#20 Travelogue Turkey: Hagia Sophia
Spot the difference: Istanbul during a previous visit in 2011 and now in late 2020.
Perhaps you saw it in the news not long ago – Turkey’s president Erdoğan decided in a highly symbolic move that the old Hagia Sophia which was built as a church in 537, then became a mosque in 1453 and eventually a museum in 1935 should become a mosque again in 2020.
Check out the looong history of that place: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia
I wasn’t unhappy about the change because mosques have much better opening hours than museums (especially in times of corona) and are free to enter as well. And the atmosphere inside is even more authentic as a place of worship. However, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of mosques in Istanbul and the museum was also interesting to visit.
---Vocab---
📍move (noun) = decision 📍eventually = finally 📍worship = praying 📍shortage = not enough
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey
Spot the difference: Istanbul during a previous visit in 2011 and now in late 2020.
Perhaps you saw it in the news not long ago – Turkey’s president Erdoğan decided in a highly symbolic move that the old Hagia Sophia which was built as a church in 537, then became a mosque in 1453 and eventually a museum in 1935 should become a mosque again in 2020.
Check out the looong history of that place: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia
I wasn’t unhappy about the change because mosques have much better opening hours than museums (especially in times of corona) and are free to enter as well. And the atmosphere inside is even more authentic as a place of worship. However, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of mosques in Istanbul and the museum was also interesting to visit.
---Vocab---
📍move (noun) = decision 📍eventually = finally 📍worship = praying 📍shortage = not enough
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey
Was it right to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque again?
Final Results
48%
Yes, and the Christian art should be removed.
15%
Yes, but keep the Christian art inside.
16%
No, a museum is the best compromise.
11%
No, it should become a church again.
10%
It doesn’t matter, Erdoğan is just playing his game.
#17 YouTube Channel Recommendation: Atlas Pro
⛓ Link: www.youtube.com/channel/UCz1oFxMrgrQ82-276UCOU9w
📊 English Level: Upper
🔤 Subtitles: Partly available
💬 Topics: Geography, geology, biology, ecology
💡 Content: Atlas Pro is a channel specialising in geography in a wider sense, including the scientific side as well as the more human side of it. Geography and world knowledge are very much connected to your English as you probably use English to work on international topics and perhaps even with international people. So brush up your geography!
👉@afandi_english👈 #youtube
⛓ Link: www.youtube.com/channel/UCz1oFxMrgrQ82-276UCOU9w
📊 English Level: Upper
🔤 Subtitles: Partly available
💬 Topics: Geography, geology, biology, ecology
💡 Content: Atlas Pro is a channel specialising in geography in a wider sense, including the scientific side as well as the more human side of it. Geography and world knowledge are very much connected to your English as you probably use English to work on international topics and perhaps even with international people. So brush up your geography!
👉@afandi_english👈 #youtube
#35 Spot Afandi and his donkey: Afandi on a grey winter day in Zurich, Switzerland
❓ Can you spot Afandi and his donkey in this picture?
❗️If you can, follow the instructions in #1 (see pinned message) and win 5,000 Paynet-soums!
👉@afandi_english👈 #spot_afandi
❓ Can you spot Afandi and his donkey in this picture?
❗️If you can, follow the instructions in #1 (see pinned message) and win 5,000 Paynet-soums!
👉@afandi_english👈 #spot_afandi
Congrats to Bekjon!!! 👏👏🥳 And katta rahmat for the amazing designs to Javohir (arrows), Boburshox (abstract), Mukhammadali (Trump & Merkel) and Muhammadayubxon (speech bubble)!!!
#15 It’s a strange world: Whataboutism
❓Do you also get annoyed when you talk about a problem and someone tells you but what about this and what about that?
❗️This is the logical fallacy (=false belief) called “Whataboutism”. It appears in big issues but also when couples argue. Here are two easy examples:
Husband: Hey wife, the soup is too salty again!
Wife: What about yourself? You can’t even cook!
Or…
Biden: Mr Trump, you have harmed the American people!
Trump: Look at North Korea. Their president is much worse than me!
