Where are you from?

English as a Second Language What do you want to talk about?
2965

Hi Linda,

It is good to know that you are from Albania. Albania for me very familiar because my friend and her family lived in Albania for two years. They wrote us about you beautiful country. They lived there in the 60-s years because her father was an X-ray doctor and he was invited to hand over his knowledge to the doctors. It was a long time ago. I am not a journalist I am a retired teacher. I began to learn English because my grandchildren doesn’t speak in Hungarian and meantime it became addicted to learning English.

Write about your country, about yourself. How old are you? What do you do? Which town do you live? etc everything is interesting.

Bye:
Kati

PS: I don’t know disponible word in English only in French. Did you think disposable?

2966

Hey, My name is Niaz I am from Pakistan, I love music, nonfiction books, and making friends is one of my favorite hobby. I would love to know about different culture, traditions, peoples and their living style. I want to improve my written English I need it for my career.

2967

Dear kati
I’m so sorry for such a long delay
These days I’m so busy because next Wednesday it’s new year in my country.our new year is on the first day of spring.you asked me about my city.I don’t know how I can describe it.there is a river that pass from the middle of the city.we have a lot of delicious local food,also there are a lot of handicraft that most of tourist like them.
My city name is Isfahan.you can search it in the Internet for more information.
best regards,
Elham

2968

I am from Egypt but living in Saudi Arabia

2969

Hello everybody.

I’m from Spain but I have been living in the south of France
since 1991. So my mother tongue is Spanish but I also speak
French fluently. In addition to that, when I was young, I spent
7 years working in Switzerland, that’s why I also speak Italian.

In fact I have spent most of my life living abroad and for that
reason I have been interested in learning English since I was
young. But now I’m preparing to take a TOEIC exam. I think
this website is really helpful for that purpose and I’m glad to
be part of it.

Best regards.
Bleuclair64.

2970

Hello Mr. Tolek,

How are you? Sorry, I wanted to read out my letter, but I found in it so many mistakes that I tried to correct them, but I couldn’t send the corrected one, the Forum didn’t allow me. That’s why I copied again, YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT IS SAME THAN THE PREVIOUS WAS.

Regards: Kati

Hello Mr. Tolek,

Many thanks for your letter. It is interesting that sometimes I read about its shocking history of Wroclaw, but I didn’t imagine that I know a lot of things what it is mentioned in your brief history. I knew that it received its name about a Polish person. I knew that it was part of Bohemia, after it belonged to Austria Empire. I wrote with Hungary, but it was mistake of me because Hungary in that time was still a colony of Austria Empire. Only after the revolution of 1848 -in which lot of Polish soldiers participated - in 1867 was the Compromise with Austria and after this Austro-Hungarian monarchy came into being.

This Austrian Empire was terribly big, they tried to unify the different nations here in Center-Europe. For example, Lemberg/Lviv in Western Ukraine (now) used to be a Polish town, after it belonged to the Austra Empire, after Soviet Union and at last it became a town of the independent Ukraine. The history of Center Europe is very complicated . It is interesting that the Mongol Invasion was ( we say Tartar devastation was in the same year/in 1241 in Hungary than in Poland. In the English Wikipedia there is a paragraph about “Invasion of the Kingdom of Hungary” here I’ve read, and knew also “they reduces ashes the villages and towns and killed so many people that hardly any people left alive.”

I saw these films except In the Darkness. I have to confess that when I was younger I could watch these films in spite of the fact (that), I was crying, but today I can’t because I became upset for several days.

Chiefly my husband’s family was suffering very lot. Till my poor mother-in-law lived, she had an eternal remorse that she couldn’t save her brothers and their wives and their children. 6 people disappeared that nobody knows in which camp. We know only that one wife of them died in the wagon here in Hungary, and she had been buried here, but we never find her tomb.

Hungary was the last who was loyal to Hitler even he had lived in his bunker.

Now in 2013 there is again antisemitism in Hungary and our government doesn’t punish it because they don’t want to lose their voters. The Sun, English paper had a series of reports about the Hungarian situation. I don’t know they are writing about this or they finished. But there are more serious papers than the Guardian, The Economist, the Time etc who wrote and write from time to time about the situation in Hungary. And lot of Geman, Austrian newspapers also, but I don’t speak in German so I can’t read these ones.

