Listening comprehension and spelling test?

…And i was a cook for cowboys…and i get into photography, move back to West Hartford to do more photography. And i decide to got to Washington D.C and see if i can find a work there.Meanwhile i had met a Germany girl in West Hartford Connecticut and we kept contact. when i moved down to Virginia…so on

Hello Sir Torsten,
Sorry I was late in sending my transcription. Whatever I have understood I have typed here and I took little help from MS-word as well as from Google search engine to find spellings of some places which I have listened in the dictation and left the blank spaces which I couldn’t understand. and of course there are mistakes which you would find in my transcription.
Thank you,
Best regards
Ashi.

Here is the Transcription dictated by Raymonds Romanos

And it was a cooked for cowboys and than I got into photography, move back to start with demo with photography and than I decided to go down to Washington D.C and seeing reckoning find work there.
Meanwhile I had met a German girl in West Hartford, Connecticut and we have kept in contact. Eh, when I moved down to Virginia which is near Washington, she would back to Germany and I didn’t like Virginia as mush I thought I would and she had mentioned that I should come and visit her in Germany, and so I did and that was back in 1996. So I had in Germany, I had no plans to stay for long time but no plans not to stay for long time. So my return of plan is to be with her to German, and to see Germany. So it was in 1996 and now we are in 2003 and almost 2004, in the meantime we broke up but I stayed in the life sick because life is good here, my life is good here.

When I first came the life sick, my impression was much different because this is only six years I have to be wear off the parent’s war and many things do not exist. For example, eh, tea or coffee or there is very very difficult to find a decent sandwich, not all the __ has been renovated and so it was great. I was not ease to the winter here, which were in comparison to a Connecticut not as extreme but mostly great and the winter in Connecticut are typically very very cold with a snow, and here is not as cold and if there is snow it lasts about 24 hours before it disappears and so. And I really had found a very nice time to goes keen here really goes keen here because all in the mountains the best thing you find is a hill somewhere and find a slide, so you have to be go fast here and life stick to go sliding.

Well I came with Germany, I worked as a photographer, I worked measuring apartments, anything I could do to basically for survive and mood long. I had paid a tax and than finally I started teaching English. My first teaching experienced in English was very difficult because I didn’t quite understand all of the concepts of English. I mean I may have studied in college but really hard work in trying teaching, a too different thing. So I had do re learn how English works for me to teach it. Also when I arrived, I had learnt a German and so learning German and teaching English. Well learning German helped me teach English, because than I understood how people learn languages, so other wiping here, for six years or seven years. My German is not as good as it could be. Although I can read newspapers and understand there text fully. I still have and quite managed to speak like a German. Germans say tend a half of way using a words which no for could quite master you have to be in German to master German. But it’s a fun language it’s more precise than English. It’s got many more expressions and dialect fun to listen too.

I have a lot of contacts to the local people here life sick. Because many people like I do teach them and a lot of my students invite me out too for coffee or we have advance at night, they may invite too or there I go myself. There are lot of foreigners here all of I meet them. There are plenty of foreigners’ round tables for which people learning individual’s languages or the people learning German and English and so. If we that, so I meet lots of people and help me __ lots of people. Most of my friends are either German or American. I have too very good Americans friends and the rest of all are German. So I spent most of my time going back with English or German. Eh, and I am in fact studying German again privately, so that I can improve it because after seven years, eh, there are many things which you can learn to help you speak better pronunciation and mostly and more importantly idioms.