Both cases show how the accused (=person who is blamed) is trying to escape the criticism by pointing at someone else’s even bigger problem. But actually it doesn’t make their problem go away. Watch out for whataboutism in discussions and debates!
⛓https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
▶️ Here’s an explainer from the BBC on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WqI16Ppte0
👉@afandi_english👈 #strange_world #psychology
❓Do you also get annoyed when you talk about a problem and someone tells you but what about this and what about that?
❗️This is the logical fallacy (=false belief) called “Whataboutism”. It appears in big issues but also when couples argue. Here are two easy examples:
Husband: Hey wife, the soup is too salty again!
Wife: What about yourself? You can’t even cook!
Or…
Biden: Mr Trump, you have harmed the American people!
Trump: Look at North Korea. Their president is much worse than me!
Both cases show how the accused (=person who is blamed) is trying to escape the criticism by pointing at someone else’s even bigger problem. But actually it doesn’t make their problem go away. Watch out for whataboutism in discussions and debates!
⛓https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
▶️ Here’s an explainer from the BBC on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WqI16Ppte0
👉@afandi_english👈 #strange_world #psychology
#19 Afandi Quiz: Which country?
▶️Here is a market somewhere in this world.
👉@afandi_english👈 #picture_quiz
▶️Here is a market somewhere in this world.
👉@afandi_english👈 #picture_quiz
Afandi English
This picture was taken in …
Well done!
👍 India is the correct answer. The picture was taken in Delhi where it gets quite chilly (=cold) during winter. Perhaps you figured (=guessed) it from “IndusInd Bank” in the background or the gentleman on the right wearing a red turban (=long cloth around sb’s head). Turbans are characteristic of Sikh men, pronounced [si:k], a religious group in Northern India (Punjab) that are neither Hindus nor Buddhists. They are not allowed to cut their hair and so they cover it under the turban. For the same reason Sikh men also grow big bushy (=thick) beards.
👎 Malaysia is not correct. Although the country is home to a large Indian community it never gets so cold there that people would wrap themselves up like this or consider buying ear warmers (check out the “MEOW” design).
👎 Turkey is wrong as well. You wouldn’t find English-only signs there and some of the people in the picture are also a little bit too dark to be Turks.
👎 United States is wrong. Outdoor markets there are rarely so crammed (=full of stuff) and it would be illegal to sell cheap Nike or Adidas knock-offs (=fake brands) there.
👍 India is the correct answer. The picture was taken in Delhi where it gets quite chilly (=cold) during winter. Perhaps you figured (=guessed) it from “IndusInd Bank” in the background or the gentleman on the right wearing a red turban (=long cloth around sb’s head). Turbans are characteristic of Sikh men, pronounced [si:k], a religious group in Northern India (Punjab) that are neither Hindus nor Buddhists. They are not allowed to cut their hair and so they cover it under the turban. For the same reason Sikh men also grow big bushy (=thick) beards.
👎 Malaysia is not correct. Although the country is home to a large Indian community it never gets so cold there that people would wrap themselves up like this or consider buying ear warmers (check out the “MEOW” design).
👎 Turkey is wrong as well. You wouldn’t find English-only signs there and some of the people in the picture are also a little bit too dark to be Turks.
👎 United States is wrong. Outdoor markets there are rarely so crammed (=full of stuff) and it would be illegal to sell cheap Nike or Adidas knock-offs (=fake brands) there.
#5 IELTS DOs & DON’Ts: Last Minute Preparation
▶️ Your test date is drawing nearer and you’re getting nervous? Here’s some advice:
1) Mental state ❌ Don’t get stupidly nervous, so nervous that you can’t think straight. The test is important but it’s only a test of your English, not your value as a human. ✅ Do keep calm and be closer with the people who support you, not those who judge you. Be realistic about the score you can get.
2) Attitude ❌ Don’t look for a quick fix. Students lose precious learning opportunities by looking for shortcuts to a high score that may or may not work. ✅ Do think about topics deeply and practice self-expression. Start having opinions. That’s an attitude, not a trick.
