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Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

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If you could swap lives with any fictional character, who would it be and why?

(e.g., If I were Harry Potter, I’d use magic to clean my house every day.)

If animals could talk, which one would be the rudest?

(e.g., If cats could talk, they’d probably insult us every time we tried to pet them.)

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Go over one’s head – To not understand something because it’s too complex.

 "The professor’s explanation went right over my head."

Be in the dark – To not know or understand what is happening.

 "We were in the dark about the changes until the last minute."

Can’t make heads or tails of it – To be completely confused by something.

"I read the instructions, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of them."

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Miss the boat – To miss an opportunity.

"I wanted to invest early, but I missed the boat."

Let it slip through your fingers – To fail to take advantage of a chance.

"He had the perfect job offer, but he let it slip through his fingers."

Left out in the cold – To be ignored or not included.

"Everyone was invited to the meeting except me—I was left out in the cold."

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Article Here: Best Markets in Oaxaca for Shopping, Food, and Artisans

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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Example: The stress of the job took a toll on his health.

Turn a blind eye (to) – To ignore something, especially something wrong.

Example: The teacher turned a blind eye to the students whispering during class.

Hit the nail on the head – To describe a situation accurately or find the exact solution.

Example: Sarah hit the nail on the head when she said we needed better communication.

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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Example: I don’t mind helping, but I draw the line at working on weekends.

Leave no stone unturned – To try every possible way to achieve something.

Example: The detectives left no stone unturned in their search for clues.

Set the record straight – To correct a misunderstanding or provide accurate information.

Example: He called a press conference to set the record straight about the rumors.

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Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

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This week, Xochitl and Jack talk about their latest weekly challenge and discuss this coming week's challenge.

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Example: She decided to bite the bullet and take the difficult exam again.

Break the ice – To do something to ease tension and make people feel comfortable.

Example: He told a funny joke to break the ice at the meeting.

Throw in the towel – To give up or quit after trying hard.

Example: After several failed attempts to fix the car, he finally threw in the towel and called a mechanic.

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Example: After missing the deadline, he had to face the music when his boss confronted him.

Jump on the bandwagon – To start supporting something because it is popular.

Example: Many companies jumped on the bandwagon of electric vehicles once they became mainstream.

Pull the plug – To stop something from continuing, often by cutting off funding or support.

Example: The investors pulled the plug on the failing startup.

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In January 2025, a Chinese tech company announced the invention of a smartphone that could communicate directly with household pets. The device, allegedly powered by advanced AI, claimed to translate barks, meows, and even hamster squeaks into human language. The company showcased a demo where a dog "asked" for more treats.

True Story:

In January 2025, Mariia Zelenina, a 22-year-old Russian mermaid performer, was attacked by a Chinese sturgeon during an aquatic show at Xishuangbanna Primitive Forest Park in China. While performing underwater, the fish suddenly inhaled her head. Zelenina managed to free herself, losing her goggles in the process. Despite some bruises and eye pain, she was taken to the hospital and is now resting. She clarified that she was not pressured to return to work and maintains a positive attitude, considering the experience a joke.

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In January 2025, a zoo in China's Guangdong province made headlines for dyeing two Chow Chow puppies to resemble pandas. Visitors initially admired the "pandas" until they noticed the animals panting and barking. The zoo later admitted to the stunt, sparking outrage and criticism from animal rights groups.

False Story:

A small town in eastern China recently claimed to have discovered a mysterious underground village dating back thousands of years. Local officials stated that residents found perfectly preserved homes, complete with ancient furnishings and pottery, after a sinkhole suddenly appeared. Archaeologists reportedly described it as one of the most significant finds in Chinese history.

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Example: The construction company was accused of cutting corners to save costs.

Go the extra mile – To make a special effort beyond what is expected.

Example: The customer service representative went the extra mile to ensure the client was satisfied.

Hit the ground running – To start a project or task with great enthusiasm and speed.

Example: The new manager hit the ground running by immediately implementing a plan to increase sales.

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Break new ground – To do something innovative or unprecedented.

Example: The scientist broke new ground in renewable energy research.

Lend support – To provide help or assistance.

Example: Several organizations lent their support to the charity event.

Draw a conclusion – To reach a decision or opinion based on evidence or reasoning.

Example: After analyzing the data, the team drew a conclusion about the market trends.

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Raise objections – To express disapproval or disagreement.

Example: Several employees raised objections to the new policy.

Cast doubt – To cause uncertainty or suspicion about something.

Example: The new evidence cast doubt on his testimony.

Hold a grudge – To maintain feelings of resentment or anger.

Example: She held a grudge against him for years after the argument.

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Pay tribute – To honor or show respect to someone or something.

Example: The president paid tribute to the fallen soldiers.

Bear responsibility – To accept or take on accountability for something.

Example: He bore responsibility for the project's failure.

Run a risk – To expose oneself to the possibility of danger or loss.

Example: You run a risk of injury if you don't warm up before exercising.

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Find links to Jack's music here:

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After a long hiatus, we're thrilled to be back in your ears with fresh energy and exciting content! In this special return episode, we catch you up on what we've been up to, share some behind-the-scenes stories, and preview what you can expect in the coming episodes. From language tips and cultural discussions to fun and engaging topics, we’re diving back into everything you love about The A to Z English Podcast.

Plus, we’re bringing a new vibe to the show with music by the incredible Eaters. Don’t miss their track "Dig Your Own Soul," which adds a groovy spark to our journey forward.

Tune in, catch up, and let’s explore the world of English together again—one letter at a time!

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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:48

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with.

00:00:52

Jack

My co-host social.

00:00:53

Jack

And today, we're doing a topic talk episode and we're talking about the future of ESL or the future of EFL English as a second language or English as a foreign language.

00:01:05

Jack

And UM.

00:01:06

Jack

I've got a lot of opinions about this social because my job is here in Korea. I teach at the university and so I'm always listening and and trying to predict what the the future of the industry might be.

00:01:25

Jack

Because it kind of greatly affects my my livelihood, my ability to have a job and earn an income.

00:01:34

Jack

And.

00:01:36

Jack

I've I've got my opinions about it. What do you what are your opinions about the future of ESL? What do you what do you think the the future might might bring?

00:01:44

Xochitl

Uhm, you know, I haven't been in the industry nearly as long as you have, Jack. So like, I kind of, I feel like by the time that, you know, because of my age, I'm I'm younger and everything. By the time I graduated college and everything like.

00:02:01

Xochitl

That that the industry was already taking the nosedive while I was, you know, in college, I would say. And, you know, the writing has been on the wall for a while, that there's especially during with the pandemic and a lot of people.

00:02:11

Jack

Yeah.

00:02:21

Xochitl

I mean the no mad lifestyle and teaching classes online and then there were certain difficulties with getting visas and staying in different countries.

00:02:31

Xochitl

During the pandemic and there were, you know, a lot of complications because of COVID that created a ripple effect of a lot of systemic changes that were, I think, already kind of on the on the fringe before, but definitely.

00:02:46

Xochitl

Kicked up uh during and after the pandemic and uh, how do I say this? I'm I'm not really sure about the future. I do know that.

00:02:57

Xochitl

It's not as lucrative a business, you know, as it used to be. I would say definitely people who are in ESL now, it's kind of like a.

00:03:06

Xochitl

A labor of love and it used to be that, you know, 20 years ago, you're starting pay in in a job like what you would get paid in Korea was the same as what you get paid now. And of course it went a lot farther 20 years ago. Yeah.

00:03:19

발표자

Right.

00:03:22

Jack

Yeah, yeah, things are more expensive now. Inflation has basically cut that by 1/3.

00:03:29

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:30

발표자

Hmm.

00:03:31

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:32

Xochitl

The buying power of that same quantity, it's just not what it used to be.

00:03:36

Jack

Thread.

00:03:38

Xochitl

So I don't know and I think that also displayed some people from, you know taking the route of moving to another country because it takes a lot of money which a lot of people also aren't aware of to to move out to another country. Yet in Korea like you get an apartment provided.

00:03:57

Xochitl

And you get a lot of benefits, but just the visa process alone, plus they reimburse you for your flight ticket after like a year of contract, but you have to pay the money.

00:04:06

Xochitl

Front and and a bunch of those related charges. You know, we're talking about hundreds or over $1000 and then.

00:04:15

발표자

MHM.

00:04:19

Xochitl

You know your pay is just so. So I think it makes a lot of people question whether they want.

00:04:24

Xochitl

To be like.

00:04:26

Xochitl

Work to the bone in some of these jobs. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it, I think on both ends, both for, you know, schools that are hiring teachers from outside of the country when they. I think it's also become a thing of why should I go through the hassle of.

00:04:43

Xochitl

Hiring someone from outside of my country and paying for their health check and paying for their visa sponsorship and all. And you know, making sure they are who they say they are doing background check and receiving all these documents and processing them like why should I go through all this trouble when I can get someone in my own country with thanks to globalization and better education tools they might.

00:05:03

Xochitl

Speak, you know perfect English and I can just get someone who already knows the culture as well and who I won't have to worry about like.

00:05:11

Xochitl

Holding their hand and walking them through the process of moving to a new country and from the teachers perspective, it's like why should I uproot my whole life? I mean, a lot of people do anyway because of the adventure.

00:05:15

발표자

Yeah.

00:05:23

Xochitl

Aspect.

00:05:24

Xochitl

But at the same time it's like.

00:05:27

Xochitl

Why should I uproot my whole life to make minimal pay? You know, when I could just.

00:05:34

Xochitl

Vacation there instead. Or you know whatever. So I think both of those things have a are having an impact on the current market. What do you think?

00:05:44

Jack

Yeah. No, I think you're right on. I think you're on target there on the mark, there's a couple. There's kind of two different.

00:05:53

Jack

Boxes that I am thinking about, the two two kind of category.

00:05:58

Jack

Worries the first one is what you were talking about. It's like there's plenty of capable people in Korea and Japan and and China who speak English, just who speak English very well, who can teach, who are who are Chinese, or who are Korean, or who are Japanese they can.

00:06:18

Jack

Teach people in their own country you know, they're like, why do you need to bring in an expensive?

00:06:26

Jack

Uh foreigner to teach English when you can get.

00:06:33

Jack

Just the same quality from someone from your country, and it's probably much cheaper to.

00:06:41

Jack

You know you you you can avoid all the other expenses. You know the the travel expenses and the the bonuses and stuff like that, that they have to offer to attract people from other countries to come here.

00:06:53

Jack

Also, I think the the fascination with like English is starting to wear off a little bit like it's not.

00:07:01

Jack

UM, I I don't know. It's it's, it's not as.

00:07:07

Jack

How can I say it's?

00:07:10

Xochitl

People are thinking like it's not, like, indispensable now that you know English.

00:07:16

Jack

Yeah. Yeah, right. It's it's, it's not. It's not as special as it maybe once was or.

00:07:23

Jack

And.

00:07:24

Jack

You you know, I mean, I I think it's it's more of a I think people are learning it because English is still the the de facto international business language like that's the way companies or people and companies will communicate with each other internationally they'll use English as the.

00:07:44

Jack

The is the the common language, but that takes me to the other side of the of the issue. The other part of the issue, which is the technology you know you can you could write a form letter in seconds using chat EPT in perfect English.

00:08:01

Jack

Whereas before you used to see really hard and understand all the grammar and then write the letter yourself, you know now you can, it'll just spit out a perfect English form letter or any letter for you immediately if you just type in a few prompts.

00:08:20

Xochitl

Goodnight.

00:08:20

Jack

And UM.

00:08:22

Jack

And that's a big change. That was a big game changer, I think. And the other thing is I think the technology is going to get better like.

00:08:33

Jack

Apps like Papago or Google Translate are able to take a foreign language and and translate it into English in a very almost perfect manner. Like it's it's quite accurate and.

00:08:52

Jack

It used to be really not inaccurate. It used to used to be nonsense. It was really funny actually, when I would read essays that were translated through Google Translate because.

00:09:05

Xochitl

Wait.

00:09:06

발표자

You know.

00:09:07

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:07

Xochitl

It was so obvious.

00:09:08

Jack

Right. You were. So yeah, it was like something like, you know, I don't know. It just just bizarre, crazy things that I that I that I that I read there and now you now now it's much it's much more accurate. So you've got tools that are that are getting better and better.

00:09:29

Jack

For for people to translate.

00:09:31

Jack

And then finally the you know in the future I think you know it's going to be to the point where you might be able to put like an air pod in your ear and and speak your native language and the other person that you're talking to is going to hear English in their earpiece and then they'll speak into.

00:09:52

Jack

Their device and the other person will hear their native language, and so conversations will be totally.

00:10:02

Jack

Capable or possible between two people who don't speak any common language. You might not be smooth, you know, as smooth as doing it in real, real time. But as the technology gets better, I think you know it might become seamless. Where?

00:10:22

Jack

The conversation is very easily had between two people.

00:10:27

Jack

Using just using technology, but I still think there's going to be a desire among a certain group of people to learn the language. Uh the old fashioned way just for their own.

00:10:43

Xochitl

Self Improvement company.

00:10:43

Jack

Shall we say?

00:10:44

Jack

Like edification, you know their own satisfaction of, of being able to say I'm a bilingual person, I speak English and I speak Chinese or or Spanish or or Japanese or whatever.

00:11:01

Jack

And they'll be able to. They'll get better positions in companies, I think because they'll be able to sit down and have a negotiation, a conversation in English with with someone and that that would be, it'll still be a benefit for people, but there's going to be other avenues that people can use other.

00:11:20

Jack

Methods that are going to be.

00:11:23

Jack

And not as good as, as uh as learning the language but still allow them to communicate on some level. And so the more that these this technology gets better and advances, the less you need there is for, you know foreign.

00:11:43

Jack

Imported foreign teachers.

00:11:46

Jack

To teach English in countries like Korea and China and Japan. And so I just see I see it becoming less and less necessary between having local people do it and then also using the technology as it gets better. And you put the comp, you combine those two together.

00:12:06

Jack

And it's to me, it's like bye bye birdie. You know, like goodbye.

00:12:13

Jack

To my job, you know? So I I worry about that. Not not that much, because I'm already, you know, almost 50 years old. So the age of retirement is not far away from me, really. So I think I'll be able to hang in there for the for the, you know. But I think I I got lucky.

00:12:32

Jack

Just.

00:12:33

Jack

I'll be one of the last of the groups of of people of my generation. My generation will be the last group that kind of does it this way and they'll some new model and some new method is going to emerge and I'm not sure if that will include foreign English teachers.

00:12:53

Jack

Or not. You know, I'm not sure. No one can tell the future, but I'm just a little bit concerned for young people teaching English in Korea, whether they're still gonna have a job 5/10/15 years from now, I'm not sure.

00:13:08

Xochitl

Are you?

00:13:10

Xochitl

UM.

00:13:12

Xochitl

How do I say this? Are you?

00:13:17

Xochitl

Are there are these positions like the one that you have? Are they tenured positions like is there like?

00:13:23

Jack

No, we we're contract workers, you know. So we, yeah, we we get two year contracts and so that you know we keep signed resign and re sign and resign 2 year contracts. So yeah there's no there's no guarantee for me that you know these if if it goes away.

00:13:27

발표자

Oh.

00:13:44

Jack

I have to.

00:13:46

Jack

You know, and I'll be. I'll be be kind of old to be looking for a new new career. You know, it would be very difficult for me to find another job. I'm not. I don't think I'm suitable, really. For anything else other than teaching English as a second language. To be honest, it's all I've done for the last 2020 years.

00:14:08

Xochitl

Right. Yeah, geez, that's absolutely wild to think about. It's like I didn't. I didn't really realize that the positions were like, like, So what? What do you mind me asking? What position? Like what is it called like? Are you are you like a professors aide or are you like a?

00:14:10

Jack

I'm scary.

00:14:28

Xochitl

OK.

00:14:28

Jack

Ohh yeah, so my official position is professor, associate professor.

00:14:35

Xochitl

OK, so you're an associate professor, so.

00:14:36

발표자

Yeah.

00:14:37

Jack

Yeah.

00:14:39

Xochitl

That's wild to me that you would have an associate professor on a two year.

00:14:44

Xochitl

Contract.

00:14:46

Jack

Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of contract workers. Yeah, 10 years, really. You know, for the PHD's, you know, people who are doing research, you know, I'm not a research. I'm not a researcher. I'm a basically a a teacher. You know, I mean, I.

00:15:05

Jack

I don't even like the word professor. You know, in America we don't.

00:15:11

Jack

If you teach at a university, you are a professor. I mean, that's basically the way that works.

00:15:17

Jack

We just have one word for it here. You know, in a lot of countries, they have a lot of different names for the different levels and I don't know what all those are in Korean, but I know that my level is not, you know, it's not the high up level, it's it's a.

00:15:34

Jack

It's it's just a, you know, I'm a contract worker. Uhm uh. But you know it's the contract has always been guaranteed, you know, so I've never worried about not getting another contract. The The what I worry about is, are those things that I was talking about before, is that when it gets to the point where we're no longer needed.

00:15:56

Jack

And the school really has to, you know, assess whether this is even necessary anymore given the new technology, given the the skills of of current teachers here in Korea, you know, do do we need these foreign?

00:16:15

Jack

This foreign faculty and that that is, you know, and I don't blame I I don't blame them either, you know, I mean, it's just like.

00:16:23

Jack

The way things progress and and things happen, you you become you become redundant. As we say in English, there's just no it's. You're not needed anymore because there are other other things or other people that can do the same thing that you're doing. And so you become kind of.

00:16:43

Jack

On uh, uh. What's the word I'm looking for? You become unnecessary, I guess.

00:16:54

Xochitl

Yeah, but uh.

00:16:58

Xochitl

Well.

00:17:00

Xochitl

I have a counterpoint actually to this thought process I that I just thought of as I was listening to you talking to this. Mm-hmm. I think as someone who grew up as a balanced bilingual, I think the language like, even if we get AI to perfectly, you know, simulate language and have a a seamless conversation between two people.

00:17:20

Xochitl

Language.

00:17:21

Xochitl

Is so.

00:17:22

Xochitl

So.

00:17:23

Xochitl

Cultural there's so many cultural aspects to learning a language, and I think those will always be important to experience and master on so many levels on economic skill because like, if you're working in business or client relations or whatever, you're going to have to know about the other.

00:17:42

Xochitl

Person's culture.

00:17:44

Xochitl

UM, as an appreciative measure, so you can truly understand the culture on a different level, like on a deeper level. There's so many reasons why I think the.

00:17:54

Xochitl

That that learning language is it has a deeply cultural component that's important, that can't be replicated through AI, and that won't be able to be replicated through a.

00:18:06

Xochitl

A person like for example a a Korean person or a Chinese person teaching English. Just like when I was in college and I was learning Mandarin Chinese, we had a professor from China visiting professor from China every year and they would have two year contracts as well and they would be part of our.

00:18:27

Xochitl

Uh, class structure and I think it was really important because they brought cultural knowledge, cultural components. They brought expressions that were only used that like our professor, who wasn't Chinese, wouldn't have like, really known. Like, he's still completely fluent Chinese. You know what I mean? But he still wouldn't have had that cultural component.

00:18:48

Xochitl

As he didn't grow up in the culture, even though he had lived abroad, even though he spoke perfect Chinese, he was lacking those cultural components that we got and appreciated so much from the visiting professor from.

00:19:02

Xochitl

I know.

00:19:04

Jack

Yeah, that's a good point that that's a great point, yeah.

00:19:04

Xochitl

And.

00:19:09

Xochitl

So I'm hoping I'm hoping that there will still be institutions that value that you know because, you know, I'm kind of thinking about getting back into the ESL game. I mean, I'm, I'm still in it. I haven't loved it because we do the podcast and we have the English corner. But just getting back into it as a full time job just because.

00:19:15

발표자

Yeah.

00:19:30

Xochitl

We we talked about this many times before, but you know, a job in Korea is like life in a bottle and there's so many benefits that are hard to come by in a job in the.

00:19:38

Xochitl

That's like great healthcare, the pension things that are just kind of becoming obsolete as benefits in any position in the US, whether it be entry level or even further up the ladder. It's like those kind of benefits were for Gen. X's and older and you can't get them really anymore as a.

00:19:58

Xochitl

Millennial or Gen. Z entering the workforce. And so I think that's something that's very attractive to me as someone looking to.

00:20:07

Xochitl

Go back to teach English. You know, full time in a foreign country. There are so many benefits that would be hard to come by here.

00:20:16

발표자

Yep.

00:20:17

Xochitl

And yeah, so it's definitely something that I'm interested in. And so I'm hoping that that aspect, the cultural aspect and the the aspects of language that can't be replicated through. I I'm hoping this.

00:20:28

Xochitl

Will still be valued.

00:20:30

Xochitl

Yeah, I can keep a job, you know.

00:20:33

Jack

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, and I think that you might be right. You know what? Because we do the idiom Academy. I mean, how are you going to? How are you going to explain how is AI going to understand the all the nuances of the of the language when you know and translate it in a way that's going to capture the nuance?

00:20:51

Jack

You know, a lot of the times when I explain an idiom or a phrasal verb meaning to a student, I have to explain the context of like the culture and say like well, in American culture we do this. And so because we do this, we say this.

00:21:08

Jack

And because, uh, this thing that we do kind of relates to what you're trying to describe, you know, metaphorically we we say this, but I mean that's a lot that's a lot of that's a that's a lot of frog leaping from.

00:21:08

Xochitl

Yep.

