phrases. And also you can say that we share a general direction in life, or the same direction in life, or we share the same language. For example, you speak English, Rory speaks English, but you are from different cultures. So maybe you share a language, yeah? And also phrasal verbs. So, dear listener, make sure you use get along. So I get along with this person, or I get along well with this person, meaning you have good relationship with this person. Yeah? And then Rory, did you use the third conditional? Did you?

R: Did I? Did it?

M: You did. You did. You really did. If I hadn't run into Vanya, my life would be very different now. So we're imagining the past. If Rory hadn't met Vanya, right? But it's not real. So we're imagining unreal past. If I hadn't run into Vanya, ran into Vanya, did you actually literally run into him?

R: No, it's a phrasal verb.

M: Yep. Kind of if I hadn't met him or her, yeah? So if I hadn't run into Vanya, my life now would be different. So it's a mixed conditional, actually. It's not the third conditional.

R: Holy cow, it's the mixed conditional.

M: Oh my gosh, yeah. So if I hadn't met him, my life would be different now. Or you can use the third conditional. If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't have started my own business, for example. The third conditional. So in the past.

R: And in fact, that might be a good exam strategy. If I hadn't met this person, then...

M: Then something, yeah?

R: Then something would have happened.

M: And you can say, I'm very fortunate, right? I'm very fortunate to have met this person. I am a lucky person. Hey! Yep. So when you describe a person, make sure you have some adjectives. Okay? So phrasal verbs. Get along well with I ran into this person three years ago, right? And adjectives to describe this person, charismatic, sociable, stubborn. We have a similar sense of humour, for example. And even if you don't, yeah, just feel free to make it up. Sweet. Rory, what helped you organize your answer?

R: What did help me organize my answer? No, it was quite easy, actually. Because this one is... Despite it being about someone from a different culture it's so broad, like just talking about who the person is, and where they're from, and how I met them, and then explain how I feel. Like it does follow that order. But I did find myself running out of things to say at the very end. And that's when I switched my strategy of, if I hadn't met Vanya, or if I hadn't run into Vanya, my life would be very different. And then talking about that in a bit more detail as well. But the simple structure does give us lots of opportunities to use advanced-level vocabulary. For example, a walking culture unto themselves, that's a huge phrase, that just means everybody has their own culture. And then things like other collocations, like international lifestyle, higher class of education, life experience. And then talking about things that are specific to talking about personality, for example. Stubborn, and sense of humour, background, and then if we talk about something specific for advertising, then gimmick, for example. So the simple structure gives you lots of opportunities to use very advanced level of vocabulary, and just fit it in there quite nicely.

M: Hey! Yay! Thank you, Rory, for your Rory story. Thank you very much for listening! And we'll get back to you in speaking part three, when we talk about different cultures in general. Okay? Stay tuned. Bye!

R: Bye!

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