Transcript of Premium Bonus 070- Transcript

Charlie:
Hello and welcome to the British English Podcast, the show all about teaching you British culture and British English. And in today's episode we have Chris from Instant English, who's back on the show to tell us about his adventures when he went to South America recently, he went to Brazil, Argentina and then back to Brazil. And we'll talk about his cultural, um, exploration throughout his experience in both countries. So without further ado, let's get into the show with Chris from Instant English. Hello, Chris. How are you doing?

Chris:
I'm doing great. Thank you very much. How are you?

Charlie:
Yeah. I'm good, thank you. It's, uh, 9:19 in the morning right now. For me, you're back in Madrid is we don't share the same hour. Do we share the same time zone?

Chris:
We don't know we're here. It's one hour ahead. I think it's something to do with fun fact. Maybe if anyone's Spanish, they can correct me. Um, when there was a dictator Franco in, um, in charge of Spain, he wanted to be more aligned with, um, Nazi Germany or fascist, um, Italy. So he put the, the clocks forward to kind of be more in, in line with them. So that's why Portugal is the same as England, and then Spain is one hour ahead, but then France is the same as England or something like that. Like it's a weird. Yeah, it's kind of a and that's why also Spanish people seem to like eat later because they actually eat at the the same time as everyone else, but they're just an hour ahead, you know, like it's it's kind of it's not right. Yeah.

Charlie:
That is odd. So Franco was missing his sort of, Um, Third Reich sort of meetings. And he was like, missed it again.

Chris:
So I think that was it. Yeah. He was like, you know, nibbling on his lunch. And he was just like, oh, they're calling me already. All right. Okay, well, I need to change the hours because I want to be more aligned with them.

Charlie:
Yes. Okay. Well, that's very confusing for his neighbouring countries. And up and down. Yeah. Okay, well, you got another hour in bed, basically because of Franco and, uh.

Chris:
And so.

Charlie:
Yeah, you got another hour in your life. Um, but yeah, normally, normally I try to wake up a little bit, but I have woken up. I've got half my coffee down. Um, but you know that that morning fog is still slightly there for me. Are you a morning person?

Chris:
Um, I want to say yes, but I know I'm not. You know, like, I really want to be. I like the lifestyle. You know, like how it looks online. You know, with the yoga in the morning and, you know, the sun rising and having a banana on the beach. If you live near a beach, um, but it's not really. I'm a late riser. And then I normally do a lot of work in the evenings, like late at night editing and, I don't know, emails and stuff. But I want to say, by the way, anyone listening? Your mug is very cool. I do like it. It's very stylish.

Charlie:
Look at this. This I made. No, I didn't make I painted, I painted this.

Chris:
Oh. Very nice.

Charlie:
On a cute little pottery painting class with my wife.

Chris:
Wow. If this all goes to shit, you can get into pottery.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, that. That could be the next business that I set up. Um, yeah. You said goes to shit. I was thinking, goes pep, what's the pairs one. Goes pears up.

Chris:
Pear shaped.

Charlie:
Pear shaped. Goes pear shaped. So you can either swear you can see goes to shit or goes pear shaped. Meaning goes bad if your thing goes bad if your business or idea goes bad. Um, did your trip to Argentina and Brazil go pear shaped? Chris.

Chris:
Um, there was one particular point where it went very pear shaped. Oh, dear.

Charlie:
Oh well, we will have to hear about that. But not yet. Not yet. Let's let's start from the beginning, Chris. Um, okay. So Chris has already been on the show, but for listeners who might not have listened to that episode, could you give us a little background about yourself?

Chris:
Yes. Of course. Um, my name is Chris and I'm from Oxford in the UK. Well, actually, I grew up just outside in a little village. So, um, I had a very rural upbringing. Um, and I studied in Manchester. And then after that, after I graduated, I, um, I moved to Japan and lived there for a while. Um, and then after that, Peru, uh, for another three years and then, um, just teaching, by the way. And, uh, and then when the pandemic started, I started making videos. And now that's my job to make English related videos. Nice.

Charlie:
Nice. Yeah. That word just, um, you said just teaching. It's quite a sensitive one, isn't it? Because, um. My. I don't know if I should say this on a podcast, but. So my dad and my now mother in law, they met for the first time, and, uh, she's managed a hair salon for quite a few years. She's done a variety of jobs, and I think my dad knew this. And then he asked her, oh, so what do you do? And she said, I'm a hairdresser. And he said, oh, just a hairdresser, because in his brain he was thinking, um, like, oh yeah, you've you've done a few things. What are you doing at the moment? And so that just sort of stung, um, for her. And she was like, oh, yeah. So it's an interesting one because for your point of view, I think you're thinking like, I was doing this and I was doing this, and I've got a lot of things now, like it's a, it's a real mixed bag of things. Right. But before you were just doing one thing.

Chris:
Yeah, exactly. That's what that's what I was kind of referring to.

Charlie:
Yeah. So it's a it's a stinger just sometimes. But anyway, um, thank you very much for that round up. Yeah. You've travelled far and wide and you've, you've travelled even further. Um, recently you've gone, um, back over to South America. And that's why we're here to discuss your experience over there. Um, what led you back to South America, Chris?

Chris:
Um, basically, I made a few friends here from a place called Cordoba in Argentina, and, um, they all seemed to be from Cordoba. Every Argentinian I meet in Barcelona is from Cordoba, which is fine. They're very nice. And, um, their families come to visit. And on one occasion, a, um, a friend's brother came and we got on quite well. Um, and he just, we carried on talking online, and he, um, he just kept telling me, like, if you ever want to come, you can stay at my place. And then one day, one time, I took up that offer and decided I'm coming. And I went to Cordoba. Lived with him for two months. In the end, roughly, um, it was supposed to be just one month, but then he sort of evacuated his flat for me after two weeks.

Charlie:
Maybe you were that intolerable? Yeah.

Chris:
Yeah. I don't know what happened. The deal was that we would share the place. He has two bedrooms and an office, and we were kind of sharing it and working in the same office, and. And then he just said, well, I'm going to go live my with my family, which was only down the road, and they have a huge sort of family house. And then I was just like, I was stuck with a whole apartment to myself. It was horrible, as you could imagine.

Charlie:
Had you bought a had you bought a return ticket?

Chris:
No, I was just winging it. I was just sort of going with the flow.

Charlie:
Gosh, that's a nice I really like that. I mean, don't want to sound like a married man stuck in his marriage, but I haven't done that sort of one way trip since. Since 23,24. Wow. That's nice. It's a nice feeling.

Chris:
It is yeah. It's nice. You feel like freedom? Yeah, to some degree. Yeah. Not totally, but. Um. The placebo of freedom?

