#56 Travelogue Germany: The Green Republic
Germany is already pretty green and is set to become even greener with the Green Party’s likely role in the future government. Let’s look at a few past achievements:
Renewable energy
About half of all the energy used in Germany comes from renewable sources, such as wind power and solar power. The countryside is dotted with wind turbines and many people have solar panels on their roofs.
Bottle refund
Littering the nature with empty bottles is a costly habit in Germany. When you return your empty bottles to the supermarket you get a bit of money back. Unfortunately the system is quite complicated and fails to reduce the amount of rubbish.
Single-use plastics
You can’t easily find single-use plastic spoons or cups, it’s all been outlawed. Alternatives are made from cardboard or wood, and sometimes you can even find edible plates. But then again, how much of a difference do these items make in the great scheme of things?
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germany is already pretty green and is set to become even greener with the Green Party’s likely role in the future government. Let’s look at a few past achievements:
Renewable energy
About half of all the energy used in Germany comes from renewable sources, such as wind power and solar power. The countryside is dotted with wind turbines and many people have solar panels on their roofs.
Bottle refund
Littering the nature with empty bottles is a costly habit in Germany. When you return your empty bottles to the supermarket you get a bit of money back. Unfortunately the system is quite complicated and fails to reduce the amount of rubbish.
Single-use plastics
You can’t easily find single-use plastic spoons or cups, it’s all been outlawed. Alternatives are made from cardboard or wood, and sometimes you can even find edible plates. But then again, how much of a difference do these items make in the great scheme of things?
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
---Vocab---
📍set to become = very likely to become 📍renewable = is always available, doesn’t get less 📍dotted with = full of, in many places 📍solar panel = flat item that collects sunlight and turns it into energy 📍refund = pay money back 📍littering = throwing rubbish carelessly 📍outlawed = made illegal 📍cardboard = thick paper 📍edible = can be eaten 📍in the great/grand scheme of things = considering the big picture
📍set to become = very likely to become 📍renewable = is always available, doesn’t get less 📍dotted with = full of, in many places 📍solar panel = flat item that collects sunlight and turns it into energy 📍refund = pay money back 📍littering = throwing rubbish carelessly 📍outlawed = made illegal 📍cardboard = thick paper 📍edible = can be eaten 📍in the great/grand scheme of things = considering the big picture
Are you worried about the environment in your country?
Anonymous Poll
55%
Yes, pollution is a big problem.
19%
I'm a little worried, but not that much.
18%
Not really, other problems are more serious.
8%
I'm not worried about pollution at all.
#30 YouTube Channel Recommendation: Veritasium
📊 English Level: Advanced
🔤 Subtitles: Available
💬 Topic: Popular science
💡 Content: This channel’s owner Derek Muller is a studied scientist and presents science topics in very interesting ways, often countering (=going against) popular myths (=false beliefs) or answering tricky (=difficult) questions.
⛓ Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/veritasium
👉@afandi_english👈 #youtube
📊 English Level: Advanced
🔤 Subtitles: Available
💬 Topic: Popular science
💡 Content: This channel’s owner Derek Muller is a studied scientist and presents science topics in very interesting ways, often countering (=going against) popular myths (=false beliefs) or answering tricky (=difficult) questions.
⛓ Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/veritasium
👉@afandi_english👈 #youtube
#67 Spot Something: Shiva’s peeler
❓ Can you spot a peeler in this Indian kitchen?
❗️If you can you might win 5,000 Paynet-soums! Mark the picture and send it to @jochenho. You have half an hour!
👉@afandi_english👈 #spot_something
❓ Can you spot a peeler in this Indian kitchen?
❗️If you can you might win 5,000 Paynet-soums! Mark the picture and send it to @jochenho. You have half an hour!
👉@afandi_english👈 #spot_something
Temurbek did it again! Unbeliiiiievable! 😱
Thanks to Abdulloh for the design! 🙏
Thanks to Abdulloh for the design! 🙏
#12 emotions1.jpg
1.3 MB
#12 Infographic: Mapping Emotions
▶️ You may think that emotions are very individual and hard to explain scientifically. Actually not. Scientists have developed models that allow us to map (=discover or show how sth is arranged) emotions.
👉@afandi_english👈 #infographic
▶️ You may think that emotions are very individual and hard to explain scientifically. Actually not. Scientists have developed models that allow us to map (=discover or show how sth is arranged) emotions.
👉@afandi_english👈 #infographic
#54 Afandi Quiz: Cultural Misunderstanding
Today’s quiz is about a cultural misunderstanding in the following situation:
▶️ Sara from 🇲🇽Mexico studies in China. She works part-time as a tour guide for Spanish-speaking tourists – a job she enjoys as she is confident and can solve any problem. At her university she fell in love with Nando, a student from 🇮🇩Indonesia. When Sara agrees to visit Indonesia for the first time Nando is excited to let her meet his family. Unfortunately for the couple, Nando’s parents are quite traditional and don’t like Sara. Why?
👉@afandi_english👈 #quiz #culture_quiz
Today’s quiz is about a cultural misunderstanding in the following situation:
▶️ Sara from 🇲🇽Mexico studies in China. She works part-time as a tour guide for Spanish-speaking tourists – a job she enjoys as she is confident and can solve any problem. At her university she fell in love with Nando, a student from 🇮🇩Indonesia. When Sara agrees to visit Indonesia for the first time Nando is excited to let her meet his family. Unfortunately for the couple, Nando’s parents are quite traditional and don’t like Sara. Why?
👉@afandi_english👈 #quiz #culture_quiz
Why do the Indonesian parents dislike the Mexican girl?
Final Results
32%
She is talkative, but in this Muslim country girls are expected to be mostly quiet.
15%
They don’t like her curly hair as in Indonesia it is thought to be a disease.
25%
“Sara” means “evil” in Indonesian and people pay attention to the meaning of names.
28%
Sara openly talks about problems and dislikes, making her hosts feel embarrassed.
Afandi English
Why do the Indonesian parents dislike the Mexican girl?
Ouch! 🤕
👎 Yes, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country but at the same time on a path of modernisation. We can’t say that women are totally marginalised (=made unimportant and powerless) there.
👍 Indonesians indeed prefer to raise problems not directly but indirectly, if at all. Speaking about problems openly can make them feel embarrassed.
👎 No, “Sara” doesn’t mean evil in Indonesian. And no, curly hair isn’t thought to be a disease.
👎 Yes, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country but at the same time on a path of modernisation. We can’t say that women are totally marginalised (=made unimportant and powerless) there.
👍 Indonesians indeed prefer to raise problems not directly but indirectly, if at all. Speaking about problems openly can make them feel embarrassed.
👎 No, “Sara” doesn’t mean evil in Indonesian. And no, curly hair isn’t thought to be a disease.
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#4 Short Film: Schwarzfahrer
▶️ This short film about racism is a classic. In German, the word “Schwarzfahrer” refers to a person who uses public transport without paying, but it literally means “black rider”. When in Germany, do not expect to find racist people like the old lady – it’s just a film!
👉@afandi_english👈 #short_film
▶️ This short film about racism is a classic. In German, the word “Schwarzfahrer” refers to a person who uses public transport without paying, but it literally means “black rider”. When in Germany, do not expect to find racist people like the old lady – it’s just a film!
👉@afandi_english👈 #short_film