I go back about twice a year to America to visit my father who lives in Connecticut or to my mother who lives in South Carolina. I typically go back in the summer around June for a family gathering, which is bout 30 people and we rent about four cottages on a lake and we all get together and basically go from one cottage to another for eating away for two weeks and its lots of fun and when I visit my mother and she lives in South Carolina in a place called Meta beach is really not much to do there you could go and if you wishing you could go for coffing or you could go for the swimming at the beach. But mostly we hanging out and we talked back in Connecticut. I so have my friends and still meet with my friends. They meet at the coffee shop in the center of the Tar fid at 2:00 o’clock for coffee. They have been doing this since 1993 and so when I go back I still know every one and it is fun and I get my free cup of coffee because they never see me and the people who worked there still know me and they bring me up the date as towards being going on. It’s lot of fun. My language has change since I have been here. Many people who are American will talk to me very slowly and they tell me that my English is very strange, but nice. And I say, “That’s nice.” Than they say, “where are you from?” Than I say, “I am from Connecticut.” And they go, “really” and I go, “yes really.” than they go, “when should your accent come?” and I say, “Well, You can’t work around with your accent all your life if you live some where else, you have to loose it. And when you teach English you can’t teach accent but you have to teach general English which people could not understand.” And so I have tried to change my English a little bit so that people can understand me better because when I talked too fast and one will see when I go back to Connecticut after a month in Connecticut I talked normal with Connecticut person which should be hard are-s old tone exist. It’s not ‘Connecticut’ but ‘Connecticut’. And it’s not ‘progress’ but ‘progress’ so this is very very distinct knew in accent, which one can hear if one listened to my voice but is mostly a talked to way, so among other things my accent has changed as well as my vocabulary when you talked to an American who has been living or anybody who has been living in Leipzig for long time. Someone certain was suddenly following to your vocabulary. For example, every one say trust in bar __ or trust in own instead of street car or train. We talked about going to the bar hoof which is a change train station or to the Austline bar Heraldram__, which is the immigration office and so we will do, we will use these words among other things like shrunk for cabinet or tala or tish for plates and tables and we will mix and we called this new language, which is English and everyone doesn’t matter from what country we mix and its very difficult when I go back to the state not to mix because I know and I have kept telling my self and no one there understand German. So I can’t go mixing like I can do in Germany in Leipzig.

I find there amazing hard German can express themselves to such detail they know exactly what’s going on. I just I am completely amaze by that you ask some one about how a car work and they will tell you and they will tell you how a car slides and the reason why a car was slide on the ice or ¬¬ new pedal airplane or they give you details which ¬¬¬¬¬an America person will not do. They will use lots of and-s and are-s and anything like that and German tell you the exact details what it is are it say what they know and do not know but so is being quite a learning experience from a technical ___ and so.

I am find this exercise very hard . And it is very difficult to me so I can not write what Ray say.
I am so sorry
Regards,
BG

Dear Torsten,
I listened to story of Reymond and wrote it down but (as usual there is but)I don’t know I have to send my transcript for you, my dear teacher or not?
There are some sentences that can not understand them because of new words and also I understood what he said but there are some words which I can not recognize them.
Sincerely yours
Mitra

i’m just finished take a bath. could you please tell me the mistakes about this sentence. thanks

Hi Torsten,
this is a really good exercise for pronunciation, vocabulary and so on and so forth ; we’d rather better compare the transcription done with the original version to check errors and …improve

Thans a lot and best regards

Agata

Hi Agata, you can only compare something with the original if you write down what you hear.[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC short conversations: Shopping for a deal[YSaerTTEW443543]

My name is Raymond. I am from west Heartford,Connected in the United states. It is located more or less between Bosten and Newyork.Eh I was born in Heartford,and from west Heartford i went to Cincinati to study. I studied english in Cincinati,Ohio and after my studies i moved to Wyoming and work as a cook.I was cook for cow boys, then i got into photography, i have done extra stodies in photography.After i completed my studies i came to Washington DC.In Washington DC i met a Germon girl,we both were connected and we were liking, but after some time she went back to Germony.
I didnt like Vergeniya as much as i thought.I talk to her and she suggested me to come to Germony.It was in 1996, i liked the idea.I went there, i heavent decided the time peroid that how long i will be staying here.We were together and got merried. My idea was to stay hear and see Germony, and learn Germon language.I came to Germony as a photographer,but after that i did any thing for my living, i moved lawns, i measserd apartments, and finally i started teachingenglish.At first teaching an english was very difficult because i didnt understand all the concepts of english,allthough i have learntin college but learning and teaching are two different things.So i have to relearn how to teach english.In the begning i started learning Germon that helped me a lot in teaching Allthough i am hear from 6 years but still i cant speak fluently. I can understand, i can read newspaper, i can talk also but not good Germon. Germon is avery different languege. There way of using the words are very different, but it is a fun languege.It got lot many expreations. I have many friends hear some are my students and some are locals. Locals are from Germon class. Two are from united states, they invites me for coffee.Most of my friends are form Germony or amirica.Some time i speak english and some time germon,even i started learning Germon again.So that i can proveit,because after 7 years there are many things to learn like Ideoms. In the meantime we broak,it was in 2003,but i stayed in Lipzing, life is good hear. When i came hear my thinking was different it was only 6 year to fall off the barlin wall. at that time it was very diffcult to find a desent sandwitch and a cup of coffi.here they eat very blend food. Winter is very different from Cincinaty. Cincinaty is very cold and snowy in winters,but hear it is not as cold,and if it snows it lasts for a day and then dissapears,and we can do sketing. I go to America two times in a year to meet my perants.Whenever i go to meet my father there i meet my old friends. We go for a coffee, we had fun. Then i go to meet my mother, she lives in South carolina.When i come back from america my language changes, and they say where are you from, and i say i am from Connectcut and they say realy. They say your exent is changed, and i reply them we cant move around with acssent .They say but you are a teacher, and i say you don`t have to teach them acssent.You have to teach them languege which they understands.So people can learn and understand.

