This is an All Ears English bonus episode I's Adventure Story how she built English spontaneity by exploring Back Bay in Boston.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 50 million times.
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With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Boston and New York City, USA.
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In today's episode you'll meet Ai from Japan, another lucky listener who joined us for our urban English adventure in August.
You'll hear how she used our neighborhood challenge to meet locals and get more spontaneous while forming questions in English.
Let's listen in today.
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Hey, Ai, welcome to the show.
Thanks for joining us today.
How are you?
Thank you so much.
I'm really great.
Fantastic today.
Today is your birthday, isn't that right?
Yeah, my 29th birthday today.
Wonderful.
Thank you.
And happy birthday.
And thank you for talking to us on your birthday.
That's so cool.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
So Ai, the reason that we're talking today is that you were one of the eight lucky listeners who joined us in Boston two weeks ago.
So how was it?
That was very fantastic.
I mean, it's surreal, actually, because I'm a listener of your podcast and it's fantastic.
Thank you.
That's great.
So why did you decide to apply to the program to come to Boston?
So I've been listening to podcasts for years six months now and i am learning a lot of words and yeah phrases but, and then also i live in the us, but i like to use the words and the phrases actually, so i just decided to yeah reflect Okay, so you wanted to have a way to finally use the words and phrases that you had learned, right.
Exactly.
So cool.
And did it work?
Did you get a chance to use the new words and phrases in Boston?
Right.
It's a lot.
And then if I use the words and then the native speakers respond it.
So how it works or how deep is it?
I can learn it a lot.
Okay, awesome.
So you were right there talking to native speakers for a good amount of time.
Is that right?
Yes, exactly.
Wow.
Were you nervous before you met the native speakers?
Actually I was a bit nervous because of course I lived in the US for two years and then I talked to the native speakers.
But I didn't expect how yeah, my English, so the native speakers' conversation I can yeah, I can catch the words, or something.
Yeah.
Did you understand the native speakers when they were speaking to you?
Yes.
So most of the native speakers were really kind.
And if I couldn't catch the words, yeah, they could repeat again and again.
Yeah.
Okay.
So did they make you feel comfortable?
Yeah, totally.
So what was your favorite thing about the whole weekend?
I mean, you came, you arrived on Thursday night for the happy hour and we did so much stuff.
So what was your favorite thing?
So my favorite thing was...
You know.
So if I go to the English school I learn just a language, but here in Boston Adventure it's really totally different.
And then I talk yeah, not only the language, but also, like their background or yeah, their history or environment where they grew up.
Yeah.
Awesome.
So you mean the native speakers?
Yeah.
Oh, so cool.
Yeah.
So what was your favorite challenge?
So we did a bunch of challenges.
Right.
Which one was your favorite?
My favorite is explore the area, the neighborhoods challenge.
Yes yeah, because that's a real adventure, because I never go to the specific area.
I went to the back bay area And then even even I met for the first time like really local people.
And I interview or ask some like stores or.
Yes.
Yeah.
What kinds of stores did you go into?
Where did you go?
Who did you talk to?
I went to a bookstore, dryer shop.
The dry cleaners?
Dry cleaners.
Yeah.
And then actually, I went to the music bookstore.
It was really specific and unique in this area.
So I wanted to talk about that.
The shop cashier.
Oh, cool.
Yeah.
Well, how was it when you approached the storekeepers in the Back Bay?
I mean, so the Back Bay, guys, if you're listening here, the Back Bay is a neighborhood in Boston.
And during this challenge, during our Boston Adventure Weekend, we had our eight lucky listeners back, divide up into teams of two and they went out into different parts of the neighborhood to ask questions of the storekeepers and the cafe owners.
Right,
So what kind of questions did you have to ask to the people at the dry cleaners, for example?
So the dry cleaner, like if I brought three or a couple of dresses, how much, how cost is it?
How much does it cost?
Yeah.
Okay.
Cool.
Were you scared to approach them?
First...
Yeah, because they're working, so I was afraid to ask them without closing.
I didn't have any closing to.
Right.
It's in the name of practice, but go ahead.
Yeah, but I asked how it's different between the other.
How is it unique?
Yes.
And then she, yeah, she answered it because, so there, one more dry cleaner shop across the road.
And even, even only, you know, one more, no, how do you say it?
Even there's across the road.
Yeah.
The course is totally different.
Okay.
And then yeah, she explained how it's yeah, why it's different, because that area is really rich people who live in
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
Awesome.
So what skill do you think that you built or improved confidence in with your English through that challenge?
So when I come across the words that I didn't know, I can ask again, again, and again.
Good.
So you got better at asking the same question again and again in different ways?
Exactly, exactly.
Very cool.
Yeah.
So how do you feel?
You know, how did you feel about your English before the weekend?
And how do you feel now, overall?
Overall.
So, like...
My barrier that I used to have was totally broken.
So now I'm talking to the native speaker.
Like any kind of native speaker, including like homeless people, I could talk to them.
Okay.
Be safe, right?
No, that's good.
So do you feel like you overcame some kind of confidence barrier through that weekend here with us in Boston?
Yeah, yeah.
So yeah, actually i i talked to the bookstores, the cashier the first.
My challenge with yeah was without any preparation.
And then actually he talked to me Like he wasn't comfortable to ask some interview from us.
My buddy.
And I learned from him.
And then the next bookstore, I just, yeah, I prepared using some tips that I got from you.
Yeah, you got some tips?
Yeah.
And then the...
Another bookstore's cashier, yeah, using the tips.
It's really, yeah, useful.
And then she explained and she shared her experience, her own experience.
That was really fantastic.
So I learned a lot.
As you can see, our students who came to Boston in August finished this program with an incredible motivation to keep improving their English.
