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Todd:  OK. We're back with Jeanna. You want to talk about your summer vacation. Jeanna:  Sure. I went to Las Vegas, Nevada; Reno, Nevada; Tahoe, California; and San Diego, California, and I went to Disneyland. Todd:  Wow! Sounds like a really good time. Jeanna:  Yeah, it was. It was a lot of fun. Todd:  What was the best place? Jeanna:  Probably Las Vegas. It was the...

Todd:  OK, Charlotte. You've been a teacher for quite a while. Charlotte:  Yeah, I started about three years ago. My first job was in Jessif, in the east of Poland. I was promised that I wasn't going to have to teach any beginners or any little children because it was my first job. I was promptly given the beginner infants. My first day of teaching I was given a book which said, 'Ah! Go...

Todd:  Keri, I heard you have a new house. Keri:  Yes, I do. Todd:  Oh, so what's your new house like? Keri:  It's small, it's old. It's mostly wooden in the inside. It has two bedrooms and a balcony off of those rooms. Downstairs, there's like a living room area and a tatami mat room, kitchen, bathroom. Todd:  Wow, so do you live in the tatami mat room? Ker...

Todd:  OK. Leath, you're from Zimbabwe. Could you talk about that? Leath:  Yeah, OK. Well, I'm from Harare which is the capital of Zim. I was born there. My folks are British. My dad is from Manchester and my mom is from Scotland. They went out a long time ago. Yeah, growing up in Zimbabwe was "lacker" as we say there. That means really cool in Africans. It was like you grow up...

Todd:  Hello, Gabrielle! Gabrielle:  Hello! Todd:  How are you doing today? Gabrielle:  Good thanks. Todd:  Now, Gabrielle, I hear that you are going back home to New Zealand. Gabrielle:  That's right. I'm going home for summer. Todd:  OK. What are your plans? Gabrielle:  Probably a week relaxing, going camping, and then I'm going back to work. Todd:  O...

Jessica:  Let's see. My mom is three years older than my dad. They are like night and day. My mom is 5 foot 4 on a good day, 5 foot 2 I think in real life. She is very sweet, very nice, very caring and very cute. Everybody tells her how young she looks and how she resembles my sister, perhaps. My father is very much completely opposite that. He is a very big man, very loud, very funny, very b...

Todd:  Hello, Matt! Matt:  Hello, Todd! Todd:  Matt, I'm going to ask you some questions about pets. Matt:  OK. Todd:  First question, do you have a pet? Matt:  Yes, my pet at my mom's house we have three pets; two dogs and a cat. My family actually raises dogs for helping blind people. Todd:  Oh, really? Matt:  Yeah. Todd:  Wow, like how do they train...

Todd:  OK. Steven, you're looking at a picture. Please describe what you see. Steven:  I can see a red double-decker bus .  It's the kind of bus you'll see very often in London. In fact, I know this bus is from London because I can see the names: Chelsea, Sloane Square, Victoria, Charing Cross. These are all areas in London. Obviously, the bus is in London. Todd:  OK. Have you...

Todd:  Hey, Keri! You cook, right? You're a pretty good cook? Keri:  I'm OK. Todd:  OK. I want to make an omelet. So actually this is really silly, I've never made one before. How do you make an omelet? Keri:  Well, I can teach you how I make them, which is the same way my father and grandmother make them so it is a little special. Todd:  OK. Yeah! Yeah! Keri:  First...

Todd : So, Anthony we're talking about bitcoin. Now you've invested in bitcoin before? Anthony : Yeah, yeah, a bit. Todd : Do you still invest a lot now? Anthony : I haven't recently. Todd : Okay, so why did you stop? Anthony : I stopped because I was getting a little anxious about seeing my portfolio swing up and down by 5, 6, 7 thousand dollars in a day. I kind of decided that I would take out t...

Todd : Okay. So, Anthony, I thought we would talk about bitcoin. Anthony : Okay. Todd : So, you are kind of the expert about bitcoin. Anthony : I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I just, maybe a hobbyist, bitcoin hobbyist. Todd : How long have you been involved with bitcoin? Anthony : I first heard about bitcoin in probably 2012, and I really, I'm really kicking myself that I didn't buy some...

Todd : So, I'm here with Jerri, and she's Thai, and we are in Bangkok. And we are going to talk about fashion. So, Jerri, Bangkok is a very, very fashion-conscious city. Jerri : Yes, absolutely. Todd : Shopping is huge here. So, let's talk about prices. So, first we'll talk about jeans. You are wearing jeans today. So, how much are an expensive pair of jeans in Bangkok? Jerri : Well, tha...