Lately, I put a picture on one thread. It was very interesting because a German translator (now 70 year-old) told that they have remorse till today for the crime of their father and grandfather. He was very personal, and he spoke about himself and his remorse. Can you see this pages ?
english-test.net/forum/ftopic38132-465.html
english-test.net/forum/ftopic38132-480.html

I am greeting you warmly. Have a good weekend.

Kati

P.S. In the evening I corrected the first letter.

2971

Dear Nikita,

I am sorry that I couldn’t answer earlier, but I had an accident I broke my ankle in two places so I have to lie in my bed and if I get up I have to use a walker-frame to jump because I can’t step on my right leg.

Dear Nikita you wrote so interesting things that I don’t know which one I mention first.

Of course, I know your natal town it is an unforgettable industrial tragedy happened there and that time the TV every day spoke about the consequences of this tragedy.

Besides I have a very nice friend in Bhopal. So your grandma is younger than me I will be 72 in September. Your grandma surely told you about this catastrophe which interweaves with your town’s name.

My granddaughter who lives in the US is admitted in a college in New York, but she begins the college in September. She was 18 year-old in July she lost a year. She wanted to choose law than you for her major, but she was very good at maths also, and at the end she couldn’t choose her major so she goes in a college where she receives a general education and after three years she will choose a major.

I look for a photo for you.

Warm welcomes to you and to your grandmother.

Kati

Me and my husband

2972

Dear Elham,

I’m so sorry for such a long delay. When I received your letter I looked for immediately the town where you live. I prepared to write a letter but - "Man proposes, God disposes "-as the saying says- I couldn’t answer because I had an unlucky accident I broke my ankle in two places. I will be in plaster for 6 weeks but after 3 weeks I will receive a plaster which one I can walk.

Your town could be really beautiful. اصفهان It is the most populous metropolitan in Iran.I read also that it was the largest city in the world from the beginning of 1000 years till the XVIII century. You really have plenty of monuments .“The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.” I can imagine something about your town.

Can ask you what you do in life? How old are you? I have a few Iranian friends, and I can say that they are very nice people. Do you have a family?

I have two children and 4 grand-children.

I am very curious of your Iranian life because I have to admit that I know little about Iran. One of my friends lives in Yazd, but we write to each other about our familiar life. He has 4 children so we spoke about our children.

Take care:
Kati

2973

Hello Jbpercas,

Nice to meet you. Of course, I know where is your county and I have to say to you that one of my best friends is a Chilean woman, who came here to Hungary in the period of 1973 when Pinochet overthrew Chilean President Salvador Allende and instituted the long military dictatorship, my friend then came to Hungary. Her name: Margarita Cancino.
she got married to a Hungarian man and they remained here in Hungary. But Margarita adores Chile, and she was telling me a lot about your beautiful country. I know - Thanks God - that life is very good again in Chile.

This is a very good course. When you see an interesting letter answer it and you will find lot of friends.

Bye:
Kati Svaby

2974

Hi Kati,
How are you?I got upset when I heard you had an accident.hoping you a speedy recovery.
sorry for such a long delay.
it’s New Year holiday in Iran and I was in travel.I’m 28 years old and I study English teaching.I live with my parents.I have 4 brother.three of them are married.I also have 1 nephew and 4 nice.I surprised when I read you have grand-children because ,you look so young in your photo.I got happy when I saw you know my country and my city.These days our city is very crowded as I said it’s new year in Iran and most of Iranian are on a trip and our city is the first choose for most people for traveling.
if you have any questions about my city,don’t hesitant to ask
best regards,
Elham

2975

Hello Elham,

Many thanks for your letter. This picture is from my young age. It used to be a pic there from my real age but once I changed. You know that more people remember my face of my young age . If you go backwards 1or two pages you see me and my husband because an Indian girl asked me to send a pic of lately portray of me-this is the last photo of us.

