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Hello
Every week, many little things happen in the Brida Community, things which only I get to see as I facilitate all the discussions. It's the words that are said in a conversation about what happens, the gestures, the groans and the sighs people make as they try and formulate a sentence, a response. All that too is a form of language.
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My absolute highlight was the conversation between Cléa and Maxime, which will come out as a podcast later this month. Cléa, who is 16, is firmly focused on her future. Maxime, 19 as well. And through the conversation, both learned from each other. Maxime shared his first university experiences with Cléa. And Cléa simply talks about what she does in Seoul. I watch Maxime's facial expressions change from attentive listening to amazement, back to listening.
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Last month, Martin in Kassel asked a simple question. It led to a podcast and 33 discussion contributions in the Brida Conversation. When Maxime challenged him, Martin was audibly impressed. I noticed it. When Maxime read Martin's answer, he seemed happy. But I encouraged Maxime to challenge Martin further. Another audible sigh from Martin.
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Natalie explained to some of us the restaurant culture (such as it is) in Korea. Expressions of surprise, and how strange, were uttered amongst the questions trying to understand it more. And from it stems the curiosity, what's it like in other places?
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Walter had had a particularly intense week with me in Brida. "Should I comment about everything?", he asked me. The more you engage, the more you fulfil your goal.
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And then, just to add to the depth, my wife sends me this picture below. It was taken at the hotel she was staying in Maputo in Mozambique. It stems from the thought that not everybody speaks Portuguese. So, somebody in the hotel group had the bright idea to create icons explaining the hotel's services. Her comment was,
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"See if you can work out what all of these icons mean! "
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Until now, while some of the community might have solved most of them, some remain a mystery. And the next challenge is, given that English is the global language of travel, can you somehow translate the icons into English? Pictures or words? What is better?
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Brida is a funny place. Borders and age are of no consequence here. Old learn from young. Nationalities learn from each other. In some cases, we see that big issues people are concerned about are the same, no matter where we live. Then there are the differences which might divide us.
We are all people.
We all talk with each other, directly or indirectly.
Whatever the subject.
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Our themes in Brida this week:
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Old versus New
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With 33 comments, we have moved to the use of mobile phones and describing aspects of work. Martin launched this fascinating discussion.
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K-Pop
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What we see is a bunch of young people jumping energetically around and singing modern music. What we learn over time is that there is much more than meets the eye. Cléa can lift the veil a little.
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Pastries
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A pastry is just a pastry, right?
No, it's that small special delight in the morning which sets the tone for the rest of the day. Nathalie is curious.
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A project in a São Paulo school.
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São Paulo is an enormous city. You have to learn how to use it. Rosii and her colleagues created a project to teach exactly that to their classes.
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Houston, we have a problem.
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There is no place like it. Space, that hostile environment that surrounds our planet. Maxime asks, should we venture out again? The first comments have been surprising. What do you think?
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Would you like to practise speaking with others in English? As a member of the Brida Community, you can go to the Brida Café and meet me and other community members from other countries. Choose from the meetings below:
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Tuesday Get-together.
18h UTC / 19h CET (Duration 60 minutes)
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Thursday Morning Get-together.
9h UTC / 10h CET / (Duration 90 minutes)
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Hosted by me in France, meet Ismar & Lisa from Brazil, Levent in Turkey, Sebastian in Germany. The level of English is upper-intermediate.
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Nathalie in Seoul, Clarisse, Monique and Bernard in France, and Babette in Germany. We span half the globe and there is plenty to talk about.
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The level of English is intermediate.
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Thursday Afternoon Get-together
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Thursdays
13.30h UTC / 14.30h CET
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The young at heart group. Maxime and I talk about Engineering for beginners, and anything else, with a focus on being young.
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The level of English is upper-intermediate.
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Fridays
13.30h UTC / 14.30h CET
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Brazil and Europe are connected. What do we have in common? Let's find out.
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The level of English is upper-intermediate.
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Become a member of the community.
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Would you like to practise and improve your English? You can do so by joining the Brida Community. I offer a 30-day free trial and then if you like it, become a member.
With your membership, you can:
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1. Have regular meetings with me and other community members to practise and improve your English. Meeting times are flexible to suit your routines.
2. Participate in and contribute to the community conversation.
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3. Read our conversations when you want.
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4. Collaborate in global projects.
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5. Read and contribute to the Brida Journal.
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Contact me for more information or :
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