What are you laughing at?
Where was this picture taken?
To find out, read my reply to Atsumi in Comments corner...
How was your high school reunion Jiae? I hope you had a great time reliving your school days. Did you feel nostalgic talking to your old friends? Don’t you think that as adults we forget about so many things that seemed vitally important when we were growing up? You mentioned ghost stories as one example, and it’s true. I remember, as a kid being told ghost stories and feeling that kind of deliciously spine-tingling fear that terrifies and thrills at the same time. Sometimes I think it’s the same with laughter. As a kid, and then a teenager, I remember having fits of giggles, laughing uncontrollably till my stomach hurt about silly things – at the time they seemed hilarious, but as an adult it seems to happen much less frequently. The stresses and worries of life take over, and we forget what it’s like to be a child.
When was the last time you laughed so much your stomach hurt, you couldn't breathe and tears rolled down your cheeks?
Vocabulary
nostalgia - a pleasurable but also sometimes sad feeling you get when thinking about things which happened in the past
spine-tingling - something very frightening or exciting
fits of giggles - periods of uncontrollable laughter
hilarious - extremely funny
Today I’m starting a new month of pre-sessional classes. The main focus this month is on writing research reports and giving a group presentation. For their report my students have to create a questionnaire about university life in London which they will give to other students on the course.
What kind of questions would you ask if you were creating a questionnaire for students in London?
Comments’ corner
Atsumi – I travelled in Japan last year and I, like other people it seems, found the trains incredibly efficient and punctual, particularly the ‘shinkansen’ (bullet trains). I expect that it really depends on what you are used to. In the UK, trains, tubes and buses are often delayed quite severely, so a 3-minute delay for a train would hardly count as a delay (in fact, it would almost seem early). What are the reasons for this? Well, I think it’s mainly to do with the age of some of the infrastructure here. The underground (subway/metro) is the oldest in the world, so when it was built, it wasn’t really designed to carry such a vast number of people as it does today. Our rail system developed fairly early also, so it is quite dilapidated and requires a lot of maintenance. By the way, I remember Shibuya in Tokyo and its’ famous pedestrian crossing. (That's where the picture was taken) In London, there is a very busy intersection at Oxford Circus which is currently being redesigned to imitate the Shibuya model - the idea is to stop the traffic from all directions for a minute or two to let everybody across, rather than halting traffic from first one direction then the other. Have a look here to get the idea. It remains to be seen if this will work in London – does it take into account cultural differences I wonder??
Leila, I hope you have a wonderful time in Greece. I’m lucky enough to go to Greece quite often as my sister lives in Thessaloniki. I think the idea of taking off your shoes when going into a house is widespread in many Asian countries. A few people do it here, but it’s not particularly common. I think it makes sense in terms of hygiene and keeping your house clean.
Paulraj, although where you live is not a multi-ethnic society, at least we all have this opportunity to meet online and you can, to a certain extent, get to know about other countries and cultures here. Of course, it’s not the same as a face to face meeting, but a few years ago, it would have been impossible.
Benka, was that the Exit festival? Sounds like it’s a really great event, and getting bigger all the time. I hope that commercialism doesn’t destroy it’s spirit, something which seems to happen to a lot of festivals once all the marketing people get involved and the media take over.
Ana Paola, nice to hear such positive words about your country. Does the large Japanese community in Brazil mean that it's easy to find nice Japanese food over there?
Joe, I think you’re right that people’s ideas of a place are often determined by what they see and hear in the media. It's hard to remember specifically what impression I first had of South Korea originally. I guess my first impressions were of students I taught in language schools. I was always amazed by how tough the secondary education system seemed to be compared to the UK system. I always wanted to ask about the situation with North Korea, but found that many of them didn't really want to talk about it very much. I met some really nice students though, and was able to visit some of them when I visited Seoul last year.
Hyoshil, I like your story about seeing a foreign soldier for the first time. I was surprised to find that there is a US military base in the middle of Seoul. I think that it may soon be moving, or perhaps it has moved already. My friends told me that the presence of US soldiers had caused some problems in the past. It seems really strange to have that kind of base right in the middle of a city.
Ramilton, you’re right that there is a big Brazilian community in the UK. I do know some Brazilians here, and they do a variety of jobs, form cleaner to office manager. I heard that at one point there were worries about a 'brain drain' as many graduates were leaving Brazil to work in other countries, including the UK. I don't think it's particularly easy to get a job in the UK, but language skills are one very important factor. With good language skills and relevant work experience, a Brazilian should have the same opportunity to find a job as a native speaker.
Toni, I have to agree with you about bullfighting – for me it’s barbaric, as is fox-hunting in the UK. Many people say that it is traditional and part of the culture but the question is, does that mean that it’s right? Human history has countless examples of traditions and cultural norms which most ‘civilised’ people would not accept now.