Charlie:
Yes. So often when I'm saying I'm going to go somewhere and my parents say, oh, you've got to go see Auntie So-and-so, or you go to see cousin blah, blah, blah, or my best friend from then, um, and I feel very uncomfortable following up with that. This is obviously your friend that you made beforehand. Yeah. But, um, do you feel comfortable reaching out to people to to stay at their accommodation?

Chris:
Um, I think this was was this the first time? I suppose so. Yeah, maybe it would. It does feel a little bit awkward, but when, you know, they mention it a few times, you feel obliged, like, okay, I'm going to take the offer. More, more. I think maybe it's more of a South American thing where they're more insistent, like, you can definitely come, you know, just reminding you, you can still come. Yeah. And, um, you know, as a British person, it feels like I don't want to bother anyone, but, yeah, I think, you know, you kind of have to ignore that Britishness and just just accept people for being genuinely happy to receive you. Whereas, um, maybe in the UK we might say that, but not actually mean it.

Charlie:
That's the thing I think that I'm getting at. Like we say one thing, but we mean another, and it's hard to detect whether they actually want you to come.

Chris:
Yeah. That's true. That is very true. Yeah. I think in this case it was true.

Charlie:
Hopefully I'm not saying it wasn't. I'm not saying it was.

Chris:
The worst therapy session ever.

Charlie:
Yeah and then he left the flat for some reason for a month and left me to myself and my own thoughts. Um, so you went to Argentina for a couple of months, and you did Brazil for a couple of weeks before that, right?

Chris:
Yeah. Um, it was kind of like, um, one week in the beginning, and then I went back for another week in Brazil. Just because, um, when you enter Argentina, they they make you purchase some kind of flight out of the country. Um, so I had to get something to show that I'm leaving at some point just anywhere. Even when I did go back, um, after the second time in Brazil, I booked, like, a cheap flight to Uruguay. Just. Just to kind of like it was £40 and. Okay, I'm going to lose that money, but I need something to show that I'm going to leave.

Charlie:
Yeah, I'll be out of your hair in four weeks kind of thing. I'll be off to Uruguay. Don't worry. Don't worry guys.

Chris:
Nobody wanted me there. The guy left the flat. The government is like. When are you leaving? But it's okay.

Charlie:
Lovely feel. Yeah, okay. So you did Brazil like a little sandwich trip? Kind of. Or Argentina was the meat. And then the Brazil and Brazil was the was the the bread. Okay, so let's go to Argentina. Firstly, um, did you say you had already been to Argentina?

Chris:
Yeah, I went to Buenos Aires in November last year. Just for a week. Okay.

Charlie:
Okay. Yeah, just for a week. Right. Um, first impressions of Argentina, then and then thinking about it as you went this time.

Chris:
Yeah, it's hugely different. I think it's just one of those things when you you think about capital versus another city, right? Like if you compare London with Liverpool or something, it's hugely different. Um, and that's kind of the same thing with Buenos Aires and Cordoba. You know, I like Buenos Aires. I feel like it's so exciting. And there's there's a real nice vibe there. You know, if you feel like with the buildings, you're lost in time. You know, it's very sort of you're not European looking, but they, they call it the Paris of South America. So it kind of has that vibe with the aesthetics. But then the people are very sort of just they're just doing stuff and there's a lot of music. The music scene is really happening. And to sound not to sound too boomer, but it's very, um, very lively. And, um, with Cordoba, it's just, it's the people are really nice. I suppose that's the easiest way I can put it. The people are so nice. Probably the best. The salt of the earth, if I can say that.

Charlie:
That's nice. What does that mean, Chris?

Chris:
Just, I suppose, the best. I feel like for me it's like the best quality people like they are. They look out for other people, they welcome you, they make you feel comfortable. But at the same time it's also really nice. Not on a different note as well. They kind of welcome you in, but they also want you to make fun of them. Like they want to break that barrier of closeness pretty quickly. So it's really nice in that sense. Yeah. Best of both worlds.

Charlie:
Yeah. That is, beautiful. Yeah. Um, were there any parts of it that you found challenging in comparison to your life in Madrid?

Chris:
Um, well, I live in Barcelona.

Charlie:
Oh, sorry. Apologies.

Chris:
I just because just to go with the the flow of it. Yeah, yeah, but, um.

Charlie:
God, I saw some. Did you always live in Madrid? Barcelona. Have you always lived in Barcelona? Yeah. Never. Madrid.

Chris:
Never even been to Madrid.

Charlie:
Oh, okay. Okay. All right, we'll cut that out and I'll go again. Um, so were there any challenges that you found in comparison to, you know, your life in Barcelona?

Chris:
I think when it. Well, when it comes to Cordoba, for example, the big challenge was just getting around. Um, my friend was living a little bit outside the city, and it's very car based. It's more of a car city. I mean, obviously you have the centre of the city, which you can walk around, but to get around it's more you need a car. There's no metro or anything like that. So in Barcelona it's very easy to go from one neighbourhood to another, you know, bicycle on the metro, it's really easy. But yeah, um, in Cordoba it was just taxis all the time. All my friend was driving me. So it's kind of like, you know, if you want to pop to the shop or something, you have to or like, you know, do your laundry, you have to kind of get a taxi and it's a bit awkward.

Charlie:
What you have to put your laundry in the taxi?

Chris:
yeah. I take it like, um. So I was washing it at his parents house, but then I thought, okay, I'm being a bit of a burden here, so I'm really taking liberties. They're feeding me. They're giving me shelter. They're washing my clothes. I mean, they might as well just, you know, give me money as well. But, um.

Charlie:
So Chris is so helped me think of a great phrase. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile. Um, I'll explain it in the in the resources. But yes, that's that's seemingly what Chris is implying, but I'm sure it's not.

Chris:
Were taken. Yeah. So I decided after a while I'm going to try and do my own thing a little bit, you know?

Charlie:
So that's good. Yeah. So. But but still. So you had to take the bag of clothes. Dirty clothes in the taxi. Yeah.

Chris:
Yeah. Exactly.

Charlie:
Right. Yeah.

Chris:
And you have to sit in front as well because, um, they have a bit of a beef with the, the local taxis there, the Ubers or the, the other sort of application taxis. They have uh, a bit of, um, disagreement with the local taxis, um, they called remis and they're like green and um, so you have to kind of sit in the front. So it looks like you're, um, you know, you're it's your friend or your family that are driving you rather than a taxi because maybe something could happen.

Charlie:
Oh, wow.

Chris:
Yeah. I don't think anything actually would. But, you know, that's what they they always make you sit in the front.

