Talk Time Tutoring

🌳 Talk Time Tuesday – 'Know Your Roots'
(Your ancestry or Family Tree)

This week, in one of my classes, we've been discussing family and relationships.

The topic feels especially meaningful because last week my niece welcomed twin boys into the world! 👶👶
Interestingly, twins 'run in our family' ( on my husband's side of the family:)

I shared some of my husband's Māori whakapapa (family tree) and exploring how our 'maternal and paternal' family lines help shape who we are today. No doubt, this family genealogy book is a real treasure for my children.

They know how their father (my husband's) family tree tells a rich story of Māori ancestry here in Aotearoa New Zealand. The first settler came from the the UK and he married a Maori princess.

Although our roots may begin in different places, every family has stories, traditions, and characteristics that are passed down through generations and it is so wonderful to share.

Some helpful - 'Family Vocabulary':

Maternal side = your mother's side of the family
Paternal side = your father's side of the family
Run in the family = a characteristic that appears in several generations
- Twins run in our family.
- Musical talent runs in her family.
Pass down = to give something from one generation to the next
- Traditions are passed down through generations

💬
Do you know where your ancestors came from?
What traits run in your family?
Do you take after your mother or your father?👩‍❤️‍👨

This FRIDAY the 19th - end of the term coffee conversation group! Hope to see you there!☕️🍰

💛 Talk Time Tuesday 💛

"Home is where the heart is."

Have you heard this expression before?

Yesterday (Tuesday, the 9th!), was a special one for our former homestay student, Jack, who turned 21. 🎂

Our family offered to take him out for a birthday dinner, but he asked if we could simply have a meal together at home instead. His request? My lasagna! That truly warmed my heart.❤️😊

Over the years, what began as a homestay experience grew into something much more. Jack has become part of our family. Perhaps that's why Jack chose a home-cooked lasagna over a restaurant meal. Sometimes home isn't a place; it's the people around the table.

For me, cultural exchange is so much more than learning a language. It's about belonging, family, and connection through an exchange for both cultures.

I am most grateful for moments like these and... Home is where the heart truly is...no matter where you live in the world.

Happy 21st, Jack! 🎉

🌍 Talk Time Tuesday ✈️

During the past month, I had mentioned some travel-related phrasal verbs using the word “take” (past tense -'took'):

🌅 Take in - also"take it all in"
To fully experience or enjoy something.
“We stopped to take in the beautiful sunset.”

✈️ Take off
When a plane leaves the ground.
“Our flight took off early in the morning.”

💬Phrasal verbs can feel confusing sometimes because one small preposition can completely change the meaning.

I often do alot of phrasal verbs on Talk Time Tuesday because they’re what make English sound natural, relaxed, and conversational.✨

👉 take in
👉 take off
👉 take away
👉 take up

These phrases may look similar, but the small word after “take” changes the meaning completely!

✨ Let’s look some more:

💡 Take away
Something you learn or remember from an experience.
“One big takeaway from travelling was the kindness of people.”

📸 Take up
To start a new hobby or activity.
“Travelling inspired me to take up photography.”

🧳 Take along
To bring something or someone with you.
“Don’t forget to take along your passport!”

🍜 Take out / takeaway
Food you buy to eat somewhere else.
“We grabbed some takeaway food at the night market.”

🚕 Take over
To begin controlling or managing something.
“After getting lost, my husband took over the directions!” 😅

👉This week, try and give one of these phrasal verbs a go...as in "give it a go!" 😉

🌍 Talk Time Tuesday -'to catch up' (or past tense,'caught up on')

Well, since being back in NZ now for over a week, I’m still trying to “catch up” on a lot of things after travelling! ✈️😊
(Which is why I am writing this on a Wed morning here in NZ instead of on Tuesday)! 😅

This week’s phrase is:

👉 Catch up

This is a very common expression in English, and it can have a few different meanings depending on the situation.

After 6 weeks away, I feel like I’m catching up on many things!

😴 Catch up on sleep
“I’m still trying to catch up on sleep after the jet lag.”

🏡 Catch up on chores
“The garden is overgrown, so we’re catching up on jobs around the house.”

☕ Catch up with friends or family
“This weekend we’re catching up with friends over coffee and dinner.”