Todd : Another famous thing about Bangkok is the motorcycle taxis, which really freak a lot of the tourists out . Jerri : I'm sure, I'm sure. Todd : Like, they're afraid to get on one. Can you explain the motorcycle taxis, which are incredibly common? Jerri : Absolutely, so, it can get quite - it's quite scary but it's probably the fastest and most cost-effective way to get around B...

Todd : Okay, so, I'm here with Jerri, and we are in Bangkok, Thailand, and she's Thai. And I thought we would talk about the interesting transportation systems of Bangkok. Jerri : Yes, very interesting. Todd : Yeah, Bangkok has so many ways to get around. So, the most common, of course, is the BTS. Jerri : Right. Todd : This is the over rail train, right? Jerri : Yes. Todd : And then there's the M...

Todd : So I’m here with Jerri and she is from Thailand, and we’re talking about islands. So these islands in Thailand get a lot of tourists. Jerri : Yes, right. Todd : Thailand probably gets more tourists to its islands than any other country in the world. Is there like any concerns about the environment or development on the islands? Jerri : Yes, of course. Wherever there are people, there’s alwa...

Todd : So I’m here in Bangkok with Jerri and she is Thai. And, Jerri, I thought we would talk about Thai islands. Jerri : Of course. Todd : So there are some major islands. Can you first talk about the major resort islands in Thailand? Jerri : Yes. So as most of you know, Thailand is probably visited because of its islands. So the most well-known ones would be Phuket and Koh Samui, which are both...

Todd : Did your kids work when they were in school? How did you feel about your kids when they were in high school? Angela : My kids had to work for their pocket money, so they would have chores to do and they would get pocket money. They would help with the washing up, sweeping, cleaning, whatever. They worked hard to earn their pocket money. They thought it was really hard. Todd : So did yo...

Todd : So I’m here with Angela and she is a writer and a traveler, a teacher, a businesswoman, and you’re also a mother. Angela : Yes. Twins. Todd : You have twins! That’s amazing! Wow. And so you also are now what’s called an empty nester. Can you explain what that means? Angela : It’s the feeling that you get when you realize that you’ve worked hard for your kids all those years and now the...

Todd : So, Natalie, you were saying that you are a foodie. Natalie : I'm a huge foodie. Todd : And you are now in Bangkok, and Bangkok is famous for its street stall food, but that's changing. Natalie : It is, so this is probably 70% of the reason why I moved to Bangkok because of the street food. So, yeah, the street food scene is changing. It seems like they're trying to take the model that's si...

Todd : I'm here with Natalie and she is working in Bangkok. And how long have you been here? Natalie : I've been here about 10 months. Todd : It's interesting to hear your thoughts on Bangkok because I was an English teacher here over 20 years ago from 1994 to 1998. It was my first teaching job and Bangkok was very different then than it is now. Now I would say it's a pretty amazing cosmopolitan c...

Todd : Well I have to admit, because even English teachers will tell you, and they're lying if they don't admit this, even on tests like the TOEFL, it's very hard for a teacher to get 100%. Not because of knowledge, but because of concentration. Rufei : Yes. Todd : Right? Rufei : Exactly. We have a lot of questions and some of them, they are kind of tricky. Todd : Right. Rufei : Yeah. Todd : So th...

Todd : Rufei, you said that your education system is very strict and you study like 15 hours a day. Rufei : Yes. Todd : Okay so, if you were in charge would you keep the system the same way? Rufei : It depends on the person. I think there should be a place that's as strict as my high school. You can choose to send your children to go there or if the students themselves, they want to go t...

Todd : Rufei, you are from China. In America, Chinese students have a reputation of being very hard-working. Is that true? Rufei : Yes, exactly. In my high school, in one class we have around 70 students in one class and everybody wants to be the top student, so everybody works so hard. I say my high school was kind of like a prison. You have to go to school every day from...

Viyasan :  So Gyri, can you tell me a little bit more about the lifestyle of school in Norway? For example, I've heard you guys don't have homework, don't have standardized tests. Tell me a little bit more about how school is in Norway. Gyri : Yeah. So, we don't have a lot of homework, that's true. When I was little, or in grade school we had homework, but not too much. I think they changed i...

Gyri : So what is your opinion on standardized tests? Viyasan : Standardized tests. Yeah, I've done quite a few standardized tests in Canada. In elementary school, we have the EQAO, so that's English, math, and I think literacy skills as well. But they have standardized tests that all elementary students do in grades three, in grade six, and grade nine. It depends. I think they're a good...