📘 Part 3: Rooms and homes

This episode's vocabulary

Interior (noun) - situated on or relating to the inside of something; inner..

Get-together (noun) - an informal gathering.

Host (noun) - a person who receives or entertains other people as guests.

To integrate (verb) - to combine two or more things in order to become more effective.

Morale (noun) - the amount of confidence felt by a person or group of people, especially when in a dangerous or difficult situation.

Stereotypical (adj.) - a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong.

Surroundings (plural noun) - the place where someone or something is and the things that are in it.

Thought-out (adj.) - if something is carefully/well/badly thought out, it is carefully/well/badly planned.

Buying power (noun) - the financial ability of a person or group to buy things

Questions and Answers

M: Why might people like to invite others to their homes?

R: Well, lots of reasons. They might want to show off what they have in their house to their friends, or they might just really want to have a party. And so you invite people to your home, if you want to have a party. Maybe they've not seen each other in quite some time, and you've made some changes to the interior. So all of these can be good reasons for having a get-together.

M: Why do people often take gifts when they visit other people's houses?

R: Well, hosting people is quite stressful and requires some preparation resources on the part of the host, so I suppose it's a nice way to say thank you, and you can do that by bringing a little something of your own.

M: And do people always bring gifts when they visit other people's houses?

R: I mean, it depends on the kind of relationship that they have, I suppose. You never, no one does everything, like 100% of the time. So there must be some reasons, like, you know the people really well, or you're there all the time, so you just get into this kind of routine. But generally speaking, it's good form to bring gifts to someone's house.

M: Who likes to stay at home more, young or older people?

R: Well, if this were 10 years ago, I'd have said old people. But honestly, it seems like everyone prefers to stay at home these days. I mean, the cost of living is so high and going out is so over-regulated. It's just not that fun anymore, or doesn't seem like it.

M: What do you think buildings will be like in the future?

R: Well, I imagine they'll probably stay the same in the sense of having like walls and ceilings and what have you. So probably what will change is the interior. It might become more energy efficient, and there will be more technology integrated into it. So those are the things that are likely to change the inside, rather than the outside.

M: What do people usually consider when they rent or buy a house?

R: Well, lots of things. For example, the location and how much it's actually going to cost as well. Price can play a key role in these things, but there's also how it fits into their plans for the future. For example, if you're planning to have children, maybe not immediately, but in the near term, or even in the long term, you might pick a place that's got more rooms than there are people, because then you'll have the space for those additions to your family. I think those are a lot of the things that, or those are the main things. And then in my country, we've got a special system for determining the quality of an area. It's not really for that, but people use it this way. So this can also have an impact on what people's... What people consider when they're looking at a place.

M: How can architects and urban planners create more sustainable living cities?

R: I really don't know, because that's not really an area that I'm very familiar with. However, if we think about things that are sustainable, they're supposed to last for a long time, so I suppose thinking about building materials that will last long but also have a minimal impact on the environment. And then we should think about things which will also have an impact on people's health as well. So things should be designed to reduce the amount of stress they're feeling, and then also, well, potentially boost their productivity or morale as well. So the design might change to reflect that too.

M: Do you agree that the kinds of homes people prefer change as they get older?

R: Well, there's this sort of stereotypical life plan of moving into an apartment and then a house as, well, as you get on in life. But I think that just might be a sort of middle-class cliche, to be honest with you. I think people pick something and then just adapt to their surroundings for the most part. That certainly seems easier and more logical than having this sort of thought-out life plan where you move based on your age, because people age at different rates and their interests change. So it doesn't seem like it would count for a lot of people. And not everybody has that buying power either.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!