Charlie:
Yeah. And when you say they, you're meaning the applications, like the Ubers for example.

Chris:
Yeah. The, the the Uber driver who, who arrives, they, you know, they will sit in the back a few times naturally.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Chris:
Are they like open. They actually just open the door. They like open the door like. No. Here, here is that is.

Charlie:
That also just a friendly thing?

Chris:
No, they did mention that. Oh, yeah. You need to sit in the front.

Charlie:
Yeah. I don't like you, but I need you to be there for my security.

Chris:
The clothes in the back.

Charlie:
Did you. Did you put the clothes in the back?

Chris:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Cause I'm imagining. I'm imagining just your dirty underwear right under your face and right next to me. Anyway, so, yeah, getting around was a little bit more tricky for you in comparison to Barcelona, with all of the public transport. That makes sense. It's a very car based city. Cordoba. Okay, so Cordoba, am I right in remembering quite a few students who were from there would say it was quite a university city.

Chris:
Yeah. Big time.

Charlie:
And it's quite it's got quite attractive people. Would you say.

Chris:
There are a lot of attractive people? Annoyingly attractive. Yeah.

Charlie:
Annoyingly attractive. Yeah.

Chris:
So what's in the water? You know what's going on? Is it the alpha horse they're eating or something? What makes them so attractive? Um, it is a very. It's a huge student city, massively student, um, based or there's a lot of students around. Um, interestingly, I noticed it's kind of like from the northern. A lot of them are from the northern cities that are kind of bordering Bolivia and Chile. Um, and then I suppose on the coast, everyone kind of goes to, uh, goes to, uh, Buenos Aires, I imagine. So like in Cordoba, the students that I bumped into a met were from places like Salta, uh, Tucuman, uh, Catamarca. So these sort of smaller cities close to the Andes, basically.

Charlie:
Right. Okay. Okay. Yeah and so you're saying that those people are quite pretty?

Chris:
No. Yeah. Well, I think just in general people in those and in Cordoba were very pretty. Yeah, they were very easy on the eye.

Charlie:
Easy on the eye. Very nice. Yes. Okay. Um, did you get to go out much when you were there, or was it just work, work, work?

Chris:
No, it was like a it was a, um, a working holiday. So I wanted to embrace the holiday part of that as well. So I went out a few times. Um, I had a lot of 'asados', which I would translate as barbecues, but they, they really hate that when you say, oh, yeah, barbecue. Yeah. I don't know what's the difference, but they, they hate the word barbecue. And I'm like, well, we don't know what asado is in English. So I have to translate if I'm going to talk in English.

Charlie:
Is there any long winded way you could translate it more accurately?

Chris:
I just think the, the translation not it's just fancier, you know, it's just like it's more precise, different cuts of meat. And it's not just bangers and steak, you know? Yeah, it's more like they have specific, um, you know, they have ribs and they have different cuts of meat. They have one called 'Mata Ambre'. I don't know where that is on the the cow, but they all know their favourite cuts and it's all like very precise, which is, you know, great. It's very impressive. But for me it's just like, just give it to me, I'm going to eat it. I love it. So, um, so I had a few of those, maybe eight of those. So it was quite, um, it's kind of it's they can be it's interesting because they can be anywhere between something family related, maybe someone leaving the country and you're going to say goodbye. So you have an asado all the way to just getting drunk with your friends. Like it can be a bit of a party, but with food along the way. So it's very different depending on who's there. Really? Yeah. So yeah.

Charlie:
So would you say that most of the socialising that you do in the UK. I mean, it depends on the age that you are, but um, I would say most of my socialising is around drink and not really about the food as much. I mean as, as yeah, as you age you tend to go to dinners rather than nights out, which is obviously food. But generally if we're having a gathering, it's more about the drink and then you're like, oh, there's a little bit of food. Great. Okay.

Chris:
That's true. Yeah, that is very true. Yeah. I think that's something that I've kind of I've gone through that process of getting used to more socialising around food and maybe loving food more than I used to. When I lived in the UK. It was more like when I lived in the UK, food was just energy or something to line my stomach, which just means something to kind of, um, prepare my stomach for alcohol. Um, and then you would go out and drink with your friends. Whereas, you know, my experience in Lima, in Peru kind of taught me the opposite, um, about, you know, going with friends to eat, and then you can drink more. Yeah. It's the same in Argentina.

Charlie:
Yeah. I remember you saying how they would, uh, in Peru, they would talk about their next meal whilst eating their current meal.

Chris:
That's true. Yeah. Very true. Yeah, yeah.

Charlie:
Do you do that yet?

Chris:
Not yet. No, I probably still just think about my the next. I do think about the next meal, like, um, what would I have later, you know, kind of something different from chicken. Mhm. I'll have some meat or something. So. So yeah. Not quite. No I'm not quite there yet. I'm, I'm, it's in progress.

Charlie:
And the people that you were spending time with in Cordoba, were they heavy drinkers.

Chris:
Not really my friend. Um, who invited me there. He didn't actually drink that much. He was he he would just. Because when we went out, he would just have a few drinks and then he would drive, so he wouldn't. He would just be happy just being in the moment. He was a bit of a heavy smoker, to be fair. He did like to smoke a lot, so I think that was his thing. Um, and I was there with my Fernet. You know, Fernet is like the the liquor from Argentina.

Charlie:
Ah, okay.

Chris:
It's like a a black liquor. It kind of looks a bit like Jagermeister, but it doesn't taste like it. But the sort of the consistency looks similar. Like that kind of dark black. Um, right. And then they. You drink it with Coke.

Charlie:
Oh, okay. I was just thinking, is he having a Jagermeister? Like, drink straight whilst this whilst his friend is smoking like a chimney?

Chris:
Okay. Yeah. With a dash of coke.

Charlie:
With a dash of coke? Yeah. And a bit of coke. And there we go. Okay. Okay. So, um, did you get up to any, crazy nights when you were there or you were just quite sensible, but alongside a smoker the whole time?

Chris:
No, I did have a couple of crazy nights. I wouldn't say it was like all the time because we're both in our 30s, so it was kind of balanced. So yeah, I think maybe there were three very large nights, let's say very big ones. And then apart from that, sometimes we might go to a bar or just sort of have, you know, some kind of night out, but not big night. But we went to a few like electronic nights, okay. And those were the ones that kind of last until 7 a.m.. And at the moment it seems to be a massive thing. I also noticed this on social media when I was there because my, my social media started to show me videos from Argentina when I was, you know, living there and it's massive. The afters, everything is because they, you know, they speak in Spanish, but they use the word after or afters. So it's like the for me, I noticed that the after seemed to be more popular than the actual party. Everyone's always like talking about the afters or like, oh, this is what happened at the afters, which starts at like 7 a.m. or whatever, 6 a.m. and then goes on until midday. Something crazy. Yeah. God.