00:21:28

Jack

The actual you know expression to the meaning and I'm not sure the. I'm not sure that there's any AI or at least right now any any translation device that's able to really cap.

00:21:43

Jack

Sure. You know specifically the nuance of the of the meaning or the context of the meaning necessarily and that might be the thing that saves us, is that, yeah, the culture that that you're, you're not just teaching the language, you're teaching the culture and the two are.

00:21:57

Xochitl

Hopefully.

00:22:05

Jack

Are kind of woven together like a like a rug. You know, it's you can't separate them.

00:22:12

Xochitl

There's a a language is just a rich tapestry that weaves together so many things. It's it includes culture, history, expressions and so much of language is also physical. Like there's so many gestures that are unique to, you know, different countries and different languages, like in in Spanish.

00:22:32

Xochitl

In Mexico specifically, I don't know about other Spanish speaking countries, but when we're agreeing with someone while they're talking, a lot of times you like replicate and head nod with your index finger. And so when foreigners see that, they're like, what is that gesture to explain. Ohh. They're agreeing with them, but they don't want to interrupt or whatever. So they're.

00:22:47

Jack

Yeah. Yes.

00:22:52

Xochitl

You know, and similar like in Korean culture. When you hand things to an elder, you use both hands, cause that's respectful. There's so many tiny nuances, I think it would take it's.

00:23:00

발표자

Yeah.

00:23:04

Xochitl

To take at least another like 100 years for AI to get all of that down, I think so.

00:23:10

Jack

I hope so. Yeah, that would be great. That would give me enough time, plenty of time to finish my career at the same institution.

00:23:13

발표자

Yes.

00:23:22

Jack

Yeah, I mean I that that is that's the. That's the counterpoint. I mean that that, you know, I think in for simple sentences and easy stuff it's going to be the translation tools are good. But when it comes to.

00:23:35

Jack

The you know the the particular, you know, context and the nuances, I don't know if there's any AI that can really capture that properly. And so yeah, that may be the the one saving grace for for our jobs.

00:23:56

발표자

Yeah.

00:23:56

Xochitl

Yeah, well, let's hope that it is, and I'm curious to hear from our students this time. I really, really want to know what you guys think about the future of ESL, because you guys are.

00:24:09

Xochitl

Students of you know English as a foreign language. A lot of you guys are in our English corner. Which shameless plug here. Our English corner runs Monday through Friday for an hour a day and we have a lot of. We have a lot of discussions like this. This may actually be an interesting discussion to posit in English corner. Actually I'm I'm very curious to know what you guys think.

00:24:25

Jack

Yeah.

00:24:31

Xochitl

So make sure you leave us a comment down below at 8 OS englishpodcast.com shoot us an e-mail at podcast@gmail.com Jack and I really love to get your emails and make sure you join the WhatsApp and we took group to join the conversation. And again, if you're interested in our.

00:24:47

Xochitl

English corner. Make sure that you message Jack or I or the A-Z English broadcast only chat or WhatsApp and we will make sure to get back to you with more information about that and I'll see.

00:24:56

Xochitl

You next time. Bye bye.

00:24:58

Jack

Bye.

Podcast Website:

Topic Talk | The Future of ESL – A to Z English (atozenglishpodcast.com)

Social Media:

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Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Drop the Ball

"Drop the ball" is an idiom that means to make a mistake or fail to meet an obligation or responsibility. It suggests that someone has let something important slip through the cracks, leading to a failure or mishap. The phrase likely originates from sports, where dropping the ball can lead to a loss of possession or a missed opportunity.

Example:

"I really dropped the ball on that project. I forgot to submit the report on time."

Fall Off

"Fall off" can have a few different meanings depending on the context:

Literal Meaning: To physically fall from a higher place to a lower place.

Example: "Be careful on the ladder so you don't fall off."

Decrease or Decline: To experience a reduction in amount, quality, or intensity.

Example: "Sales have fallen off since the holiday season."

Lose Focus or Consistency: To stop maintaining a certain level of performance, attention, or engagement.

Example: "He was doing well in his studies, but his grades fell off after he started working part-time."

Both phrases are commonly used in everyday conversation and writing, and their meanings can often be inferred from the context in which they are used.

Podcast Website:

https://atozenglishpodcast.com/idiom-academy-drop-the-ball-and-fall-off/

Social Media:

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Facebook Group: 

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Check out our You Tube Channel:

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Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:48

Jack

Welcome to the Ados English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a fun topic talk.

00:00:57

Jack

And this one is. These are just silly questions, social and.

00:01:02

Jack

We're going to do three of them, and if you join our English corner through the WeChat group, you can also discuss these. We we discussed these questions last week, but we will discuss questions like this in the future as well. And #1 is what are your most random pet peeves?

00:01:22

Jack

We we talked.

00:01:22

Jack

About pet peeves before, but what's your like most random one? That probably no one else is annoyed by, but only you?

00:01:30

Xochitl

My most random pet peeve.

00:01:35

Xochitl

The leading the chair not pushing, as we discussed before.

00:01:39

발표자

Mm-hmm.

00:01:41

Xochitl

What's another one?

00:01:44

Xochitl

I'm trying to think I'm not too much of A picky person, so it's kind of hard for me. I hate this is kind of a like a weird one. It's not really my business, but I just hate seeing like.

00:01:57

Xochitl

Like useless men like this sounds weird, but it's kind of a pet peeve of mine when there's, like, a a woman with like like this just happened in the airport. There's a woman was literally the she she and her husband were at the airport and she had like, seven kids. And I think she's pregnant with another kid and.

00:02:17

Xochitl

He the man just like there's he was supposed to get like dinner for all the kids and the wife with his oldest son, and they just disappeared for like 2 hours and then came back with nothing.

00:02:30

Xochitl

And the kids were, like, running around and screaming, and the lady looked, like, devastated. And it was like, oh, my God, I just, you know what I mean? I hate seeing stuff like that every time I see a man, a useless partner. That's a huge piece. And it's funny because it's not really my business, but it just makes me angry.

00:02:48

Jack

Yeah, it's kind of I'm. I'm just, I think.

00:02:50

Jack

It's funny that you were.

00:02:51

Jack

Just watching that whole scenario play out and just seething, just so angry.

00:02:57

Xochitl

Yes, I was sitting across from the waiting and I was just like, oh, my God, this poor lady. And this, like, older lady sitting next to her was like, helped ended up helping her with distract her kids for a while, which was really nice. Of the older lady to step in. But it was just.

00:03:12

Xochitl

Crazy that the woman has a whole husband. That's like doing nothing.

00:03:17

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:17

Xochitl

Just absolutely insane.

00:03:19

Jack

I wonder, I wonder if my wife would have stories. And then I thought fortunately there might be some examples of me checking out for a moment, but I I try not to. I I try to, you know, we we try to divide and conquer. You know, the best that we can.

00:03:34

Xochitl

I don't think he would have been that useless like this guy was a a new level. You know what I mean? From what I've seen of you, I have a hard time believing you would have been that.

00:03:39

발표자

Yeah.

00:03:43

Xochitl

Bad.

00:03:43

Xochitl

You know, so that's a.

00:03:45

Xochitl

Big Tip team of mine and I think.

00:03:49

Xochitl

Those are those are two big ones, I.

00:03:53

Xochitl

I don't think that I have another one. I guess another, maybe third one is like noise makes me irritated really fast. So like.

00:04:04

Xochitl

I like things to be pretty quiet, but if I have to hear like a bunch of noise.

00:04:10

Xochitl

I can just get so angry quickly for no reason kind of. So that peeve is like just really noisy environments can really grate on my nerves if I'm not expecting it. You know, if I'm at like a concert or something, obviously I don't really care. You expect it to be loud, but it's.

00:04:25

Jack

Yeah, you can't really complain about the noise at a concert.

00:04:28

Xochitl

Yeah, but it's just like sudden loudness or something out of nowhere. Like it just kind of grates on my nerves.

00:04:36

Xochitl

Yeah. How about you, Jack? What are your pet peeves?

00:04:39

Jack

I've got a couple. Well, my the first one, I said this one was in another podcast too, but I it bothers me when people say, you know what I mean like that. It's like, yeah, because I'm. I'm always like, yeah, I I know exactly what you mean. You don't have to ask me. You know, I'm not stupid, but.

00:04:49

Xochitl

Yes, I remember that.

00:04:59

Jack

But it's not, that's just me projecting because people.

00:05:03

Jack

Are they're not really asking me a question. They're just, it's just a filler, right? It's it's a.

00:05:09

Xochitl

Or they're worried that they don't make sense. Like when I ask people. Ohh, do you know what I mean? Like I'm. I'm asking because I think I don't make sense.

00:05:18

Jack

Yeah, you're being like you're being an active listener. You're you're actually really, genuinely trying to be understood and making sure the other person understands you. So yeah, that that pet peeve is is just it's it's actually it's it's on me. It's not. It's my fault. It's not other people being annoying. It's just me being annoying.

00:05:38

Jack

UM.

00:05:40

Jack

Another one is that I noticed that really bothers me is when, like people, when did people stop using headphones and just start listening to their stupid phones out loud like is there?

00:05:50

발표자

Oh my God, that has not happened.

00:05:53

Xochitl

To me, at the airport. Sorry, go ahead.

00:05:55

Jack

Oh, no, I yeah, I mean, but was it music or was it, uh, talking?

00:05:59

Xochitl

Just random stuff like videos and talking and music and like and phone calls and stuff. And I'm like, why are you listening to everything out loud? Like where are your heads?

00:06:10

Jack

Yeah.

00:06:10

Xochitl

And it's so funny, because just before that I was like seeing a video and like, oh, I don't want to listen to this cause I don't have headphones. And so I'm not going to listen to it and I'll just save it for later. And then there's person next to me. He's like blasting this video and like, it's so weird, you know? Yeah.

00:06:25

Jack

I know, I know what you mean. It's it happened to me yesterday. Guy in the elevator is listening.

00:06:30

Jack

To.

00:06:30

Jack

His stupid YouTube channel about baseball or something and everyone has to listen to it. Then another person in the elevator takes their phone out and starts listening to their thing, and none of them are putting any headphones in as if we all want to.

00:06:42

Jack

Listen to your garbage.

00:06:44

Jack

You know.

00:06:44

Jack

It's like if if I wanted to listen to it, I would listen to it my myself. There's there's no is there, is there no respect anymore? What? What happened to to people? It's just.

00:06:55

Xochitl

It I just grew, actually. I grew up. You just sound like such a boomer when you said that. But it's kind of funny because my boomer dad would actually do that. We would be watching like soap operas like my mom and I would be watching soap opera. And my dad would come in listening to baseball on his iPad and just sit in the room listening to the baseball like.

00:07:15

Xochitl

In the middle of us watching soap opera and I'd be like, can you leave like or turn that off?

00:07:19

Xochitl

Off and he's like, I just want to spend time with you guys. I'm like, then put some headphones in or watch this with us or and watch that way or something. It was just so annoying because it's like we can't even hear the soap opera that we're watching cause he's too busy listening to the baseball game on full blast in the middle of the room. We were sitting in. So yeah, it's really annoying.

00:07:37

Jack

Yes, headphone headphone etiquette. Come on, people. What's the craziest thing you've ever done? I mean, this is a hard question because.

00:07:47

Jack

I've done too many crazy things, but.

00:07:50

Xochitl

Are you feeling something?

00:07:52

Xochitl

Well, maybe it's just like deciding I was gonna move to Korea. Like, I don't know where I just pulled that out of thin air. And I was like, yeah, what I could. Yeah, I'll move to Korea. That was kind of crazy, I think. Yeah. Yeah. It it ended up working out fine. Another really crazy one that I always remember is we went to Spain when I was a little kid, I was like.

00:08:12

Xochitl

9 or 10 years old and my dad.

00:08:19

Xochitl

We were like going to this castle and my dad decided to crawl up through the castle like there's there. Was this an old sewage hall hole in the castle wall and my dad decided to that we should, like, cut through.

00:08:37

Xochitl

And go through there instead of walking around the into the castle entrance like normal people.

00:08:45

Xochitl

My mom was not.

00:08:45

Jack

I think your dad the craziest thing. Your.

00:08:47

Jack

Dad's ever done.

00:08:48

Xochitl

Yes, we were little kids, but I unfortunately with Dragon and I was like, no, I don't want to do this. And then my sister and my dad were, like, getting angry at me because I was like on the verge.

00:08:57

Xochitl

Of tears because.

00:08:58

Xochitl

I was like, we're gonna get in trouble and we didn't get in trouble. By the way, somehow we did. We did that and then jumped over this like police orange mesh.

00:09:08

Xochitl

Us and just acted like we were there the whole time.

00:09:12

Jack

Wow, you guys got away with it. Nice.

00:09:13

Xochitl

Egg.

00:09:15

Xochitl

Yeah, it's. It was very weird. My dad is an insane person. So. So yeah, that was definitely a crazy thing. And I do remember it still vividly, because something that I didn't want to do and was still doing. So yeah. How about you, Jack? Crazy thing you've done.

00:09:33

Jack

That's funny. I mean, I I think probably the craziest thing I've ever done is.

00:09:39

Jack

Yeah, I I would say move to to Asia. I mean just kind of on a whim, just like I'm going to go to Thailand.

00:09:47

Jack

And teach English without any teaching experience or anything. I just I just went and.

00:09:54

Jack

Yeah, I didn't even know where Thailand was on a map. I think I could have been going to Taiwan like it didn't. I didn't even know. I I put so little thought into it.

00:10:05

Jack

I just got on a plane and and landed and hoped for the best, you know? And yeah, 20 some years later it worked out great, but it was just. It was one. It was a crazy thing because it it changed the entire.

00:10:11

Xochitl

Hmm.

00:10:22

Jack

Outcome of my life like it just said, the direction it changed the entire direction of my life, and so it took me. It took me to places that I've I never dreamed I would ever go to.

00:10:34

Jack

Or had never even heard of before. When I was a kid. So yeah, I think, yeah, travel doing doing what we did is is pretty crazy.

00:10:44

Jack

That definitely qualifies.

00:10:44

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:10:46

Xochitl

Most people never do that.

00:10:49

Jack

Yeah, I think I don't have people think about it, but they they they rarely pull the trigger and do it.

00:10:55

Jack

And.

00:10:55

Xochitl

I think the the like hardest part though from the athletes is like uh, sorry Jack, did I interrupt.

00:11:00

Xochitl

You. No, no.

00:11:01

Xochitl

OK. I was just thinking, I think the weirdest part for me is like when you get to Korea and you meet a bunch of other people who were just as crazy as you and then, like, some of them are actually crazy people because you know what I mean? There's, like, a lot of really weird expats.

00:11:11

Jack

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:11:15

Xochitl

Because.

00:11:19

Xochitl

There's a lot of weird ex. That's because it takes a certain level of audacity and craziness to do to to do that to, like, uproot your life and move somewhere else. And so there's other people who are also crazy for different reasons, though. You know what I mean? Or am I not?

00:11:37

발표자

I.

00:11:37

Jack

I have a theory about this actually because no, I know exactly what you mean.

00:11:41

Jack

There's kind of 222 groups, you know, there's like, normal. There's normal people that want an adventure and they they, they kind of do something crazy because they're like, cause it is kind of crazy to move to a country where you don't speak.

00:11:49

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:11:55

Jack

The language you don't know the culture.

00:11:58

Jack

And you're going to live there indefinitely.

00:12:01

Jack

And that's crazy. But there are also kind of crazy people that just don't fit into society back home.

00:12:10

Jack

And so they they go to another place where they can, where the local population, the local people, can't distinguish between crazy people and normal people. So there's normal people who are adventurous and then crazy people. And we all get lumped in together as foreigners.

00:12:10

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:12:30

Jack

And I always want to feel like that person over there is crazy. That person does not represent me.

00:12:37

Jack

I'm not.

00:12:38

Xochitl

Right.

00:12:39

Jack

That person, that person, is weird. That person is weird in America. That person is weird in Canada.

00:12:45

Xochitl

Yes, yes.

00:12:45

발표자

That person is.

00:12:46

Jack

A weirdo, you know, like you you. Yeah.

00:12:50

Xochitl

I had that experience with few different times. I had, like I had a lot of kind of bad experiences with other expats in Korea because you find out there's a lot of people that are there for a reason.

00:13:00

Xochitl

That is not the reason that you're there. No, they're like escaping all the bridges that you burn back in their home country, like different weird things. I I had one person that I knew that was extremely weird, like.

00:13:14

Xochitl

He was really friendly at first and then became like, really hostile and it was like super weird. And I just stopped talking like she totally misinterpreted a situation that we had. And I was like, huh, maybe I actually came off like a jerk. I feel terrible. I'm so sorry.

00:13:34

Xochitl

And she was like, no, you definitely did that on purpose. You're a horrible person. And I was like, Ohh Dang, maybe I am a horrible person. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean, you know, to do that. And then that person had the same exact problem with everyone else that we knew mutually. And I was like, oh, OK, it wasn't you.

00:13:50

Jack

And every person that she knows back home, she's had that problem.

00:13:52

Jack

With.

00:13:53

Xochitl

Yes, that's exactly what happened. And then?

00:13:57

Xochitl

What's another crazy one that happened? I had this one I had, like. It happened to me like a few different times, with different people and On the contrary, I have friends that I'm people that I met, that I'm still friends with, you know that I still stayed.

00:14:09

Xochitl

In.

00:14:09

Xochitl

Touch with, but there there was another like, there's a couple that was like super racist and I was like, Oh my God. Like they just started saying racist stuff in front of me, thinking I'd be cool.

00:14:21

Xochitl

With that, and I was like, what the heck, you know what?

00:14:24

Xochitl

I mean like.

00:14:25

Jack

No.

00:14:25

Xochitl

It was so.

00:14:26

Xochitl

Weird. And also to know like expat to like go to Korea and are racist like towards Asian people and I'm like why are you here?

00:14:35

Jack

Yeah, yeah, I that is. That is bizarre behavior. I mean, because they're, you know, they're no one. No one will take them anywhere. They they don't. They don't fit in anywhere. And it's it's like they have to, you have to fix yourself it. It's it's you can't just if you're broken in America and then you come to Korea and you.

00:14:53

Jack

Think you're going to be fixed?

00:14:54

발표자

It's.

00:14:55

Jack

It's not, it's not. It doesn't work that way. You know, you gotta fix yourself wherever you are. And but I. But I feel like they can blend in a little bit more here in, in an odd way or get away with their behavior a little bit more because people are just just chalk it up as.

00:15:14

Jack

Well, that person's a foreigner, so they don't understand, but it's like, no, it's not. Has nothing to do with them being a foreigner. They're just.

00:15:23

Jack

A weird person. They're just strange, and they behave strangely, and so they deserve they. You should avoid that person, you know, that's what.

00:15:32

Jack

I want to tell people.

00:15:32

Xochitl

Yes, I know I I've had that happen so many times. So ultimately, yeah, it's it's an interesting experience.

00:15:44

Xochitl

So I don't know listeners, let us know what the craziest thing you've ever done was. Have you ever lived in another country and also do you know about the phenomenon that Jack and I are talking about? I'm curious if you guys know what we're talking about. Leave a comment down below at AZ englishpodcast.com shoot us an e-mail at AZ englishpodcast@gmail.com and make sure to join the WeChat and also.

00:16:04

Xochitl

To talk to Jack and I directly.

00:16:06

Xochitl

Anne, Jack and I did start an English corner, as I'm sure you've heard, it's Monday through Friday for an hour a day and we have a lot of Members now. It's really cool. We get to discuss different topics just like the ones we discussed today, and everyone gets to chime in with their opinion and it's a really great time and environment to be able to practice your English.

00:16:26

Xochitl

So if you want to join us, make sure to send a message to Jack on WeChat or WhatsApp, or shoot us an e-mail at aznewspodcast@gmail.com and we'll see you guys next time. Bye bye.

00:16:36

Jack

Bye.

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Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:49

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and.

00:00:52

Jack

I'm here with my co-host social.

00:00:54

Jack

And today we have an interesting topic.

00:00:56

Jack

For you and social, I'm going to.

00:00:58

Jack

Let you introduce the topic today.

00:01:04

Xochitl

Today, we're going to talk about.

00:01:07

Xochitl

Societal pressures and expectations kind of in this upcoming generation, which includes, you know, people my age and younger, and we're going to talk about how I maybe don't want to have kids.

00:01:22

Jack

MHM.

00:01:24

Xochitl

Yeah. So I don't know what to say about that, except I guess I've gotten to an age finally.

00:01:29

Xochitl

There, you know one once people know like they ask me how old I am and once they know, you know, they they sometimes ask, you know, do I want to have kids or am I thinking about having kids? And the answer is kind of no. I mean whenever I hear screaming children, it just dries up, it dries.

00:01:50

Xochitl

The uterus right up, Jack to the side.

00:01:51

Xochitl

Of.

00:01:52

Xochitl

Something I just I hate. I I can't really stand the shrill shrieking of of joyous children. I'm just kidding. But it is it. It is really hard and and I just see there's so much responsibility. I admire people who are parents. Of course I know it's really hard.

00:02:01

Jack

Yeah.

00:02:10

Xochitl

But I do see there's so much responsibility and it kind of makes me feel like you just never know where things are gonna go. Like a lot of things are kind of out of your control when you have kids and.

00:02:25

Xochitl

It's scary because I I I I guess I always go to the darkest, you know, recess of my mind and think you know what? If someone murdered my kids or you know what? What kid murdered someone you know and and not just that. It's like every decision that you make for the rest of your life will revolve around your kids and even when your kids are adult.

