📙 Part 2: Describe a time when you used a map (e.g., paper or electronic)

You should say: when you used the map, where you were, why you used the paper map, and explain how you felt about the experience.

This episode's vocabulary

Semblance (noun) - a situation or condition that is similar to what is wanted or expected, but is not exactly as hoped for.

To nestle (verb) - to be in, or put something in, a protected position, with bigger things around it.

Flats (plural noun) - land that has no hills or mountains.

Surrounding (adj.) - that is everywhere around something.

Chaotic (adj.) - a state of total confusion with no order.

Track (noun) - a path or rough road that is made of soil rather than having a surface covered with stone or other material.

Pedestrian (noun) - a person who is walking, especially in an area where vehicles go.

Hindsight (noun) - the ability to understand an event or situation only after it has happened.

Questions and Answers

M: Ha-ha, well, I had a great time when I went to Italy and my friend and I were trying to find a gym that we were looking for. For a bit of background, I went to stay with some friends in Naples for a few weeks at the start of the year and teach it at their school. Since it was a working holiday, I wanted to have some semblance of a routine. So I wanted to find a gym nearby, neither of the friends that I was staying with go regularly, so they had no idea where to find one. And they start hunting around and asking your colleagues. And after a few days, someone at school sent us directions to find a place and we went hunting for it. You think it would have been a fairly straightforward experience. However businesses in Naples are very informal with their directions and business information. So it felt like we had to go into the back of beyond to find the place. But sure enough, there it was sort of nestled amongst some flats. Apparently, it's a family-owned business. So it looks like it's flats on the map, or at least on Google Maps, which is what we were using. But in actual fact, it's this really big place with everything from yoga studios to weight rooms to, I don't know, cardio, cardio installations, I suppose. To say more about where it was exactly, we weren't in Naples proper, but one of the surrounding townships called Aversa. It's pretty rough and ready, like a lot of towns in the south, but it has everything you need to live reasonably well. Though, I wouldn't like to live there long term due to things like the weather and the pollution. The streets are also pretty chaotic, which is actually the reason why we use the map to begin with. Aside from that, it was a fairly standard process of just following the directions and trying not to be put off by all the signs from the surroundings that we were actually on the wrong track, trying to find the place. When it comes to how I felt about how it went, well, the map aspect wasn't too big of a deal. It was more of the stress of remembering the route and avoiding being hit by cars. Italian drivers in the South have an interesting relationship with pedestrians and follow the rules. In that, they tend not to see them until the last moment. If I had to do it again. I think I'd have had more confidence where I was going since it seems so obvious in hindsight.

M: And what about your friends? Were they okay using a map?

R: They were less okay than I was but we made it through in the end.

Discussion

M: Hey! Thank you, Rory, for your story! Yes, dear listener, using a map. Now you should decide when was this time in the past that you used a map. You can talk about a time when you used your smartphone and an electronic map. Like Google Maps, for example, or some other app with a map. Okay? Yeah. I loved how Rory started. He goes like ha-ha, I had a great time. So he kind of like laughed at first. It's okay, you know, speaking is informal. So you can do that. Ha-ha. I had a great time when I went to Italy.

R: And I did.

M: And we were trying to find a gym. Why a gym? Why not a restaurant?

R: I wanted to go to the gym when I was in Italy.

M: Why would you want to do that?

R: Why would I want to go to the gym? It's important to go to the gym to stay healthy.

M: Oh, my... Just... Who goes to Italy to go to a gym?

R: Well, that wasn't the express purpose of going there. I went there to teach and then I was doing all these other things on the side.

M: Ah, okay, okay. So it wasn't like you went there on holiday, right?

R: Nah.

M: Oh, okay. Not holiday. So you say like, oh, I went to Italy, I was trying to find a cafe or I was trying to find a restaurant. So past continuous. I was trying to find someplace. Then more details. I went to stay with friends in Naples. So I stayed in a hotel. I stayed with friends, I stayed with me, I don't know, Italian grandmother. So I wanted to find a cafe near my hotel, for example. So near my hotel, nearby. I had no idea where to find one. So I had no idea where to find a station, like a train station or I had no idea where to find this restaurant. So I had to use a map, you can say that my friend gave me directions to find this place. Right? Or friends, my, I don't know, my mom gave me directions to find. So you follow directions to find a place. And I went hunting for it.

R: Yeah, you use a map to go hunting for something. Well, it helps you when you're hunting for something, you're searching.

M: Yeah, you kind of, you search for this place. So I went hunting for it. So if, for example, it was difficult for you to find this restaurant in Venice. Right? So I went hunting for it. The story is in the past, so we say it should have been. So it should have been easy. It should have been easy. But it was not easy. It was quite difficult. Okay? And because the story is in the past, we use this present perfect infinitive. So it should have been easy, which means it wasn't easy. So it should have been easy, or kind of straightforward. Straightforward? Well, quite simple and easy. Yeah, but it wasn't.

R: Not just for easy, but also for straightforward as well.

M: Yeah, meaning what?

R: Well, meaning that something is easy.

M: I had to go into the back of Beyond to find the place. That's a good one.

R: Yes. Although to be honest, the back of beyond is just another way of saying what seems like the middle of nowhere or a place that you would not usually go looking in.

M: Could you give us another example?

R: Well, Maria talks about Scotland, she often makes it seem like everywhere in Scotland is in the back of beyond, but actually it's all quite close by because it's a small country.

M: So far away from any big town, the back of beyond. For example, my friends live in a village in the back of beyond, so far from this big city. And if the place is far away from the city centre, for example, you can say that I had to go into the back of beyond to find this place. This place was nestled among or amongst some flats. Okay? So there are some like blocks of flats, houses, and this place is situated like among these flats, so this place was nestled. Any other example with this nestle?