Sorry i was too late to sending my transcreption.Whatever i understood.

Thanks

Hi, Torsten

Thanks for such difficult but very intresting test. I hope you verify my work and correct my mistakes. I marked ??? where I was not able to hear distinctly.

And I was a cook for cowboys. And then I got to take photography moved back to West Hartford to do more with photography. And then I decided to go to Washington, D.C. and see if I could find work there…Meanwhile I had met a German girl at West Hartford, Connecticut. And we(’d) kept in contact. When I moved down to Virginia, which was near Washington, she moved back to Germany. And I didn’t like Virginia as much as I thought I would…And she had mentioned that I should come and visit her in Germany and so I did. And this was back in 1996…So when I came to Germany I had… no plans to stay for a long time but no plans not to stay for a long time. So my (irrational) plan was to be with her and to learn German and to see Germany. So that was in 1996 now we are in 2003 almost 2004…A…in the meantime we broke up but I stay in Leipzig because life is good here, well, life is good here. But when I first came to Leipzig my impression was much different, because this is only six years after the fall of the Berlin wall and many things it not exist for example… take away coffee or there is very there is very difficult to find a decent sandwich, not all the buildings had been re…. and so it was very grey. I was not used to the winters here…which were in comparison to Connecticut not as extreme but mostly grey. And the winters in Connecticut are typically very very cold with… with snow. And here it’s not as cold and if there is snow it lasts about 24 hour before disappears. And so I really find time to go skiing here but really can’t go skiing here because there are no mountains. The best thing you can find is a hill somewhere. Find a slat. So you have to be real fast here in Leipzig to go slating. Well I came to Germany I worked as a photographer. I worked (…….) apartments. Anything I could do to basically survive. I mowed lawns, I helped edit texts. And finally I started teaching English. My first teaching experience in English was very difficult because I didn’t quite understand all the conceptive English. I mean I may have studied it in college but very hard works and trying teach it are two different things. So I had to relearn how English worked for me to teach it. Also when I arrived I had to learn German. And so learning German and teaching English while learning German helped me teach English. As then I’ve understood how people learn languages. So although I’ve been here for seven years my German is not as good as it could be. Although I can read newspapers and texts and understand them fully I still haven’t quite managed to speak like a German. Germans set tender half a way of using their words which no no foreigner could quite master …You have to be a German to master German, I think. But it’s a fun language it’s more precise than English. It’s got many more expressions and dialogs which are fun to listen to. I have a lot of contact to the local people here in Leipzig. Many because I due teach them. And a lot of my students invite me out to coffee or we have( ???) night which they invite me out too. Or I go out myself. There also lots of foreigners here and I can meet up with them. There are plenty of foreign round tables for people wanting to learn different languages or for people wanting to learn German or English. So, through that I can meet lots of people and I have met lots of people. Most my friends are either Germans or are Americans. I have two very good Americans friends and rest of all Germans. So I spend most my time going back in force between English and German. And I’m in fact studying German again (???) so that I can improve it. Because after seven years…there are many things which you can learn to help you speak better: pronunciation and mostly and more important idioms. I go back about twice a year to America to visit my father who lives in Connecticut or to my mother who lives in South Carolina. I typically go back in the summer around June for a family gathering, which is about 30 people and we rent about four cottages on a lake and we all get together basically go from one cottage to another eating our way for two weeks. And that’s a lot of fun. And when I visit my mother ,and she lives in South Carolina in a place called Mortal Beach, this really not much to do there. You could go (???) golfing or you can go swimming at the beach. But mostly we hang out and we talk. Back in Connecticut I still have my friends and I still (???) my friends. They meet at a coffee shop in the center of West Hartford at two o’clock for coffee. They’ve been doing this since 1993. And so when I go back I still know everyone and it is fun I get my free cup of coffee because they never see me and the people who work there still know me. And they bring me up the date as to what is going on. It’s a lot of fun. My language has changed since I’ve been here. Many people who are American would talk to me very slowly. And would told me that my my English is very strange but nice. And I say that is nice. And they say where are you from? And say well I’m from Connecticut and they go, really?! And I go, yes really. And they go, where is your accent? And I go, well you can’t walk around with your accent all your life if you live somewhere outs you have to lose it. And when you teach English you can’t teach accents you have to teach general English which people can understand. And so I’ve tried to change my English a little bit so that people can understand me better. Because when I talk real fast and well will see when I go back to Connecticut after a month in Connecticut I will talk like a normal Connecticut person which will be hard us(???)to what exists ……It’s not Connecticut but Connecticat. And it’s not progress but prugress. So there is a very very distinct new England accent which one can hear if one listens to my voice but is mostly is mostly talk to way. So among other things my accent has changed as well as my vocabulary. When you talk to an American who has been living or anybody who has been living in Leipzig for a long time certain words will certainly fall in to your vocabulary. For example everyone will say strassenban or shtrassenban instead of street car or tram. And we will talk about going to the banhoff which is a train station or to the oslanderbahudamt which is the immigration office. And so we will do we will use these words among other things like shhonk for cabinet or telle or teesh for plate and table. And we will mix and we call this new language GeEnglish. And everybody everyone doesn’t matter from what country will mix and in it is very difficult when I go back to the States not to mix, because I know and I have to keep telling myself that no one there understands German. So I can go mixing like I can do in Germany in Leipzig. I find it amazing how Germans can express themselves to such detail. They don’t know exactly what is going on. I just, I’m completely amazed by that. In the US someone about how car works and they will tell you and they will tell you how a car slides in the reasons, why a car slides on the ice or hydroplane or they will give you details which an American person would not do. They would use lots of ands and us and anything like that. Germans would tell you to the exact detail, what it is, or they would say ??? –they don’t know. But so it’s been quite a learning experience from technical ???. So.