00:02:36

Jack

Hmm.

00:02:49

Xochitl

You're going to worry about them every single day, and you're gonna.

00:02:54

Xochitl

Like put your energy into that bill. Never stop being your kids, you know.

00:03:00

Jack

Oh, I I know exactly what you mean. It's. But can I go back and back a little bit? Are you are you offended when people ask you that?

00:03:05

Xochitl

Oh yeah, Jack, rewind.

00:03:09

Xochitl

I don't really care but, but I know some people. Some people do get offended and I think that's their right because it's kind of like it's not really anyone's business, you know, and if.

00:03:19

Jack

Yeah, it's kind of an inappropriate question in some in some ways.

00:03:22

Jack

I feel like.

00:03:23

Xochitl

It's kind of a crazy question because it's like if I wanted kids and could have kids, wouldn't I have them right now? And then it's like, and if I didn't want kids, then why are you asking me and like?

00:03:29

Jack

You're right.

00:03:35

Xochitl

Like there's just or if I want kids and couldn't have them like, then we're just about to open a really uncomfortable can of worms, especially if you don't know me super well. Like, what if you asked me that and I have on my, like, fifth round of IVF and we know it's not gonna work anymore. And I'm like, I start sobbing my eyes out. And you just ask me, you know, if I want to have kids, you know what I mean? Like, it's just why.

00:03:55

Xochitl

I don't get why people ask that, and I and I can see like if I wanted kids and I had issues.

00:04:00

Xochitl

Conceiving I would probably be really I could easily be hurt and I can see why people would be, you know, it's a.

00:04:06

Xochitl

Weird question to ask.

00:04:07

Jack

Yeah, it seems like it kind of a dangerous area to to ask questions about, you know, because it's so personal and and also, you know, do you feel like you do, you feel obligated to explain yourself after when you say no like because I feel like just saying no is should be enough.

00:04:27

Jack

But but I I feel like you feel like you have to qualify that with like an explanation and that that's I think the crux of today's topic, right is the.

00:04:38

Jack

The this kind of idea that like you have to have kids like it's just and and I'm I'm I'm my we were talking about this before the the podcast before we started recording.

00:04:43

Xochitl

Right.

00:04:53

Jack

And uhm, I told you, I I mentioned to my daughter. I said, you know. Well, I think I told her don't have any kids or something like that. But that's a little harsh, you know? Like I mean, of course, if she wants to have kids, I I hope she has kids. And I would love to be a grand a granddad. But because then you just get to do all the fun stuff.

00:05:13

Jack

None of the hard work.

00:05:15

Xochitl

Right. You get to spoil your kids rotten and she has to discipline them.

00:05:19

Jack

Exactly. That's. I'm looking forward to that actually that's that's that's kind of the reward for going through and parenting is you get to then you get to be a grandparent but.

00:05:30

Jack

The but I just feel like like more, more and more people in your age.

00:05:34

발표자

Group.

00:05:35

Jack

Are are, are choosing not to have kids and choosing not to get married, especially women you know are are are just going into the workforce focusing on their jobs and their careers and realize that having a kid is also a full time job.

00:05:40

Jack

Hmm.

00:05:55

Jack

By itself, and I know because I've I've gone through it, my daughter, and we're coming out of, we're kind of coming out of it on the on the other end a little bit because my daughter is now 15, almost 16. So she's basically like a little adult. And, you know, all the.

00:06:13

Jack

Annoying stuff is is is done, you know, I mean it. It's lovely when they're they're little and cute, but sometimes it can be.

00:06:19

Jack

Like.

00:06:20

Jack

Exhausting. You know, I just remember my daughter crying uncontrollably for no reason in about two in the morning, and I'm just beside myself and you know.

00:06:33

Jack

Lying on the floor on her bed, bedroom in or in her bedroom, holding her hand, saying, you know, will you go to sleep if I hold your hand? And then she said yes, OK. And so I'm holding your hand. And then she finally falls asleep. And then I fall asleep and.

00:06:48

Jack

To wake up on this hardwood floor.

00:06:51

Jack

And not well rested the next day. And you know, it's just it. It's it's tough. Like I I just think like having kids going into it without, like thinking about it really and really knowing that you want to be a parent. I think some people just jump into it too too quickly.

00:07:09

Jack

Do you think?

00:07:09

Xochitl

Uh.

00:07:10

Xochitl

Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think actually some of the most responsible people are like end up not having kids because they just know I'm not trying to knock anyone who's who's had kids. I'm sure a lot of people.

00:07:24

Xochitl

Are responsible parents, but I'm just saying that a lot of people who would be responsible parents also just don't end up having kids because they think about everything that has to go into raising a child. You know, it's like a lot of effort, a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices.

00:07:42

Xochitl

And UM.

00:07:44

Xochitl

I think one of the most common arguments now for for children is or for people who don't want to have children is like, oh, you're selfish and it's.

00:07:51

Xochitl

Like, I mean, I think it's more selfish to bring a child in the world when you're not fully prepared to take care of that child.

00:07:59

Jack

Right. Being neglectful. Not to, you know, be still trying to live your selfish life because you you you have to. Once you have a kid, you, you're, it's done. It's not life is no longer about you.

00:08:13

Jack

So.

00:08:14

Jack

So you know, I I know some people that that have kids and they still want to live like they don't have kids. And you what happens is in either one of the spouses, the husband or the wife ends up, you know, doing most of the heavy lifting. Most of the work and then resentment.

00:08:15

Xochitl

Right.

00:08:34

Jack

Pros and then divorce happens and those kinds of things and.

00:08:40

Jack

That's like you said, way more selfish than just deciding not to have kids.

00:08:46

Xochitl

Right.

00:08:48

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah, I I completely agree. And I just, you know.

00:08:55

Xochitl

I just can't. I just can't. I I notice a lot less people in my generation are having kids. In fact, the the next door neighbor here at my mom's house, she just went to staying on a girls trip. She's like a she's a doctor, and her mom came over to take care.

00:09:09

Xochitl

Of her cats.

00:09:10

Xochitl

And my aunt went over there and to pick something up, I think. And the lady told her the mom of this doctor was like, it's funny, we used to take care. My, my parents generation used to take care of the of their grandkids. And now I'm taking care of my grand pets, you know.

00:09:32

Jack

That's.

00:09:33

Xochitl

And that's so true. A lot of people are just opting to have pets and not have children because all the responsibility, you can't really leave a young kid alone for that long to go on a summer trip or, you know, just so many factors that make it.

00:09:51

Xochitl

And possibly hard, especially in today's economy, to have and raise a child.

00:09:57

Jack

I think you hit on a big point there. The the economic factor is huge. The societal pressure for women to have children is very is very strong, right? Because we just talked about that. People will just randomly ask you if you're, you know, why don't you have kids and and but what they.

00:10:17

Jack

What people forget is that, like, women are discriminated against in the workforce for taking pregnancy leave.

00:10:26

Jack

You know, they're that they're, they're you. I don't want to hire a woman. Who?

00:10:26

Xochitl

Yep.

00:10:30

Jack

Was.

00:10:31

Jack

At that age of around the age that a person would have children because she's going to have to leave for for three months or six months or whatever the, you know, there's no free daycare, you have to pay for daycare. It's very expensive and and you are raising.

00:10:50

Xochitl

Yes.

00:10:52

Jack

I mean, and for the economy, you're providing another?

00:10:55

Jack

A future worker.

00:10:57

Jack

And you, but you get no benefits or respect for that all you all you get is the pressure to have the kid, but none of the help on the other end and so.

00:11:08

Jack

That's, that's what kind of makes me angry about the system is that it's it's very much designed to encourage women to have children, make more workers, but we're not going to. We're not going to consider that a job, but we're not going to consider that worthy of any benefits. You just do that on your own.

00:11:27

Xochitl

When in company.

00:11:29

Jack

And you work a full time job because these days both parents need to work just to to make ends meet.

00:11:35

Jack

So.

00:11:36

Xochitl

Right.

00:11:37

Jack

So economically, it just doesn't make sense to even have kids. And I think that a lot of people are opting out of the of having kids and and even families because they're like, well, the system is rigged. It's it's not fair. It's it doesn't value the children, the, the, the.

00:11:57

Jack

Are the the people that that raised the children and the women that that that create the children so?

00:12:03

Jack

I'm I'm very much you know, if the system changed then maybe my attitude.

00:12:09

Jack

Would change a little.

00:12:10

Jack

Bit but under the current model I just feel like I totally respect that decision for when when people say I don't want to.

00:12:19

Jack

Have.

00:12:19

Jack

Kids, I'm like, good for you. Like.

00:12:23

Jack

I think I think that's a a strong choice. It's it's a hard one to make, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

00:12:30

Xochitl

I'm curious about when you told your daughter, like, don't have kids you you want to expand on that a little bit more. I'm kind of curious about.

00:12:37

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:12:38

Jack

Yeah, I I want her to. I want her to find her happiness. You know? I don't want her to feel like she has to put her dreams on the back burner.

00:12:50

Jack

UM, just because.

00:12:54

Jack

Of some like societal norm, you know, like ohh, you're still dancing ballet it if she's still dancing ballet at 30 and it's her, career's going well. You don't have to sidetrack yourself to, you know, start a family just because society tells you to, if you if she wants to, then I totally support it.

00:13:14

Jack

But I'm not going to be one of the parents. That's like, every time I see her at Christmas, you know, start bothering her and nagging her about, you know, when are you gonna? When am I gonna get some grandkids? Like, I'll, I'll never do that. You know? So that was more of where I was coming from when I said don't have kids. I didn't really mean don't have kids. I just said.

00:13:34

Jack

Have kids when you want to have kids and if you don't, it's totally OK.

00:13:42

Xochitl

I'm curious about why that or how that conversation came up.

00:13:47

Jack

I can't remember. I I don't. I don't remember where it might have.

00:13:51

Jack

Just been an off the cuff.

00:13:53

Jack

Thing that I said to her one day. We're just, you know, we're sometimes, you know, she's a teenager, she doesn't like having.

00:14:01

Jack

Deep conversations with her dad, you know, or or mom? It's it's everything's uncomfortable, right when you're. I think I was driving her to. I was driving her to ballet, and I think it just. I just. It kind of hit me in that moment. I'm like, I've got 10 minutes to kind of she can't run away from me, you know, she has to listen.

00:14:23

Jack

So I I just gave her a little lecture right there. It wasn't a lecture. It was just I was trying to be thoughtful about it, but I was just, you know, I just wanted her to know.

00:14:33

Jack

That, that it's OK. You know, it's it's to focus on you and your career and and be a.

00:14:40

Jack

A strong woman and and you know.

00:14:43

Jack

It's it's like there's a.

00:14:44

Jack

Lot of pushback on that these days.

00:14:48

Jack

Women are supposed to be.

00:14:51

Jack

This, and men are supposed to be that, and I just think that I'm.

00:14:55

Jack

I I I feel like some of those foundations are starting to crumble a little bit, and maybe that's why there's a resurgence like a a resurgence of this, like, idea that women need to be traditional and and and and and. But I I just reject it fully. I I don't believe in that.

00:15:17

Jack

I want to I want to raise a a strong independent woman that doesn't need any man to take care of her, doesn't need to be a mother if she doesn't want to. I don't want her to feel any pressure to be anything other than what she wants to be.

00:15:34

Xochitl

MHM.

00:15:36

Xochitl

I think that's admirable. Yeah. My mom is the same way. She she got married young. She got married at 24, and she told us don't get married. Young only told us that. And and I.

00:15:50

Xochitl

I guess we.

00:15:51

Xochitl

Ended up taking it to heart. My sister always wanted to get married young, but now she's 30 and she's not married. And I'm also not married. And and I don't want to or plan to get married soon, though people have started asking me.

00:16:05

Jack

Yeah, yeah, the older generation, the boomers, right. I always ask you. Yeah.

00:16:06

Xochitl

Also and.

00:16:09

Xochitl

Yeah, like you know, I'm not too interested in getting married right away because.

00:16:14

Xochitl

It just it takes a long time and when you get married, you're picking someone that you're going to be tied to for the rest of your life. So you want to.

00:16:20

Xochitl

Make that decision wisely.

00:16:22

Jack

Yeah, yeah, I I I was 30. So I waited, you know, till I I knew. You know, when I met my wife, I kind of had had a an idea. Like, uh, in English we say an inkling. A little bit of an idea that.

00:16:36

Jack

You know, we're we're going to end up together forever. I knew it, but we waited, you know, we waited a year and a half or so, you know, dating before we decided to get married. And but. But you know it in just because it worked out really well. In my case, it's not.

00:16:57

Jack

It doesn't mean that doesn't necessarily apply to everybody. You know, everyone's unique. And so I think some people feel like the, you know, they they're looking at their watch and they're like, ohh TikTok. I gotta hurry up and get married. And they just kind of go with somebody that they're not fully.

00:17:17

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:17:17

Jack

Yeah, I I don't know there. There might be like red flags or there might be just just certain things that that maybe you're not. You're not sure about and if you're not sure, don't. If you hesitate, don't do it because once you do, you're you're in it, you know and and it's and once you have kids.

00:17:37

Jack

You're forever linked to that person, regardless of whether you stay married or not. So.

00:17:43

Jack

It's it's. It's a decision not to be taken lightly. It's it's a it's I think it's a very serious decision.

00:17:50

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah, I definitely agree. Yeah, I'm curious what our our viewers think, whether they.

00:17:59

Xochitl

You know whether they want to have kids, whether they feel the pressure to have kids and their culture, whether they feel pressure to get married, whether they got married young under pressure or had kids young under pressure and what their thoughts are about, you know, the coming general.

00:18:16

Xochitl

And and how things are different now or you know, if you're my generation or younger, what you feel is different about us and how we're growing up versus how our parents were at our age. Yeah, I'm curious. So let us know at A-Z. Englishpodcast.com leave us a comment down below. Shoot us an e-mail at AZ.

00:18:37

Xochitl

Podcast@gmail.com and make sure to join the WeChat and WhatsApp group to talk to Jack and I. And if you guys are interested.

00:18:45

Xochitl

Make sure to join our English corner. That's where you can talk to Jack and I on Monday through Friday for an hour, and there are a lot of members in our English corner now and we discussed things just like this topic and other interesting and fun topics and it's really cool. You get to practice your English and I think everyone really enjoys it.

00:19:04

Xochitl

Or if you're interested, make sure to, uh, shoot us a A we chat a WhatsApp or an e-mail and we'll talk to you guys later. Bye bye bye.

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Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:49

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are doing a vocabulary builder and social. We're going to talk about sports and activities today and I think there there are some verb differences that we use when we're talking about.

00:01:08

Jack

Certain sports and then certain kind of.

00:01:10

Jack

Sport like activities.

00:01:13

Jack

And so, like, what would we use to to describe like, basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer? Which verb do we use with with those sports?

00:01:28

Xochitl

Uh, I would say we use play with those, right, with those sports.

00:01:32

Jack

Exactly. We say I play basketball. He plays basketball, they play basketball, I play soccer. Do you?

00:01:41

Jack

Do you play any sports?

00:01:44

Xochitl

UM.

00:01:46

Xochitl

I used to.

00:01:49

Xochitl

But I don't anymore.

00:01:51

Jack

What? What did you used to? I bet you used to be on the soccer team, right?

00:01:54

Xochitl

Yeah, I used to.

00:01:55

Xochitl

Play soccer I I did used to play soccer, but I have another one and and I realize it conflicts with R2 but I used to run track.

00:01:56

Jack

Yeah.

00:02:05

Jack

Ohh, nice. Well, there's a third one we could throw in there. Yeah. Run. Run track. Yes.

00:02:06

Xochitl

Press.

00:02:10

Xochitl

I ran track or you can go. I ran cross cross country as well.

00:02:15

Jack

Ohh I ran cross country one year but I was I finished last every time I was the slowest.

00:02:20

Xochitl

I also finished last every time so I don't feel bad. I live in two last places and now it's podcast. Ohh, that's funny. Running a podcast. You also kind of run a podcast.

00:02:26

Jack

Yeah.

00:02:32

Jack

Yeah, right. We run an English corner. We run an English business.

00:02:34

Xochitl

You can run. Yeah. You run a business as well, that's just.

00:02:38

Jack

Right, yeah.

00:02:40

Xochitl

Thing.

00:02:41

Jack

OK. Yeah. So I used to, I used to play play basketball in in high school and college. That was my, my, my big sport was was basketball. But after graduating from university, I I stopped playing basketball and I, but I continued to play tennis.

00:03:01

Jack

So when?

00:03:01

Jack

When I go home to America, I play tennis with my brother. I play with my dad and I play with my mom. They they all play tennis and my dad is 75. My mom is 74, but they still play tennis almost every day, so they're very into fitness and and well and health.

00:03:22

Jack

MHM.

00:03:23

Jack

What about do what? What kind of so do is the second one and what what do we use? What activities do we use do for?

00:03:33

Xochitl

Do hmm.

00:03:37

Xochitl

I.

00:03:41

Xochitl

I do Taekwondo. I used to do Taekwondo.

00:03:44

Jack

Oh, did you do a little around self-defense? Yeah.

00:03:45

Xochitl

I did like.

00:03:48

Xochitl

A little martial arts, yeah.

00:03:49

Jack

Yeah, watch out or social's going to spin kick you around the chin.

00:03:55

Xochitl

Yeah, I actually kicked my dad once. He asked me to. So it's it was not my fault. And I told him I wouldn't do it. And then he said I would be grounded if I didn't kick him. So then I did kick him. I was a kid. I was like 13. I think I did kick him. And then he said I was grounded cause I kicked him and my mom said no, she's not.

00:04:13

Xochitl

Grow up.

00:04:15

Jack

So you your dad's like this is not going to hurt. And then it hurt really bad.

00:04:20

Xochitl

Yeah. And then he was like, you're grounded. And my mom, like, you literally forced her hand her her foot. Basically. You forced her foot so you can't play now. It was funny.

00:04:22

Jack

Grounded.

00:04:32

Jack

That's so.

00:04:33

Jack

Your dad is hilarious. That's great.

00:04:35

Xochitl

That's like crazy.

00:04:36

Jack

Yeah. So yeah, I was like martial arts, like, like, karate, Taekwondo, jujitsu. We generally say, like, we do, I do karate, I do Taekwondo. I do jujitsu.

00:04:49

발표자

Do.

00:04:50

Jack

We do not say I play those things and I guess I don't know, because maybe like martial arts is a little different. It's not necessarily like a game. It is a competition or it can be a competition.

00:05:02

Jack

But I just we just tend not to use the verb play with those because it's just, uh, it's it's a different kind of activity maybe because, like team sports, we tend to use play, although tennis can be a, a, an individual sport and we use play for tennis. So maybe if.

00:05:21

Jack

It has a ball.

00:05:23

Jack

We use play. Is that a a rule we could use?

00:05:26

Xochitl

I play. I think it's just I think the play is just cause it's a game like tennis is a game.

00:05:35

Xochitl

Basketball is a game. Soccer is a game. Football is a game. So we play those and then sports like it's not really a game. Like you said, it can be a competition or like a like a.

00:05:46

Xochitl

Uh, what do they call those? Not a skirmish, but a like a, not a duel. What do you call those when they fight against each other? A match or something. But yeah, it it can be a match or a competition of some sort. A spar. It can be a spar of some sort, but it's not. It's not a game. It's kind of a little bit more.

00:05:47

발표자

Well.

00:05:55

Jack

On match right.

00:06:07

Xochitl

Serious. Anyway, so I think that's. I think that's why we say do instead of play. I don't know. What do you think Jack?

00:06:14

Jack

Yeah, that's a good way to look at it.

00:06:16

Jack

Like you could get hurt doing it, right?

00:06:18

Xochitl

Ohh yeah, I mean you could get hurt playing.

00:06:21

Xochitl

Playing.

00:06:21

Jack

American football, of course. Yeah, that doesn't. That's not a good measure. Sorry.

00:06:26

Xochitl

But I think it's fine. I think it's just more like it's a game like like Football is a game and martial arts, it's like it's not a game in the same way, I think it's just a. It's like an art. Literally. It's an art. So.

00:06:40

Jack

Yeah. And we also use it for yoga too. Yoga and Pilates, we say do I do yoga? I do Pilates.

00:06:47

Jack

And those are those are not, because there's no, there's no competition there. It's just you're basically it's just a fitness type of thing. It's a a well-being thing, so.

00:06:58

Xochitl

Yeah. It's like a Wellness thing, yeah.

00:07:00

Jack

Yeah.

00:07:02

Jack

All right. Well, I hope we.

00:07:03

Jack

Cleared that up for everybody.

00:07:05

Xochitl

Yeah, we may have made it more confusing. Let us know in the comments if we confused you more, but hopefully our examples you know practicing with the examples that we provided will be helpful.

00:07:15

Xochitl

Well, and yeah, let us know if you have any further questions or any comments, leave them in the comments section below at azspodcast.com, shoot us an e-mail at azspodcast@gmail.com and make sure to join the lead channel. WhatsApp groups too. Join Jack and I am a conversation. We're also having an English corner from Monday to Friday 1.

00:07:35

Xochitl

Hour a day.

00:07:37

Xochitl

And it's really fun. We have a lot of people in the group now and they we have these really cool discussion questions and everyone talks is just like hanging out with friends for an hour. And it's really great. You get some feedback from Jack and I and it's a great way to practice your English practice for the IELTS and.

00:07:57

Xochitl

Anything else you might want to get in, so if you want to. If you're interested in that, make sure to message Jack on we chat or WhatsApp or shoot us an e-mail and we will see you guys next time. Bye bye.

