Show 569 Monday 3 December

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show. Today’s guest is Toshi. Toshi is a ski instructor and last season he started a ski school here in Niseko.
He has previously spent seasons in Canada and New Zealand.
I asked him how different the snow was in Canada and New Zealand.

It’s very different. Canada has, ah, more powdery snow. New Zealand has icy or sometimes rain and sometimes no snow. It’s very different.
And I spend a very small resort in New Zealand. So they don’t have any chair, they have only the rope tow. That’s very interesting to me.

STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today, a political party in New Zealand have recalled thousands of copies of a promotional DVD after complaints that the soundtrack sounded too similar to a song by the British band Coldplay.

John Key is the leader of the New Zealand National Party.
He’s hoping to become the prime minister.
The National Party recently released a DVD to promote their leader.
But the DVDs soundtrack sounds very similar to a song called Clocks by Coldplay.
Lawyers from the record company EMI contacted the National party to complain.
And the DVDs are now being recalled.
The National Party’s campaign manager said the production company was to blame.

And that was Stick News for Monday 3rd December.
Kia Ora.

THE SNOW REPORT
in Kutchan

By the time I got around to doing the snow report today, it was dark.
So, this is Kutchan at about half past seven in the evening.
This is an icicle.
A fire hydrant.
Another design of fire hydrant.
And this is a cat. A very cold looking cat.

conversations with sarah
#346 What’s your teaching philosophy?

Step 1: Repeat Sarah’s lines.
Step 2: Read Sarah’s lines and talk to Toshi.

Sarah How different is Canadian and NZ English?

Toshi It’s very different. I spend a time in Canada long time. So I was OK listening the Canadian English. First time I went to New Zealand, I don’t understand. But after I spend New Zealand for one season, very easy to understand in Canada or even from the Australian people or New Zealand or British people.
So it’s very good for me.

Sarah How did you learn English?

Toshi Basically in school. And when I was 20 years old, I spent a year in Toronto.
I went to the ESL course. But, ah, my listening was OK there, but my speaking is not good, then since I started ski instructor job, I have to speak a lot. Then my English get improved.
But since I came back here, my English getting worse.

Sarah How often do you use English now?

Toshi In winter time, almost every day. Summer time, never.

Sarah How long have you been in Niseko?

Toshi This is the third season for me.

Sarah Where are your customers mostly from?

Toshi Most of them come from Hong Kong, Singapore. Then some are Japanese and some are Australian.
But I do only the private lessons, so ... not so ... like, never have like school groups, or something like big group. And, ah, actually I started a new things which include a ski lesson and a English together. So it’s for the Japanese people but people can learn English while they are doing skiing.

Sarah Who’s the instructor?

Toshi Instructor is not me. I have a staff he’s from Australia. He has experience as a teacher. So he could be perfect for this, this program.

Sarah What’s your teaching philosophy?

Toshi People think a ski instructor is, ah, just skiing. If you know the ski technique, you can be the ski instructor. But, ah, actually you can not be like this. You have to me more like good people. You have to know ski technique. But also you have to now how to, how to do ... how to ... how to be good with people. It’s including the guest service.

Sarah Are students from different countries very different?

Toshi Basically similar, just, ah, from people ... From ah, from Hong Kong, people from Hong Kong or people in Singapore, they don’t have any snow in their countries. So, for them it’s a very big surprise. It’s very fun to me too.
And, ah, they are very keen to learn because it’s a first experience. For some, for some, some people, just one time in a year. So they are very keen to learn.
Japanese people, they can come often, so they can do just maybe little bit, so it’s different. And Australian people are not so much learning, more having fun in the powder. So it’s, ah, different.

Sarah How do you think Niseko will change in the future?

Toshi People say that Niseko is going to be like Whistler ... in Canada. They are going to be a international resort. But I think Niskeo cannot be like this because it’s too small. Probably Niskeo is going to be a international resort. But, ah, stay small.

Sarah Do you have any advice for people who are learning English?

Toshi I think that to learn English. If you study English, I don’t think you can, you can speak English. I advice to the people who learn English, is do something different, by English, by using the English, I learned English, but, ah, I learnt skiing in English, I teach skiing in English then my English get improved, so same thing.

links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS pictures

Niseko Global Ski Academy

music

show start
artist: Anawin
album: A glimpse inside the bubble
track: Little jazzy
from: Arles, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo

the snow report start
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: Absolute
from: Moscow, Russia
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: San Sebastian
track: Happy Sad
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: Groovetracks
tracks: groovetracks ending
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: OPRACHINA
album: The jazz farm
track: Porta D'Arce
from: Roma, Italy
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
YouTube channel

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