Hi Mr. Torsten,

On April 9th i have sent you a recorded mail about listening comprihension and spelling test, but you didnt reply me. I want to know about my mistakes. Will you please help me.

Thanks,

Suchita

Eh, my name is Raymond. I’m from West Hartford, Connecticut in the United States. It’s located more or less between Boston and New York. Eh, I was born in Hartford and I grew up in West Hartford. And from West Hartfort I went to Cincinnati to study. And I studied English in Cincinnati, Ohio and after my studies I moved to Wyoming and worked as a cook. Gg<33

Hello Tornsten, it’s been a long time I didn’t write nothing on the forum.
Here’s my homework.

…and it was a cook for cowboys. And then I got into a photography, moved back to West Hartford to do more with photography and than I decided to go down to Washington D. C. and see if I could find work there.

Meanwhile I had met a,… a German girl in West Hartford - Connecticut, and we kept in contact. Eh …, when I moved down to Virginia, which was near Washington, she had moved back to Germany. And I didn’t like Virginia as much as I thought I would. And she had mentioned that I should come and visit her in Germany. And so, I did. And this was back in 1996.

So when I came to Germany I had no plans to stay for a long time, but no plans not to stay for a long time. So my original plan was to be with her and to learn German and to see Germany.

Hm, so, and that was in 96 and now we are in 2003 almost 2004. Ah, in the meantime we broke-up, but I stayed in Leipzig because life was good here. No, life is good here but when I first came to Leipzig my impression was much different because this is only 6 years after the,… The Fall of the Berlin Wall and many things did not exist, for example: ah, take-away coffee or there was very,…it was very difficult to find a descent sandwich; not all the buildings had been renovated and so it was very grey; I was not used to the winters here, which were in comparison to a Connecticut not as extreme but mostly gray and the winters in Connecticut are tipically very-very cold with,… eh, … with snow; And here it’s not as cold and if there is snow it lasts about 24 hours before it disappears. So I’ve rarely find time to go skiing here but really you can’t go skiing here because there are no mountains. The best thing you can find is a hill somewhere, and find a sled. So you have to be real fast here in Leipzig to go sledding.

