Academic English

Listen to the recording on travel and vacations, and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

July 11 
I left on my trip today. Having been overseas before, I felt somewhat at ease with the idea of traveling abroad, particularly since I lived in Asia a number of years. However, others on the trip with me felt some apprehension about getting sick (something quite natural) and received suggested immunizations before leaving.

July 12 
In the first city I visited, I traveled downtown by bus to have dinner and then went out to visit some of the local sites. I was surprised at the number of people selling their goods in different marketplaces, and I quickly figured out the custom of haggling over the price before you buy something. And even if you feel you’re getting a good deal, you might try walking away from the merchant, and there IS the chance that the shop owner will call you back and even lower the price more in an attempt to get you to purchase something.

July 14 
No matter where I found myself today, I noticed a number of people who just stared at me as I walked by, like I was an alien from another planet. Although it felt somewhat disquieting at first (particularly in the swimming pool locker room), I realized that my presence was perhaps an oddity with so few foreigners in that area. In fact, the people were just curious, and I was even able to strike up a few conversations with some of the locals, giving them opportunities to practice their English. In the end, I came to the conclusion that such situations gave me a chance to be an informal ambassador for my country.

July 16 
Everyday brings new discoveries, and I’m learning how to navigate the road system. I found that crossing the road isn’t as easy as it seems. Bicycles, buses, people, and taxis fill the streets, dodging each other with constant narrow misses, yet in many instances, the flow remains constant. And, in spite of the seemingly chaotic conditions, people go about their business as if, well . . ., everything were so routine and blasé. I, on the other hand, tried to dart in and out of traffic to cross streets, weaving back and forth, to get to the other side. It was a little scary at first, but I quickly got the knack of it.

July 23 
I’m preparing to return back home tomorrow, and one thing I have discovered . . . something more important than all of my other experiences . . . has been that there are often more similarities than differences between cultures. Regardless of language and culture, all people have a desire for friendship that bridges any cultural boundaries. The people I’ve met have been wonderful hosts and friends, and I will treasure every moment of the trip.

• at ease (adjective): a condition of comfort 
  – He feels at ease when speaking in Spanish.
• apprehension (noun): fearful or unpleasant expectation
  – Experiencing some apprehension about meeting new people overseas is normal.
• immunizations (noun): protection, often in the form of vaccination or shots, against certain diseases 
  – Immunizations against certain diseases are strongly recommended when traveling to certain areas of the world.
• haggle (verb): intense bargaining over the price of goods 
  – We were finally able to haggle down the price of the rug.
• stare (verb): fix your eyes on something 
  – Even if you see something unusual, it is considered impolite to stare .
• disquieting (adjective): a feeling of discomfort 
  – I had a disquieting feeling about walking down this street at night.
• oddity (noun): something strange or unusual
  – Eating snails and octopus is an oddity to some people in certain parts of the world.
• dodge (verb): make sudden moves in new directions to avoid something 
  – I had to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit by an oncoming car.
• knack (noun): a special way of doing something 
  – If you practice enough, you soon get the knack of speaking in a foreign language.
• chaotic (adjective): complete disorder and confusion 
  – The traffic is very chaotic during rush hour, so I always take the train.
• blasé (adjective): unconcerned and uninterested
  – He felt the visit to the museum was so blasé, having been to many others over the past few days.
• dart (verb): move very quickly 
  – Taxis often dart in and out of traffic to take passengers to their destinations.