Comments
Hi Jim, I always enjoy reading your posts but unfortunately, I don't always find time to leave comments as I'm on maternity leave and have my hands full with a very active 11-month old. She is also the reason for my most recent fit of giggles and it happened in a very inappropriate moment. Roughly two months ago a friend of mine got married. Most of our friends have children of approx the same age, or rather months, so we more or less stuck together throughout the day. My daughter really enjoyed other babies' company and was rather lively, livelier than usually. Here’s what happened: we finally get to the actual ceremony. My daughter and another baby boy, a few months older than her, his parents and I are standing near the door but still very close to the bride and bridegroom. The wedding ceremony starts. Everybody's eyes are on the happy couple and everything seems perfect. But at the very moment the two are about to say 'I do' my daughter and her new boyfriend start poking at each other leaning over their respective pushchairs and - to my surprise - kissing each other. I found the scene so hilarious I couldn’t help but laugh my head off. At first I tried to keep quiet, covering my mouth with my hand and looking away but it killed me when they both started 'singing' in a high pitched voice. I started snorting in the desperate and vain attempt to silence my giggles, which only worsened things as I was caught in a vicious circle. The more I tried to calm down, the more I laughed. Needless to say, the boy’s parents started laughing too and we knew that most of the guests were looking at us, which made us laugh even more, I guess. Luckily, the ceremony was soon over and we could finally give way to our giggles, accompanied by rivers of tears. Looking back, I do realize the whole thing wasn’t that funny but it was one of those irrational moments that happen without rhyme or reason. (BTW, I have a question for you if you are so kind as to answer it. In Slovenia, most couples have both a civil and a church wedding but I don’t know how you call a person who marries couples in a registry office in English? Thank you for your answer and I’m looking forward to reading you soon.) Bye, Tamara.
Hello Jim. It seems to me an interesting task to give each other a number of questions about uni life and education. There are uncountable amount educational programs as well as internal rules and regulations, which are governing and managing universities and schools across the UK. So everyone may share point of view. If I were your student, I would ask the next questions: To what extend your uni experience does meet your expectations? In case you were a rule maker, what would you change? Why? What is the most valuable in uni life from your point of view? I wonder whether it would be evolving to ask each student to wright an essay about educational system in home country? Do you think more skillful student is leading for you or, on the contrary, depressing? Why? Bye Jim, until next time.
Hi, Jim! Although I don't remember the last time I had fits of giggles,you made me wonder whether that kind of lafter, occasionlly ,is recomanded for one's helth.If so I think it is time to work on it .I would like to put this question to English language students in London :what percentage of importance do you give your time out the university?In other words, does living in an english spoken country have much effect on your language?
Hi Jim! I've read some of your posts before, but it's my first time commenting here. I can't actually remember the last time I had a fist of giggles, I think I was seeing silly things in the Net with my brother. But I'll tell what I consider the most memorable one. I was a kid. I and a friend of mine were in the kitchen drinking water and there was a chocolate over the table. The name of the chocolate brand was very funny. So he said this name when I had water in my mouth and I started laughing uncontrollably. I couldn't help spitting water out! And I spat it out of my nose too, what made the situation even funnier. I had to leave the kitchen so that I could breathe again and stop laughing. And my friend kept trying to trick me again and again saying the name of the chocolate whenever I was drinking water. Looking back, this situation wasn't really that funny, but as Tamara said above, these things happen without rhyme or reason (I liked this expression). Bye, Henrique.
Hi Jim, You have the ability to make me feel relaxed even though it's my first time writing to you. My first impression about you is that you have candid words to say. This is what most personify what a diplomatic person is. Take care Adriana
Hello Jim! If one day you come to São Paulo you´ll see how easy is to find nice Japanese food. There are Japaneses restaurant everywhere with a fair price and delicious dishes :-). I live in a city 1 hour far from São Paulo, and every year my city holds a festival called Akimatsuri in which is celebrated the good harvest of the year. The food in this festival is amazing and so all the other events related to the Japanese culture. Anyway, the last time I laughed so much that I was breathless was about two months ago. I´m always rushing from my job to the uni and it happened that one day I forgot to take my earplugs off, you know that device that protects your hearing from the noise in a line production. So, you won´t believe but I went to the bus stop wearing the earplugs, then I took the bus still with them and I entered on the bus very happy because I found a sit and I was able to rest my tired legs. After a while, I thought bit strange ´cause I heard some giggle and felt some eyes in my direction but I didn´t mind once teens are always laughing. However, as soon as I arrived to the uni, I went to the restroom just to check out if there was something wrong. When I looked my reflexion on the mirror I burst into convulsive laugh because only then I realise I was wearing my fluorescent orange earplug. Well, it was funny but now I learnt my lesson, and the first thing I took when my day work finish is the blessed fluorescent orange earplugs :-D. Good bye, Ana Paula.