Well, I came to Germany, I worked as a photographer, I worked measuring apartments - anything I could do to basically survive - I mowed loans, I helped edit texts and than finally I had started teaching English.

My first teaching ex,…experience in English was very difficult because I didn’t quite understand all the concept of English - I mean I may have studied it in college but learning how it works and trying to teach it are two different things - so I had to relearn how English worked, for me to teach it. Also when I arrived, I had to learn German. And so, learning German and teaching English. Well, learning German helped me teach English because than I understood how people learn languages. So, although I’ve been here for 6 years or 7 years my German is not as good as it could be. Although I can read newspapers and texts and understand them fully I still haven’t quite managed to speak like a German. Germans,… tend to have a way of using their words,… which no,… no foreigner could quite master. You have to be German to master German - I think. But it’s a fun language; it’s more precise than English; it’s got many more expressions; and dialects are fun to listen to.

I have a lot of contact to the local people here in Leipzig. Many because I do teach them. And a lot of my students invite me out to coffee or we have events at night which they invite me out to or which I go out myself. There are also lots of foreigners here, I can meet up with them. There are plenty of foreign round tables for people wanting to learn different languages or for people wanting to learn German or English. And so, through that, I can meet lots of people and helped me have met lots of people.

Most of my friend are either Germans of Americans. I have two very good American Friends and the rest are all German. So I spent most of my time going back and forth between English and German. Eh,… and I’m,… I’m in fact studying German again - privately - so that I can prove it. Because after 7 years,…hm,…there are many things which you learn to help you,… hm,… speak better, pronunciation and mostly and more importantly idioms.

I go back about twice a year to America to visit my father who lives in Connecticut or to my mother who lives in South Carolina. I typically go back in the summer around June for a family gathering - which is about 30 people and we rent about 4 cottages on a lake - and we all get together and basically go from one cottage to another eating our way for the two weeks. And it’s a lot of fun.

And when I visit my mother - and she lives in South Carolina in the place called Murtle Beach - eh,… there’s really not much to do there; you could go minishoot-golfing or you c,… you could go swimming at the beach but mostly we hang out and we talk.

Back in Connecticut I still have my friends and I still meet-up with my friend. They meet at the coffee-shop in the centre of West Hartford at 2 o’clock for coffee. They’ve been doing this since 1993. And so, when I go back I still know everyone and it is fun, I get my free cup of coffee - because they never see me and the people who work there still know me - and they bring in up the date as to what’s been going on. It’s a lot of fun.

My language has changed since I’ve been here. Many people who are American would talk to me very slowly and would tell me that my English is very strange, oh,… but nice. And I say: “That’s nice.”, and they say: “Where’re you from?”, and I say: “Well, I’m from Connecticut.”. And they go: “Really!”, and I go: “Yes, really.”. And they go: “Where’s you accent?”, and I go: “Well, you can’t walk around with an accent all your life if you live somewhere out you have to lose it.”.

And when you teach English you can’t teach accents, you have to teach,… hip,… general English which people can understand. And so I’ve tried to change my English a little bit so that people could understand me better. Because when I talk real fast,… - and,…well,…we’ll see when I go back to Connecticut - I talk like a normal Connecticut person. Which will be hard r’s, o’s don’t exist, it’s not [ko’-ne-ti-kt] but [k’-ne-ti-kt]. And it’s not [pro’ gres] but [pra’ gres]. So, there is a very, very distinct NewEngland-accent which one can hear if one listens to my voice but is mostly, is mostly tugged away.

So among other things my accent has changed as well as my vocabulary. Ah,…when you talk to an American who has been living or anybody who has been living in Leipzig for a long time certain words will sudenly fall into your vocabulary for example everyone will say: “Strassenbahn” or “Shrassenbahn” instead of street car or tram. And we will talk about going to the “Bahnhof” which is the train station or to the “Ausländerbehördeamt” which is the Immigrations Office. And so, we will do,…we will use these words among other things like “Teller” for cabinet or “Tisch” for plate and table. And we will mix and we call this new language genglish.

And everybone,…everyone doesn’t matter from what country will mix. And it is very difficult when I go back to the states not to mix because I know and I have to keep telling myself that no-one there understands German so I can’t go mixing like I can do in Germany in Leipzig.