Podcast Website:

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Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:49

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my.

00:00:52

Jack

Co-host.

00:00:53

Jack

Social and today we're going to do some funny quiz questions. And so I'm going to ask social some questions. She's going to ask me. They're kind of silly, but I think it's it'll be fun to, you know, see what our answers are.

00:01:08

Jack

And so, uh, so. So the first one is.

00:01:12

Jack

If you could teach a dog your dog duende to do 1 human thing, what would it be?

00:01:21

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:01:22

Xochitl

Uh, Jack. That one's hard because initially I want to say I want to teach him to speak, but I think I would get annoyed like I love him to death, but he's like he's a little puppy and he has a lot of energy, so he just be talking my ear off, like how little kids do you know?

00:01:39

Jack

What's this? What's this? What's this? What's this you're like?

00:01:43

Xochitl

Yeah, constantly. Like, so you know.

00:01:47

Xochitl

But you know it's between.

00:01:49

Xochitl

Teaching them how to talk and this is kind of a cheating answer, but I'd like to teach him to be self-sufficient. That way I could just like go on trips without having to worry about him. I feel like he can feed himself and get himself water and take himself out for a walk or whatever if that was possible I would.

00:01:58

Jack

Yeah.

00:02:08

Xochitl

That would be great if you could just be self-sufficient and that.

00:02:10

Xochitl

Just.

00:02:10

Xochitl

Kind of that involves is kind of cheating because it involves a lot of human things under one umbrella.

00:02:16

Jack

You know, but I I just picture him sitting on the sofa like a human with, like, the remote control in his paw.

00:02:23

Jack

It's just kind of slipping through the channels looking for anything with dogs on TV.

00:02:24

Xochitl

Yeah, he would definitely.

00:02:30

Xochitl

Yeah, because there's some shoes he actually likes to watch. I think I was watching, like Sophia and the guard the other day. That's a YouTuber. And he was really intently watching the show. So he's very, yeah, there's some things he really likes. I think he likes Sophia and.

00:02:41

Jack

Wow, that's weird.

00:02:49

Xochitl

I don't know. There. Yeah. There's some things to seem to like more than others. I still haven't figured out the pattern yet with my other dog. He like to with Mouse, which is a dog. But my family had before I had went to. He liked The Walking.

00:03:01

Xochitl

Ed.

00:03:03

발표자

Ohh.

00:03:05

Jack

What? What does that mean?

00:03:05

발표자 2

And.

00:03:07

Xochitl

I don't know. You seem to like The Walking Dead and he like to watch the the show with like a a dog in it too. He would watch that, like, whenever we watched it, he would sit down.

00:03:18

Xochitl

And watch it.

00:03:18

Xochitl

The other shows and before him really quickly. So yeah, I think if if I could teach him to be self-sufficient, that's kind of.

00:03:25

Xochitl

What I would do?

00:03:26

Jack

Yeah. Yeah. Ohh.

00:03:27

Xochitl

Jack, how for your dog. Oh, sorry. Go ahead.

00:03:30

Jack

Oh, no. Yeah, Michael.

00:03:31

Jack

I was going to say the same thing that you said. I was going to say, like I wanted to teach my dog to speak, but actually I don't want.

00:03:37

Jack

My.

00:03:37

Jack

Dog to to talk because.

00:03:41

Jack

You know.

00:03:44

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:45

Jack

She might never stop talking. You know, it's like it could be like a blessing and then it turns into a curse. You know, like you be careful what you wish for.

00:03:57

Jack

I would teach I.

00:03:58

Jack

Would love her to UM.

00:04:01

Jack

Be able to use the toilet.

00:04:03

Xochitl

I knew you were gonna say that. I was like, I knew you were going to say that because she has that issue. Like she kind of poops and.

00:04:09

Xochitl

Pees all over the house, right?

00:04:10

Jack

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would just love for her to just, like, go in the bathroom and jump up on the toilet, use use the bathroom flush.

00:04:20

Jack

And yeah, that would be amazing. That would be amazing. So huge convenience for us.

00:04:30

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah, that'd be great. That. Yeah, Blendy kind of already does that since he, like, just goes in the bathroom if he can't get outside.

00:04:40

Xochitl

Which just makes it really easy to pick up, so I don't really have to worry about them.

00:04:44

Jack

Yeah, yeah.

00:04:48

Jack

Let's let's do it. I got another one here.

00:04:52

Jack

This one is kind of interesting. Like what's your silliest selfie face, or do you do you have a selfie face?

00:05:03

Xochitl

Umm, I don't know if I have a selfie.

00:05:05

Xochitl

Face I think one time.

00:05:08

Xochitl

When I was like 14 like or something, the the uh.

00:05:13

Xochitl

What's it called?

00:05:15

Xochitl

The UM.

00:05:17

Xochitl

Duck lips trend was uh trending and my sister and her friend, who were like two to three years older than me. They're like 16 or 17. Wanna take a picture?

00:05:20

Jack

Yeah.

00:05:30

Xochitl

With me, and we all did like the duck lips trend. And if people don't know, you would kind of purse your lips and make this like, duck face. Kind of.

00:05:38

Jack

You. You they think it's the idea is that it makes your lips look bigger, right?

00:05:43

Xochitl

You know, like it's like a parodying face. It was supposed to be cute, I guess, like back in the day, I don't. I think you were making fun of the trend when we did it. So we already knew it was silly, but some people did it unironically. Like some people really thought it made them look cuter.

00:05:48

Jack

Yeah.

00:05:59

Xochitl

So I don't know, but yeah, that's probably that probably is number one for me. How about you, Jack?

00:06:06

Jack

This is really embarrassing. I'm disclosing too much information here, but.

00:06:12

Jack

Uh, I I had a period of time where I used to make a mirror face. I had a mirror face.

00:06:20

Jack

UM, where? I did something weird with my mouth every time I looked in the mirror.

00:06:26

Jack

And and and and I I didn't. I didn't know that I had this habit, you know.

00:06:32

Jack

UM and I don't know what I I can't explain it but.

00:06:39

Jack

But I I someone called me out on it at one point. It gave it. It was really embarrassing for me and I and I then I realized all the time that I that I was doing this like I would. I don't know. I'd push like my.

00:06:55

Jack

Bottom lip out with my tongue a little bit to maybe make my face like a little bit more.

00:07:01

Jack

What I thought was more attractive, more handsome or something I I don't know. Like it was. It was a very strange habit and.

00:07:09

Xochitl

Like I would do that too actually with the. Also with the with the the tongue on the bottom lip, and then I would also lose. I didn't know how doing it either. I would raise my eyebrows up.

00:07:21

Jack

Oh, OK. So yeah, there's different variations of this, uh and my my friend, but the friend that called me out on it, she's.

00:07:28

Jack

Like.

00:07:29

Jack

She caught me to I I I remember walking into an office. I remember this vividly because it's. It was so humiliating and she was on the inside of the office and I was on the outside. But the the the glass was reflective.

00:07:42

Jack

From my perspective, uh, my point of view.

00:07:46

Jack

And so when I caught a glimpse of my face in the the the window I did the mirror face just reflexively.

00:07:54

Jack

UM. And she's like, oh, you have a mirror face, you know, or something like that or whatever. And I'm like, what? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything. I just denied it, you know, and. And then she's like, I, I do this totally weird face when I look in the mirror, she told me she does the same thing, but at least she does it in the privacy of her own.

00:08:15

Jack

I was doing it in public and and I I really had to.

00:08:21

Jack

Like tamp it down, you know, like, make a conscious effort to stop doing that. And what I've realized is that we to look, look good in pictures is all about your eyes. You smile with your eyes. You don't smile with our mouth.

00:08:40

Jack

I mean, obviously our mouth does turn upward, but.

00:08:46

Jack

It's actually the eyes is what makes it a a good smile. And so when I, when I learned that I was, I make I I make a a real point to like really.

00:08:59

Jack

Really smile with my eyes. When I take a photo and it seems to help, like the photos are better when I smile with my eye, it looks more natural, you know, as opposed to this, like weird. Basically it's just a basically. I was doing the duck lips thing, you know, a different version of it.

00:09:20

Jack

And yeah, it was really embarrassing.

00:09:24

Xochitl

Yeah, that's funny.

00:09:25

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:28

Jack

Let's see here. What's another one we got? Let's do one more.

00:09:35

Jack

Yeah, what's the?

00:09:38

Jack

Let's see here. Let me find a better one. What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

00:09:43

Jack

I I shouldn't ask you this right now because you have food poisoning as you mentioned earlier today.

00:09:49

Xochitl

Right, yeah.

00:09:51

Xochitl

The weirdest thing I've ever eaten, though.

00:09:55

Xochitl

Ah, that's a that's a really hard one. I I'm in. I'm an adventurous eater and anytime I travel to the country, I'll eat anything. So I remember when I went to China, uh, it was. It was a group of students because we were going through the Confucius Institute and whatever they would serve us, me and this other.

00:10:16

Xochitl

Kid Adam, I think his name was would be the first to try.

00:10:20

Xochitl

Anything and the other students you know, they were kind of more picky, which annoyed me. I I'm I get I get kind of irritated by picky eaters. I'm like look you're.

00:10:28

Jack

That's a pet peeve of mine as well. Like, I really hate that. It's like some people eat like children, you know? It's like you're gonna eat Mac and cheese every day for the rest of your life. I mean, come on.

00:10:36

Xochitl

Yes.

00:10:42

Xochitl

Yeah, it'll be, like, really rude about other cultures, food, which I don't get either. So.

00:10:47

발표자 2

I don't. So I remember this.

00:10:50

Xochitl

One that I tried.

00:10:52

Xochitl

Was like.

00:10:54

Xochitl

It was Lotus Root, but it was also kind of presentation where it was cold.

00:11:00

Xochitl

And it tasted like it tasted like cold chapstick. I don't know if it was just the. I think it was just the the dish that I had. And the way it was prepared. I'm sure Lotus food is delicious, but it was. It was just really weird to me because it tasted it really the way that it was prepared in that specific.

00:11:20

Xochitl

Plates tasted like cold chapstick. It was very weird and.

00:11:24

Xochitl

And that was all.

00:11:24

Jack

On the on the.

00:11:25

Jack

On the positive side, your lips were.

00:11:28

Jack

Super moist after that.

00:11:30

Xochitl

Yeah, moisturize for sure. Right. So I think that would probably.

00:11:36

Xochitl

Uh, kind of up there and then I guess #2 would probably be in in Mexico, lead insects, you know, some insects. So I've had things that I guess Americans would consider weird.

00:11:44

발표자 2

Hmm.

00:11:50

Xochitl

Like uh.

00:11:52

Xochitl

We use the worm on the McGee, which is a type of cactus used to produce alcohol. We use it to make salt like worm salt, and we eat that on orange wedges.

00:12:00

Jack

Hmm, OK.

00:12:05

Xochitl

As a, we eat that on orange wedges like kind of as a snack, I guess, or people do when they drink, like after they drink, they eat one of those. But when I was a kid, I would just my parents would order a drink and then I would just eat the orange wedges with the warm salt.

00:12:18

Jack

Yeah, yeah.

00:12:20

Xochitl

Yeah. And so those that was really tasty. I didn't. I had no idea that it was made with the worms at all. And it has a pretty red.

00:12:27

Xochitl

Color, which comes from the worms.

00:12:30

Xochitl

And then crickets, which we also eat here in Mexico. Uh, I'm not a fan of crickets. They have, like, a very herby flavor.

00:12:38

Jack

Yeah.

00:12:39

Xochitl

Which makes me not really like them, but I have eaten them multiple times because they're pretty popular to include in many dishes in the HOKA, and it's the last one I know we're just going to do one. But here I just cutting up is the chica thana mole more is is basically just a sauce and the base.

00:12:59

Xochitl

This sauce and you can also use them in salsas or just fried.

00:13:03

Xochitl

Up. Is this these dying ants? They only come out during a certain season after like the first rains and and they kind of fall out. And I guess they're supposed to, like, hatch their eggs in the dirt or something. But some of them get lost and people harvest them up and you kind of toast them up and use them in salsas.

00:13:10

Jack

Yes.

00:13:25

Xochitl

And the lids. And you can also just eat them with lime and salt. And I've had them in mole before and.

00:13:31

Xochitl

Again, it's kind of a.

00:13:33

Xochitl

It's an interesting flavor. It's very hard to explain. It's like a little earthy and a little flower and a little bit herbaceous.

00:13:39

Jack

Yeah.

00:13:41

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:13:41

Jack

That's interesting because I like cricket fried crickets when I lived in Thailand that that was very common. Like they they they eat insects there in in the country.

00:13:50

Jack

Uh.

00:13:52

Jack

The Easan Province area and but they they they fry them in oil and then salt them. Is that how it's prepared and?

00:14:04

Xochitl

Yeah, that's exactly how they're prepared here. If they're like, they look like bacon bins, they're really.

00:14:06

발표자 2

Yes.

00:14:08

Xochitl

Start.

00:14:09

Jack

Yeah, there's a great source of protein.

00:14:12

Xochitl

Yeah, they're supposed to be really healthy. It's like the meat of the future or something. But I'm not a huge fan of them. They're a little bit herbies because they only eat like herbs, you know? So they they taste very herby. They only eat like glass and herbs. So they.

00:14:24

Jack

Right, right there. Cricket flower is a thing now. You can buy that. It's like a healthier protein flower.

00:14:25

Xochitl

Have.

00:14:26

Xochitl

Flavor strong.

00:14:32

Xochitl

You need to use it to like.

00:14:33

Xochitl

Make pancakes and stuff I had.

00:14:34

Jack

Right.

00:14:36

Jack

Yeah.

00:14:36

Xochitl

And worm worm flour or something too. You can use like make worm cake and worm pancakes and stuff.

00:14:41

Xochitl

Which I haven't tried.

00:14:41

Jack

Yeah, yeah. Silkworm is popular in Korea. It's called bandagi. And. Yeah, but but the smell, you know, I've never eaten it because it's just.

00:14:47

Xochitl

Yes.

00:14:55

Jack

It's not my. It's not my thing. You know, it's not my jam, but.

00:15:00

Xochitl

Does your wife eat?

00:15:01

Jack

Yeah, she loves Bandagi loves it. Yeah, but she doesn't eat it often. But if it if it, if it comes up, it's like, oh, what a surprise, you know?

00:15:08

Jack

Like if you're in a bar or something and there's a side dish and it might be bandagi and so.

00:15:16

Jack

You can you can get that, it's.

00:15:19

Xochitl

Does your daughter eat it?

00:15:21

Jack

My daughter would is has such a phobia of insects that I think the idea of bandagi might just.

00:15:30

Jack

She would need to. She would almost faint if I even brought up the idea of it to her.

00:15:37

Xochitl

That's so crazy. I I think it's kind of easy to have a phobia of insects in Korea because when I was there, I never once saw an insect in my apartment.

00:15:46

발표자 2

Oh.

00:15:47

Xochitl

On the 17th floor. So I guess that's probably why.

00:15:52

Xochitl

But I like never once saw an insect, and I saw a Roach like one time, and then there were spiders. They're really like big black spiders that were kind of scary, you know what I'm talking about, obviously.

00:15:59

Jack

Yeah.

00:16:02

Jack

Yeah, I think I don't know if it's like a brown recluse or they also have garden spiders that look absolutely terrifying, but they're quite innocent. They're they're not very, they're not dangerous.

00:16:12

발표자 2

Yeah.

00:16:13

Xochitl

Black spiders, and they only come out during a certain season and they all like flock to like the rooftop of different places like they're they were all over the 711 that was outside of my apartment building.

00:16:24

Jack

Yeah, a funny, funny quick aside here. There a story.

00:16:29

Jack

UM, many times this has happened, but I'll I'll be in my office and then I hear a a blood curdling scream come from the other room and.

00:16:41

Xochitl

Huh.

00:16:42

Jack

I thought, you know, intruder, you know, someones broken into our house is attacking my family. I run over. It's my daughter. It's like there's a bug, you know, like just a tiny.

00:16:54

Jack

Little little bug.

00:16:56

Jack

And I have to kill it, you know, because I'm.

00:16:59

Xochitl

Ohh so you kill it for her.

00:17:01

Jack

I kill her for her. Yeah, yeah.

00:17:02

Xochitl

That's nice. My dad was always very mean. He'd be like, uh, toughen up, you know, do yourself. No sport. I wasn't spoiled at all. So I.

00:17:08

Jack

Didn't.

00:17:13

Xochitl

I'm still scared of bugs, but you know, I kind of have to.

00:17:18

Xochitl

Have to toughen up because uh.

00:17:21

Xochitl

My you know.

00:17:21

Jack

Maybe your dad was right. Actually, he might have. You know, for me. I'm what? What's going to happen when my daughter has to kill her own bugs? That's going to be tough.

00:17:30

Xochitl

You know, you'll get to it eventually. I think when I moved out because my mom would still kill some bugs for me. So, like, I would see what I could get away with. And my dad wasn't around me. My mom killed bugs. But, you know, when I moved away.

00:17:41

Xochitl

And when I moved to Mexico especially, and they were like centipedes and all these other like tons of insects, because the weather's like more tropical. And I eventually just learned to, you know, toughen up and kill them all. The one I have a really hard time with still or Rd.

00:17:53

Xochitl

I have a phobia of roaches, but when it kills them so yeah, he just he likes to flip them over on their back and then let them die that way.

00:17:57

Jack

Oh really?

00:18:04

Jack

Oh, nice. OK. Yeah. Roaches are the worst. I I hate roaches. I hate them. Yeah.

00:18:05

Xochitl

And then once we right up.

00:18:07

발표자 2

Yeah.

00:18:10

Xochitl

They're so creepy.

00:18:11

Jack

Oh, they're awful. They're awful with those big long antennas.

00:18:14

Xochitl

Ohh yeah, because they're like big. Ohh. And some of them fly in Mexico it's like.

00:18:19

Xochitl

Worse.

00:18:20

Xochitl

What? What is? What is the weird thing you've ever eaten, though? Now where you know you have bugs.

00:18:24

Jack

Yeah, I don't know, I.

00:18:26

Jack

Mean, I think the weirdest thing I've ever eaten is probably frog legs. You know, I have eaten alligator before too, but it was like deep fried alligator, which I think is cheating. I mean, you could deep fry anything and it would taste good, you know.

00:18:33

발표자

Would you?

00:18:40

Xochitl

Yeah, that's true. I have deep fried alligator too, and I really liked it. I even think of it because it was so tasty. I made it myself and it it just kind of tasted the mix between chicken and white fish.

00:18:50

Jack

Yeah, exactly that. Ohh. Nice. I I I've always said chicken, but it's not exactly like chicken. It's.

00:18:56

Jack

Like, yeah, like, yes. Exactly, exactly.

00:18:56

Xochitl

It speaks the way that Whitefish does.

00:19:01

Xochitl

Like cod or something, it's like a mix between chicken and cod.

00:19:04

Jack

Yeah, the way it kind of kind of stacks on itself like it's there's like slices or something, it's hard for you.

00:19:11

Xochitl

Yeah, it's flakes. It's like flaking. Like it's it's. Yeah, it flakes like, but it has a meteor bite like.

00:19:13

Jack

Flaky, right?

00:19:18

발표자 2

10.

00:19:19

Jack

Yeah. I mean, frog legs are just like little tiny wings, you know? I mean, that's that's all it is really, because those are like chicken wings. So, like, little, little tiny chicken wings. You know, there's not a lot of meat on it. But I mean there it's you get a nice little, you know, the thigh is is pretty nice. It's like the tasty little snack.

00:19:25

발표자

Or chicken wings.

00:19:38

Jack

UM, it's not something I.

00:19:41

Jack

Would seek out again, but at the time you know when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So I I I ate it and and I enjoyed it. It was. It was fine. Yeah.

00:19:55

Xochitl

That's cool. I've noticed fog like I have had snail, which I wasn't a huge fan of. It was just kind of chewy and bland. Yeah.

00:20:03

Jack

Yeah, yeah, I mean, that's why in France they just, you know, drench it in butter and garlic sauce. You know, it's like.

00:20:12

Jack

It it's it's, it's not something you might eat.

00:20:17

Jack

You know, just just by itself, but if you put in garlic butter, you know then then escargot is is pretty good. It's it's not that terrible. It's a little bit rich for me. I just I it's just too.

00:20:29

Jack

Much the.

00:20:30

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah, definitely it. It can be overwhelming. Yeah. Alright. Seems well. If you would like to answer any questions that we answer today, don't be shy. Leave us an e-mail at uh. Sorry. Leave us a comment@azenglishpodcast.com. Shoot us an e-mail at azspodcast@gmail.com and make sure you join the week channel. Lots of groups.

00:20:50

Xochitl

Then.

00:20:51

Xochitl

And make sure that you check out our English corner Jack and I talk about questions just like these every single day. It's great practice for IELTS and it's great practice to talk to your peers and to improve your English. It's only 10 USD a month, so that gives you 20 classes Monday through Friday for one hour and it's really great positive.

00:21:10

Xochitl

Community. So uh yeah, I hope to see you guys there. If you have any questions or you're interested, make sure to shoot Jack A.

00:21:15

Xochitl

Message on WeChat.

00:21:16

Xochitl

Or laptop and we'll see you guys next time.

00:21:19

발표자 2

Bye bye bye bye.

