Hungry Like an Italian

                                     ESL Group Story Writing Class February 27, 2011
                                                                                                                                          
Last summer I took a long trip on a train. I was traveling from Poland to Italy.  I thought I would meet my colleague. I never saw him before, but when I called him I heard a girl's voice on the phone. I was afraid to hear her voice, but her soft and nice voice put me at ease.

I didn't know what kind of work we were supposed to do in Italy, but I was very excited to visit Italy because I wanted to taste the food.

My friend invited me to a luxurious restaurant for dinner that night. I felt so excited and started to think about the delicious taste of Italian foods.

The train hadn't even made it to France. Yet I was already torturing myself with thoughts of the delicious food that awaited me in Italy. My stomach started to growl so loud that the elderly woman who was sitting next to me lifted her eyebrow and said,

 "I think you need to have a little snack, dearie." And with that, she opened the crumpled brown bag that was on her lap, took out a shiny apple, and handed it to me.

I wanted to wait for my food but I couldn’t say “no” to her, so I took the apple and pretended to eat it.
When I finally arrived, the train was so late. I saw a girl waiting for me.

Practical English program now at 4am PST


Time change: The Practical English program has moved from 2am to 4am PST, on Sunday.

It can be done on different days, at different times.
Contact a Help Team member or a Class Runner.



Martian Memories

                                           ESL Story Writing Class February 20, 2011
I went to mars today. So, I decided to take my country's flag and human knowledge. This was the first time that humans went there.

I got off my space ship and looked around first. It was a dark place and also very cold. I started to walk slowly. 
 
I was looking for Jenny, this was her name.  I met her in SL. She had written "I keep SL™ and RL separate" in her profile.

I stopped to ask one of the few Martians who was sitting on a rock by the entrance of a cave, if he (or she or it) had seen Jenny.

 I had on a special breathing apparatus, of course, since there's no oxygen on Mars.  Surprisingly, the Martian understood me, even though I hadn't yet asked him the question out loud. He was able to read my mind!

The Martian told me about Jenny.  She is a scientist and she lives nearby. I decided to visit her house.
She was investigating human behavior and using SL to study it. I went to her house and met with her. She remembered me and said, "Oh, I know you. You are that guy who asked me if AI wanted a free class at the ESL school in SL."

But I didn't remember her. Obviously she was using alts. I thought I had found my soul-mate, this is why I had traveled to Mars. And now I find out she is a cheater who uses alts. I want to go back to Earth!

I stopped to ask one of the few Martians who was sitting on a rock by the entrance of a cave, if he (or she or it) had seen Jenny. I had on a special breathing apparatus, of course, since there's no oxygen on Mars.

She looked at me and said, "I never cheated on you, sweetie. I use alts for my research."  I hadn't said a word so I was shocked. She winked at me and said, "I can read minds, dearie. The Martians taught me how to do that."

A Fishy Story

                                     
                                      ESL Group Story Writing Class February 13, 2011
                                                                                                                                       
One beautiful spring morning when I was all alone at home and had nothing to do, I decided to take a dip in the small pond that was in a shallow patch of woods behind my house.  It was a bit brisk out, but I thought, "What the heck, a little cold air and a little cold water out doors will do me good after having spent so much time indoors during the long winter.”
The weather was really so cold and wet during the winter but now the sun was shining in the blue sky like a gem. I felt a light wind on my face. There was an awesome fragrance in the air, and it was coming from the spring flowers.
I tried to catch a fish when I went into the water. I felt so good that I forgot all my wants and needs. I was enjoying myself there. Suddenly, I saw a big, red jewel deep in the water. I thought, "Maybe I could go get it and give it to my girlfriend."

That jewel will make my girlfriend so happy. I can imagine when she wears the jewel she will look so pretty with it on. I started looking into her heart. Hopefully, her heart will be as beautiful as that gem stone.
So I took a big breath and dived down. I kept swimming deeper and deeper but the jewel seemed to get farther away.  Suddenly I realized I had no oxygen left. I was still far away from the jewel and too deep down to go back to the surface.  I panicked, I thought I would drown and I passed out.

Lag Meter


When you lag in SL open the Lag Meter.
It will tell you if lag is caused by your computer (Client), by your connection (Network) or by SL (Server).

How do you open the Lag meter?
Click HERE


http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Viewer_2_Moves#Lag_Meter_and_Statistics_Bar

It’s Greek to me

                                                      
                                  ESL Group Story Writing Class February 6, 2011 
                                                      
My favorite color is blue. I always wear blue, I always use blue decorations in my apartment, and I always eat blueberries. My car is also blue.

I love blue sky. One day I decided to buy a house which has a big terrace with a view of the blue sky.
I didn't know what I really wanted to do, so I just randomly called a number.

It was a Greek number. The lady on the phone told me the sky is often blue in Greece, like the sea, that blue is their national color and that most houses have blue frames, doors and shutters.

So I decided to go. I arrived at the new modern airport and I rented a car.It was a convertible. I jumped into the car, turned the radio on, and sped away.
The car was blue and I stopped at a gas station which had big, blue balloons in front of it. It was a nice day and the sun was shining in the blue sky.  I realized I was hungry and went into a fast-food shop.

Practical English Program. Sunday 2am PST

Starts Sunday, February 6, classes at 11h in Europe , 6pm in China and 7pm in Japan.

Teacher: Inge Qunhua
7 classes. Limit 6 students. Enrollment open. E-mail giovanni_tweak@yahoo.com

The beginner course is for students whose English is very basic or who have studied English years ago.
It is designed to give students language skills to deal with everyday situations in SL and rl.

A1 level "Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help."

1 Sun 6 Feb Café
2 Sun 27 Feb Airport
3 Sun  6 Mar Hotel Reception
4 Sun 13 Mar Bank
5 Sun 20 Mar Hospital
6 Sun 27 Mar Garage/Salon
7 Sun 3 Aprr Home

Lesson 1 at the Café: introducing yourself, meeting people, ordering beverages
Lesson 2 at the Airport: Travel, custom, security controls
Lesson 3 at the Hotel Reception: booking a room, hotel check in and out.
Lesson 4 at the Bank: opening and closing a bank account, depositing, withdrawing and exchanging currency.
Lesson 5 at Hospital: arriving at the Hospital or Emergency Room.
Lesson 6 at the Garage/Salon: going to car repair and getting a haircut or a hair dye.
Lesson 7 at Home: everyday object and actions.