R: Nestled among just means placed in a sort of secure or tight space. Usually, birds' eggs are nestled in a nest. Or like, if you're looking for something and it's in the grass, then you would say you found it nestled among the grass or nestled among some leaves.

M: For example, this town is nestled between the mountains and the lake. So kind of like is situated between kind of like, it has its own nest, dear listener, yeah? Nest? Like birds have their nests with eggs. You can say that, oh, it's a family-owned business. For example, if you were looking for a restaurant, you were trying to find this restaurant. And it's a family-owned business. We say on the map. So on the map, it was next to the bank, for example, on the map. When you continue, you add more information. So you can say to say more about where it was exactly, it was... Yeah? Or it was one of the surrounding areas.

R: Or townships.

M: Townships?

R: Yeah. Or suburbs, really. To be honest with you, I'm not sure what Aversa's relationship to Naples is but it's somewhere nearby.

M: So kind of like it was in the suburbs, like far away from the city centre. Yeah? Like on the edge over town or a city. So it was in the suburbs, or it was in that neighbourhood, or in the South, in the east, far away from the city centre. The streets are also pretty chaotic. So imagine Naples, Italy, where the streets are chaotic. And if you aren't in some large city, maybe the streets are chaotic. They go kind of like in a chaotic kind of way. And some streets are difficult to find. For example, in Istanbul. I love Istanbul. Okay? But yeah, the streets could be pretty chaotic. And if you want to find a place in Istanbul, good luck.

R: Oh, wow. Yeah, I remember trying to find places. And it was crazy.

M: Oh, yeah, very difficult. Yeah. So make sure you make friends with some local people, so they can show you around. And you don't need a map. Yay. Just talk to people. In Turkish, obviously. Learn Turkish, then talk to them in their local language. So the streets are pretty chaotic. And this was the reason why we used the map. So it was a standard process. Like we used a map. But did you use a paper map or did you use your smartphone or some app?

R: I used Google Maps.

M: Okay, so I used Google Maps. I use my smartphone, and I have Google Maps. So I followed the directions. Or if you were with your friends, we followed the directions, we tried not to be put off by all the signs. Okay? So not to be put off by something? Kind of to stay focused on the directions you have on your map. And sometimes, like when you go along the street, there are different signs, different buildings. Yeah? And they may be different from the buildings you have on your map. So you could get put off by that. Could you give us another example with put off?

R: Well, the bad driving of some of the drivers there could have put people off from coming back. Because it is quite dangerous. Seriously. I'm surprised people don't get killed more on the roads.

M: And, for example, you could get lost. You say like, oh, it was very difficult to follow the directions and I got lost, I got a bit lost, I was on the wrong track. Or, like I followed the map closely so as not to be on the wrong track. So on the wrong track? When you kind of like, you get lost...

R: Go in the wrong direction.

M: Yeah, you go in the wrong direction. Yeah. Or, for example, you can say, I went in the wrong direction. I'm not very good with maps. So I went in the wrong direction when I was trying to find the place. And we wrap it up with feelings. When it comes to how I felt about it I was nervous, or I was pleased to find the place.

R: Pleased to find the place but not so pleased about almost dying in the car crash.

M: Yeah, or it wasn't too big of a deal. So I kind of it was okay. It was nothing special.

R: The map aspect wasn't too big of a deal.

M: Yep. Kind of like using a map, or the map aspect wasn't too big of a deal, wasn't too big of a problem.

R: Trying not to die was a bigger deal.

M: It was more the stress of remembering the route. The route? Kind of your way. My route was through a village or through a forest. So I was stressed, I was stressed out you can say, Yeah. and Rory was stressed out because there were crazy drivers all over him. And he was scared of getting hit by cars. To get hit by cars. Italian drivers are crazy in the South. Oh, yeah, in the South, they're kind of like so laid back. So relaxed. Like... And Naples, you know, like a relaxed atmosphere. Pedestrians are people who walk. So we have drivers and pedestrians without cars.

R: Well, the pedestrians could be with the cars if they're hit by them.

M: What's hindsight?

R: Oh, hindsight is when you reflect or look back on the occasion. And you're like, oh, yeah, it's obvious now that I've done this thing. But at the time it was not so obvious. So for example, teaching the class was difficult, but in hindsight, I should have been more prepared.

M: Yeah, we say hindsight.

R: In hindsight.

M: In hindsight or sometimes with hindsight. So when you look back at an event or situation, it's kind of like it happened. And then you kind of think about it. So kind of like you understand and the event or situation only after it happened. Okay? So kind of Rory used a map. And then you say, in hindsight, I could have asked my friends to help me, or in hindsight, I should have talked to the local people, but I didn't. Usually, here we use the third conditional or structures like I could have done something but I didn't, I should have done something. But I didn't. Yeah? Or something like, in hindsight...

R: In hindsight, it would have been better to plan more appropriately.

M: Yeah, but you didn't. So you didn't plan and you got lost. What helped you to organize your answer?

R: I followed the prompt again. But then I realized that I didn't actually say a lot about the location because it was near Naples. But then I wanted to go into more detail about it, which is why I said to say more about where it was exactly. And then when it comes to how I felt about how it went, and then I focus specifically on the idea of using the map because that's what the whole task was about. But that's not really the big thing that really weirded me out about this situation. And, of course, rounding off about feeling more confident next time, what I would do differently if I had to use this map again, in the same context. I think I also summarized a lot of my answers at the beginning. I was in Italy with my friends. And we were trying to find a gym. So that covers where and why. And then I give a bit of background as well. Like, why was I in Italy? What's the whole point of being there, especially now I'm in Scotland?

M: Thank you for listening! And we'll get back to you in speaking part three, where we talk about navigation.

R: Ooh.

M: Bye!

R: Bye!

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