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Transcript:

IELTS Speaking Part 3 involves a two-way discussion with the examiner, typically lasting 4-5 minutes. This part requires you to express opinions, discuss abstract ideas, and provide detailed answers. Here are some effective strategies to excel in this section:

1. Expand Your Answers

• Develop Ideas: Don't give one-sentence answers. Expand your response by explaining your points, providing examples, and considering multiple perspectives.
• Structure: Use a clear structure. For example, start with a main point, provide a reason, give an example, and conclude with a summary.

2. Use a Range of Vocabulary and Grammar

• Lexical Resource: Use varied and precise vocabulary. Avoid repeating the same words.
• Grammar: Use a range of grammatical structures, including complex sentences, passive voice, and conditionals.

3. Linking Words and Phrases

• Cohesion: Use linking words and phrases to connect your ideas smoothly. Examples include "however," "moreover," "on the other hand," "for instance," etc.
• Signposting: Indicate the direction of your thoughts with phrases like "to begin with," "another point to consider," "in conclusion," etc.

4. Express Opinions and Justify Them

• Opinion: Clearly state your opinion using phrases like "I believe," "In my view," "From my perspective."
• Justification: Justify your opinions with reasons and evidence. Use phrases like "because," "the reason is," "due to."

5. Speculate and Hypothesize

• Speculation: When discussing future scenarios or possibilities, use speculative language such as "might," "could," "it's possible that."
• Hypothesis: Use conditional sentences to talk about hypothetical situations. For example, "If I were in charge, I would..."

6. Stay Calm and Confident

• Calmness: Stay calm and composed. Take a moment to think before you answer if needed.
• Confidence: Speak confidently, even if you're unsure. It's better to attempt an answer than to stay silent.

7. Practice Common Topics

• Familiarity: Practice discussing common Part 3 topics such as education, technology, the environment, culture, and society.
• Current Affairs: Stay updated with current affairs as they can provide content for your answers.

8. Engage in Real Conversations

• Practice: Engage in conversations with fluent English speakers or join language exchange groups.
• Feedback: Seek feedback from teachers or peers to identify areas for improvement.

9. Time Management

• Balance: Ensure your answers are long enough to show your language skills but concise enough to stay relevant to the question.
• Pacing: Maintain a steady pace to avoid speaking too fast or too slow.

10. Active Listening

• Understanding: Listen carefully to the examiner's questions to ensure you fully understand before answering.
• Clarification: If you're unsure about a question, don't hesitate to ask for clarification.

Question 1: "How has technology affected the way people communicate?"

Answer:

"Technology has profoundly transformed the way people communicate, making interactions more immediate and accessible. One major impact is the shift from face-to-face conversations to digital communications. Nowadays, people frequently use messaging apps, social media, and video calls to stay connected, even across vast distances. This immediacy allows for real-time communication, which is particularly beneficial for maintaining relationships with friends and family who live far away.

Moreover, technology has democratized information sharing. Social media platforms enable individuals to share their thoughts, experiences, and news with a broad audience instantly. This has led to a more interconnected world where people are more aware of global events and diverse perspectives.

However, there are downsides as well. The over-reliance on digital communication can lead to a decline in interpersonal skills. Many people, especially younger generations, may find it challenging to engage in face-to-face conversations and develop deep, meaningful relationships. Additionally, the prevalence of digital communication can contribute to a sense of isolation, as virtual interactions might not provide the same level of emotional connection as in-person interactions.

In summary, while technology has revolutionized communication by making it faster and more widespread, it also presents challenges that society must address to ensure healthy and effective interpersonal interactions."

Question 2: "What role do older people play in society today?"

Answer:

"Older people play a crucial role in society today, contributing in various significant ways. One important role is that of wisdom and experience. Older individuals often have a wealth of knowledge accumulated over their lifetimes, which they can share with younger generations. This can be particularly valuable in professional settings, where mentoring and guidance from experienced workers can enhance the skills and development of younger employees.

Additionally, many older people continue to contribute economically by remaining active in the workforce or engaging in volunteer activities. This can help alleviate some of the pressures on social security systems and provide essential services to communities. For example, retired professionals often volunteer their time and expertise in non-profit organizations, schools, and local communities, enriching society with their contributions.

Moreover, older adults often play vital roles within families, such as providing childcare for grandchildren or offering emotional and financial support to their adult children. This intergenerational support can strengthen family bonds and provide stability, particularly in times of economic or social hardship.

However, it's important to recognize that older people also face challenges such as ageism and health issues, which can limit their ability to contribute fully to society. Therefore, it is essential for societies to create inclusive environments that value and support older adults, ensuring they have the opportunities and resources to continue playing active and meaningful roles.

In conclusion, older people hold a vital place in society through their experience, economic contributions, and family roles. Supporting their active participation can benefit both individuals and communities at large."

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Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:48

Jack

Welcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And I'm going to let social introduce today's topic. So social, what would you like to talk about today?

00:01:02

Xochitl

Jack, I kind of want to talk about funeral traditions in different cultures. So I was going.

00:01:08

Xochitl

To talk about, you know.

00:01:10

Xochitl

Mexican traditions because I just went through that with my grandfather passing, I guess he passed.

00:01:17

Xochitl

Let's like a week ago now, maybe or a little less than a week ago, so.

00:01:24

Xochitl

Yeah, I don't know. And I've been, uh, I guess I can just get into it.

00:01:30

Xochitl

Sure.

00:01:34

Xochitl

I don't know how to kick this off actually.

00:01:36

Jack

Ohh no, that's alright. Maybe start with the just just the process is in. In American culture there's a I guess there's kind of two, two aspects to it, right. There's the funeral and the.

00:01:52

Jack

Wake.

00:01:54

Xochitl

Hmm.

00:01:55

Jack

And the wake is more like a.

00:01:59

Jack

A gathering where people get together and there's maybe some. Sometimes there's food, I think is if I'm not mistaken, yeah.

00:02:07

Xochitl

Yeah, that's true.

00:02:09

Jack

Yeah. So and I think the interesting thing about that in American culture and maybe this is true in, in every culture.

00:02:18

Jack

It seems odd to be eating at that time. You know what, I.

00:02:22

Xochitl

But yeah.

00:02:22

Jack

Mean like no one?

00:02:23

Jack

Has an appetite that people are grieving, they're upset. But I feel like maybe the food preparation is a distraction.

00:02:36

Jack

It's it's, it's focusing on our executive function of our brain, the the part that is just very analytical and just doing things. And I think that is a distraction from the pain and the grief would.

00:02:52

Jack

You agree with that?

00:02:54

Xochitl

I think so I I think.

00:02:59

Xochitl

That also it's because a lot of people who aren't, like, super close family come and so they're like, you know, they're they're kind of there to help in certain in a certain way or just to, you know, for emotional support. But they're they're probably going to be hungry because I don't think they're mourning.

00:03:21

Xochitl

And really like the same way you know on, I mean they're they're sad, I'm sure, but it's like a little different. So I think it's like it's kind of a way for the family to say thank you in Mexican tradition that happened.

00:03:22

Jack

Right, right.

00:03:34

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:37

Xochitl

That happens too, but it's like a two day.

00:03:40

Xochitl

Affair where you have to be like awake all night.

00:03:45

Xochitl

You're like, up for 48 hours straight basically because you can't leave the body alone.

00:03:49

Jack

Oh, OK, OK. Because that's different than American culture, where the the body is.

00:03:58

Jack

Is is in the caskets.

00:04:02

Jack

But you don't have to stay up all night with with the body.

00:04:08

Jack

Hmm.

00:04:09

Xochitl

Yeah, this the body was in the casket. But we do have to stay with the body because.

00:04:15

발표자

It's.

00:04:16

Xochitl

It's like I don't know. I guess it's to prevent bad spirits, like in old, in old mythology or whatever, to prevent bad spirits from like latching on to the soul of the body. So you have to stay there like 48 hours.

00:04:33

Xochitl

And it's really hard. My sister and I kind of were with my mom.

00:04:36

Xochitl

And shift. So I would like stay up.

00:04:39

Xochitl

The whole time and then I would go to sleep.

00:04:41

Xochitl

Then she would stay up.

00:04:42

Jack

OK.

00:04:43

Xochitl

Uhm, so we didn't have to do the whole 48 hours thing. I did have to stay up.

00:04:50

Xochitl

More than my sister because she traveled.

00:04:53

Xochitl

Plus, she's in that school. So she was like sleeping for a lot large portion of it.

00:04:58

Xochitl

But when she finally woke up, she was she stayed with the body and then I went to sleep and I woke up and so.

00:05:08

Xochitl

And with the his like sisters and nieces and nephews, they kind of did shifts as well. So like, one day, I think my aunt was my great aunt was there. And the other day my.

00:05:23

Xochitl

Cousin, I guess was there and it's like their family just kind of did shifts, I guess.

00:05:29

Jack

But it sounds like.

00:05:30

Jack

You didn't get much sleep, though. You. You sound exhausted. Yeah.

00:05:32

Xochitl

No. Yeah, it was very tiring and very hard because you're, like, dealing with a lot of grief. And on top of that, you're, like, serving people food and running around with serving people like.

00:05:48

Xochitl

Drinks, not alcoholic drinks, but just regular drinks. But you still you're you're running around serving people with soft drinks and food, and it's just only something like you have to make these two giant. You have to make.

00:06:00

Xochitl

Like.

00:06:01

Xochitl

We had cinnamon tea and coffee and then.

00:06:03

Xochitl

Sweet bread like.

00:06:06

Xochitl

Uh, like pastries at night the first night, and then the next morning. We have, like, breakfast and we had.

00:06:14

Xochitl

Like we also had pastries, coffee and cinnamon tea, and then we had, like Morley, which is like a, it's a chocolate based like sauce, you know. And I've tried my.

00:06:26

Jack

Yeah.

00:06:28

Jack

No, but I I you've mentioned it before in the podcast, I think.

00:06:32

Xochitl

Yes, I have. It's kind of different. One of the yeah, it's different because it's not. It's just like it's a completely different dish. I don't know why they share the same name, but more like the paste is like a different dish.

00:06:44

Xochitl

And there's a there's like seven different types of molis. This one is like a black mullet, which is kind of sweet, a little bit sweet and spicy, and is very thick.

00:06:58

Xochitl

It has a bunch of ingredients like chocolate, chilies, charred tortilla, peanuts, I think, and different things like that. So and we ate that with rice and chicken, and then the next day after the funeral, we also or.

00:07:13

Xochitl

Before the funeral, I think.

00:07:15

Xochitl

Or after I can't remember we served. No, it was after the funeral. We served eggs and salsa Verde and black beans. But it's like kind of crazy because you're, like, running on no sleep and making all these meals for people. So it's kind of like.

00:07:34

Xochitl

And it was kind of wild. And then, like the family, like my mom, I think was up like the whole 48 hours.

00:07:41

Jack

Ohh wow.

00:07:42

Xochitl

I thought I sleep once and it was for like 15 minutes.

00:07:45

Jack

Right, right. Is she? And and you know, for her, this is both of her parents have passed in the within a very short period of time.

00:07:56

Xochitl

Yeah. Within four months from each other because my grandmother passed at the end of February, my grandfather passed at the very.

00:08:03

Xochitl

End of June.

00:08:05

Jack

Yeah.

00:08:06

Jack

Yes.

00:08:06

Xochitl

So yeah.

00:08:10

Xochitl

Choose up the whole night and serving people food and soft drinks and it just seemed like a really stressful night time for her and I feel really terrible for her because she's she's like in charge. She's also the executor of the world.

00:08:26

Jack

OK.

00:08:27

Xochitl

Which means she has she has a lot of work to do.

00:08:30

Jack

Right. A lot of lot of documents that have to be signed and.

00:08:35

Jack

Yeah. Yeah. A lot of responsibility in that in that respect, you know.

00:08:40

Xochitl

Yeah. So that's very difficult. So, yeah, I think it's just interesting. I think, I think it's it's kind of cool and very interesting how people are up for like for there's always people at your house for the whole 48 hours and it's kind of interesting. But I I just felt so suffocated like I wished it was just us.

00:09:01

Xochitl

Like his closest family, so I could just pull an address out and sleep on the floor, close to the buddy. But I just. I just kind of like.

00:09:06

Jack

Yeah, or or just cry, you know, like.

00:09:11

Jack

If you feel a little bit, maybe and I'm I'm just making an assumption here, but do you feel like you, you're you let you, you can't be vulnerable when there are people who you don't know very closely around is it is.

00:09:29

Xochitl

Yeah, it was definitely hard. But like when I first saw it, when like when I first got in there and saw like, yeah, I just wailed anyway because it was just so.

00:09:36

Xochitl

So intense.

00:09:38

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:40

Xochitl

It was like it was different because with my grandmother, it's like I didn't really cry. I didn't. I I cried a little bit with my grandfather. I cried a little bit with my grandmother, but with this grandfather, I cried a lot more, I think.

00:09:51

Xochitl

It's just like.

00:09:53

Xochitl

All the compound of them all lying so close together and then.

00:09:59

Xochitl

It was just.

00:09:59

Xochitl

Sadder because I felt like we didn't really get to say goodbye, cause the Mexican hospital system is really a mess. Yeah, and uh, with my grand, with my paternal grand grandfather, he was UM.

00:10:12

Xochitl

He had like dementia, so we kind of got to say slow goodbye.

00:10:16

Xochitl

To him.

00:10:16

Jack

Yeah.

00:10:18

Xochitl

So it was different and then he passed. But it's like, you know, he was, he was really suffering. It was a it was a slow burn kind of goodbye. And so it kind of felt like he was ready to go.

00:10:29

Xochitl

You know with my.

00:10:31

Jack

Yeah, this one was more sudden. It was.

00:10:34

Xochitl

Yeah. Well, like with my maternal grandmother who passed before my maternal grandfather.

00:10:39

Xochitl

I I was living.

00:10:40

Xochitl

With her at the time. So I, like, saw her decline in real time.

00:10:44

Jack

Yeah.

00:10:45

Xochitl

UM and I and we were there with her every step of the way. In the hospital we were. We also stayed at the ICU for like the whole week, basically. But we got to see her every single day and hear about, you know, what's going.

00:10:59

Xochitl

On.

00:11:00

Xochitl

So with this one it was just kind of a shock because.

00:11:04

Xochitl

Like, only one person could go in, I think per day and it would only be like 30 minutes for 30 minutes and.

00:11:15

Xochitl

It was very restricted and they didn't really keep you updated on anything.

00:11:20

Xochitl

So the last couple of days we thought he was stable and he was getting better, so.

00:11:25

Xochitl

I was like.

00:11:27

Xochitl

I was kind of slowly planning my way to get over there, if that makes sense.

00:11:32

Jack

Yeah, makes perfect sense.

00:11:33

Xochitl

But I was like he, he'll. He'll be fine. That's what we were understanding. So for me it was like ohh. Like I'm gonna. I'll. I'll plan my I'll just I have to get it together to plan with my aunt about when I'm going to Mexico City and when her and I are going to head to the US.

00:11:52

Xochitl

And and so we were. I was just looking at flights when I got the call. Uh, from my aunt that he had passed. And I was just like.

00:12:00

Xochitl

It really shocked me, you know? And so I was like, I really wasn't expecting it. And my my mom and aunt didn't even get to say goodbye. He had already passed so.

00:12:03

Jack

Yeah.

00:12:11

Jack

Yeah.

00:12:12

Xochitl

It's just, yeah, it's very hard. I think when there's less closure like that.

00:12:19

Jack

MHM.

00:12:20

Xochitl

And you think someones gonna get better and they don't. And it's just very like.

00:12:25

Xochitl

Confusing and.

00:12:28

Xochitl

Very hard on you. So yeah, with this one I I did cry. Even though there are people there, of course, I didn't feel like as comfortable.

00:12:35

Xochitl

UM, but I just broke down anyway. It's like I couldn't help it.

00:12:40

Jack

Oh no. And people are are very sympathetic to to that. I'm I I think we.

00:12:48

Jack

In in, in, in Mexican culture you you mentioned before in other podcasts that it's a kind of a masculine culture.

00:13:00

Xochitl

Yes, be careful.

00:13:01

Jack

So kind of suffocating, pushing down your feelings in in public, you know, trying to be stoic, you stoic means like, you know, trying to be strong. And. And I I feel like we that's also part of the United States culture when it comes to these things.

00:13:21

Jack

Is like, you know, don't breakdown and I wish we could be more vulnerable with each other. And in those situations and and just really let our true emotions come out. And it sounds like you. You did that and it probably was healthier to.

00:13:36

Xochitl

Now.

00:13:39

Jack

Dad.

00:13:40

Xochitl

Yeah, I pretty much was beyond giving a crap about whatever anyone around me thought. You know what I mean? So I I wrote down. So yeah, it was. It was very hard. And then, you know, we had the funeral procession kind of thing. And I carried the casket and.

00:13:46

Jack

Yeah, yeah.

00:13:57

Xochitl

We.

00:13:58

Xochitl

Sit around watching him get lowered into the.

00:14:01

Xochitl

Like the brave and kind of different in Mexico, the Mexico City is huge. So there's like one small lot and it kind of looks like a house from outside, like a small house like A1 room house or.

00:14:16

Xochitl

Ohh OK yeah, it has doors locked and like a window and like a roof and everything. And it's like kind of like a really tiny mausoleum. But like, a really tiny one. But not it doesn't look like a mausoleum. It just looks like a little tiny.

00:14:25

Jack

Yeah.

00:14:32

Xochitl

House like A1 room house so.

00:14:35

Xochitl

We opened it and then they like, pulled the concrete signs out and there's like 10.

00:14:42

Xochitl

It's like a.

00:14:44

Xochitl

Like a 15 foot hole or a 12 foot hole like and it's like 10 slabs that you could bury different people and on both sides.

00:14:52

Jack

OK. Is this a family plot here then?

00:14:55

Xochitl

Yeah, it's a family plot.

00:14:56

Jack

OK.

00:14:58

Xochitl

So.

00:14:58

Jack

I I think that if I'm, you know, I'm I I don't mean to be.

00:15:04

Jack

To diminish this or anything, but I I remember seeing a little house like that in the movie Coco.

00:15:12

Xochitl

Ohh yeah.

00:15:13

Jack

And.

00:15:14

Xochitl

Yes, that's kind of how it's like, yeah.

00:15:16

Jack

OK.

00:15:17

Xochitl

Yeah. Yeah, it is like that. And UM, so we we, uh, lowered him down and then they put my grandmother's ashes with him actually in the same casket that was that was a, a, A. That was a moment of anger for all of us because his freaking sister, my grandfather's sister.

00:15:29

Jack

Oh, that's sweet.

00:15:37

Xochitl

He's been going on said. If we wanted to put the ashes in with him, we could put her.

00:15:41

Xochitl

Ashes at his feet.

00:15:43

Jack

Oh.

00:15:44

Xochitl

Like why would?

00:15:45

Xochitl

You even say that you know what I mean? I wasn't there when you said that or I would have been so mad. But, you know, we just put them.

00:15:47

Jack

Then.

00:15:53

Xochitl

They were like next to his arm, I guess.

00:15:56

Jack

Yeah. You you want holding each other? Not. Yeah, yeah, you know.

00:16:00

Xochitl

Yes.

00:16:03

Xochitl

Not one like beneath the other one. It's like, you know, but.

00:16:07

발표자

Yeah.

00:16:07

발표자

So then.

00:16:08

Xochitl

Unless you get lured in the slab and then they like bricked him in. Basically they have to brick people in because they don't want them like stealing the body or like stealing anything that can't. That the body was buried with.

00:16:19

Jack

Like grave, grave robbers kind of situation.

00:16:21

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah. A great rubber situation. So they, like, break him in.

00:16:26

Jack

Yeah.

00:16:27

Xochitl

To his slab in the grave. So it was kind of a very interesting process. And and I I was getting very like light headed and nauseous and they everyone thought I was going to faint. And my great one of my other great aunts hold a lip lock bag and it had a white onion cut into quarters.

00:16:47

Xochitl

And she took the 1/4 of a white onion and sprayed it with rubbing alcohol that she had in a little spray bottle in her purse. And she handed it to me to, like, sniff. So that was supposed to help me not pass out. And it did help. Weirdly, I felt way better.

00:17:04

Jack

Really. OK. I was. I would have thought maybe the smell of onion would make it worse, but.

00:17:10

Xochitl

I definitely. It's like interesting because like, you don't really smell the onion that much because your face is like, right up against it and has rubbing alcohol in it.

00:17:18

Xochitl

So the only thing that the onion does is like it gets the juices from the onion, make the rubbing alcohol more mild so they like, burn your nose when it comes up, they like react together somehow. So like you can still smell the strong smell like alcohol, but it doesn't like burn your nostrils.

00:17:27

Jack

OK.

00:17:34

Jack

Yeah.

00:17:35

Xochitl

And so that was interesting. And my boyfriend and my sister said that the onion, like the smell of the onion, was kind of making them nauseous. But I didn't notice and they didn't tell me until after the.

00:17:47

Xochitl

No, because I guess they were further away so that, like, smelled weird to them. Yeah. And then my aunt really made me laugh because she kind of right next to me and she, but she didn't see she look right.

00:17:58

Xochitl

Kind.

00:17:58

Xochitl

Of in front of me. And so since she didn't see my onion she she was like, why does it smell guacamole?

00:18:08

Xochitl

And I'm like, huh?

00:18:10

Jack

That's. That's funny. Yeah, that's.

00:18:12

Xochitl

Yeah, that's a good moment of humor in all of it. So that really that.

00:18:15

Jack

Right, a little levity was probably what everyone needed in that.

00:18:20

발표자

Thanks.

