28 November 2012, Poland The cat woke me up before an alarm clock this morning. Half awaken, I went to the kitchen to feed my furry friend and what a surprise… the box with his wet food was empty! I must have forgotten to buy a new one yesterday… Oh my Lord! The cat is …
It’s always nice to know there is someone new on the way. It’s fresh, exciting, and stressful. No, I’m not talking about babies, but a new employee. We all know how much time, energy and money companies can place in ensuring a new member of staff is found that can do the job. And I’m …
A true Halloween Story Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night… a group of friends huddled together in a dimly lit restaurant in central St Petersburg. Drinking cups of tea and hot chocolate to keep warm, the group were happily chatting away, sheltering from the biting cold and northerly winds that blow …
Ahh, the school holidays. If you’re a kid, that “Ahh” is one of excitement – eating your body weight in ice cream and a week cannonballing into the pool at Butlins. For the parents, the “Ahh” is more likely pronounced, “ARRGGHH” – for many, many reasons. I’m sure it’s a relief for all …
Q: What connects: George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill? A: They’re all supposed to have created the famous quotation along the lines of: Great Britain and America: 2 nations separated by a common language Now, if getting 2 sets of people who supposedly speak the same language to understand each other …
Princess Elizabeth enjoys some light reading at Windsor Castle on July 8, 1946. Photo: Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Getty Images
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” A language trainer called me a while back, enquiring into new courses. “I know I usually teach a foreign language, but would you consider me for teaching English too? I have all the relevant qualifications”. I was confused. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?” A few days later I read a …
While the phrase ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again’ may not apply to activities such as skydiving, it certainly is the case when learning a language. My love-hate relationship with the Russian language started when I picked it up at university in 2014. When I went out to St Petersburg on …
Having grown up with an English teacher as a father, I’ve had the classic “it’s ‘my friends and I went to the cinema’, not ‘me and my friends’” drilled into me from an early age. And now, after teaching English myself for four years in St Petersburg, I find that I have to bite my …
Working in the UK: A Dialogue Primer The United Kingdom is a major global hub. Home to more than 67 million people, it comprises England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The World Bank ranked the UK as among the best locations globally for ease of commerce—the ease with which taxes, corporate laws and business are …