I find it amazing how Germans can express themselves to such a detail. They know exactly what’s going on. I just,…I’m,…I’m,…I’m completely amazed by that. When you ask someone about how a car works and they will tell you, and they will tell you how the car slides and the reasons why a car will slide on the ace or an hydroplane or they will give you details which an american person would not do. They would use lots of ands and ehs and,…and things like that but a German will tell you to the exact detail what it is or they would say: “Keine Ahnung!” - they don’t know,…but. So,…it’s been quite a learning experience from the technical stand (smile),… right. So,…

Best regards
EnglishNikola

I was a cook for cowboys, and then I’ve got to photography. Moved back to west hartford to do more with photography.

And then I decided to go down to ( name of country) and see if I can find work there…

excuse me, how can I know it’s correct???

Its beautiful pattern. Sir i am failed in wriiten Exercise WhY?
Tell me please so cant do again mistake like…
one: Phrase, not less or more between Newyour and…

Hi Sir,

Here are my transcriptions. Please check it and correct my mistakes.
I like this kind of exercise but it is little bit too long, anyway, thank you.

And I was cook for cowboys. And then, I got into photography move back to Hartford to do more with photography. And then I decided to go to Washington DC and see if I could find work there. Meanwhile, I had met a German girl in West Hartford, Connecticut and we kept in contact. Eh, when I moved down to Virginia which was near Washington, she moved back to Germany. And, I didn’t like Virginia as much as I thought, I would… And she had mentioned that I should come to visit her in Germany. And so I did. This is back in 1996 so when I came in Germany I had no plans to stay for a long times, no times to stay long times. My original plan was to be with her and to learn Germany and to see Germany. So, that was in 96 and now we are in 2003 almost 2004. In the meantime we broke up but I stayed in Leipzig. Life is good here-- no life is good here. When I first came in Leipzig my impression was much different because this is only six years after the fall of Berlin wall. And, many things it’s not exist for example eh… take away coffee or there is very very difficult to find decent sandwich. Not all buildings are renewal, it was very grey.
I was not in the winter here which were in comparison with Connecticut not as extreme mostly being grey. And the winter in Connecticut are typically very, very cold with snow. And here it’s less cold and there is a snow, last snow it’s about 24h before it disappear. So I really find time to go skiing here but really you can’t go skiing here because there are no mountains. The best things you can find here is the hill somewhere and find a slide. So you have to be really fast here in Leipzig to go sliding.

Well, I came in Germany I worked as photographer; I worked as measuring apartment anything I can do basically to survive. I mowed l— and I helped edit text and finally. I started teaching English. My first teaching expression in England was very difficult because I didn’t quite understand all the concept of English. I mean, I may study in College but learning how it works and trying to teach are two different things. So I had relearn how English work to teach it. Also, when I arrived I had learn German and so learning German teaching English while learning German helped to me teaching English because when I understood how learn languages so although I am here for six or seven years.

My German is no as good as it could be. But I can read newspapers and texts and understand them fully. I still haven’t quite managed to speak like German. German is certain ---- they —away using they words which no, no foreigner could quite master. You have to be a German to be a master German I think. Well, it’s fun language, it’s more precise than English. It’s get many, more expressions and dialogue are fun to listen too.
I have lot of contact to the local people here in Leipzig many because I do to teach them. And lots of my students invite me out to coffee or we have----- night which invite out too or go out myself. They are lots of foreigner here I can meet up to them. They are plenty of foreigner round tables for people keeping learning different languages or people learning Germany or English.
So through that I can meet lots of people and have met lots of people. Most of my friends are either Germans or Americans I have two very good Americans friends and the rest of all are Germans so I spent most of my time going back — to English and German. And I am in fact studying in German again privately through that I can improve it. Because after seven years there I have many things which we learn to help you to speak better and pronunciation and mostly more importantly idioms.

I go back twice years to America to visit my father who lives in Connecticut or to my mother who lives in South Carolina. I typically go back in summer around June for family gathering which is about thirty people and we rent about four other cottages on a lack. And we are altogether and basically go in one cottage to eating for two weeks and little of fun. And when I visit my mother who she lives in South Carolina a place calls ----beach and it is really not many things to do there. You could go----- or we could go swimming at the beach but mostly ------out and we talk. Back in Connecticut I still have my friends. They meet in at coffee stop in Centre of West Hartford for the coffee. They been doing this since 1993 and so when I go back I still know everyone and it is fun. So I get my free cup of coffee because ------and people who works there still knows me. And they bring me up the date as to what is going on, its lots of fun.

