A Book I've read

[Admin]

Hi Maarit, I'm glad to hear the operation was a success! It's good to be free of pain.. too bad about the teeth though: there is always something to worry about, isn't there? I hope you can sort that out soon too.
Take care of yourself,
Pieter

[Maarit]

Hi Pieter,
Is it strange if you have a foot operation and after that your teeth have some problems? Isn’t it? 
Well, now I have had three appointments with a dentist and I believe that this problem is over very soon. Mostly, I wonder, how much time I need to take care of my health noww, when I am over my 50’s. Huoh….Actually, I must be very happy about my life because I have not any big problems.

And I promised to tell you about the book.
The boy in the striped pajamas is an unusual story about the friendship of the two boys, Bruno and Shmuel. Bruno is the son of a Nazi commandant and Shmuel is a Jew boy. The novel is set in Auschwitz in 1943. Bruno lives close by the concentration camp in a comfortable house and at the same time Shmuel and other Jews suffer everything such as hunger, cold, sicknesses, death. The main message is, however, how kind and loyal children can be to each other.
Bruno miss friends and feels to be very alone. He thinks the strangest thing is the barbed-wire fence outside his bedroom window and groups of men and boys in the camp. He would like to play with someone and he believe that boys, in the camp, play football and have a nice time together. Bruno is totally unaware of the circumstances of Auschwitz and the fate of Jews who were sent there. For some reason, Shmuel does not also tell Bruno about his miserable life. They are happy together a couple of minutes almost in every day.

The end of the book is very tragic but nevertheless, I highly recommend it. I have read it at first in Finnish and then in English. It is good to have handkerchiefs when to read this book. However, this book is worth reading. It has had very deep influence on me, how to feel life and what is important, what worthless.

Have a nice wintertime, take care
Maarit

[Admin]

Hello Maarit, thanks for your message. I know, looking after your health becomes a full-time occupation at a certain age. In my 50s I was more or less OK, but now in my 60s there is one problem after another! :) That's life.
Thanks also for the description of the book - it sounds very powerful. Who is the author? A German? It's an excellent idea to read something in your language and then read it again in English - that way it is easier to guess unknown words and you can read more quickly. Can I help you with a couple of things?
"Jew boy= = This phrase has bad connotations, it is used as an insult. You can say: Jewish boy, Jewish people - that is acceptable.
Bruno miss friends = This is not quite clear. Do you mean: He doesn't have any friends, or He misses he friends?
Shmuel does not also tell Bruno about = Shmuel doesn't tell Bruno about his miserable life either.
All the best!
Pieter

[Maarit]

Hi Pieter,

many thanks for your comments, expecially about Jewish people: I do not want insult them NEVER ever.
Actually, I highly ADMIRE and LOVE Jewish people. I am sorry about my word choice. I found it from a dictionary.

The boy in the striped pajamas is written by Irish novelist John Boyne.

Bruno has no friends because his friends left Munchen where they lived before coming to Poland, Auschtwitz.

Well, have you read the book, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes?

All the best,
Maarit

[Admin]

OK thanks for the clarification Maarit. I'm surprised you find that phrase in a dictionary - was there no information about the connotations? Usually there is a little comment, with the "dangerous" words.. No I have not read the Flowers of Algernon either. I don't read a lot of fiction, not because I'm not interested, but because of time. I generally try to keep up with Spanish or SOuth American fiction if I do!
Hope you are well,
Pieter

[Maarit]

Hi Pieter,
I have used as a dictionary ”sanakirja. org”.
Now, I noticed this bad connotation but not earlier. Many thanks for your note about it.

Actually, I like Israel very much and we have the same colors in the Finland’s and Israel’s flag: blue and white. This has a very strong symbolic meaning for me. In addition, one of my best friends supports Israel and he has studied Hebrew for years. He has visited to Israel almost every year and because of understanding Hebrew he has a lot of Jewish friends in Israel and all around the world. I have also met these friends and these meetings have been wonderful experiences for me. I have also been once to Israel. It is a beautiful country.

I am quite well and now, on a sick leave, I can rest as much as necessary that is wonderful.
Do you read Spanish or South American fiction in Spanish or in English? How are you?

Have a nice weekend!
BR, Maarit 

[Admin]

Hello Maarit,
I'm glad to hear you are better and how nice to be on sick leave if you aren't too sick! Time to read and relax.. :) When do you go back to work?
I read in Spanish- I have lived in Spain for so many years that it is not a problem for me. If it's possible, I like to read novels in the original language!
Take care,
Pieter

[Maarit]

Hello Pieter,

Well. I have quite a long sick leave, 2,5 month, so that I will go back to work just in the 9th January.
After a bunion operation sick leave is long and because of my work it is longer than in many other cases.
I have to walk all day long in a classroom or in a laboratory.