Hi Jim, I was unable to comment on your last one or two messages but I am responding to your message as soon as I had the time. In my opinion, the questions should ask: students’ age, gender, and the period of time they have been living in the UK. Further questions should ask about their experiences in University. Whether they have friends only from their own ethnicity/race and country or they have friends from the host nation as well. Also, whether they are living with other family members or on their own as this can affect their university experience. A question about social economic status (SES) is another important factor to be included in the questions. As SES can also influence students’ university life. It is past mid night and I am feeling a fair bit tired so nothing else is coming to mind. Will talk to you soon again. Take care.
Hi, Jim! Thank you very much for your reply. I know UK is the pioneer of the modern traffic system. I still remember how I was totally overwhelmed when I first saw the incredibly long “wooden” escalator at the Piccadilly Circus tube station in London. The escalator was doing a good job, but seemed to have a long history, making creaking sounds. Each time I stepped onto it, I wondered what if this escalator stopped just at the middle of this lengthy stairway, what if I had to descend or ascend the rest of the steps myself….It was a long time ago. Have they replace it with a new one? Thank you so much for the hilarious You Tube link. I laughed out loud. The funny thing is, when you are crossing there, it won’t seem that crazy. Actually I have never been bumped by anyone there. I am sure this model works well in Oxford Circus, as the gentlemanly manner is still widely respected in UK. Here is my questionnaire for students in London. (Non-academic version) What are the three essential things you cannot live without in your London life? What are the three most effective measures you will take to cope with stress in your university life? What are the three precious things you have found in London which you will definitely bring back home?
Hi Jim, My questions to the university students in London would be 1.do you like professor or Reader delivering lecture or giving power point presentation or group discussions. 2. If you like lecture specify the duration of lecture. 3. Do you like to spend in the library, specify the time and frequency you are visiting the library or like to browse the topic through internet. 4. Which one of the monument in London you like the most. Specify the reason. 5. Specify the reason for choosing to join the university in London.
Hi Jim, I don't go regularly to the cinema. But sometimes in funny films I've remained laughing when everybody is silent. A year ago in the street I said to my brother in law that he had to pay a tax for parking on the street, but I said him a wrong button of the machine. He only lose 1 euro but when I realised the silly mistake and I thought with his face I couldn't stop to laugh. I had to hold myself on a traffic light because I was alredy on the floor due my weakness at the moment of laugh. He rembers me this fact from time to time. (funny, funny, funny)
HI teacher Jim. I always thought about the high school year with alot of nostalgia.(I did not imagine that this word were written in english in the same way as in portuguese and with the same meaning) Jim, Jiae said she did not know about Edgar Allan Poe. Did you know his work? Is it known in England? In a questionaire I would ask what were the expectation of the students with the course, what are their needs and wishes, what were their life stories,how the education in general has chenged their life. Thanks.
I’ve re-written my comment because I made so many mistakes. ( sorry, Carrie) Hi Jim! My husband and I were in stitches the other day. Our son (7) came home from school and started singing on and on like this- some people think I’m a bonkers but I think I’m freak (he sometimes makes us think it’s partially correct). At the same time, he was trying to do moon walks like Michel Jackson with his distorted face, popping his stiff neck in and out, and wobbly legs were shambling all over the floor. He’d been to the Summer Show by his senior pupils, and we guess it was one of the funniest acts and he wanted to have a go. Many Koreans young and old disagree with the presence of US soldiers in Seoul and don’t want them to intervene in the domestic affairs. No body knows when they will withdraw from my country but the American army base will move into a different city soon. If I were one of your students I would make a list of questionnaires follow.. 1.Does the uni provide you with help to getting a part time job? 2.What kind of activities can I join in with except the course? 3.How many native English speakers in your class? And do they give you a hand when you are struggling with your academic English? 4.How do you hand your essays in on the line or other options? 5.Are the professors approachable and can they give you a shoulder to cry on? 6.Does the uni provide you with plenty information and feedback on any task you have done, and do you get the chance to demonstrate what you’ve leant in class? 7.Have you ever thought about changing your course? If so, why? 8.How can I get the best value from using public transport? 9.How do you get a room when you want to live by yourself? 10.Is there any day do I have to leave the dormitories if I live in it? 11.do your uni friends drink alcohol a lot? 12.How do you deal with gay or lesbian friends or students? The reason i ask is it’s less common being with gays or lesbians in some countries like mine. I must sign off now, and looking forward to your feedback.
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