My language had changed since I’ve been here many people who are American want to talk to me very slowly and who tell me my English is very strange and very nice and ‘I say that’s nice’.
And they say: ‘Where are you from?’ And I say ‘I’m from Connecticut’ and ‘they you really?’ And ‘I go, yes really’. And ‘they go where your accent is?’ and ‘I go, well you can’t walk around with your accent all in your life, if you live somewhere else you have to lose it, and where we teach if you are English you can’t teach accent. You have to teach general English which people can understand. And so I’ve tried to change my English little bit so that can understand better because when I talk really fast and well.

I will see when I go back after month in Connecticut I ‘ll talk like a normal Connecticut person it should be hard ---- exist is not Connecticat but Connecticut and it’s not prugress but progress so there’s very, very distinct new accent in English which when you one can hear if one you can listen to my voice ------. It is mostly, is mostly …ehm…talk to way so —other things my accent has changed as well as my vocabulary. When you talk to a American who has been living here or anybody in Leipzig for a long time certain words were suddenly —into our vocabulary for example strussbahn or ------ instead of street car or tram and we were talk about going to bauhnuf which is train station or to the ausbahn which is the immigration office. And, so you will use these words among other thing like sch---- for cabinet or tel---- for plate and table and we will mix new language English and everyone doesn’t matter. Ehm…. From— ---- we will mix and it my difficult when I go back to the State not to mix because I know but I have to telling to my self no one understand Germany so I can’t go mixing like I can do in Germany in Leipzig. I find in amazing how German can express themselves to such, a detail, they know exactly what it is going on. I just, I am completely amazed buy that, when you ask someone how a car works and they will tell you, how car the car slides and the reason why the car was slide on ice or a hydroplane, they will you a details which an American person would not do. They would use lots of ands, and, us, things like that. German would tell you exact detail, what it is, or they would say, so it is been quite learning expressions. So…so….

Thanks.

Hi Fas,
how could you write so long?
i cant try as story but it is very informative and interesting too.
LOve <Regards

Hi Minud,

How are you? Thanks, for your comment.
This is long story but you know my ambition is to be fluent in English, so I will do
everything what I can do to reach my goal.
Where are you from in India?

Take care,bye.

Hello everybody,
This is my well done work concerning the Raymond Romanos recording. It took me about three hours to finish this piece.
It a great exercise that improve listening, and writing, just it was a quite too lo-o-o-o-ong!

