It's a Circus Here!

Today`s playschool was a circus, literally!! We all dressed up as clowns and ate popcorn. We read some crazy stories about the circus, learned a new circus song and danced some funny dances. The photo below shows us during snack time. :)

Tongue Twister of the Week

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

Said the flea, ``Let us fly!``

Said the fly, ``Let us flee!``

So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Good Luck!!

This week we wished all the best to two of our students who are both on their way to English-speaking countries on vacation and language immersion...They'll be living it up in the US (Hawaii) and Australia. We're so happy for them, and hope that what we've taught them will be useful during their experiences abroad!!

North American Customs

Custom #3: Canadians are Sarcastic!

When someone is sarcastic it means that they are using a kind of humour called sarcasm. Sarcasm is when when you say the opposite of an intended meaning in order to jokingly mock (make fun of) a person, situation or a thing. I often use sarcasm, so I will give you an example: Yesterday it was raining, and I said to my class ''What a beautiful day it is outside!'' It was obviously NOT a nice day, so I was joking by saying the opposite.

Canadians often joke around using sarcasm, so I hope this helps you understand a bit better the next time you hear it.

Hey, How's it going?

Our theme class this week is going great so far, and the students seem to really enjoy the activities we've organized for helping them learn how to have small talk with someone they haven't seen in a while.
Here's Ms.Rachel teaching an entertaining group, and keeping her students smiling as always! Good job, Rach!

Riddle of the Day!

I have holes on my top and bottom, on my left and right as well as in my middle. But I can still hold water.
What am I?

Answer: A sponge

This Week's Theme Class

This week our theme class is Small Talk! The lesson will consist of basic greetings, conversation starters, common sayings, catching up with friends, giving compliments and saying good-bye. In class the students will be introduced to the new phrases along with the correct pronunciations. After this there will be plenty of time to practice what they have learned. Students will be given a handout to take home to practice with useful phrases, converstation topics as well as everything that will be covered in the class. Give us a call to reserve your spot today :)

North American Customs

Custom #2: Saying ''Bless You'' after someone sneezes.

In Japan, most people seem to try and ignore when someone sneezes, but in Canada it is polite to say ``Bless You`` to the person after they sneeze. There are many possible reasons for why this custom began and you can easily research them on wikipedia!

One reason that I personnally enjoy is that sneezing use to be early signs of the bubonic plague (a disease) and blessing the person was an effort to try and rid them of the disease, basically wishing that they won`t die. Although people today sneeze due to less serious reasons (allergy, cold, etc..), it is still seen as a kind gesture! So please say ``bless you`` after someone sneezes and people will think that you are very polite!!

Summer Slang

It`s a SCORCHER outside.

This sentence means that it is extremely hot outside.

Shaved Ice is So Nice!

It sure is a scorcher out there! Luckily we made some shaved ice for playschool to cool down today. Along with the amazing "ice in a can" invention we mentioned on an earlier blog, it seems we're prepared to beat the heat here at RLE!

Tongue Twister of the Week

Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in groves.

Riddle of the Day!

What can you catch, but not throw??

Answer: A cold and I caught one :(

North American Customs

Just to be clear, a custom means a common practice; the usual way of acting in certain situations. Most of the customs we will explain will come from the differences we have notices while travelling in Japan, but if you have any suggestions, or something you want explained, please comment with your suggestion!!

Custom #1: Canadians don`t fall asleep in public.
A very early observation any foreigner visiting Japan will notice is that Japanese can fall asleep anywhere! This is because it is very common in Japan to fall asleep while commuting on the trains. In Canada, falling asleep on a long car, bus or plane trip is also acceptable, but in almost every other situation it is not really common. For example, at the dinner table, at a friend`s house or on a bench in a public place is not really forbidden however, most people would think it is a little stange and perhaps a bit rude.

Amazing Invention!

I tell you, this heat is quite exhausting. Especially for someone coming from Canada, where we only get this kind of heat during a heat wave. Luckily there are so many awesome inventions in Japan to stay cool, such as ice in a can. Ice! In a CAN! I couldn't believe it when I first saw it, but I'm sure glad I found out about it because it has definitely saved me from passing out from the heat a couple times in the past few weeks.

What other ways do you know of to stay cool in this intense heat? I've seen many people wearing strange ice packs around their necks, instead of a towel which most Japanese people seem to never leave home without. Any helpful tips are appreciated! Come by and tell me how to survive August in Japan!

Riddle of the Day!

Spinning Hand:
This thing runs but cannot walk,
sometimes sings but never talks.
Lacks arms, has hands;
lacks a head but has a face.
What is it??

Answer: clock

Things to be excited about

Lots of exciting things happening here at RLE this week, and I'm not just talking about our half-off campaign. We're also hard at work overflowing with awesome ideas to make our English Cafe all the more awesome. Stay tuned for some interesting new developments that will get you talking in English like it's your mother tongue. There's nothing like good conversation in an air conditioned room with a chilled drink on a hot summer day.

Tongue Twister of the Week

A tongue twister is a phrase that is designed to be difficult to articulate properly. Tongue twisters may rely on similar but distinct sounds called phonemes.

A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk!

Extra Extra!!! Read All About It!!!

Real Life English is having a special two day half-off extravaganza!!! Come on down while the price is right. On August 11th and August 12th only, our admission fee will be cut in half. IN HALF!!!

Come by and meet our super friendly teachers and try out a demo lesson for free. We'll also have cold drinks for those wanting to stick around for some cafe time! This is also free for first-time guests.

8/11 - 8/12

だけの得!

入会金

半額

We hope to see you then!

SuMmEr SoNiC fEsTiVaL!!

The annual two-three day rock festival, Summer Sonic, is currently taking place in Japan. Beginning in the year 2000, this is the 10th anniversary of the festival, consisting of rock and alternative music genres. The festival has become extremely popular not only for the Japanese concert-goers but also for many of the North American performers who look forward to returning to Japan each year. Held at the same time in Osaka and near Tokyo, the majority of the bands playing in Osaka on the first day will then play around Tokyo the following day and vice versa. This provides an opportunity for the bands to experience this great country. This year the festival appears to be the biggest one yet! If you can stand the scorching heat and millions of people surrounding you at one time then I`m sure you will not be disappointed; and if not maybe you can experience some star sightings this weekend throughout Japan, including my favorite celeb gossip writter Perez Hilton!!
Yes that really is him, Perez , dressed as a Japanese geisha! Too funny.

Thunder and lightning, oh my!

Summers in Japan are sooooo humid! The only time I have ever felt this kind of humidity in Canada was right before a massive thunderstorm. Usually after such a storm the air returns to normal and it feels cool and fresh to be outside. After such a storm in Japan during the summer, the air goes right back to being humid again! No relief!! Right now for example, the sky just erupted into a light show and grumbled fiercely a few times. The rain came and went, but the air oustide still feels like the sky has not emptied itself completely.

I don't really mind it though. I actually enjoy the thunderstorms and even when it gets so humid outside I am still happy to be living in Japan's climate. This is especially true during the wintertime.
If you want some relief from the summer heat while enjoying good food and drinks, you should join us on September 12th for our first annual summer party!! It's gonna be good times!!

PL Fireworks

Last Saturday night was the PL fireworks in Osaka! I was very fortunate to be able to go see them. The city of Tondabayashi, where the fireworks took place, was founded on August 1, 1950. Perhaps this is a reason as to why the fireworks take place on this day! According to Wikipedia this city is home to the biggest annual fireworks display in the world. The display consists of a minimum of 100,000 shells fired in less than an hour!!! As you can tell by my photo below it was very hard to take photos of the fireworks and the smoke was in my way.