Charlie:
I haven't been in that kind of time frame of a night out for about eight years, I'd say. Um. Are you are you able to enjoy it as a 30 plus year old man? Is it still the same as a once in a while or once in a while? Yeah, once in a while.

Chris:
Yeah. Like like like, say, there was probably one night we went to a place called La Fabrica, the factory. And that was until 7 a.m. and then I was pushing my friend like, oh, let's do the afters. Because, you know, I've, I wanted to embrace the whole culture. And he was like, no, we're not going. And I was like, and then he, he sort of, um, he was able to, uh, um, distract me with McDonald's. So they were like, well, let's get McDonald's first. And then I had some McDonald's. And then, you know, you kind of you drift into drowsiness and, you know, barbecue sauce and whatever. And then I'm like, okay, well, I'm just gonna. Yeah, maybe you're right. Let's just go home. Yeah. So that was 7 a.m. or whatever. So that was kind of that was pushing it already. Yeah. To be fair.

Charlie:
Yeah. That's understandable. Um, were there any obvious differences, would you say, in the way that they party in comparison to what you're, what you remember from back home?

Chris:
Um, yeah, a lot more dancing. A lot a lot of dancing. Um, there's actually a very cool thing that I discovered a new genre of music in Cordoba, um, called Quarteto. Um, it's a bit like cumbia, but more poppy, um, like sort of, um, local music. Not folk music, but it may, it might seem folk music to to us Brits because it sounds a bit like in that way, but it kind of sped up and you can dance to it. Um, so yeah, that was really cool. And going to places where they kind of played that was really fun because you can kind of get away with dancing. Um, I'm in other words, you can be a terrible dancer, but then you can you can kind of, uh, you can kind of do it. Quarteto. Like, you can kind of dance to it. It's kind of like shuffling a little bit.

Charlie:
Okay. So it's it's a good genre for a beginner or a person that doesn't feel like they have great rhythm.

Chris:
Yeah. I mean, yeah, I think you can just you can wing it a lot easier than, let's say, salsa or or, I don't know, bachata or another sort of type of dance. You need to know what you're doing. Like, you need to know where you're going. And with that one you can kind of just freestyle and you just sort of. As long as you have enough confidence, you'll be like, oh yeah, he kind of knows. He knows.

Charlie:
Oh I see. Yes, yes, that does make sense, right. That sounds good fun. Kind of like.

Chris:
That. Yeah. It was. Yeah. That was really good. Um, so it's nice that people kind of, you know, they, they get up and they don't mind, you know, dancing or anything like that. And, um. Yeah, it's just it's more of a sort of inclusive atmosphere rather than sometimes at the techno events, maybe in the UK that I remember or these dance music events, you're kind of in your bubble just enjoying it. Whereas when you're going to an event with that kind of music, you're more in a group, you know, you're more like dancing with each other and having fun. Yes. Yeah. Yeah,

Charlie:
Yeah. So, um And.

Chris:
What do you remember from your eight years ago?

Charlie:
Uh, well, I mean, you're making me think of the time that I spent in Santiago, in Chile. And they were, uh, they had, like, 15 piece bands and just such a lively atmosphere. It was mainly salsa I think, that everyone was dancing to. But um, yeah, it was just a million miles away from like the the club scene or going out in the UK. It's just. Yeah, like chalk and cheese, like completely, completely different. And everyone's so passionate about the music first and foremost. Whereas in the UK I think everyone's there to have a good time, but it's more about I don't know, I don't know what what is it? What's the primary reason that people go out, I guess, to get drunk? I think that's it, isn't.

Chris:
It really to to let loose, isn't it?

Charlie:
We have come to the end of part one, so feel free to take a break from your listening practice, but if you're happy to keep going, then we're now moving on to part two of this episode. Thanks so much for being a premium or Academy member and enjoy the rest of the show.

Chris:
I feel like, yeah, in South America it's more about to make memories, let's say, rather than to kind of rather than escapism in the UK, rather.

Charlie:
Than to forget your memory.

Chris:
Yeah. To forget everything, you know. Um, yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah. Okay.

Chris:
Seems like that.

Charlie:
Um, so anything else that you felt like you experienced in Argentina that you would like to share? Culturally related.

Chris:
Um, I went to a few of the I went to a few football matches, which was really cool. Um, I went to I started following a team called Belgrano or an English. I suppose it would be like Belgrano. Um, it's a it was a guy, I think. A guy who was a sailor. Um, from the if I'm, if I'm not mistaken, he was a sailor, which is very odd because the seas nowhere near Cordoba.

Charlie:
Did he have a football?

Chris:
I'm not even sure. But the the nickname of the the football team is the Pirates. So like, I don't know. And you know, people were like you should support them because you're English. You know, you steal lots of stuff from other countries. I was like, you're right. Yeah, that's quite a good, quite a good analogy. So I started supporting them. Um, and I went to a few. I went to two football games. Um, basically it's like the equivalent of the Europa League in Europe. So it's not the top tier, um, Continental Cup, but it was like the second tier, So, um, that was really cool. And the thing I found really interesting was, um, there were loads of women in the stadium, like it's such or families. It's way more sort of, uh, inclusive for everyone than I found in the UK. When you go and watch, I don't know, like I've seen a few Man City games and it's mostly just bald men with their shirts off. And it's not. It's more, you know, it's not very sort of welcoming to everybody. I'm sure they're friendly, but just you don't see like lots of women there just by themselves, you know. Right.

Charlie:
Okay. So you would see women in, uh, that football ground on their own, enjoying the sport for the sake of it.

Chris:
Yeah. Or they would be with their kid or they would be with other women. Just sort of enjoying it. Yeah. Yeah. It was so I thought oh that's interesting. Yeah. That is a difference.

Charlie:
Yeah, definitely. Um, is there much hooliganism attached to the sport in Argentina?

Chris:
I think people were saying for that team, not so much, um, that, you know, they had like a they had one end like normally behind the goal. Right. They had like a they seem to be more fanatical behind the goal. So I'm assuming that is the, the hooligan area or the Ultras. Um, but I think it's, you know, with the much bigger teams like Boca Juniors or, or something like that, maybe there's more of a more craziness, let's say. But I'm not sure. I've never been. But that's what people say. It's more of a, you know, Cordoba is a lot, a lot more relaxed as a city. So it's yeah, I didn't feel any danger at all, really. I know there probably are pockets of danger in Cordoba, but I didn't notice anything. Really. Yeah.