And I was a cook for cowboys, and then I got into photography, moved back to West Hartford to do more of photography. Then I decided go to Washington D.C. to see if I could find work there.
Meanwhile, I had met a German girl in West Hartford, Connecticut, and we had kept in contact. When I moved down to Virginia, which was near Washington, she had moved back to Germany. And I didn’t like Virginia as much as I thought I would, and she had mentioned that I should come and visit her in Germany, and so, I did. And this was back in 1996. So, I came to Germany. I had no plans to stay for long time, but…, not to stay for a long time. So, my original plan was to stay with her, and to learn Germany, and to see Germany. So, it was in 1996. And now, in 2003 almost 2004.
In meantime, we broke up, but I stayed in Leipzig, because life was god here, life is good here. When I first came to Leipzig, my impression was much different, because this is only 6 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and many things do not exist. For example, take away coffee, or… there was, it was very difficult to find a decent sandwich, not all the buildings had been renovated, and so… it was very gray. I was not used the winter here, which was, in compassing to Connecticut, not as extreme, but mostly gray. And, the winters in Connecticut are typically very,very cold, with snow. And here is not as cold, and if it’s snow it lasts about 24 hours before it disappears and I barely have time to go skiing here, but you can really go ski here, because there are no mountains. The best thing you ca find her is a hill somewhere, find a sled. So, you have to be really fast here, in Leipzig, to go sledding.
Well, I came to Germany, I worked as a photographer, I worked measuring apartments - anything I could do, basically, to survive: I mowed loans, I helped editing texts, and, finally, I stared teaching English. My first teaching experience in English was very difficult, because I didn’t quite understand all the concepts of English. I mean, I may have studied in college, but learning how it works and how it teaches are two different things. So, I had to relearn how English works, how it teaches. Also, when I arrived, I had to learn German. And, so, learning German, and teaching English, learning German helped me teaching English. Because, then I understood how people learn languages. So, although I’ve been here for six years, or seven years, my German is not so good as it could be. Although I can read newspapers and texts, and understand them fully, I still haven’t a quite managed to speak like a German. Germans tend to have a way of using their words, which no, no far I could quite master. You have to be German to master German, I think. Well, it’s a tough language, it’s more precise than English, it got many more expressions, and dialogues are far to listen to.
I have a lot of contact to the local people here, in Leipzig. Mainly, because I do teach them, and a lot of my students invite me out to coffee, or we have events at night, which they invite me too, or try go out myself. There are, also, a lot of foreigners here, I can meet up with them. There are plenty of foreign round tables for people wanting to learn different languages, or for people wanting learn German, or English. So, through that, I can meet lots of people, and I have met lots of people. Most of my friends are either Germans, or Americans. I have two very good American friends, And rest of all - Germans. So, I spent most of my time going back and fourth between English and German. And, I am, in fact, studying German again, privately, so I can improve it. Because after seven years, there are many things which you can learn to help you speak better; pronunciation, and mostly important part of items.
I go back about twice a years to America to visit my father who lives in Connecticut, or to my mother who lives in South Carolina. I, typically, go back in the summer around June for a family gathering, which is about thirty people, and we rent about four colleges on a lake. And, we all get together, and we basically, goout from one cottage to another for eating there for two weeks. And, it’s a lot of fun.
When I visit my mother, and she lives in South Caroline, in a place called Murdle Beach. There is really not much to do there. You could go mini-showgolfing, or you could go swimming at the beach. Mostly, we hang out, and we talk.
Back in Connecticut, I still have my friends, and I still meet my friends. They meet at coffee-shop, in the center of West Stafford, at two o’clock for coffee. They’ve been doing this since 1993. So, when I go back, I still know everyone. And this is fun; I get my free-cup of coffee, because they never see me and the people who work there still know me. And, they bring up the dates, as what’s going on. It’s a lot of fun!
My language is changes since I was been here. Many people who are American, was talking to me very slowly, and was telling me that my English is very strange, but nice. And I say: " That’s nice." And they say: “Where are you from?”. And I say: " Well, I am from Connecticut". And they go: " Really?!", and I go: “Yes, Really.” And they go: " Where is your accent?", and I go: “You can walk around with an accent all you life, if you live somewhere else. You have to loose it! And when you teach English, ypu can teach accents, you have to teach a general English, which people can understand.” So, I’ve tried to change my English a little bit, so that, people can understand me better. Because when I talk real fast, and well… we will see when I’ll go back to Connecticut. After a month I Connecticut, I will talk like a normal Connecticut person, which will be hard "R"s, "O"s don’t exist, it’s not “konektikut”, but “kenektikut”, and it’s not “progres”, but “pragres”. So, there is a very, very distinct new England accent, which one can hear when is listening to my voice, but is mostly, is mostly talked away.
Among other things, my accent was change as well as my vocabulary. When you talk to an American who has been living, or to anybody who has been living in Leipzig for a long time, certain words will suddenly fall into your vocabulary. For example, everyone will say “shtrausenbahn” instead of “street car”, or “train”, and we will talk about going to “banhoff”, which is a train station, or to the “autslaintoberhederam”, which is the immigration office. So, we will use these words among other things like “shronhk” for cabinet, or “teleotish” for plate and table, and we will mix. And we call this new language - Genglish, and everyone does, no matter from what country we mix. And it’s very difficult, when I go back to the States, not to mix. Because, I have to keep telling myself that no one understand German, so I can’t go mixing like I can do in German, in Leipzig. I find amazing, how Germans can express themselves, with a such detail. They are know exactly what is going on. I guess, I’m completely amazed by that. When you ask someone about how a car works, and they will tell you how a car slides, and the reasons why a car slide on the ice, and on an hydroplane. They will give details, which an American person will not do. They will use a lots of "and"s and "or"s, and “things like that”. Germans will tell you a lot of exact detail of what is this, or they will say that they don’t know.
It’s been quite a learning experience from a technical stamper, so…

Best regards,
Kristina

Dear you are good in written expression!!! Arent you try for spoken English? Then used forum audio …
thanks…