英語訪談對話 243 European Life
Todd: Now Norman, you've lived in Japan for awhile. Have you lived in any other countries?
Norman: Yes, I've lived in Germany as well.
Todd: Germany!
Norman: Yes, I lived for five years. I had two contracts in Germany. The first one in the seventies, for three years. I was an immersion teacher, which means that they're English students at the elementary level who take all their courses in French, so with a particular second language approach I would teach them not only French, but I would teach them mathematics in French, science in French, visual arts in French, physical education in FrenchTodd: Wow, in Germany.
Norman: In Germany, yes! This was for the Canadian Armed forces. The, usually it's the man the father, who's there as a soldier, but sometimes it's the woman. But they have, they do have children and there was a need for some Canadian schooling. They hire teachers to teach the children of military personnel.
Todd: Wow! What a cool job! What did you think about Germany?
Norman: Germany is very interesting in that it's a very lively country, I find. I enjoyed certainly the nature part. Every weekend, Susan and I tried to go on what they call volksmarch, which means, it's, "volks" means popular, popular walk. You have a choice of five kilometers, ten kilometers, or fifteen kilometers walk and at the end, once you complete the walk, you get a metal, and the walk is always in some nicevillage. You go up the hills, up the mountains, you have beautiful sights, and every now and then they have some kind of a food stand with a Bavarian band playing, and then you have those Bavarian sausages and it's just a whole lot of fun so we would take our children along with us and it would be quite an event.
Todd: That's nice. How long did you live in Germany?
Norman: I lived there five years total. 75 to 78,for a three year contract, and then 85 to 87, a two year contract.
Todd: Wow, so you speak German as well.
Norman: I do, I do, but now I have not spoken it for quite a long time so it would take a little bit of, let's say, review.
Todd: Wow! tri-lingual. That's cool!