Charlie:
On that. Did you feel safe outside going around with your laundry? Um. Did you, did you feel like there was. Yeah, it was quite a safe city.

Chris:
Yeah, I feel it really safe. Um, didn't have any issues whatsoever where I thought, oh, you know, the only the only danger was that, you know, there was it was very cheap for the Fernet and cola. So, you know, I was drinking a little bit too much of that at some point. Um, no, it was really it was really relaxing. And also I want to say that I think Buenos Aires, I never really find I know again there are a few neighbourhoods which are probably the most dangerous in the world, but generally speaking, where the tourists go or I went, I think it's fine. Um, compared to other places I've been in South America.

Charlie:
Aha. Okay. So you felt you felt pretty safe in both cities that you've been to in Argentina?

Chris:
Yeah. Yeah. Really? Really. I mean, maybe I was lucky, but I didn't find any issues.

Charlie:
I, I know it's anecdotal, but I feel like every time you go to a place, you do get this general sense that I would argue is pretty spot on. I think the gut kind of explains it. Explains like a crime rate pretty well. Like if you if you are noticing sort of suspicious behaviour, you get I think it's this intrinsic feeling that we all get. I mean, it's it's part of our evolution to be aware of danger. And I think we are quite sensitive to it.

Chris:
Did you have that in Santiago or another place?

Charlie:
Um, where did I. Not really. So, Sydney, I felt really, really safe. Um. And then coming back to London, I felt a little bit more aware, having to be a bit more streetwise. I haven't had any, um, like, altercations, but it's just I was just aware that there's that there's a slight difference, and you've got to be a bit more streetwise.

Chris:
I feel like for me, like, the most scared I've ever been. I mean, I know off the top of my head maybe there are others, but just Paris. I always feel so heard about that.

Charlie:
I've heard about that.

Chris:
I never feel, I've been there five times and I always feel like on edge. Right.

Charlie:
Oh, actually, um, my sister, she's a bit of a scaredy cat, but when she went to Barcelona, she felt quite on edge about being pickpocketed. Oh, really? And he thought.

Chris:
Maybe it might give that. Especially if you go to the areas where the tourists are. It is very sort of packed. But then I never go there. I never go to La Rambla, like the main street, like there's nothing there, really. I mean, well, I mean, I don't think it's very nice, you know, you have like the restaurants with lots of pictures and then, um, all that food is just microwaved. So I just sort of. There's no reason to go there. Right. It looks nice and fancy for the tourists, but, yes, if you live here, it's just like, er, horrible. So, yeah, there probably are a lot of pickpockets, but I've never had any problems in a year and a half. Okay. Um, but. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, it depends on the neighbourhood.

Charlie:
Yes. Uh, if you were to compare Barcelona to Cordoba. Would you say it's like a good place for people to to holiday, like Cordoba, for people from Barcelona? Or is it a bit of a random choice?

Chris:
You'll be a bit random. Yeah, it's a long way to go, for it is really nice. But you, you you go there for the nature. Like the, the nature outside the city is, is lovely. Um, but it's like rivers and mountains, so that's great. But I don't know if you travel across the, across the world for that. Yeah. Um, but but it it is really nice. The city is just kind of very, sort of a normal, typical city, which I wanted to experience because, you know, when you go there, you, you basically live like a locals, which is kind of like how I like to travel rather than like, oh, shiny museum or, you know, shiny monument or something, just more like, oh, what do you do on a daily basis? I'll do the same and do my laundry.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's a really good way to better understand the people. Um, I want to kind of touch on that a little bit more. Like your friend, what were his kind of daily habits that you noticed? That might be a bit more Argentinian?

Chris:
Well, I think the I mean, there wasn't too much, but the main thing was like having lunch at a specific time and having a big lunch, like it was, um, you know, they would have lunch all together. Well, most of the time, you know, maybe one of the brothers or sisters might be missing, but most of the time everyone was sat down together at like 2 p.m., um, or maybe 1 or 2 p.m., and we had, like, some type of meat. And then we had a selection of vegetables and you kind of just make your own plates. So that was really nice. I don't think you really get that in the UK just to some degree in Spain.

Charlie:
Excuse me. Um, just to ask, so your friend was how old?

Chris:
Uh 32

Charlie:
32, and his siblings are of a similar age.

Chris:
He was the oldest, but yeah, like 32. He's that's that's his age. And then his brother is 30 and his sisters are 28 and 26,

Charlie:
and he lives outside of the family's house. Normally. Do they.

Chris:
Two sisters. Um, one sisters lives. Yeah. So the sister and the brother live in the house, and then the one of the other sisters has her own place.

Charlie:
Okay, so three different locations. And you're saying that most days they would lunch together?

Chris:
Yeah. So the one of the sisters who, um, lives in the other place, for example, she is a nurse or a midwife, and, um, so she would come sometimes. So basically, if she did like a night shift, she'd wake up and then eat. And if she was working, then, okay, she wouldn't be there. And the other ones could just work from home. They sometimes they went to the office, but other times they work remotely. And then we kind of just ate together. My friend works remotely 100% of the time.

Charlie:
Yeah, right. And so the, the location of the lunch would be at the family house.

Chris:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It was a massive house. It was huge house, like, um, very. His dad is an architect, so he sort of designed the house himself. Oh, cool. Which is really cool. Yeah. But, yeah, it's very common, I think, to. Well, not very common, but, um, for a certain level of status in Argentina or Cordoba, like, you have a big house for the family, and then everyone comes back to it.

Charlie:
And, and. Yeah. Because that is really different. I mean, I don't know a single family in the UK from my friends and family that would reconvene most days to lunch, to have lunch together. If you don't live under the same roof. Yeah.

Chris:
Yeah, it's really nice. Um, especially just just to keep kind of keep in contact. And, you know, they just like they were making jokes and stuff. You can see they have that closeness because they always have this sort of, um, schedule where they, they have dinner. So they have like these inside jokes and stuff. Whereas when you don't see your family as much, which I don't because I live abroad, but I think it's also a very English thing or British thing not to. You just kind of lose touch. And then when you do see them, you sort of catch up like, hey, how was your, how was your life? And then, you know, you kind of just like very sort of general.

Charlie:
I'm not saying listeners, I'm not saying that every family in the UK asks that question when they when they catch up. But I definitely see your point. Yeah. We have come to the end of part two now. So again, feel free to pause the episode to take a break from your listening practice and come back to the last part when you're ready. All right, so moving on to part three. Now enjoy. Um, let's talk about Brazil. So you went there for the first week and then the last week. Um, first impressions?