The thing is though, we are only accepting 12 lucky listeners for the next adventure October 19th to the 22nd, so that's why you wanna apply early, guys.
Before the price goes up, because I want you to have a chance to join this group.
Go to allearsenglishcom forward slash Boston right now to apply allearsenglishcom forward slash Boston.
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That's s?
H o p i f?
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Yeah.
So the idea here guys, for our listeners, if you're listening in today the idea behind this program is that we use the city of Boston as your classroom, right?
We don't have classrooms for this program.
We don't have textbooks.
We don't have blackboards.
We don't have teachers, right?
You have native speakers.
You have the city of Boston and you have challenges.
So the right person to apply for this program is someone like I, someone who is positive adventurous, optimistic and ready to push your boundaries.
Okay.
And I, let me have another question for you.
You ready?
Sure.
Sure.
Okay.
Yeah, you're doing a great job.
Thank you.
So, Ai, what was your favorite social event?
We did a bunch of social events.
We went to a baseball game.
We had the happy hour.
What was your favorite?
I love happy hour, but yeah, happy hour.
Yeah.
Why did you like that?
Because happy hour was the really first challenge for me.
And there are a lot of native speakers.
And then so first I was a bit afraid to talk to the new person who I met.
Yeah, yeah.
But they are really kind and they share not only the you know English or yeah, the languages, but they were opera singers or medical staffs and then they share their own experience.
So yeah, that was very fantastic.
So cool.
Yeah, yeah.
And then also I could continue to talking with them.
That was really fun.
Excellent.
Excellent.
So how did it feel when you first arrived?
I mean, that happy hour was our first night was our first get together.
You had just arrived in Boston.
How did it feel to be speaking with native speakers right away?
Could you say that again?
So the happy hour was our first event together, right?
Yeah.
And we invited the native speakers to join us in that event right away.
You had no time to practice, right?
Yeah, yeah.
How did that feel for you?
That's a good challenge.
And then I was not just joining just for fun because some native speakers talking to me first.
Yeah, before I talk to them.
So I just easily to join the conversation and having fun.
Yeah, and also, I didn't expect, who is a native speaker and who is a participant?
That's right, that's right.
In the beginning, we didn't know, right?
Everyone was asking, who's a native speaker and who is a lucky listener?
Right, right.
Are you a student or are you a native speaker?
Yeah, that's right.
That was so much fun.
That was so much fun.
Yeah, so fun.
So fun.
I'm so glad that you are a part of this group.
You really had a great positive energy and that's really what we're looking for.
And I think that's why our group was so amazing.
I think the whole group was just filled with amazing people who had incredible positive energy, optimistic energy and just wanted to connect.
Do you agree with that?
Exactly.
Totally agree with that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you had to describe this trip in one word, Ai, what would you say?
It's incredible.
Amazing family.
What do you mean family?
Tell us more about that.
Because we spent only a couple of days, but after the program I was talking to them like a family, a real family.
Yeah.
Amazing.
Amazing.
Yeah, it's so true.
I was telling Michelle when we talked about this earlier in the week that when everyone went home after our barbecue at the end of Sunday, I was feeling sad to say goodbye to you guys.
Yeah, it was so sad.
Yeah, I want to stay more, actually.
Yeah, me too.
So in your mind, Ai, how is this program different from a traditional language school?
Oh my gosh, it's totally different.
Okay.
Yeah, because...
Because in a traditional language English school, we can learn how to speak or how to build the conversation maybe, and then yeah, we can learn the languages, but here in Boston we can.
We can learn a lot of things from through the experience that we did.
So yeah, it was totally different.
And then also, I think this adventure is the Start line.
Mm-hmm.
Because, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Is the what the starting line?
Yeah, the starting line.
Because we did the challenges by ourselves.
Yep.
So after the program, maybe we can use the material or tips even in your home country.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I love that.
Spontaneous.
Yeah. and that they could communicate with the locals.
And that provided a new sense of motivation.
And it's also a benchmark to know what they need to work on and what they're good at already.
Do you agree with that?
Yes, exactly.
Awesome.
So one last question I hear.
Could you give our listeners a little advice?
I mean if someone is listening and they're thinking oh, maybe I want to apply, maybe I want to join.
What piece of advice would you give to those people who are thinking about doing it?
So, follow your intuition and just join it.
Yeah, because you, you guys like listener yeah, including me learn a bunch of things from the podcast or even an online course, like secret communicate course, And then I hope this is the right place you can take an action safely, because Lindsay, Michelle and Jessica yeah, it's hard.
So you can ask if you have a question.
That's right.
We always are there to provide that support, right?
Did you feel supported on this program?
Yeah, I agree with the hundred percent.
Okay.
Okay, awesome.
So Ai, are you still in touch with some of the students from the program, the eight lucky listeners?
Are you guys still connected?
Sure.
Actually, I'm going to talk to one of the eight participants.
Yeah, after this afternoon.
So we can learn, yeah, speaking practice or something.
Awesome.
I'm really glad to hear that.
I hope that we can all stay close as a group and maybe we can have you guys back in the program again soon.
Who knows, right?
Sure.
Yeah, who knows?
Okay.
Well, I thank you so much for coming on the program and guys, if you're listening today and you resonate with what I has said today, if you feel like you're in the same place and this Boston adventure would be good for you, then apply as soon as you can.
Go on over to allearsenglishcom forward.
Slash Boston, but do it soon, because usually the early applications get the best price and also get the best chance of being accepted guys.
Okay?
So I hope you go and enjoy your birthday today.
Thank you so much.
All right.
Thanks for hanging out with me on the podcast.
It's been fun, we're so fun.
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate it.
All right, take care.
Bye-bye, bye.
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