💬 Catch up with family to reminisce (another good word:)
After our family wedding and travels, it’s been lovely catching up with our grown children and extended family to talk about all the memories together from the trip and wedding in Bali 🤍

💡 “Catch up” usually means:
to do something you haven’t had time to do… or to spend time talking with someone after not seeing them for a while.

✨ Your turn:
What do you need to catch up on this week? 😊

This week it’s Talk Time Thursday! 😊✈️🌏

I thought I would save this post for today, (not only because I’ve just arrived home and Tuesday disappeared very quickly:), but also because today, May 21st, is the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 🌍.

It’s a day that celebrates understanding, inclusion, respect, and learning from different cultures around the world.

After travelling over the past 6 weeks, this message feels especially meaningful.

While travelling through Indonesia and Malaysia, I noticed many cultures living side-by-side peacefully. I heard different languages every day and saw different religious traditions, temples and mosques 🕌🛕, local customs, foods 🍜, music and dancing 💃 all woven together as part of everyday life.

In many ways, it reminded me of Auckland and New Zealand where people from many different cultures, languages, and backgrounds also live together.

Sometimes communication styles are different, and misunderstandings can happen. But learning about another culture helps people feel more included, understood, and connected.✨

One thing I’ve learned through both travelling and teaching is that communication is connection and it begins with: a smile, kindness, sharing food or conversation, showing curiosity and respect for another culture.😊🙏

UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - created this day to encourage greater understanding between people and cultures around the world.

And I think that’s something worth celebrating 🌏

Talk Time Tuesday - to those mothers, aunties and daughters out there:

Mother’s Day this year feels a little extra special 💐🌏

Somewhere between airports, jungle cruises, city streets, temples, markets, and all the adventure of the past few weeks… I’ve found myself feeling incredibly grateful 💛

Grateful for family, for my beautiful mother who is now 89,for memories old and new, for watching my children grow into amazing adults… and for still being able to explore the world with Steve 35+ years after our first backpacking adventures together 🎒✨
This is actually the first time in 30 years I’m actually celebrating Mothers Day without my children!

This trip has been full of beautiful reminders to slow down, take it all in, and appreciate just how lucky life can be 🌿
To all the mums out there, wherever in the world you may be today, Happy Mother’s Day 💕🌸

🌍 Talk Time Tuesday - "taking it all in”

You might often hear this expression used: when it’s time to just pause and really notice what’s around you.

When we travel, there can be so much happening at once; new sights, sounds, smells, tastes.

But sometimes it’s the little things…

the colours in the sunset, 🍉 the taste of fresh watermelon, sitting quietly with a coffee or a cold beer!☕️🍺

The feeling of being somewhere completely different is when you can stop… and just 'take it all in'.

💡 It means: to fully experience and enjoy the moment or as many say, to be present.

✨ When was the last time you just stopped and took it all in?

🌍 Talk Time Tuesday - ' just winging it'

Some trips are carefully planned…
and some you just wing it ✈️
At the moment, this is what my husband and I are doing!

No set plans, no strict schedule, just seeing where the day takes us.

💡 This is the kind of natural English people really use when talking about travel. Here are a few more expressions we use if we don't have a set itinerary:

👉 go with the flow
👉 play it by ear
👉 make it up as we go

🎒 Travel-style: Backpacking vibe so we will say things like:

“We had no set plans - just a rough idea.”
Figure it out as we go
“We figured things out as we went.”
Keep things flexible
“We like to keep things flexible when we travel.”
Leave things open
“We left a few days open to explore.”

How about you? Have you ever traveled where you had to or wanted to just 'wing it'?

🗣️ Talk Time Tuesday: Informal vs Formal Travel English

When you travel, it’s not just what you say… it’s how you say it.

Compare:
“depart” vs “set off”
“arrive” vs “get in”
“continue” vs “carry on”

🌍
You might learn words like:
👉 depart
👉 arrive
👉 continue
These are correct… but in real conversations, people often say:
👉 set off (instead of depart)
“We set off early to avoid traffic.”
👉 get in (instead of arrive)
“We got in late last night.”
👉 carry on (instead of continue)
“We carried on exploring after lunch.”

💡 Why does this matter?
Using more natural, everyday English helps you sound relaxed, friendly, and more connected to the people around you.

It’s not about being “more correct", it’s about fitting in and understanding how language is really used.

Practice these phrasal verbs next time you may be 'taking off' to a new destination! ✈️