00:18:21

Xochitl

Yeah. So you know, we had to laugh about that then it was. Yeah. There was some moments where definitely we had a couple laughs and then yeah, we went back home and and that was.

00:18:31

Xochitl

Kind of it.

00:18:32

Xochitl

There was some certain things you do with the body. Like I got to see his body and it was different because my grand, the way my grandmother passed her body.

00:18:41

Xochitl

Looked very different and then when my grandfather passed, when they put him in the casket, it just looked like he was sleeping.

00:18:48

Xochitl

And and they put like coins in his pocket for his passage and shoe. Special shoes. Like what? I took, just like on him, which are traditional shoes.

00:18:58

Xochitl

So and different things and and my sister and I said we why didn't we didn't give any of this to.

00:19:03

Xochitl

My grandmother and.

00:19:06

Xochitl

And so we just we gave him extra money to pay for our passage because we thought she might be waiting. Since no one gave her any money to pay for her passage.

00:19:16

Jack

Yeah.

00:19:18

Jack

You.

00:19:19

Jack

That's interesting. It sounds like there's like a lot of little little things that you have to to do.

00:19:19

Xochitl

And.

00:19:25

Xochitl

Yeah, like a lot of little.

00:19:26

Xochitl

Things you have to remember.

00:19:27

Jack

Yeah.

00:19:29

Jack

Yeah.

00:19:30

Xochitl

Big things, yeah.

00:19:31

Xochitl

How how are?

00:19:32

Xochitl

Korean funerals. Jack, I'm curious about that. I've never been to one. I've seen them in, like, catering those and movies. But I've never like.

00:19:39

Xochitl

Been to one.

00:19:40

Jack

Yeah. So the.

00:19:42

Jack

Korean funerals are interesting. They're they're very different. It's.

00:19:46

Jack

The my my wife's grandmother passed. Probably going on. Oh gosh, 10 or or.

00:19:55

Jack

12 years ago, something like that.

00:19:58

Jack

And what happens is there's there's kind of an extra wing of of a hospitals that are kind of set up for funerals.

00:20:10

Jack

And what happens is.

00:20:13

Jack

The the body is is cremated for the most part in Korea. That's the the tradition. I think it probably comes down to the size of the country land is.

00:20:28

Xochitl

Population.

00:20:30

Jack

Yeah, exactly. It's it's it's, it's it's rare to to bury a body.

00:20:38

Jack

And so the body is, is prepared and and cremated at the at that facility that is attached to the hospital I believe. And then in the hospital you get like a A room.

00:20:54

Jack

And it's it's a large room with an eating area, and then there's a a nice a very nice photograph of the deceased person.

00:21:06

Jack

And kind of like almost like a shrine kind of set up.

00:21:11

Jack

You know, flowers and things like that.

00:21:14

Jack

And outside, when you when you enter this this large room.

00:21:22

Jack

The.

00:21:24

Jack

Like your your the company you work for will always send flowers and it's the flower. Arrangements are always these kind of tall.

00:21:34

Jack

Flower arrangements with a big ribbon expressing condolences. And so I think the the more.

00:21:45

Jack

The more influential you were, or the more people you know, you knew, the more flowers are sent. You know, so it it can it. It's very important, I think, to to have a lot of those outside, outside the door. When people enter, when you when you.

00:22:05

Jack

Enter the room, people. You will give some money. And so there was one family member that's sitting there collecting an envelope of of money.

00:22:18

Jack

That goes to the family to pay for the fuel costs and whatever other things that need to be paid for.

00:22:32

Jack

Mm-hmm.

00:22:32

Jack

And and then there's there's some food where you can you sit, they invite you to, to sit down and have a meal. And there is no, there is no like, formal kind of ceremony thing in in that in, in that at that time you but what what happens is you have this this room.

00:22:52

Jack

This large room for three days.

00:22:56

Jack

So and that's what's so interesting to me is that the family stays there for three days, so there's like a I believe there's a bathroom and a shower and. And, you know, you can you sleep there and and, you know, people will get up at different hours and people will arrive at all.

00:23:16

Jack

Kinds of different hours.

00:23:19

Jack

And I think it goes back to maybe the older times during the.

00:23:27

Jack

The the Joseon dynasty, the the one before the the last dynasty in Korea.

00:23:35

Jack

And at those times, you know, if you were to hear about the passing of a relative, you would you would start your trek.

00:23:44

Jack

To that location. And so I think they three days is enough time for most people to make it there. Now. Nowadays it seems a little bit unnecessary or we could say antiquated, which just means like it's an older tradition that that no longer.

00:24:06

Jack

Is it still followed but it's it's not necessarily necessary because people can get there very quickly within, you know, a day you can get to the to the hospital and go to that special wing of the hospital where the.

00:24:25

Jack

I I guess the the.

00:24:28

Jack

The.

00:24:29

Jack

Paying respects to the.

00:24:31

Jack

Normally occurs and then there's an urn. An urn is is a a container, kind of a beautiful, ornate container that has the ashes inside of it. And that's also, I believe, up there with the photograph and.

00:24:51

Jack

People will, you know, come and and, you know, give their condolences to the fans.

00:24:56

Jack

Me, but that three day waiting period was kind of interesting to me and not waiting period. But the three day period of time where the family is stays together in that one place.

00:25:13

Jack

Kind of reminds me of what you were talking about of like staying awake with the body for of 48 hours.

00:25:22

Jack

UM.

00:25:24

Jack

There's there's something about that, and I I know there's another in the Jewish tradition, there's something called Sitting Shiva and Shiva is where?

00:25:34

Jack

The body is.

00:25:36

Jack

UM, sometimes it's in in a person's house and they sit with the body for.

00:25:44

Jack

I I don't remember exactly how many days, but people will come and they will sit down and they.

00:25:51

Jack

Will mourn with the family and then they will leave and other people will come and and come and go and it it's kind of interesting how some of these traditions seem to overlap.

00:26:06

Jack

A little bit like there's something about, maybe there's something.

00:26:12

Jack

Important about just sitting in your grief.

00:26:17

Jack

With your loved one who's past and.

00:26:21

Jack

And kind of getting a collective hug from all the people that knew that person and loved that person and you know, coming and sitting it with the family. I feel like in in American culture it's, you know, the the most we get is like.

00:26:38

Jack

You know someone will come up at the wake or or the funeral and say I'm sorry for your loss and then that's that's kind of it. You know, there isn't like a a longer it's kind of like this is uncomfortable. I want this to be over as quickly as possible and it seems like in Mexican culture and.

00:26:46

Jack

MHM.

00:26:56

Xochitl

Right.

00:26:58

Jack

Korean culture and and Judaism.

00:27:02

Jack

Jewish culture. There's something about.

00:27:05

Jack

Fighting through that discomfort and getting to a much more honest place where you can act, cry together, mourn together, laugh together sometimes there you know it. It's not always mournful. Sometimes they're happy.

00:27:25

Jack

Memories and and share they share stories and things like that. And so I thought it was. It was really beautiful. And there's one other aspect of Korean.

00:27:37

Jack

Funerals that are that are interesting and and that is the.

00:27:41

Jack

Close friends and family will do almost a a performative kind of weeping.

00:27:49

Jack

And now sometimes it's it's genuine. I'm, I'm sure. But I did see this happen and the woman was wailing and and and crying and and, you know, and I I don't understand Korean very well, but I, you know, it sounded like she's saying no, how can this be this is, you know.

00:28:10

Jack

Unfair and.

00:28:11

Jack

And then after she was done weeping all of a sudden, her face changed right back to normal.

00:28:18

Jack

And so I realized ohh this is a performative thing out out of, you know, paying respect to the person who's passed that, you know, showing how how much.

00:28:19

Xochitl

That's crazy.

00:28:33

Jack

You've stirred up my emotions internally, but it was interesting how she she kind of came out of it really quickly. And so I was, I was. I was really intrigued by by that aspect of it as well.

00:28:47

Xochitl

Yeah, I don't feel like a catharsis. I think as well, where, like, it's like, you get to let out all your mourning and wail as loudly as you want and everything. And then after it's over, you kind of just, like, empty, you know?

00:28:59

Jack

Yeah. Yeah, that's probably that's exactly what it is. I think that's what it is, because I I know that.

00:29:07

Jack

Some people were were a little bit uncomfortable with it or or I I noticed that maybe they because I'm a I'm a foreigner. They they were like ohh this. You know maybe I I don't know. If they were embarrassed a little bit or something of of this.

00:29:27

Jack

Happening, but I was just, you know, I didn't know. My wife's grandmother very closely. So for me.

00:29:38

Jack

Kind of being there was kind of an out of body experience. You know, I I felt like very much an observer kind of in a in a in a very foreign situation. And so almost like an anthropologist, I was kind of documenting all of this. The things that were occurring and kind of viewing it that way.

00:29:57

Jack

Yeah.

00:29:58

Xochitl

Hmm.

00:29:58

Jack

And yeah.

00:30:00

Xochitl

Like, just like it's it's funny, like. And they they come to our culture and they see, like, my mom was really shocked and cause actually in Mexican culture. Uh, I think it's normal to, you know, to cry like that to a little bit at least. And and American culture is really not we're kind of more cool than rigid. And so I remember when my mom.

00:30:20

Xochitl

Came to.

00:30:24

Xochitl

The US and had to attend a funeral. She thought it was so weird. How, like even the closest family wasn't like breaking down?

00:30:32

발표자

Yeah.

00:30:33

Xochitl

She saw it as like very strange. And it's funny because they have like a completely opposite experience when they come to our culture as well. And for me, it was fun. It was like such a moment of being by cultural because, like, when at the funeral going the casket, I.

00:30:52

Xochitl

And I thought I was going to think.

00:30:55

Xochitl

UMI was talking about it on the way back in the car.

00:30:59

Xochitl

On the way back to from Mexico City to Oaxaca, I met. So was my dad and my aunt and my mom there. And, you know, so driving back and.

00:31:09

Xochitl

I was like, oh, yeah, I I thought I was going to think, but I've never seen anyone pull out the like a bag of onions before, but it it really helped. And my mom said, yeah, it's a really common thing to take when you're bearing your body, at least in Mexico City, because it's like it's thought to help protect against people fainting.

00:31:29

Jack

Yeah.

00:31:30

Xochitl

And my dad said, why would? Why would you faint like he asked me that?

00:31:35

Xochitl

And my mom rolled her eye.

00:31:41

Xochitl

She looks so annoyed. It was very funny because it's kind of like I get.

00:31:45

Jack

The answer is.

00:31:45

Xochitl

Where what? He called me.

00:31:47

Xochitl

Yeah, they're, like, totally different.

00:31:48

Jack

Sorry, the answer is so obvious, it's just such a a funny question. You know it's like.

00:31:56

Jack

Be because you know my close, you know, relative has just passed. And of course, you know, that's why.

00:32:04

Jack

The in American culture, the the idea of Stoicism is, is so strong, it's like we almost respect it right when they don't cry, because they'll, they'll, you know, in the car ride home, they'll say, oh, look how brave she was. Look how brave he was. Those are things I've heard.

00:32:24

Jack

You know, my parents say before, after a funeral, and it's like, why do we need to be brave at this time? Shouldn't we be totally raw and vulnerable and just, you know, exposed to nerve?

00:32:27

Xochitl

Right.

00:32:38

Jack

And and and just. You know what it? Why does it have to be so clean and and and and and, dare I say cold? Yeah. Polished. Yeah.

00:32:47

발표자

Polished.

00:32:50

Xochitl

It's like a.

00:32:50

Xochitl

It's a performance as well. Just how it's funny, like just how you know, we might see other cultures performing grief and and like a vulnerable outward fashion. They probably see us performing. Stoicism is very like bizarre behavior.

00:33:09

발표자

Right.

00:33:10

Jack

Right when you because it's the because the actions don't match the gravity of the situation.

00:33:16

Jack

It's like.

00:33:17

Xochitl

Right.

00:33:18

Jack

The yeah, they're they're almost. It's almost like, uhm, you're accessing all this willpower to just not feel something.

00:33:28

Xochitl

Thank you.

00:33:30

Jack

And and and then and then when people get home and then they're alone, they completely break down.

00:33:38

Jack

Because they've been suppressing all of these emotions for the last couple days so.

00:33:45

Jack

I I don't know. I'm I I I really like the Korean funeral. If I if I got to choose, I would be OK with a a Korean funeral.

00:33:58

Jack

That'd be OK with me.

00:34:00

Xochitl

Hey I think I want a mix of both.

00:34:01

Xochitl

Cultures. For me, I like.

00:34:03

Xochitl

I don't want people to have to, like, sit in the hospital and watch me suffer to death, you know? But you know, it ultimately the funerals for.

00:34:10

Xochitl

The people who loved you during your life and If however they need to grieve, I think that's OK.

00:34:17

Xochitl

With me, you know.

00:34:18

Jack

Yeah, yeah, I absolutely, absolutely. And in the Korean funeral, there's, you know, there's soju, which is an alcoholic drink is served pretty.

00:34:31

Jack

Should I say liberally? Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. And I think that maybe helps suppress some of the emotions, but.

00:34:32

발표자

No problem.

00:34:45

Jack

Yeah. Ultimately I I, I I found it to be a beautiful experience, even though it was a a tragic one, but.

00:34:54

Jack

Yeah. I I yeah, maybe maybe there's something we can take away from each culture and, you know, put all the good parts together and and and have do it that way. You know, so.

00:35:11

Jack

Yeah.

00:35:12

Xochitl

You still have to let us know what few traditions are like in your home country. I'm really curious because I know there are some other cultures that also have extended like lakes and yeah, I'm just really curious to know how you guys celebrate the life of those who passed on or how you mourn. So make sure we just comment.

00:35:30

Xochitl

And below at A-Z englishpodcast.com shoot us an e-mail at at English podcast.

00:35:34

Xochitl

At gmail.com.

00:35:36

Xochitl

And make sure to join the we chat on.

00:35:40

Xochitl

WhatsApp groups.

00:35:41

Xochitl

Remember the Jack and I are also having an English corner. Now that we do Monday to Friday and that is for one hour in the morning for me and in the evening Jack's time. So you'll have to message Jack directly to get the details.

00:35:56

Xochitl

But yeah, it's only $10 USD a month and you get 20 classes, so that's pretty good. $0.50 a class. Yeah, and it's just really great. You get to converse and we we have topics like these that we talk about and it's just really nice environment friendly environment in there.

00:36:04

Jack

Yeah.

00:36:14

Jack

Yeah, very friendly, yeah.

00:36:17

Xochitl

All right. See you. Thank you. Bye. Bye, bye.

00:36:18

발표자

Bye.

00:36:19

Jack

OK.

Podcast Website:

Social Media:

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Facebook Group: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/

Tik Tok: @atozenglish1

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Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7

Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A to Z English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:49

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social.

00:00:54

Jack

And today we're doing another topic talk and today's question is, should humans switch to a plant based diet to protect animal rights?

00:01:06

Jack

What do you think, social?

00:01:08

Xochitl

Should humans switch your plan beside? Well, I have been vegan in the past, Jack, and I've also been vegetarian in the.

00:01:16

Xochitl

So I had.

00:01:18

Xochitl

The even the plant based diet on multiple occasions, but I never judge anyone who didn't because it's a very hard switch because the world is kind of built around assuming that you have a normal diet and now vegan food is way more accessible. Back. When I was vegan in high school.

00:01:36

Xochitl

Uh, it was very hard to be vegan. You couldn't go out to eat anywhere. You couldn't buy any like ready made vegan food at the store and there weren't any products like, there weren't any good veggie burgers or vegan.

00:01:45

Jack

Yeah.

00:01:49

Jack

No impossible burgers or anything like that.

00:01:52

Xochitl

No. So it really sucked. And then?

00:01:56

Xochitl

I yeah. So I don't know. And then there.

00:01:59

Xochitl

Are there were there?

00:02:00

Xochitl

Was a phase where I would eat plant.

00:02:01

Xochitl

Based like uh?

00:02:04

Xochitl

Two weeks out of the month and then the other two weeks, I just see normal, but that was more. That was like, yeah, I mean, yeah, it was kind of a whole thing, not in the ways you might you might expect but but.

00:02:11

Jack

For health.

00:02:22

Xochitl

Yeah, so, so I don't know, this is a tricky 1 because to me now I like me, I enjoy me and I enjoy having food freedom and getting to eat whatever I want and.

00:02:37

Xochitl

I think that as people, us being vegan is like far less or us consuming meat or choosing not to consume meat or choosing to eat plant based or not plant based whatever it may be is far less damaging to the environment or has far less of an impact overall than these giant greedy.

00:02:57

Xochitl

Corporations and industries that are.

00:03:00

Xochitl

Choosing practices that are they know, have been harmful for years, like the fracking industry and. And so I think ultimately, yes, it's just like our little drop in a bucket or drop in the ocean and we can choose to do it or not to do it. I don't think it really necessarily makes you better.

00:03:20

Xochitl

Or not, or neither do I I I just think it's so much more impactful for a corporation to.

00:03:28

Xochitl

And the government to put in regulations than it is for people to just go like Meatless Mondays or something.

00:03:35

Jack

Yeah, my my problem with with eating meat and.

00:03:41

Jack

It's the factory farming is I have a real problem with that because I know that there are definitely animal abuses that are happening. And yet, even though I know that intellect.

00:03:51

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:03:55

Jack

Really, it's really hard for me to make the switch to vegan or vegetarian or be vegan or vegetarian, even though I know that it's probably morally the right thing to do until farming practices become more ethical.

00:04:15

Jack

And you know, because I think that like.

00:04:18

Jack

You know the the way that they, you know, pack chickens into tiny little space.

00:04:24

Jack

Is.

00:04:25

Xochitl

Right. These, like tiny cages and they can't, can't walk or anything.

00:04:29

Jack

Yeah. Yeah. And they, they Peck each other to death and they they all kinds of really horrible things happen. Same with like cows or sorry, the same with cows and same with pigs as well. And yet I just.

00:04:45

Jack

Love meat? That is funny. I really have no excuse. You know, it's just like and. And when I don't eat meat, I I kind of feel the color kind of drain out of my face, you know, like I I feel weak when I'm not eating protein. And and I know that you can get protein from other sources.

00:05:07

Xochitl

Right.

00:05:08

Jack

You can, you know, it's not like vegans don't eat protein.

00:05:12

Jack

But it's just so much cheaper and so much easier to just buy like a bag of chicken breasts and or some, you know, some pork or something like that.

00:05:24

Xochitl

Well, it's kind of tastier and it's like blade rip because like it, it's probably cheaper to buy like a big thing of tofu or a big thing of beans and cook it. Really. Hmm. But it's it is convenient. And it's like something that you're used to. Right. So it's like.

00:05:33

Jack

MHM.

00:05:39

Xochitl

It's just hard to break that like it's tasty. Like I'll be real with you. I don't want to eat like a like a.

00:05:39

Jack

Yeah.

00:05:48

Xochitl

I'd rather eat a plate of chicken wings than like a.

00:05:51

Xochitl

Tofu and beans dish or something.

00:05:54

Xochitl

Most of the time.

00:05:54

Jack

Yeah, you know.

00:05:56

Xochitl

If I lived, if.

00:05:57

Jack

I lived in Mexico and I could get like a really nice plate of like beans with rice.

00:06:03

Xochitl

Oh yeah.

00:06:04

Jack

I think I could actually. I I think in Mexico I could actually do it. You know it's.

00:06:10

발표자

At least.

00:06:11

Xochitl

They're like vegetarian, right? Yeah.

00:06:14

Jack

Yeah, maybe not vegan. I might not be. I might still want to eat like eggs or something like that.

00:06:20

Jack

And maybe drink milk or something like that, cause I do. I do like milk in my coffee. But you know there there are other alternatives. You know, I could. I could drink oat milk or almond milk or something like that and.

00:06:36

Xochitl

I like oat milk more than I like regular milk, but it's like worse for you, so.

00:06:40

Jack

Yeah, it's not right health wise, it's probably it's not better, it just might be better for the environment perhaps or or it might be.

00:06:48

Jack

Be more ethical to you know.

00:06:53

Xochitl

Well, one, one that interesting thing with like dealing with the ethics of it, Jack is like.

00:06:59

Xochitl

It's not necessarily like, uh, you could just eat. I mean, it's more expensive, but you could eat organic meat that has ethical practices you.

00:07:10

Jack

That's true. That's true. If you if you source the right the right product, you you, you can find stuff that's a little bit more ethically growing or whatever. That's true. That's true. Yeah, I guess, you know, for me.

00:07:13

Xochitl

Could.

00:07:30

Jack

It just comes down to dollars and cents in. In many ways it's just I just like, I don't want to pay the extra money for it.

00:07:39

Jack

And so I I just, I just kind of push it to the back of my mind that like ohh it's probably not as bad as they say it is, you know, but I do, I think it is pretty bad actually this the factory farming situation and I I think it's you know it it'll be interesting to see like in the future.

00:07:59

Jack

What happens when they start growing lab? You know, lab grown.

00:08:02

Jack

Eat.

00:08:04

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:08:04

Jack

That that'll be interesting because you know, there may may be a time when when they they don't need animals at all anymore, we we may not have to to deal with that at all. I don't know how people might be disgusted by it.

00:08:18

Xochitl

I definitely would be less disgusted by lab grown meat than I would be by like.

00:08:23

Xochitl

How the practice is you know what I mean?

00:08:26

Jack

Yeah, yeah, watching the animals torture each other into death in these tiny cages.

