Category Archives: Culture
He’s just not that into you.
Posted in Culture, Movies, Questions, Vocabulary
Tagged culture, friends, getting older, growing up, lies, life, Love, movies
Christmas Carols!
Jingle Bells
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Frosty the Snowman!
Twelve Days of Christmas
Note: 3:39 .. full round!
Conversation Topic: Same Sex Marriage
“As we talked about the “election issues” in the US today, we talked about the issue of Same Sex Marriage.
Same sex marriage (marriage between a man/man or woman/woman) is a controversial issue in the United States and a “non-issue” in Jordan. Some parts of the United States are very tolerant of same-sex or gay marriage; some parts are not. For example, man/man or woman/woman can be married in Massachusetts, USA but not in North Carolina, USA.
In the USA, President Obama supports same-sex marriage, and he said so on TV. One young American girl who heard Obama say this then wrote him a letter. She has two dads — her parents are a same-sex married couple — thanked Obama for being nice to them.
In response, President Obama wrote her a letter — in his letter he explained why many Americans support same-sex marriage —->
“Our differences unite us. You and I are blessed to live in a country where we are born equal no matter what we look like on the outside, where we grow up, or who our parents are. A good rule is to treat others the way you hope they will treat you.
Posted in Culture, Uncategorized
Talking about Stereotypes
On Sunday, our group had a great discussion about culture and stereotypes… with a particular focus on Jordan vs. America (of course).
On Tuesday, we continued that discussion while practicing new vocabulary:
Punctual // Late —> The stereotype: Americans are punctual. Jordanians are always late. Why is that? Here it is no problem if you are 5 minutes late – 10 minutes late.. our class discussed the difference in lifestyle as a possible reason. In Jordan, it takes a long time to get anywhere. Even if you leave your home early, maybe you will not have luck finding a taxi on the crowded street or a parking spot in the small lot – and then you will be late. Traffic can be miserable and unexpected. So, people understand that being punctual is often very difficult, even with the best intentions.
tolerant // intolerant —> What are things your country is TOLERANT or INTOLERANT of?
First we talked about religion. Our group discussed how Jordan is very tolerant of different religions – with no problems between the Muslim majority and Christian minority. Jordan is also very tolerant of new people… particularly refugees – opening their homes and cities to an influx of Syrian refugees.
I talked about how America treats gay people. In some states, like Massachusetts, the state is very tolerant. Gay people can even be married in Massachusetts. But in other states, like North Carolina, it is illegal for them to be married. Our class compared this to Jordan — which is not tolerant of the gay lifestyle.
well-dressed // sloppy — Here we talked about US colleges and Pajamas…. which everyone seemed to love. Its normal for students at US colleges to wear pajamas to class sometimes… because we live at the university! So rolling out of bed and running late to class is normal. We are very casual at our univerisities (see below). This is a big difference from Jordan – and Petra U – where everyone is well-dressed 🙂
formal // informal or casual — our class is informal!
serious // silly …….. and our class was SILLY today.
More words to be discussed:
ignorant
nationalistic or patriotic
romantic // unromantic
respectful // disrespectful
lazy // hard-working
emotional // unemotional
outgoing // shy
talkative or chatty // quiet
humorous or funny // boring
immature // mature or sophisticated
hospitable // generous or welcoming
polite // rude
Petra University English Club 