AROUND THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

 

On Wednesday 4th November, despite all  the restrictions that keep us confined to our classrooms, sitting apart  in order to keep the required safety social distance, and wearing our masks, which are now our daily uniform, we welcomed Tammy to IES Bergidum Flavium. She lives in Galicia, but she was born in USA. I guess some of you still remember her because this is not her first visit. Tammy is a Burlington English trainer and she came to our school to give us a Culture Talk in 2017, especifically on 6th June.

It was only three years ago, yet the situation was quite different.  What academic year were you in? You were three years younger and since then things have changed a lot. Back then, another visitor was also here. Do you remember Andee Kaluzna, the American volunteer from Illinois? She spent the third term with us, just like Elizabeth from Arizona had done in the second term. Well, am I getting nostalgic? Perhaps it’s because these teachers opened a window to the outside world, which is not so easy these days with the mobility restrictions. We are in a State of Alarm and  although we are not on lockdown, at least not yet, we are under nighttime curfew, so we don’t feel quite at ease. We know we are not alone in our villages and English is a wonderful tool that enables us to communicate with people worldwide. The pandemic may give us a feeling of isolation, but on the other hand, it makes us well aware of how all human beings are connected and affected by the same problems. Therefore, let’s take advantage of this universal language. Let’s learn English so that all together, regardless of the country where we were born, can come out with brilliant ideas that help us work out solutions to the current issues. Learn and share your knowledge, you will need it in the future. It’s in our power to make a better world and it’s also our responsibility.

Tammy gave the students in the first year of Bachillerato a humorous but informative talk on some cultural and linguistic curiosities. She took us on a trip Around the English-Speaking World and we stopped off at different countries such as England, Scotland, Ireland, USA, Australia and South Africa. 

Just to give an example, we learned that Prince Charles is not a hare, but the heir to the British throne, though he might be thrown to the air by his son with no hair. Gosh, I think I’m putting my foot in it. Anyway, Tammy was delighted to see the students were knowledgeable about the English-speaking countries and she is looking forward to coming back next year. The next day she sent the students a few questions to check they had been paying attention during her talk. But had they? Yes, of course. The students are willing to learn. What about you? Do you know the answers to the following questions? If you don’t know you could ask your teacher.

1. Who is the heir to the British throne?

2. What is the most common Royal Family souvenir?

3. What is the name of the Roman wall between England and Scotland?

4. Which plant is the national symbol of Scotland?

5. What did New York use to be called?

6. How do you say ‘torch’ in American English?

7. What is an Irish Hooley?

8. Which two animals are on the Australian coat of arms?

9. In Australian English, what is a ‘dunny’?

10. Which language does the word ‘trekking’ originally come from?

Hopefully, you will find some curious facts.