00:08:32

Jack

Seems less disgusting than than growing some meat in a lab, so.

00:08:36

Xochitl

Eat lamb meat seems like it would be really sterile. And like with the conditions that they have in these factory farms, like a lot of the meat probably has like nasty infections and stuff like so they think.

00:08:46

Jack

Antibiotics. Yeah, all that sort of stuff, yeah.

00:08:48

Xochitl

Yeah, like they have to have antibiotics to avoid infections and all that nasty. So I don't know. I. Yeah, I I honestly would would be more interested in love me because I would think it would. It would be so. I mean, I wouldn't want to like.

00:09:02

Xochitl

Die from some weird mutation, you know, stupid, but you know, I mean, I'm sure that would be unlikely, but.

00:09:07

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:09

Jack

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm thinking I I may. I may make. I may make another run at vegetarianism here in the in the near future, but I'm I. I've got to mentally prepare myself for it.

00:09:10

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah.

00:09:22

Xochitl

Yeah, you don't have to go all or nothing. You can. You can just like, slowly introduce more vegetarian meals into your diet.

00:09:30

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:31

Xochitl

And you know, like, you know, maybe have a.

00:09:36

Xochitl

Or go like pescatarian or something which is so easy to do in Korea. I think there's a lot of good. Yeah, you could go like pescatarian and you could just slowly like phase.

00:09:40

Jack

Yeah, that's true.

00:09:45

Xochitl

Out and.

00:09:46

Xochitl

There's not that much dairy.

00:09:50

Jack

Yeah. And for our listeners, pescatarian means seafood. So you could just go like fully seafood diet.

00:09:57

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:57

Xochitl

Yeah, you just go like a seafood diet pretty much. So, yeah. I mean, yeah, I don't know. I think that the. Yeah, I get it. I mean, most of the time here in Mexico.

00:10:09

Xochitl

So.

00:10:10

Xochitl

It's kind of more accessible to get like meat that's butchered locally and that you know the practices are good. Like, you know, you see the chickens running around and you know that they're healthy and happy.

00:10:24

Jack

Yeah, before before its head got lopped off at.

00:10:28

Jack

Least it had.

00:10:28

Jack

A good life, you know. Enjoy. Yeah, you know.

00:10:30

Xochitl

Yeah, it's like.

00:10:32

Xochitl

It was happy so.

00:10:38

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah.

00:10:41

Xochitl

Yeah, I don't know. It was kind of my thing, I think. I think it's really more up to corporations to to do things more ethically. I think what in what we can we should like just eating less meat and high quality meat that has more ethical practices overall. And I mean I think that's important. But at the same time, I think it's like up to corporations.

00:10:41

Jack

Yeah.

00:11:01

Xochitl

Tulip.

00:11:03

Xochitl

It's that's the core.

00:11:04

Jack

Yes.

00:11:04

Xochitl

Yeah. To behave. It's up to the government to put, to make laws that guarantee corporations behaving in a in an ethical manner. But they won't do that. These corporations can make more money behaving unethically. So it's kind of a crapshoot. Yeah, you know what I'm interested to hear what our listeners.

00:11:19

Jack

Right, right.

00:11:22

Jack

Yeah.

00:11:25

Xochitl

I have to say I know that many of our listeners, uh, come from vegetarian cultures and others come from meat dominant cultures. Many countries eat way less meat than the US does, so I'm just curious overall. You know what? What they have to say what they think.

00:11:39

Xochitl

And yeah, we just comment down below. It is englishpodcast.com shoot us an e-mail at At's englishpodcast@gmail.com and join the WeChat once the groups to join the conversation. Remember that Jack and I are doing an English corner and we have discussion questions just like these every single day, Monday through Friday for an hour a day and needed to talk with a lot of your peers.

00:11:59

Xochitl

And also with Jack and I and have direct conversations with us during that time, UM and yeah, we have conversations just like these in the group. It really feels like hanging out with friends. So if you're interested, make sure to shoot us a message about that so you can join and we'll see you guys next time. Bye bye.

Podcast Website:

https://atozenglishpodcast.com/topic-talk-is-it-ethical-to-eat-meat/

Social Media:

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Facebook Group: 

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Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7

Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A to Z English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:50

Jack

Welcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk. And right now social something that's trending on on TikTok and on on the Internet right now is comes from the the Barbie movie and.

00:01:10

Jack

The question that people are asking themselves is what kind of Barbie are you like, could you describe your Barbie and what kind of Ken are you? So could you describe your Ken? So maybe you could describe your Barbie and I'll describe my Ken.

00:01:28

Xochitl

OK, I'm like uh.

00:01:32

Xochitl

I don't know.

00:01:35

Xochitl

I think I OK. Ideally what I would like to be in fashion Barbie, you know, I have all these clothes and I.

00:01:41

Xochitl

I love clothes.

00:01:42

Xochitl

But I don't really dress up that much anymore, like how I used to, but I used to love clothes, so I think I would be like fashion Barbie, you know. But now I'm kind of more like a.

00:01:56

Xochitl

Like.

00:01:59

Xochitl

Met Barbie or something? I don't know. Like, like a beige Barbie. Something I don't like. Kind of disillusioned with life. Ever so slightly. Yeah.

00:02:11

Jack

Trying trying to figure it out, Barbie.

00:02:13

Xochitl

Trying to figure it out, Barbie. Yeah, but you know, it's done better this year. I gotta say, the trend, the end of tail end of 27 was a great time where I started a bunch of projects, including our English corner. So with you. So I'm really excited.

00:02:29

Xochitl

About that and yeah, so maybe right now I would actually be like.

00:02:35

Xochitl

An iconic Barbie that had all the jobs like veterinarian, doctor, Fashionista like you know, the one that's doing everything I'm doing a lot like the English corner, the coffee business, selling clothes.

00:02:42

Jack

Yeah.

00:02:51

Jack

What? What kind of clothes, like, talk about the clothes you stuff. Cause I think that that's that would be like I can. I can picture your Barbies clothes because of the you know you you sell clothes on. I I see you post like dresses like you you're you're big into like thrifting right like.

00:02:51

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:03:09

Xochitl

Yes, yes.

00:03:10

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:11

Xochitl

Yeah, I saw.

00:03:11

Jack

So lots of like prints or something. Is that what they are kind of kind of prints with like UM?

00:03:16

Xochitl

It can be. I think they're just. It just really depends. It's more so for me right now I'm selling like American clothes. So and Mexico American clothes is is popular because it's higher quality. Traditional American garments are high quality like cotton and stuff. But like regular everyday wear.

00:03:37

Xochitl

Those is pretty low quality.

00:03:39

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:39

Xochitl

It's like worse than she and quality or whatever. Like it's very bad. So being that it's so bad, American clothes is quite popular here. So I just kind of pick whatever I think looks nice. And I think other people will like and bring that and sell it.

00:03:58

Xochitl

Beer so it could be like uh, dresses with plants or.

00:04:03

Xochitl

Dresses for graduation or like the.

00:04:07

Xochitl

You know, sweaters and different, just different articles of clothing that I think that will sell and and it's been going pretty well. I think the only issue is like the price point because it's in Mexican peso, so it's it's actually cheap for the US but for Mexicans a lot of people only make.

00:04:24

Xochitl

Like.

00:04:25

Xochitl

300 pesos. They're like $15 a day.

00:04:28

Xochitl

And as you know, most clothes is like.

00:04:28

Jack

Ohh.

00:04:32

Xochitl

At least 25 bucks or 25 feet.

00:04:34

Jack

Ohh yeah yeah, even if you buy off the clearance rack or something, you know at Macy's still going to be 20 or 25 bucks, you know.

00:04:39

Xochitl

Yes.

00:04:43

Xochitl

Right. Yeah. So that's kind of just the only thing that I'm struggling with and I'm kind of thinking about bringing in accessories and stuff that are like a little bit cheaper or or maybe like skin care. I've been thinking when I go to Korea about buying like cheap clothes and skin care, I'm selling them here as well. The cool thing about Korea is you can like.

00:05:03

Xochitl

She had like, boxes of stuff back, so.

00:05:06

발표자

Yeah.

00:05:07

Xochitl

It's kind of fun so.

00:05:08

Jack

What's your? What's your accessory? If you that goes with your your Barbie?

00:05:13

Xochitl

Ohh, they hadn't suffered one there.

00:05:15

Jack

20 right. Yes, of course, yes.

00:05:20

Xochitl

You basically have 4 successor. At this point it is like I left him for a day and a half to get a couple like that, which is a really, really beautiful village here in Laka.

00:05:31

Jack

MHM.

00:05:32

Xochitl

For my birthday trip and he came back and he's all sick and everything. I was like, what's wrong with him? So I took him to the vet today and he was like, oh, he was stressed cause you left him. And then like?

00:05:41

Xochitl

He, like his stomach, probably hurt because he ate like some different food. We we switched him to a different diet and like all that together, made him have like a problem. Like he got Giardia, which is like, you know, travelers area type thing. Yeah. And so it was really. It was really scary.

00:05:56

Jack

Yeah.

00:06:01

Xochitl

Because you seemed really safe.

00:06:02

Xochitl

But he's doing fine now.

00:06:04

Xochitl

But it's like a fourth successor. I gotta take him everywhere with me, or else he.

00:06:07

Xochitl

Gets sick, so.

00:06:08

Jack

Yeah, I'm not sure how how well this Barbie is going to sell the the Barbie with the the duende accessory with diarrhea, but.

00:06:17

Xochitl

No, no diarrhea, but just playing and they're just healthy. Then they're suffering. Yeah.

00:06:21

Jack

How's he doing today? OK.

00:06:23

Xochitl

It's just like a purse dog that you have to take everywhere.

00:06:26

Xochitl

He's looking at.

00:06:26

Jack

Right, right. You need you need a. You need a bag, maybe something maybe. Maybe a bag. That's a kind of.

00:06:27

Xochitl

Me.

00:06:27

Xochitl

Now I'm talking about.

00:06:38

Jack

A local like locally made you know what Hawken bag that you could put when they in. That'd be a pretty cool little Barbie, yeah.

00:06:45

발표자

Yes.

00:06:46

Xochitl

Yeah, I think that would be cool. He's wearing his little sweater right now, too. He's cold, so that would be be like a blue hoodie. Yeah, well, what kind of Ken are you?

00:06:51

발표자

Nice.

00:06:55

Jack

UM, yeah, so I'm. I'm definitely like teacher Ken. My my Ken is is has a shaved head. So that's the I'm I'm representing the bald.

00:07:00

Xochitl

Oh yeah.

00:07:08

Jack

There so bald can, but my accessory would be a a trucker hat, a trucker cap. So you can cover a KENS bald head with a with a nice trucker cap. And I'm trying to think like, what would Ken's what what's what's my uniform?

00:07:28

Jack

Let's say my uniform is pair jeans, some tennis shoes at T-shirt and then maybe like because I'm a teacher, I'll throw like a like a a a suit jacket over the top of that. So.

00:07:45

Xochitl

Hmm.

00:07:45

Jack

This is definitely of the the strangest can ever. But yeah, I think that would be my that would be my, my, my accessory and my outfit. And maybe maybe my school bag. You know, that would be my, you know, putting students, papers and and things like that.

00:08:05

Jack

Inside that would be my that would be my other accessory. So the trucker hat and and a a a school bag, yeah.

00:08:15

Jack

Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. Teacher. Teacher care.

00:08:18

발표자

Oh.

00:08:19

Jack

Yeah.

00:08:20

Xochitl

I often see.

00:08:20

발표자

Yeah.

00:08:25

Xochitl

What was I gonna say? I often see.

00:08:30

Xochitl

Gen. Z represented is wearing like beanies as well, which you also do.

00:08:34

Jack

Ohh, that's right. I'm. Yeah, that's when I try to be cool. But it's it's it's like dressing one generation below my my actual station in life.

00:08:46

Jack

So.

00:08:46

Xochitl

I don't think so, because every time I see Gen. X like represented in skits, they're always wearing like a they they dress exactly like you. It's so crazy when I see this guy like go skits because he's not Gen. XI. Think he's like a millennial. Maybe he's. No, I think he must be like a millennial and he he pulls, like skits like showing like.

00:09:06

Xochitl

Rumors that were genex that were ex millennial and Gen. Z.

00:09:09

Xochitl

Eric, you know, and I definitely relate hard to like a mix between the dense and millennial because you know I'm a customer, but when he does the Gen. X, it looks it's like looks just like you like. It looks so much like I gotta send you because I think you would get a kick out of it. It's so similar to you. And then like the the, the Gen. Z.

00:09:30

Xochitl

Like like for example they have like the meeting and the tenses still sleeping.

00:09:34

Jack

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:09:34

Xochitl

And that is me. That is kind of like me.

00:09:38

Jack

I think I'm. I'm a customer as well. Like I'm kind of right between millennial and and Gen. X because I'm like, you know, I'm like a really young Gen. X or a really old Gen. Z or sorry, really old millennial. Yeah.

00:09:45

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:09:50

Xochitl

Millennial, you mean? Yeah.

00:09:53

Xochitl

Yes.

00:09:54

Jack

No.

00:09:55

Jack

I can I can kind of. I can. I can go. I can go either way, depending on my mood for the uh for the day, I guess, yeah.

00:09:55

Xochitl

Yes.

00:10:03

Xochitl

Yeah, I'm gonna send you one of those gifts so you can take a look at it. Yeah. Alright. Well, listeners, let us know what kind of Barbie or Ken would you be? I'm curious to know. Leave us a comment down below at A-Z in this podcast at.

00:10:16

Xochitl

Or sorry leaves come down below at A-Z, englishpodcast.com students and e-mail at amazingnesspodcast@gmail.com and join the channel WhatsApp groups to join the conversation.

00:10:26

Xochitl

And let us know if you've seen the Barbie movie too, because I'm curious about that. I personally didn't get through it. I wasn't a.

00:10:31

Xochitl

Huge fan but.

00:10:32

Jack

I haven't seen it yet. Yeah, I need to. Yeah.

00:10:35

Xochitl

Fan, but we'll see and also make.

00:10:36

Jack

Yeah.

00:10:38

Xochitl

Sure that you guys.

00:10:39

Xochitl

Join us in the English corner if you are so inclined. It's UH-10 USD a month, and it's for 20 sessions so Monday though.

00:10:48

Xochitl

Today we have the English corner meetings for an hour and we have discussion questions and Jack and I are in there talking with the students and it's really fun. I really, really have enjoyed it so far. We have a lot of great English speakers and I think we have really great conversations in there. It's almost like just hanging out with your friends. So yeah, if you're interested in that, make sure to shoot.

00:11:08

Xochitl

The message and we'll see you guys next time. Bye bye.

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Transcript:

00:00:00

Jack

Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.

00:00:17

Jack

And if you.

00:00:18

Jack

Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.

00:00:22

Jack

Talk with social.

00:00:23

Jack

And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.

00:00:49

Jack

Welcome to the Ados English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk and social. Today's topic is a little scandalous. The question is, can cheating in a romantic relationship ever be justified?

00:01:07

Jack

Should the couple try to work through it, or is the trust permanently broken?

00:01:15

Xochitl

Uh, I really don't think it's ever justified. I personally have never cheated, so I don't understand.

00:01:24

Xochitl

It's a decision, too, I hate when people say that it's a mistake. I don't think it's a mistake. It's a choice that people actively made and you have to live with the consequences of that choice. And I think, like, if you do want to try to work through it, then the person who cheated needs to be willing to really put in the majority of the work.

00:01:31

Jack

Right.

00:01:45

Xochitl

And.

00:01:47

Xochitl

Needs to be willing.

00:01:48

Xochitl

To see that there are going to be pretty big consequences like the that person is not going to trust you. Like for a good long while. And I I think that's perfectly acceptable and absolutely normal. It'd be kind of weird if they suddenly did trust you, you know.

00:02:05

Jack

Yeah, I.

00:02:06

Xochitl

Again, you've been good.

00:02:09

Jack

Oh, sorry, I I I really hate it. When. When?

00:02:13

Jack

Like cheaters, say something like UM.

00:02:16

Jack

Well, you weren't paying attention to me or you weren't being attentive as a as a partner. And so I started looking in, you know, other places to get my needs met or whatever and that sort of kind of nonsense, you know, it's like I I think this is one of those.

00:02:19

Xochitl

Ah.

00:02:36

Jack

Rare occasions where it's like 100 zero, you know, like it's yeah, it's it's 100% the cheaters fault and they they have to take full.

00:02:49

Jack

Responsibility for their actions. I I don't think there can be any Hemming and hawing about it. It's it's, you know, I I think it's such a it's such a red flag when when a cheater starts trying to push the blame onto.

00:03:10

Jack

His or her partner for you know, making.

00:03:13

Jack

Me do that it. It reminds me of, like, domestic violence, right where the domestic abuser tries to blame the, you know, you know, I I don't. I didn't want to hit you. But you make me so angry, you know, and and that that's that's that's just nonsense.

00:03:18

Xochitl

Ma'am.

00:03:30

Xochitl

Right, yeah.

00:03:34

Jack

Like, that's just garbage logic and so.

00:03:38

Jack

Yeah, I I just, I just don't. Yeah.

00:03:40

Xochitl

Yeah, I think I I'll go. I'll go a step further here and say that cheating is definitely a form of abuse because you have to be lying to cheat. And lying is emotional abuse by definition.

00:03:55

Xochitl

So yeah, in some ways you're gaslighting your partner. You're, uh, hiding information from them. You're lying to them. You're invalidating them constantly because you're trying to make them think that they're crazy when you're cheating so that they don't hold you accountable for your actions, and you're blaming them and and shaming them. And it just.

00:04:17

Xochitl

It's toxic and it is abusive in in the context. And I yeah, I just really, really am against cheating.

00:04:27

Jack

Yeah, I like he said. That's a form of emotional abuse for sure.

00:04:32

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:04:33

Jack

And also I think that like.

00:04:36

Jack

Commitment requires again I I there. There are a few times in life where I think it's like a 0 sum 0 sum, meaning like it's 100% zero.

00:04:47

Jack

You know, either you're committed to your partner or or you're not, you know, and if you're, if you're always, if you're with your partner, but you've always got, like, one eye kind of looking around for something better, something. It's I I I just really hate that.

00:05:04

Xochitl

I know.

00:05:07

Jack

That kind of behavior, it reminds me of like, UM, it happens in friendships as well, where it.

00:05:15

Jack

Like you, you know, Jack, you're good enough to hang out with at this party, but I'm going to keep my eye open looking around the the room for maybe somebody a little bit more interesting, a little bit cooler that I can go talk to. So you're good enough in the moment.

00:05:35

Jack

But you're not. You're you're not really good enough. And that's a real self esteem killer, I I think.

00:05:45

Xochitl

Yeah, he is a self esteem killer. And then ultimately though like like dealing with cheaters and talking to them, I don't think it's anything about their partner not being. Obviously it's not about the partner not not being good enough, but I don't even think it's about them thinking their partners and good enough. It's like they just have this black hole in their heart and mind.

00:06:06

Xochitl

And they need like constant validation and attention from other people.

00:06:09

Xochitl

People and most of the times they can't handle like critique. Like if something starts going wrong in a relationship instead of facing up to their responsibility and whatever is going on or talking it out with their partner. If they can't face criticism or face.

00:06:10

Jack

Yes.

00:06:27

Xochitl

Issues when things get real, so they would rather just find a way to like escape in a sense and source their validation from someone else.

00:06:37

Jack

It's almost like they're they're willing to if they don't get what they want completely, they're going to blow it. They're going to blow the whole thing up.

00:06:45

Jack

You know, and that is like the most childish kind of toddler behavior. Like, it's the ultimate. I'm taking my ball and going home kind of behavior, right? Yeah.

00:06:52

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:06:59

Jack

And it's so immature. So, you know, I think ultimately I the second part of that question was should the couple try to work through it?

00:07:09

Jack

You know, I honestly don't think I don't. I just think it's. I don't think you can come back from that, to be honest. So at least I know that I personally cannot come back from that. Cheating is A is a a deal breaker in in my for me. So if if I were in a.

00:07:29

Jack

You know, just hypothetically, I mean I'm. I'm married. I've been married for 17 years, happily married. But if I'm. I'm just thinking hypothetically in like a dating situation or something. If if that happened to me, I I would just cut my losses.

00:07:47

Jack

And and and and find find a new partner like that's. That's ultimately where I kind of land. And it. What what about you?

00:07:56

Xochitl

I think that I that.

00:08:02

Xochitl

I how do? How do I say this?

00:08:05

Xochitl

I think that.

00:08:08

Xochitl

People who stay and try to work through it like a lot, a lot of times they get almost worse judgment than the cheater. Like people calling them stupid and stuff. And I think that's so mean because they're already like a victim of this horrible situation and they like, they're really, I don't know, forgiving people, I think. But at the same time, I I.

00:08:28

Xochitl

I do think you can't come back for men even if you choose to try to work things out and try to come back from it or whatever, I personally think.

00:08:37

Xochitl

UM.

00:08:38

Xochitl

It's like you can't, like you will always remember.

00:08:44

Xochitl

When they cheated on you and it will always affect yourself esteem and you're always going to be wondering like where they are and what they're doing and you're going to start behaving like a person that you don't recognize sometimes I think.

00:08:58

Jack

Yeah, you're gonna turn into somebody you don't want to be like the that.

00:08:58

Xochitl

As.

00:09:01

Jack

The kind of paranoid looking under every every rock for some kind of evidence and it it it just consumes your your life and you're you're not really living at that point. You're you're you're more consumed with this this relationship, and nobody deserves to.