Chris:
Very different from each other. So I went to Sao Paulo first, and then I went to Rio after. And hugely different again. Um, Sao Paulo is more of a feels, more of a, a business city. Like there's lots going on, you know, there's a lot happening, but it doesn't have that sort of beach vibe. You know, it's more of a it feels like London basically. Um, again, it's really cool because I was lucky enough to meet some other, let's say, online English teachers or influencers or I don't know what you want to call them. So I was able to hang out with them and got to meet some locals, and we went to the countryside a little bit, like went to a little suburb area, let's say it was it was the countryside, but I mean, it was still quite built up to some degree. Um, so that was really cool. And um, in Rio, I thought Rio was great. It's very, um, I suppose it's just one word to say, really. It's wild, like it's mad and it's it's, you know, chaotic, but it's lovely. Um, at the same time, it's a beast, but it's, it's a lovely beast to to be around. Yeah.

Charlie:
Um, yeah. I, um, that was, that was actually one of the locations that I had in my mind when I was, like, wanting to become an English teacher and travel. I was like, I want to go to Rio.

Chris:
Did you go?

Charlie:
Still haven't been. Still haven't been the the the reason being was because Rio only advertised teaching jobs when I was doing it. Um, once you were in the country whereas Santiago. There were quite a few jobs available for people who weren't in the country yet. I'm guessing that means that. Well, like myself, people want to go to Rio far more. And so the demand is, um. Yeah, different.

Chris:
But, uh, they have to kind of. Yeah, yeah, they can do it from inside the country.

Charlie:
Exactly. Yeah. Let's talk once you're here, mate. Come on. Um, so did it live up to expectations?

Chris:
Yeah, I think so. I mean, it just it I remember. So, for example, the first week in Sao Paulo, I was kind of I recorded the video on the streets and I was doing some sort of work as well, and it just flew by. And I remember thinking when I got to the Sunday, because I did like Sunday to Sunday thinking, oh God, when I get to Rio, I need to really sort of embrace it more and like try and do as much as I can. Because when you're kind of working and on holiday things just fly by. So, um, so Sao Paulo went so quickly. Um, it felt like two days, but it was seven days. And then when I was in Rio, I still made another video, which I have to release. I still need to edit and release. Um, but I just, you know, the, the, the rest of the time, I really made a point of going out all the time and being on the beach as much as possible, or going up to see Jesus on the mountain, um, or see some samba and stuff. So yeah, it was you need way more time. You need like a month, you need a month or something in in Rio or more or in Sao Paulo.

Charlie:
Yeah. Right. Right, right. Yeah. Um, did you get a vibe of the people there in the short stint that you were there? Yeah.

Chris:
I mean, unfortunately I don't know that much Portuguese, so I couldn't really get a huge vibe for what they're like. But the people I was with in Rio, um, other teachers. So I met some teachers in Sao Paulo and I met other teachers in, in Rio, and they are, I suppose, a little bit famous. They were getting recognised in the street and they were able to talk with locals, um, from Cariocas, as they call them there. And um, so it felt like, what do you.

Charlie:
Mean, Cariocas?

Chris:
That's like the name of people from Rio.

Charlie:
Oh, right.

Chris:
Like Londoners from London. Cariocas? Yeah, from Rio, and then from Sao Paulo. I think they're called Paulistas, I believe. Um, and just. Yeah. The way they were talking with the people I was with, you could just see that, you know, it's an instant connection. And just like they really don't care about any sort of, there's no they don't really follow the same social norms we might follow in the UK where it's like, oh, I don't know you. So I'm going to play it safe for a second and see who you are. And maybe you might be damaging for me. They're just like, well, I'm going to talk to you. And if you like it, I don't care if you, you know, they just go ahead and be like, hey. And it's lovely. Um, but unfortunately I couldn't connect with them because I was, I was basically just using, um, portunyol. Like broken Portuguese and Spanish together. And hopefully it worked. Yes. Um, so I really want to learn Portuguese now to kind of to connect because you miss out on so much when you don't know the language. Um, yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Chris:
But they're lovely people. But just I couldn't fully know them because I don't know Portuguese.

Charlie:
Yeah. Um, any tips for anyone going to Brazil? Any tips for them.

Chris:
Going to Brazil? Um, yeah, I suppose. I know I touched on it already, but the language, the language side of things would be amazing if you can learn some kind of phrases, um, you know, have something that can kind of get you by because it was a little bit hard for me just using Spanish or some English. Not people don't really. English was not really a huge thing. Even when I recorded my video on the on the beach and in other areas, trying to find people to interview in English was a little bit tricky. The average person. So, you know, if you could learn a few phrases like, you know, can you give me or um, you know, thank you, please and so on, that would be great. Yeah. Um.

Chris:
And, uh yeah, I think, you know, bring it, bring with you or make sure you top up on the sun. Sunscreen. It is really hot. I burned about three seconds. Yeah. Wow. This is the. You can see I've peeled a lot. I'm a bit red at the moment, but I was redder. I was like a full, ripe tomato. Um.

Charlie:
Did you get, uh, nicknamed for that.

Chris:
No. Yeah, not not yet. I think people are a lot. No one's ever given me a nickname for that. I don't know why people are not so offensive when it comes to that, but with my my weight, they are they they often say. They say they basically call it a chubby, but in a Spanish way, maybe it sounds it sounds, uh, cute and friendly, right? That's what they say. But I'm still like, whoa, keep that to yourself. Thank you very much. Or they actually sometimes they call me Shorty as well, which I don't know. Is that. Is that nice?

Charlie:
How tall are you?

Chris:
Uh, I forgot in I forgot in English. Now I forgot in English. Measurements. I'm 1.71cm. I don't know what it is in.

Charlie:
In five foot six.

Chris:
Five foot six. So not amazing.

Charlie:
Really amazing.

Chris:
Not not amazing, right? Uh. Not ideal.

Charlie:
I wouldn't have assumed that. I wouldn't have assumed that. I mean, we've only known each other from zoom cameras of chest upwards. But yeah.

Chris:
Make you make it work for me. All the different angles. I'm a midget, basically. Oh.

Charlie:
Okay. So do you. Do you think that they respect height a lot?

Chris:
Um. I yeah. Um. I don't know. Yeah, I think I think everyone does a bit now. Like you get if you have a,

Generally, generally yes. I think, I think there is a stat about uh, more uh, higher up positions in corporate environments are leaning towards taller people, which is a sign of like the psychology of authority and kind of dominance. But, you know, you could still be a CEO, Chris, just because you're not five foot seven.

Chris:
He's hoping. He's wishing. Yeah.

Charlie:
Um, so in Chile, I noticed that I was a lot taller than the average guy. Um, when I was on the tube or the their metro, I noticed that I could see all the way down the train. Like it would be a head and shoulder above them. Yeah.