I was surprised that New Year is now in your country. Which year comes now in Iran? I have to read why. I wish you and your family a Very Happy New Year :

Kati

2976

Hi Kati
I saw your picture.you’re so beautiful.
it’s 1392 in Iran.Our New Year is in the first day of spring when all trees blossom .I think spring is a nice season for new year,isn’t it?We celebrate it for 13 days.also we have interesting custom for new year for example before new year we clean our houses and make them ready for guests,in addition we set a table and use seven things that start with “s” in Persian like sib(apple), seke(money), sabze(flower),and etc that all of them are symbols of things.in 13th days all people go on a picnic and they spend this day in nature.During these days we visit our family,relatives and friends we get gift or money from them.
I don’t know if I could explain new year in Iran clearly or not!
Thank you for reading my letters
Elham

2977

Dear Elham,

It was a very good surprise this morning that I found your letter. I like very much how you wrote about your New Year. I’ve read about it, and I knew that it is on the day of on the vernal equinox/spring equinox and its name also Nowruz/Norooz but it is spelled in several ways.
I liked this sculpted relief, it is so beautiful.

29032013060003.jpg739×450

Your letter made me that I could imagine Iran of today. I knew more about the old Persia because as my husband is an artist painter we were almost in every big Museum in Europe. (Louvre in Paris, British Museum in London, Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Hermitage in Saint-Petersburg)- in every museum there are full of beautiful Persian works of art. It isn’t the same than to see its architecture then and there.

Besides I saw so beautiful monuments in Persepolis. I have to say that I never heard about this old Persian town.

I was very happy that you could make me imagine your celebration of 13 days. I like to hear the families in Iran are together in these days. Unfortunately, in Hungary this is a very rare occasion that families should be together. It is a new custom because when I used to be child more generations lived together.

The other custom that you clean the houses to make them ready for guests. (There is a similar custom in Hungary for Easter (Christian festival) that everybody cleans his house;my grand-mother whitewashed it for every Easter.

Easter is a moveable feast. The date of Easter - as the first Sunday after the full moon following the March equinox, as equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on 20 March in most years, and the “Full Moon” is not necessarily the astronomically correct date. The date of Easter therefore varies between 22 March and 25 April.

Many thanks for the Persian words start with “s” sib (alma) seke (pénz) sobze (virág)
I put Hungarian equivalents in parenthesis. You told me so well this celebration as I see as I would be there.

My letter had been long, it is due that I have to be in bed even for 3 weeks, and I had lot of time to speak to you.

Have a very Happy NEW YEAR’S being together with your beloved ones:

Kati

2978

Hi Kati
I’m so happy to hear you are eager to know about Iran.I think you are interested in history,am I right?َAbout Perspolis I should say it’s historical name is Parsa (Persian people) but GreeKs and Europeans call it Perspolis. It took 120 years to build this city.All buildings had made with stones without any cement or other mortar.when you visit this city you surprise how these hug stones was put on each other by humen without any device and technology.it’s very very interesting. Hakhamaneshian kings lived there.the city was burnt by Eskandar Maghdoni(Greek king).ُsome people used to tell Hakhamaneshian kings forced people to build the city but it was proved by some inscriptions that had been buried in the city that kings pay salary to every body who worked there.I don’t know I could describe Parsa well or not.I’m sorry if my English is not so strong.Can you tell me about yourself and your country.which city do you live?Is it a historical city?

2979

I took this photos in Perspolis one week ago.

2980

Dear Elham,

Many thanks for your photo you are so beautiful! It is very good to see your face from now if I write to you I will see your face also. Today I wanted to write you about Hungary, but I have had a helter-skelter day I couldn’t collect my thoughts. Your letter took a fancy to read on Internet those places where I was and I saw this kind of architecture where the stones are posed one on the other without any mortar and you can’t introduce a blade between two stones. They could play with these gigantic stones than the children play with the building blocks. I found a video where the Incas built a miracle. I have never seen it if you saw, it worth to see it again. I finish to write about the archeology, but you see if I could be born again I would be an archeologist.

youtube.com/watch?v=F40I987GQDs

Bye!

