Super nice to talk with you again, Andriy. You regaled me with stories of your recent road trips, and I shared my tales of woe in Ecuador. We compared the cost of living in Spain with the rest of Europe, considered the prices of trains in different countries, and wondered whether a dorm bed or a private room is the better choice when staying in a hostel. Vocab: snore, dry. Remember that we generally say “take a trip” instead of “we trip” when talking about vacations. Have a great week!

Great class, Andriy. We read aloud an article from NPR about testing new drugs on mice and started another about bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef. Vocabulary: mice, furry, astray, rodent. Pronunciation: this/these/those, even/evan, raise/rise, hide/hidden, effective, prototypical, emphatically, through, monotonous, laugh, inevitable, readily, reproducible, tough, traits, aerial, severe, algae. Talk to you soon!

This was another enjoyable class, Andriy. We talked about computers, your persevering work ethic, and your recent whirlwind trip to the south of Spain. We finished reading aloud an NPR article about International Women’s Day and started reading about Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day annual tradition of dyeing the river green. Thank you for the Macbook suggestions. I will be sure not to throw out anything! Vocabulary: advocacy, emerald green tinge, and “sewage-filled eyesore.” Pronunciation: throughout, waste, organized, honor, pre-existence, spectators, even further. Have a great week!

Really great class today, Andriy! We started out by chatting about International Women’s Day and watched a brief video which sparked a discussion about gender equality. Vocabulary: fierce, machismo, jealous. Pronunciation practice: woman/women, socialist, theme, blog, particularly, gender-based. We ended the class with pronunciation practice by reading aloud the first part of an article from NPR’s Goats and Soda section about IWD. Great job!