I am very happy about my sick leave because I have been quite tired in our workplace.
We have a lot of doing and at the same time less staff. Maybe it is the same situation all over Europe. What about in Spain?
Perhaps after the long break I could see more positive aspects in my work. Actually, I love teaching but 25-30 teaching hours a week is too hard for me.
How long are your work days?

Take care,
Maarit

[Admin]

Hi Maarit, thanks for your message. Sorry I didn't see it before. I think it is the same all over Europe - in many work places they don't replace workers who leave, so the others have to do more work for the same salary. I only have a part-time job, I do five hours a day. That is quite normal in private sector language schools. It's enough to live, but thinking ahead to retirement, I will have a very small pension! :) So for years I was doing two jobs, but I stopped. I was very tired of it. I will look for another one, but I will take my time, I'm not in a hurry!
I hope you are taking good care of yourself!
All the best,
Pieter

[Maarit]

Hi Pieter,

thanks for your letter. I have been trying to take good care of myself during my sick leave. Always, it is not so easy because I love to exercise, such as, walking, bicycling etc. Now, I have made trips to a gym and it has been good at my body.

We celebrated Finland's independence day yesterday by cooking a lunch with our friends. Actually, 7 persons prepared starters, a main course and a dessert in our kitchen. It was such a wonderful experience for all of us. Our daughters baked a cake and we had it with coffee and tea.

I am very proud of our independence because Finland is a small country with wonderful landscapes. We have clean air and waters as well. Moreover, Finnish people appreciate our president, Mr Sauli Niinistö.

Well, I am finishing the “English for International Tourism” course. I will do a reading and a listening test yet and after them, I will start my Christmas holiday. In addition, I need to concentrate on the courses, which I will teach next spring.

By the way, I bought the “English for Kids” course for our 12-year-old daughter in order to motivate her English studies. I am happy about listening exercises, which complete her school English. They listen only to a couple of programs at school due to lack of time.

What a course do you recommend me the next? Maybe after one year, I could buy one more course from Net Languages.

Thanks for your letters and have a wonderful Christmas time (in Spain or America or elsewhere?)

I hope you are taking good care of yourself!
All the best,
Maarit

[Admin]

Hello Maarit,

Thanks for your message from December 7th!!! I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier, I didn't have very much time to answer messages in the Forum this month, as we are quite busy with a number of projects.

I'm glad to hear that you have finished the Tourism course -congratulations, you are very disciplined! If you want to try another course, you could look at the English for Work courses. There are a number of topics to choose from - they are related to work, but in fact they are quite practical and they deal with language that we all use every day. You might find something that interests you!

I spent Christmas with part of my family in Switzerland. The climate is clearly changing, another Christmas with very warm temperatures and no snow at all at 1200m altitude. It is a region that lives from winter sports, and people are really suffering: ski lifts not working, hotels and restaurants closed etc. For us it was fine, when there is no snow, there are fewer people and fewer cars blocking the road. We went for nice, long walks in the mountains and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

I hope you have recovered from the operation and I wish you all the best for the new year!

Pieter

[Jaime]

Hello!!
My answers:

1. A short time ago I read a book written by Oscar Wilde, it is a painter who made a portrait of a prince, however he did not like this painting, in the end the prince ends up murdering the painter.

2. I believe that the decision to allow or prohibit the hunting of whales should depend on the interests of each country, not in all areas of the world there is the same problem in terms of fauna in danger of extinction, in those areas where the subject is not critical it could authorize controlled hunting, where there is serious risk of extinction the sacrifice should be prohibited..

Thanks for your attention!!

[Jaime]

Hello!!

My answers

Whales do not possess natural predators, and even then, they are animals that are currently in danger of extinction. In order to explain this fact, we must focus on the devastating activity of man.
Sport hunting, illegal and excessive fishing, the destruction of natural habitats, all these factors negatively affect the survival of whales. Taking into account also that these animals take between 7 and 14 years of age to be able to reproduce, and that the gestation process takes about fifteen months on average, the situation becomes even more complex.
On the other hand, sonar and radar tracking systems used in the military sector also affect the life of whales. The ecological organizations direct all their efforts towards the protection of this species, but more and more unpleasant scenarios occur, such as oil spills, poaching and retrograde mentalities that unfortunately will eventually extinguish the whales. The behavior of the whales is determined not only by the species, but also by the place and the conditions where they live. It is known that these animals have a surprising communication system, capable of being heard by other specimens miles away.
The generated waves are not perceptible by the human being, but to the whales this allows them to be in constant communication and thus build several groups or clans whose complementation will be vital during the migration of the whales. It is believed that whales use a rich vocabulary to express themselves.
Baleen whales use the spiracle where they breathe to make sounds, while whales with beards produce typical sounds of this group known as "whale songs".

Thanks for your attention!!