00:09:22

Jack

To have to live like that.

00:09:23

Xochitl

No, no one should have to live like that. So you.

00:09:27

Xochitl

Yeah, I think, yeah. I mean, I think it's cool to cut your losses. It's something that it's like cheating is very common in Mexican culture, like men, especially cheating on women. I think there's a I think there's also a whole sexist level to cheating where, like in marriages, it's more common for men to cheat.

00:09:47

Xochitl

The way that society is and to get away with it or like for.

00:09:51

Xochitl

It to be acceptable anyway.

00:09:54

Xochitl

To some.

00:09:54

Jack

This is like the the boys will be boys kind of mentality.

00:09:57

Xochitl

Yes, and men will be mankind equality. But I think that's.

00:09:59

Jack

I need that you.

00:10:01

Xochitl

I feel like that's true in at least every culture that I'm familiar with. To some extent, you know, and I don't. I definitely understand why people, especially people who already have kids or who are like, have been married for a long time, why they would like, want and try to work through it.

00:10:07

Jack

Hmm.

00:10:21

Xochitl

Like I definitely understand.

00:10:23

Jack

Yeah, that's true.

00:10:26

Xochitl

Yeah, but at the same time, like I if anyone is ever in that situation, I would say don't like, just don't just cut your losses. You'll you'll always regret investing more time in fixing things than just moving on to a new relationship where you could have all the trust and respect that.

00:10:46

Xochitl

You should have had from the start and deserved in someone else that will respect you and care about you and.

00:10:57

Xochitl

Be a reliable person that you can actually trust.

00:11:00

Jack

Yeah, and. And and cheating when you have kids is really a a new, just a deeper. Yeah. Like a new low. Like, that's about as low as you can go. Because I mean you.

00:11:07

Xochitl

Low.

00:11:14

Jack

The the psychic damage that you can that it that infidelity causes children is it has a ripple effect that that will go will last throughout their lives as well. So your selfish act is actually.

00:11:34

Jack

Affecting your children's lives and their happiness and and their future relationships. So even from that, from that point of view, it's almost just inexcusable.

00:11:47

Xochitl

Yeah. And it also it's traumatic to be cheated on. Like, I know that a lot of people might be like, oh, that's an overreaction or whatever, but it's not literally like.

00:11:56

Xochitl

It's it's traumatizing, and someone that you're supposed to love and trust and all this and the person that you're supposed to believe the most in, like when you're in a committed relationship, just throws all of that trust and belief in the trash and sacrifices your self esteem and your self worth and.

00:12:17

Xochitl

Everything that you've poured into the relationship just to cheat on you, it is very traumatizing and so.

00:12:27

Xochitl

It's like someone can be so selfish that they don't even.

00:12:34

Xochitl

Don't even think about how it's gonna affect others like, but rather than just breaking up or going their separate ways or something, they'd rather put you in such a painful situation is just a selfish.

00:12:48

Xochitl

Turd.

00:12:53

Xochitl

Yeah, it's like, what a, what? A turd man. It's just that bad, you know? So it's like, I don't know. I. So I think for me, yeah. I mean, sure you can get past it and all this, but it's really low. I remember there.

00:12:56

Jack

Yeah.

00:13:07

Xochitl

Was it? I don't know if you have you ever seen the try, guys? They're like the YouTube group of four different.

00:13:12

Jack

Ohh yeah I'm I'm.

00:13:13

Jack

Familiar with that YouTube channel? Yeah.

00:13:15

Xochitl

Well, there was a.

00:13:16

Xochitl

Guy named Ned in it and.

00:13:19

Jack

Ohh yeah, this scandal. Couple years ago I remember this one.

00:13:23

Xochitl

He would only talk about his wife like he loved his wife and he would always talk about his wife all the time on the show and he was known as the wife Guy of the Try Guys and I really liked Ned and Ariel's relationship and I was like, Oh well, I hope I find someone who who loves me that much someday and who I love that.

00:13:43

Xochitl

That's interest.

00:13:44

Xochitl

So much and I was like, they seem like really happy and everything. And then he was cheating on Ariel with a coworker and she has like, two kids by him. And he publicly cheated on her, like, the way that she found out was like, some fan saw him with this other girl, like dancing at a club and posted pictures of it on Reddit.

00:14:04

Jack

Yeah.

00:14:06

Xochitl

And like, that's how she found out. And like the level of horribleness and like selfishness and everything.

00:14:13

Xochitl

Like how low can you be?

00:14:16

Jack

Yeah, yeah, just a a worm. You know, just a belly crawl.

00:14:21

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:14:22

Jack

You know.

00:14:23

Xochitl

And then like they are, they stayed together anyway. I believe in and trying to work it out.

00:14:29

Xochitl

And I just like.

00:14:30

Xochitl

I feel bad for Ariel because I mean it. Ultimately it's her choice, so I shouldn't say ohh I feel bad for her. But like what it mean is like when you're cheated on in such a public context and then and you have the kids and everything and.

00:14:43

Xochitl

I just feel like she can do so much better than this worthless worm of a man, you know, like, yeah.

00:14:48

Jack

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Someone that's willing to just to to just blow the foundations out from under your your marriage. Your relation.

00:14:57

Jack

Chip, what? Whatever compels a person to do that is there's a it's pathological, you know? It's it's it, it it's it defies logic. I I just can't wrap my mind around it almost. You know, what would? What would compel someone to just.

00:15:15

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:15:20

Jack

I guess maybe and and the fact that what made it worse is that he, you know, he was the the marriage guy. You know, so.

00:15:26

발표자

Oh.

00:15:27

Xochitl

I know only talking about his wife, John Mulaney, who's a famous comedian, also did like something very similar, apparently.

00:15:35

Xochitl

It's just trash like, you know, thinking about these men that are, like, always parading around about their wives and everything and the whole time they're just like these worm cheaters. Like it really. It really took me when I found out that news, I was like, what a nasty turd.

00:15:53

Jack

Yeah, and. And a lot of a lot of.

00:15:55

Jack

Times the.

00:15:56

Jack

Is the the reason they give is because I can.

00:16:02

Jack

Which that that is so dark to me. That kind of thinking, you know, is is.

00:16:08

Xochitl

Bro like I could kill him right now. Sorry. That's that's a little much for the podcast. I could be. I could, like, push someone off a Cliff if figuratively. If I wanted to. But like, you don't do it because you're a human being and you like you don't. Why would you do something like that? It's so dark to think like there's no limit.

00:16:29

Xochitl

OK, this this is one thing that that one of the reasons that I think you shouldn't stay with the cheater like one of the big thing.

00:16:35

Xochitl

Is that I watch a lot of true crime and almost every man who's murdered his like pregnant wife or wife or whatever was a cheater. First they cheated first and they were cheating. They had, like, there's either lots of instances of cheating in their relationship, like Lacey Peterson with Scott Peterson, like Scott Peterson cheated on her multiple times before he killed her.

00:16:43

Jack

Yeah, yeah.

00:16:56

Jack

Chris Watts, yeah.

00:16:58

Xochitl

Watts was cheating all these like family Annihilators, and it's just nasty. Like they were cheaters also. And that really makes you think about it. Like when you said it gets dark like cause I can. It's like, yeah.

00:16:59

Jack

Yeah.

00:17:14

Xochitl

Because they can like.

00:17:18

Xochitl

Yeah, yeah. There's no limit to how far they'll go. Like, sometimes it's a slippery slope, and someone who's willing to cheat on you. And like, why do you betray you in that way and put your health at risk? In many instances, that physical health and emotional health.

00:17:35

Xochitl

How far are they really, truly willing to go? You have no idea.

00:17:39

Jack

Sometimes they're willing to go so far to cover up their their indiscretions that they'll commit murder. You know, now this is obviously that's a the a very small percentage, but.

00:17:46

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:17:48

Xochitl

Sleep and but.

00:17:51

Jack

Yeah, it's, yeah.

00:17:52

Xochitl

But still pretty much all these family Annihilators were cheaters. So think about that. Alright, listeners. Well, let us know what you think about cheating in the comments. I'm definitely curious to know. Do you think that cheating's ever justifiable?

00:17:56

Jack

Yeah, yeah.

00:17:59

Jack

Yeah. Well, there we go.

00:18:10

Xochitl

A. Do you have a a dark black and white thinking like Jack and I have about? Yeah, let us know in the comments. We're very interested in now. So leave us a comment down below at A-Z with podcast.com. Shoot us an e-mail at at Oz with podcast@gmail.com and join the China WhatsApp groups to join our conversation and talk to Jack and I directly.

00:18:31

Xochitl

Remember that Jack and I are now hosting an English corner for $10, around 10 USD, or 80 RMB a month, so you get.

00:18:41

Xochitl

20 uh English corner sessions with Jack and I for that quantity, and you get to talk with other English speakers every single day that Monday through Friday. And yeah, there are a lot of perks and there's a lot of cool people who speak really great English and we have really fun discussion.

00:19:01

Xochitl

Questions. So make sure to shoot this message if you would be interested in that and we'll see you next.

00:19:07

Xochitl

Time. Bye bye.

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Transcript:

00:01:24

Jack

Kind of a a sky blue or or light blue color with a a really cool logo and everything on there and so I was just wondering like what's going on with that?

00:01:36

Xochitl

Well, that I started selling organic coffee. My partner is a coffee farmer in the Sierra Juarez, which is an area mountainous area of Wahaca where I live.

00:01:50

Xochitl

Yeah. And he he's a farmer, so he does things like, uh, he plants beans, corn, coffee, pineapples, mangoes, avocados. But the big one of the big.

00:02:07

Xochitl

Sources of income for coffee farmers are for farmers here in Osaka is coffee, is coffee used to be quite well paid, but unfortunately the the price of coffee has really gone down a lot. I'm not sure what's going on, but the market.

00:02:22

Xochitl

It's not that there's more supply than demand. It's just I think, how.

00:02:29

Xochitl

Some things have been happening with exports to the United States and prices and the dollar and the peso and how they're moving up and down. It's caused a lot of issues and.

00:02:41

Xochitl

Well, I was talking to him and he was he was telling me that.

00:02:45

Xochitl

They can only sell their coffee in parchment at 41 pesos, which is about like 2 bucks a kilo. A kilo is 2 point.

00:02:53

Jack

Dollars a kilogram for. Oh my God.

00:02:56

Xochitl

Yes, it's parchment coffee, so it's not like roasted or anything. It's just it that has to go through a whole process before it's ready to drink, but it's.

00:03:05

Jack

MMM.

00:03:07

Xochitl

It's still far to cheap price for organic coffee, and they're not making any money off of it anymore. And also.

00:03:16

Jack

Someone's making money though. It's like the middleman, you know, they're.

00:03:19

Xochitl

Yeah, it's the middleman is making money because the the price of coffee, especially organic coffee and local coffee, has gone up on the market, but they're not paying coffee funds.

00:03:21

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:28

Jack

Right. But the farmers are getting screwed on the on the the back end, yeah.

00:03:33

Xochitl

Yes, it's exactly what's happening. So it's it's really been a disaster for a lot of people. And yeah, I was talking to him and I just had the idea to sell his coffee here in the city because I live here.

00:03:35

Jack

Yeah.

00:03:45

Xochitl

City.

00:03:46

Jack

Hmm.

00:03:47

Xochitl

And you know, we talked about it and we made some plans and we kind of it just got, I just kind of posted it on an expat wahaka group saying hey, guys like would you be interested in organic coffee?

00:04:01

Xochitl

And a bunch of people were like, oh, yeah, you know, we didn't know how to price it. Like, we didn't know.

00:04:05

Xochitl

Anything about it?

00:04:06

Xochitl

Because he's gonna coffee farmer and his family has done coffee farming for generations. But like he's never really been on the on this like market end of.

00:04:14

Xochitl

Things.

00:04:15

Xochitl

Because what they usually do is they they belong to an organization coffee organization called Niche.

00:04:21

Xochitl

Yeah. Which is like organic coffee organization and.

00:04:25

Xochitl

They they give them like.

00:04:28

Xochitl

Courses and stuff on how to grow organic coffee and different varieties that are worth more money and all these kind of.

00:04:34

Xochitl

Things.

00:04:35

Xochitl

But because of how the market's going and I don't know what's happening, they're only able to buy 200 kilos on average from each coffee farmer.

00:04:45

Jack

Oh, it's nothing. 200 kilos.

00:04:45

Xochitl

And.

00:04:47

Xochitl

Yeah, the the usual production is at least five. You usually at least have 500 kilos leftover after that, you know, even for a small farmer. So uh.

00:05:01

Xochitl

Yeah. So it got to the point, you know, they have they have like at least 300 kilos or leftovers. So I talked to him and we went through the whole process of deciding to sell it and we got a lot of attention on that's that's.

00:05:14

Xochitl

What I could do?

00:05:15

Xochitl

And so we kind of had hit the ground running because I posted this just out of curiosity and I got I got, like business out the wazoo and.

00:05:25

Jack

Yeah.

00:05:25

Xochitl

I was like.

00:05:27

Xochitl

Tons of people inquiring and and a lot to keep up with. And so at that point we had to go ahead and we hit the ground running.

00:05:34

Xochitl

So is he.

00:05:36

Xochitl

We we decided to go with an artisanal process because that's pretty much how he knows how to make the coffee. So what you have to do is you have to take a like mortar and pestle, which for those of our listeners who aren't familiar, a mortar is like kind of like a a stone or wooden bowl or something and a pestle.

00:05:42

Jack

MHM.

00:05:56

Xochitl

Like a giant one, though.

00:05:58

Xochitl

And a puzzle is like the thing that you use to pound it. So people used to do this to like grind flour and stuff. In the olden days.

00:06:05

Jack

Right now you see a lot of people using mortar and pestle for like medicine and stuff like that.

00:06:10

Xochitl

Yeah. Medicine are like herbs. A lot of people use it for, like, finely grinding herbs and teas, but he has to use a giant one to like, take all the the kind of peel the shell off of our coffee.

00:06:22

Jack

Right.

00:06:23

Jack

OK.

00:06:23

Xochitl

So he does that all by hand, so that's crazy. It's a lot of work and hard labor.

00:06:28

Jack

Wow, he must be in great shape then because.

00:06:31

Xochitl

He hasn't. Really. Yeah, he's a really good team. But yeah, he's very strong and honestly, I don't think I would probably last two minutes trying.

00:06:33

Jack

Strong.

00:06:39

Xochitl

To do that.

00:06:40

Xochitl

So yeah, he he definitely he dishes the coffee that way and then we pay a local woman to hand roast the coffee.

00:06:41

Jack

Yeah, me neither.

00:06:51

Xochitl

Which is artisanal traditional method to do it?

00:06:54

Jack

Wow.

00:06:56

Jack

That's awesome. So like if people start drinking your coffee, they're they're going to be used to her roast. Basically, she kind of determines the flavor in a way like part of it comes from the the, you know, of course the bean. But then part of it also flavor of the coffee comes from how it's roasted. Right.

00:06:57

Xochitl

And right.

00:07:08

Xochitl

1.

00:07:16

Xochitl

Yeah. So she so depends on how you raise the coffee and there's different roasts like you can do a light roast, dark roast and medium roast, and they all have different flavor profiles. And she does kind of a medium dark roast, which works really well because they they they're hand roasted, they have like, a different. They have color variations and the beans, but once you.

00:07:30

Jack

Yeah.

00:07:37

Xochitl

Grind them in your coffee grinder or whatever. It's an even color. It's a uniform color and uh, it's smells delicious because there's the sugars and the coffee beans are like caramelized because they're roasted by hand, so they're not burnt like in our machine. But that would be if you did it by machine process.

00:07:51

Jack

Yeah.

00:07:54

Xochitl

And.

00:07:56

Xochitl

It just comes out really great. It has really. It has like a bold uh flavor and it still has body for those who like dark roasts, but it's not like a bitter dark roast that has, like, acidic notes and floral notes.

00:08:10

Xochitl

And uh, it's very it has a very sweet aroma, a really pleasant like caramel like aroma and almost like some chocolate you.

00:08:19

Xochitl

Know it's really.

00:08:20

Xochitl

Be good. I'm. I'm not a huge coffee drinker myself, but I definitely started because I had to describe it to the clients.

00:08:20

Jack

Yeah.

00:08:25

Jack

You sound like a coffee drinker, though. Jeez, you. You're describing all the notes. I mean, I just like. I just wanna. When I saw the the post, I just wanted to grab one of those bags. And just, like, open it and just stick my nose in there and.

00:08:29

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:08:39

Jack

Just smell it.

00:08:39

Xochitl

Yeah, was.

00:08:40

Jack

I love that smell of fresh. Oh my gosh. I bet it just it is.

00:08:44

Jack

Only.

00:08:45

Xochitl

Yes, it smells amazing and.

00:08:49

Xochitl

There's been a lot of things to learn. We price to way too low. So now we're figuring that out because we we didn't really know about the market. And there's a single origin coffee, which means it's coffee all from the same community and the same pic of that year. And so it's like it's worth more. And then it's also organic. So it's worth more and it has expensive.

00:08:55

발표자

Hmm.

00:09:10

Xochitl

Varieties inside the ensemble like there's different beams that we use, so we use like geisha, which is pretty expensive. Kafa Deepika, which is one of the original ones.

00:09:21

Xochitl

Has been.

00:09:24

Xochitl

Planted for hundreds of years here and yeah, so a lot of those things that, you know, quality and expense. And then the other things we went with an artisanal process which requires a lot of Labor, manual labor.

00:09:25

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:37

Jack

Yeah.

00:09:38

Xochitl

So we kind of replaced it way to that we personally 10 bucks a kilo.

00:09:44

Jack

10 bucks a kilo. Wow. You get through like you're giving it away for free there.

00:09:45

Xochitl

Yes, yes.

00:09:49

Xochitl

We basically did. It's 200 pesos or two hundred 200 pesos kilo, which is 10, about 10 bucks.

00:09:57

Jack

So is are you still making profit though, like at that price point?

00:09:58

Xochitl

And.

00:10:02

Xochitl

Uh, we're barely not. If we count our hours of Labor, we're not. We're in red numbers. But if we don't count the hours of Labor that.

00:10:08

Xochitl

We.

00:10:08

Xochitl

Put into it, then, yeah, we're making, like a tiny profit, a very tiny profit, so.

00:10:15

Jack

So you guys have to you guys have to reprice that then eventually this first round, maybe you can you can sell it cheaply, but you know after that you're going.

00:10:24

Jack

To have to.

00:10:26

Jack

You know, put put it up a little bit.

00:10:28

Jack

You know.

00:10:28

Xochitl

Yeah, I don't know what to do. I I I I'm not sure how to reprice it because I like, it's scared of losing customers or something.

00:10:40

Jack

No, that's just you that you guys just have imposter syndrome. You know, you, you just, you just you just don't have the confidence right now because you're just starting out. But I I think you should be very confident in your product. It sounds like a great product. I mean it looks amazing. So I think you guys could ask, you know.

00:10:41

Xochitl

So we basically have 349.

00:10:47

Xochitl

Best year yet?

00:10:56

Xochitl

Yeah.

00:11:00

Jack

Double that much and people will still pay. You know, if they love it, they'll they'll pay, you know? Yeah.

00:11:04

Xochitl

Uh, yeah.

00:11:06

Xochitl

Yeah, that's kind.

00:11:06

Xochitl

Of where right now, and I think it's going pretty well, a lot of people ask us, you know, do you have half kilo bags, do you have white roast? Do you have decaf? It's like we don't have any of these things yet because I think we have people don't don't like know the whole process like being a coffee farmer and working on doing all this like it's kind of amazing that we've gotten as far as we had in the last month.

00:11:28

Xochitl

We've only been doing this a month. We really hit the ground running but.

00:11:31

Jack

MHM.

00:11:32

Xochitl

But yeah, we we can't diversify our products yet, so that that is one hurdle that we've been dealing with. But one thing I'm happy about is the packaging. I'm going to pick that. And I also designed a little logo and I think it came out really well.

00:11:47

Jack

Yeah, that's the fun part. I I I enjoy that sort of stuff. The, the, the smashing, the the beans. Not. Not exactly my cup of tea right there but or.

00:11:48

Xochitl

And and.

00:11:59

Xochitl

No. Yeah, that's that's his job. So he does all he's like, but he's out of quality and production or whatever he's had of production.

00:12:06

Xochitl

So he's quality.

00:12:06

Xochitl

People and smashing beans up and going to different like sea farmers within his community to see, you know, if we can buy their crop for the next year. But he's he has a very.

00:12:18

Xochitl

That they're organic and that they're certified organic.

00:12:22

Xochitl

And so he's doing that whole process himself.

00:12:25

Xochitl

And then my end is really customer service and communicating with the client.

00:12:32

Xochitl

And sending them, you know, information about this and that and whatever and.

00:12:40

Xochitl

Making sales and whatnot, that's basically my whole and designing the Flyers, designing the coffee bags, designing the different products that we're going to introduce into the market, all that is.

00:12:52

Xochitl

Kind of what I'm up to.

00:12:54

Jack

Right, you're you're marketing and these operations, I guess or something like that and yeah.

00:12:58

Xochitl

Yes, that's really what it is. I'm marketing these operations and I'm also customer service I'm trying.

00:13:05

Jack

Right.

00:13:06

Xochitl

Even the customer service on things, but it's like he's kind of shy, so it it doesn't work as well for him I think. But you know I'll get him, I'll get him. I'll work him up and I told you that you should be confident because it's your, it's your product and your you made this. So a lot of people.