3) Around you ❌ Don’t let your English stay in your books. It must go into your head! ✅ Do immerse yourself (=get into) fully in English. Listen to English, speak in English, think in English, dream in English. Find a study partner who is equally crazy.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
▶️ Your test date is drawing nearer and you’re getting nervous? Here’s some advice:
1) Mental state ❌ Don’t get stupidly nervous, so nervous that you can’t think straight. The test is important but it’s only a test of your English, not your value as a human. ✅ Do keep calm and be closer with the people who support you, not those who judge you. Be realistic about the score you can get.
2) Attitude ❌ Don’t look for a quick fix. Students lose precious learning opportunities by looking for shortcuts to a high score that may or may not work. ✅ Do think about topics deeply and practice self-expression. Start having opinions. That’s an attitude, not a trick.
3) Around you ❌ Don’t let your English stay in your books. It must go into your head! ✅ Do immerse yourself (=get into) fully in English. Listen to English, speak in English, think in English, dream in English. Find a study partner who is equally crazy.
👉@afandi_english👈 #ielts
#55 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Afandining do’koni har kuni ishlaydi.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Afandi’s shop works every day.
✅ Well, it should be:
Afandi’s shop is open every day.
❓Why?
❗️ In English, the verb work is mostly used in two different ways: either people work, referring to a job (“She works as a teacher”), or machines work, i.e. function (“My phone doesn’t work”). A shop is neither a person nor a machine, so we cannot use work here.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Afandining do’koni har kuni ishlaydi.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Afandi’s shop works every day.
✅ Well, it should be:
Afandi’s shop is open every day.
❓Why?
❗️ In English, the verb work is mostly used in two different ways: either people work, referring to a job (“She works as a teacher”), or machines work, i.e. function (“My phone doesn’t work”). A shop is neither a person nor a machine, so we cannot use work here.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
Afandi English
#1 Self-study: Tom & Savannah 🆕 Brand new on the channel: Materials for self-study! Learn English with interesting videos. You won’t believe how much English you can extract from a video if you go to the bottom of it. IELTS students – here is your source…
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#5 Self-study: A blind world traveller from England
▶️ Today’s video and handout are about an English world traveller who is not only blind but also severely deaf. How does he manage? See for yourself!
❗️If you think this is good material for your self-study, please follow the instructions in #1 👆 and the instructions on the handout below 👇.
👉@afandi_english👈 #self_study
▶️ Today’s video and handout are about an English world traveller who is not only blind but also severely deaf. How does he manage? See for yourself!
❗️If you think this is good material for your self-study, please follow the instructions in #1 👆 and the instructions on the handout below 👇.
👉@afandi_english👈 #self_study
#21 Travelogue Turkey: Kitty city
Meow! – this sound belongs to the soundscape of Istanbul. It feels like the city is populated by as many cats as humans. Cats can be seen in parks, around mosques, basically in every street and even in metro stations.
Although they are street cats they live quite well and don’t need to fight over food as cat-loving citizens provide them with leftover human food and proper cat food as well. Volunteers even put up boxes as night shelters.
But why?
🔘 Cats come from in the Middle East and were domesticated in Ancient Egypt. They’ve been in this world region for a long time.
🔘 They are seen as clean animals by Muslims.
🔘 People can afford to feed not only themselves but also cats in Istanbul.
🔘 The city is more westernised and European pet craze may have had an influence.
---Vocab---
📍soundscape = the sounds in an environment 📍shelter = safe place 📍domesticate = turn a wild animal into a pet 📍craze = being crazy about sth
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey
Meow! – this sound belongs to the soundscape of Istanbul. It feels like the city is populated by as many cats as humans. Cats can be seen in parks, around mosques, basically in every street and even in metro stations.
Although they are street cats they live quite well and don’t need to fight over food as cat-loving citizens provide them with leftover human food and proper cat food as well. Volunteers even put up boxes as night shelters.
But why?
🔘 Cats come from in the Middle East and were domesticated in Ancient Egypt. They’ve been in this world region for a long time.
🔘 They are seen as clean animals by Muslims.
🔘 People can afford to feed not only themselves but also cats in Istanbul.
🔘 The city is more westernised and European pet craze may have had an influence.
---Vocab---
📍soundscape = the sounds in an environment 📍shelter = safe place 📍domesticate = turn a wild animal into a pet 📍craze = being crazy about sth
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #turkey