Chris:
But you went to lots of concerts. Lots of gigs.

Charlie:
You stood right at the front.

Chris:
These little tripods. I should put my camera on your head.

Charlie:
Yeah. For some reason, they didn't like it. I don't know why it didn't make any.

Chris:
It's strange that it's strange. Yeah. Yeah. I had to I had the same thing in Peru. That's why I moved. That's why I moved to Japan and then Peru. Because the demographic was kind of like I was above average rather than just below average. Um, but in Brazil and Argentina, not so much. I mean, it it's amazing because, well, in Argentina, a lot of people are they're sort of very European looking or they're a lot of European influence. I mean, not totally. You have some people from the Andes and stuff. Um, whereas in Brazil anybody can be Brazilian, anybody, literally. There's no like, oh, you look Brazilian. That means nothing. Any literally, you could be ginger and the most pale person ever. Or you could be, you know, you could have more colour in your skin. Everyone is everyone's Brazilian. So, you know, it's very hard to say, oh, they're quite tall people because they have, there's like every demographic there. So yeah. Yeah.

Charlie:
Right. It's um, a real mix if.

Chris:
You're Portuguese is really good, you could get away with basically being Brazilian, I think.

Charlie:
Oh I see yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so that that is an interesting point though. So you really should lean into the language if you go to Rio or anywhere in Brazil, I guess. And, um, Spanish doesn't help you too much because I kind of thought, ah, if I go to Portugal, I could probably wing it with my basic Spanish.

Chris:
Yeah, I think from my experience in Portugal using Spanish because I wasn't sure. Do I use Spanish or English? I don't know. Again, I don't know Portuguese and I kind of got mixed results with the Portuguese. They would often just reply in English, their English in Portuguese and their English in Portugal is really good. And they would often. I think they kind of got a little bit offended. I didn't realise until after, but they were like, just talk to me in English. Um, whereas in Brazil it will get you by, like I was okay, I could order something and kind of say this or that, but have a full blown conversation. Yeah, yeah, yeah, It's not really going to happen. No. Maybe. You know, people will understand to some degree, but it would be very it's not going to be the most enjoyable conversation could be quite broken. You know, it's kind of like. Yeah.

Charlie:
You said that they got offended. So is it actually rude to speak Spanish to a Portuguese person or Brazilian Portuguese?

Chris:
I know, I'm not sure about Brazil. I think they're fine. But just my experience on a on a different holiday, on a different, uh, a different time. Yeah. I kind of got the vibe. It wasn't something they were enjoying too much, because I think a lot of people, maybe Americans who go there, they just assume it is also Spain. And then there's kind of this stereotype that like because it's a smaller country, right? So yeah, I think they kind of get the stereotype of like, oh, you're just, you know, uh, a province of Spain. And then they're like, no, we're not, we're we're, you know, they're kind of yeah, I don't know, like the Welsh or something. It's like, no, we're not or even actually no saying that, um, Ireland, the Republic of Ireland have this problem quite a lot, right? A lot of people are like, oh, you, you know, it's nice that you're in the UK. It's like, no, we're not in the UK. And they have to keep sort of fighting that stereotype that they're not in the UK. So it might be something to do with that. Yeah. Whereas Brazil they don't really care.

Charlie:
Yes I can see that. I always uh like when I am needing to speak to somebody Portuguese, I kind of say English or Spanish, like kind of is there a way that we can can communicate, which is obviously not saying Hola, Como estas? Kind of like straight away your Spanish. So I haven't felt that like kind of feeling of, uh, I'm being rude. So I don't know.

Chris:
That's a good tactic.

Charlie:
But, um. Yeah. Interesting. Interesting. Okay. Well, thank you very much, Chris. I don't think we've got time for the, um, part three, so we'll probably wrap it up there. Um, was there anything else that you wanted to share on the top of your. If there's anything on the top of your head or the top of your mind, whatever you say, whatever. It doesn't matter. It's not an English podcast.

Chris:
Um, yeah. Um, I think drink, mate, if you can. I'm a big fan of.

Charlie:
Yeah, I want to talk about that.

Chris:
Yeah, I've got mine here. I just, I just had my morning mate with my little thermos. Um. It's great. The thing I love about it most is that you. It gives you the opportunity to go out and spend time with friends without drinking alcohol or, like, okay, you can do that in the UK, where you can go and have a coffee, but your coffee's so short and okay. Coffee is my favourite. It's delicious, but it's so short and it's gone. So you can't be in a coffee shop for like three hours. But with a mate you can be sat outside. You know, in Cordoba there's a, there's a place called Wenn Buen Pastor and this is basically just outside the church and it's just full of people from like six until 9 p.m. with their thermos. One person has the mate the cup and they just share it between two, four, eight friends and you have your turn. You finish it, you make a noise and then, okay, you pass it on. They fill it up again and you can just be there for hours, and it feels like you have a place to be. You're not just sat on a bench talking. Like it feels like an event, but it's not an event. Whereas in the UK, when you go to the pub and then you end up getting very unhealthily drunk. Yes. At least tipsy. So I really like that. The fact that it's kind of, uh, it's not about the mate so much, it's more about sharing. That's the main thing with mate. It's like you're sharing.

Charlie:
Interesting. Yes. I think that must have a rather profound effect on the psychology of the people constantly sharing this thing on a daily basis, that that must do something beyond just the drink.

Chris:
Not great during the pandemic, but.

Charlie:
Yeah, I was just gonna. Yeah, I wanted to say that. Yeah. Did that stop it at all, or did people just keep going?

Chris:
They just carried on. I think they must have just. Yeah,

Charlie:
They wore masks and then just, like, put the mate under their masks.

Chris:
Little hole through it. Yeah. They had their own little different straws. Yeah. Yeah I doubt it. I doubt they stopped I don't. Yeah, right.

Chris:
But yeah.

Charlie:
And mate is a type of tea?

Chris:
Yeah. It's basically, um, just a type of tea leaves. Um, from the. I think it's from the Andes again. Um, it was, it was a traditional drink that the indigenous, the indigenous people drank, um, you know, hundreds of years ago. And then, um, yeah, I think it was it was something that farmers used to drink as well because, um, it, it releases the caffeine slowly compared to coffee. Coffee is a bit more of a sort of a direct hit, whereas this one, it kind of massages its way through your system, so it kind of releases slowly. And then, um, it's less of a, a, you know, a peak with coffee.

Charlie:
Right. Okay. Yeah. That sounds a little less harsh on your stomach and the toilet. Um, so, uh, I've just googled it. Components of mate. So, caffeine. Uh, there's some very complicated words there. Um. Wow. Oh, God. There's a lot in there, but lots of vitamins. You get all the vitamins with that?