2981

Hi,guy
I’m Hoa.
I’m from Viet Nam.
I’m new to et. Hope to make friend with all of you.
Our country is very beautiful with friendly people.
It costs u only little to have a trip to Viet Nam.
If u come to my country, i am happy to take you to my home town.my email:hoanguyen.tatm@gmail.com

2982

Dear Elham,

How are you? You write very well about your country? Every country has its past. The difference - that most countries as Iran, Greece, Great-Britain,Peru, Mexico almost every European country and Asian country - that in Hungary was the march across of the different nations. It was a province of the later Roman empire, the Celt also traversed our country and they used to have localities here. When the Hungary arrived here the Slav people lived here. Those Slav and the Hungarian people lived together and slowly those Slav melted with the Hungarian,
The Hungarian arrived here in the tenth century. Till now the Hungarian were a nomadic people and pagan. When they arrived here in the Carpathian basin our first king Stephen king settled them here and they took Christian faith. Since went away only and other 1000 years and Hungary became a very modern, beautiful country.
I live in the capital in Budapest. Its site is beautiful.The Danube river divides the capital two parts Buda and Pest. Buda hilly and Pest is plain they were two towns till the firs bridge Chain bridge had been built. After it received its name Budapest.

These photos of Budapest were taken by my youngest grandchild, Peti he is 15.
This the Chain Bridge

This is the building of the Parliament

this is the river Danube

This was the Royal Palace when there was kingdom in Hungary

Buda

We live in the part of Pest.

This is our street

These pics are almost in our street

With my grandson who has taken these pics expect this one which has been taken by my husband.

That pic what you saw previously (me and my husband) has been taken at the gate of our house.

Today and yesterday I was a little bit unwell because I am tired of lying in the bed. I count the days, 12 days went away, and I have to lie in my bed still 16 days. After I’ll give another plaster with I can walk.

I am a retired teacher. I used to teach mentally disabled children.
My husband is an artist-painter.

I have a son (45) and a daughter who lives in the US she is (49)
I have 4 beautiful, clever, very nice, lovable grandchildren : One granddaughter (19) three grandsons (18,17, 15)

This is a sketch of everything I hope we continue to write to each other and we will
write in greater detail.

Have a good day: Kati

2983

Hi kati
How are you?I hope these days pass quickly,and you can walk again.I can imagine how difficult it is.spending all day in the bed is boring especially for you that are such a active woman.I pray you get well soon.My grandma passed away two years ago.I loved her.When I speak with you I feel I’m speaking with her.you are very kind like my grandma.
Your country is so beautiful.I like those cities that are beside rivers.It looks there are a lot of place to visit.By the way give my regards to your grand son ,and thank him for taking such a beautiful photos.In your photo you look a very kind grandmother.
you said you were a teacher that teach to mental disable children.I know your job was very very difficult.you must have loved your job that choose this job.One of our relative has a mental disable son they have a lot of problem with him
I’m sure you are a patient teacher,and it’s my pleasure to write to you.certainly I can learn a lot from you.
Love,
Elham

2984

Hi Elham,

Many thanks for your question I am better. I count the days I have to be in bed only for 11 days. I try to take advantage of the situation, and I read out those texts that I was ashamed to read out.Slowly I realized if I read everything to myself and never read them out my pronunciation never will improve. I am over 71, and I know and have a laugh at myself that this isn’t the age when somebody has to learn the correct pronunciation.LOL! In this way isn’t boring to lie in bed because I couldn’t do it if I would be healthy.

We arranged the domestic chores. The lunch is delivered. I called back my old cleaning woman who clean the flat once a week. As my husband is in a worse state than me the shopping is the single problem. He went to the pharmacy and when he returned he was suffocating and moaning very loudly. It is terrible to hear, and you never know what will happen in the next moment.

So shopping also is settled because my daughter-in-law do a big shopping for a week and the cleaning woman also helps in the shopping if something isn’t at home.

You are very pleasant when you say when you speak to me similar when you could speak to your granny. I am very sorry for her that she passed away. How did she pass away? Was she ill or she had a sudden death. The death is very bad for those who stay here and know that they never could speak to their beloved person.

Dear Elham, ask me anything I try to tell you my opinion. I know that nobody could replace totally our beloved persons who passed away, but a little bit you try to share with me if you have problems or joys. Both is very good to share with somebody.

I share with you a thread where I wrote to somebody yesterday because I caught him that he is a haughty American. As my daughter lives there I realized that there are more swollen-headed persons in America than in other countries.

After reading it - I will tell you some stories what happened to my daughter in the US. I believe that not every Amerian is an idiot, but there are lot, in my daughter’s family also. UNFORTUNATELY.

I answered OTS letters.
english-test.net/forum/ftopic6972-75.html
it begins at 80# permalink.

I am looking forward your answer.

Take care:
Kati