Chris:
All the vitamins? Yeah. And then you get, you know, love as well. It's got lots of love in it.

Charlie:
Has it? Yeah.

Chris:
Yeah. No, it seems it seems it seems healthy. You can. I've got quite a strong one again because I love coffee. So I like coffee strong. So I've gone for a strong brand, but you can get weaker ones. Some people put sugar in it because it's very bitter, some people put sugar, so it kind of makes it sweet. Yeah. Um, and then and then there's also some traditional snacks that come along with it, like biscuits and stuff that yeah, you kind of share while you're having the mate. So it's there's a whole like traditional ritual around, around it, but it's very sort of just a daily thing. Not a big deal, but it feels like Christmas or something like lots of specific things you have to do.

Charlie:
Yeah. That's nice. Very ritual based. I can't imagine a Brit going over on like a typical Brits abroad kind of holiday and just getting a cup of mate.

Chris:
Yeah, I mean, you see it a lot here as well in Barcelona. You know, people walk around and it's kind of cool as well because you can identify each other. So you walk around with your mouth thing. I mean, maybe you might be Uruguayan as well. I don't want to leave them out. Um, but they kind of walk around and you can be like, hey, you're, you know, it's like a if an English guy was just walking around with a lager all the time. But hey, British. And you're like, yeah. Whereas, you know, they have the mate so they know like, oh, hey, you're from Argentina or maybe Uruguay. So it's kind of cool.

Charlie:
Oh, okay. So I saw it in Chile as well. I saw it in. Oh.

Chris:
Did you. Oh, right. Maybe.

Charlie:
I feel like it's quite spread out, isn't it. Maybe.

Chris:
I didn't realise. No, I thought it was just Argentina and Uruguay.

Charlie:
I mean, I need to check that drink, mate. Um, because my flatmate, he was. He had lived in. Well, no, he lived in Rio for a long time. Um, so, mate is a traditional drink in some countries in South America, especially in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and Brazil.

Chris:
Wow. Okay.

Charlie:
But from your experience, you felt like it was much more prevalent in Argentina. And, you know, of Uruguay. Okay, interesting. Yeah. Um, but not in Spain. Not in mainland Spain. Mainland?

Chris:
No, it's not a thing here. No, it's. People just drink coffee with milk, which I despise. But, you know, each to their own. But yeah, I feel like adding milk to coffee is a crime. Did you have milk in your coffee today?

Charlie:
So you. You just have the espresso. Nothing else?

Chris:
Well, yeah. Espresso or Americano or, you know, filter coffee. Like, there's so many notes and flavours in the coffee. Why just dump milk in it? It's hideous. Or sugar? I hate when people add sugar.

Charlie:
Interesting. We could have. We could have quite a debate over this. See, I feel like.

Chris:
It's passionate about this.

Charlie:
Yeah. Me too. I feel like it's a sin to have an Americano. I don't like the filtered approach, I think. I think the crema from the espresso brings so much to it. And if you steam the milk right, it complements it brilliantly, but don't have it overpowering the flavour of the espresso, but have it to enjoy it for a longer period and make it slightly less bitter, I'd guess. But yeah, I love a flat white.

Chris:
Yeah I feel. Yeah. Mhm. Go on. Maybe a treat. A treat once in a while. All right. Maybe I have a flat white like, you know, like a, like a dessert. That's how I see it. You get cappuccino. It's a dessert. It's not a coffee.

Charlie:
Right.

Chris:
But like, if you have, like, a filtered coffee or if you have an espresso. Sorry. The machine is so strong, it just kind of takes away. Sort of delicate flavours, I feel. Whereas if you have the little filtered coffee like drip, drip like the V 60 or something, you get all the, you know, you can taste like flowers and chocolate and nuts and all sorts of bits and bobs.

Charlie:
Okay. So that's that's more of like the, um, I mean, they have the cold drip and they have like the, the longer form drip method. Right. But the American I think of filtered coffee as like the traditional coffee in a pot, in a cafe, in American diners kind of thing.

Chris:
Yeah, I suppose you can have that as well. I mean that I suppose that coffee is a bit more basic, isn't it? You know, it's more just like, yeah, that out. Whereas I'm thinking more like the speciality ones, like the V 60 or the Aeropress, you have to push down and. Aha.

Charlie:
Um, so how do you make your coffee?

Chris:
I make mine with French press. Usually.

French press. Okay.

Chris:
I have an I have an Aeropress as well. Yeah. Um. But. Yeah.

Charlie:
And your French press, um, your you're doing that, and then you're just having it on its own. Just a full cup of black coffee.

Chris:
Exactly. Yeah. Delicious black coffee without milk. Okay.

Charlie:
I almost want to invite you around for a cup of my coffee, because I've spent a long time trying to improve my barista skills, and I think I could persuade anyone, but, uh. Yeah, I know what you mean about being a. Yeah, I think I know what you mean about it being a desert, but we will. We will leave it there. Um, thank you very much, Chris. Appreciate your time and efforts in describing your your trip. So, um, everyone check out Instant English. Chris's social media is, um, yeah, instant English as well, but his baby is on YouTube, so go over to Instant English on YouTube. Um, what, uh, what would you say your main aim is with your YouTube? Um, for instant English.

Chris:
Um, the main aim is just to kind of try to show people new words or phrases without making it too much of a lesson without, you know, trying to present English in a more light hearted, fun way where you're entertained, and then you pick up new words that you can use later. Because I feel like the whole videos with a whiteboard are kind of, you know, that's I don't know, it's not my style. I prefer to try and make it fun. And that's why, um, my next video about Rio is me just testing the level of English of people in Rio, and hopefully you'll find it interesting to see how much level, how much English they can speak, but also your your pick up a few words that you don't know and um, that way you don't get bored.

Charlie:
Beautiful, beautiful. Yeah. So head over to Instant English to check out Chris's stuff. But yeah, thank you very much, Chris. It was an absolute pleasure. And, uh, hopefully get you back on here sometime soon. Um, and maybe we'll have a a a coffee in our hands of If each other's styles. And we could test each others

Chris:
In one of your lovely mugs.

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll paint a mug for you, and I'll send it over to you. Um, don't hold me to that, though. But. Yeah, thank you very much, Chris. All the best. Take care, guys. Bye bye.

Chris:
Thank you. Bye.

Charlie:
There we go. The end of part three. Meaning the end of the episode. Well done for getting through the entirety of it. Make sure you use all of the resources available to you in your membership. Thanks once again for supporting the show, and I look forward to seeing you next time on the British English Podcast.