Who taught you to speak English? Your parents, while you were a young child? Your teachers at school ? Perhaps even the BBC as a grown-up. Whoever it was, somehow you have developed an understanding of what is rapidly becoming a truly global language.

    There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language and about the same number who have learnt it besides their mother tongue. It is said there are one billion people learning English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English.

    Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures? Or should we worry about the dangers of “mono-culturalism", a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food and listen to the same music?

    Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? On the contrary (相反),I would have thought——although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars. Ask the people of India (where many of them speak at least some English) and Pakistan (the same situation with India)…

    If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonald's burgers? Surely not. If English becomes more dominant (占主导地位的), it will kill other languages? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but also one or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps some French or German as well.

    When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic email from a listener in Ireland. "The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it's like a rose," he said. "But who would ever want their garden just full of roses?"

    Well, I love roses, and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don't necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that's fine by me.

    There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

    I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

    It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

    From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

    The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

    I looked forward to the return journey.

    At times my mom has been uncomfortable seeing some quality in me. For example, when I was 12, I went to Puerto Rico all by myself to stay with my grandmother for the summer. My mom was extremely nervous about it. She kept telling me how things were different in Puerto Rico, to always put on sunscreen, not to wander away from my grandmother, and other warnings. She helped me pack and did not leave the airport until she saw my plane take off.

    But despite her worries, she let me go on my own. As I moved into my teens, she continued to give me space to grow and learn, even when it might have been difficult for her. When I reached my senior year, I decided to move away for college. Once again I found that I differed from my peers: while many of them wanted to stay close to home, I couldn't wait to be out in the world on my own. While my mom may not have been happy at the thought of my going away, she was supportive and excited for me.

    One big thing I realized during my senior year, as my mom granted me more freedom, was that she actually believes in me and trusts me. That means a lot. Most of my life, and especially when I was little, the main person I tried to impress in my schoolwork or other things was my mother. I knew she expected nothing but the best from me. Sometimes it was hard to live up to her standards: getting a single B on my report card would make me feel bad because I knew she wanted me to have all A's.

    I know that her high standards have helped me stay focused on what's important, like education, and made me who I am. I am thankful for her support and involvement in my life. Most of all I respect her. She is the strongest woman I know and that's why I have turned out so strong and independent.

Discover Nature Schools programs

Becoming Bears (Kindergarten-2 grade)

    By becoming baby bears, children learn from their "parent" to survive the seasons. Kids will find safety in the spring and learn kinds of food bears eat during the summer, and then create a cave for winter hibernation(冬眠). After learning the skills needed to survive, students will go out of the cave as an independent black bear able to care for themselves. (1.5-2 hours)

Whose Clues? (3-5 grade)

    Kids will discover how plants and animals use their special structures to survive. Through outdoor study of plants and animals, kids will recognize their special structures and learn how they enable species to eat, avoid their enemies and survive. Using what they have learned, kids will choose one species and tell how they survive in their living places. (3-4 hours)

Winged Wonders (3-5 grade)

    Birds add color and sound to our world and play an important ecological (生态的) role. Students will learn the basics of birds, understand the role birds play in food chains and go bird watching using field guides and telescopes. Students will do hands-on activities. Students will use tools to build bird feeders, allowing them to attract birds at home.(3-4 hours)

Exploring Your Watershed (6-8 grade)

    We all depend on clean water. Examining how our actions shape the waterways around us. Go on a hike to see first-hand some of the challenging water quality problems in a city. Students will test the water quality to determine the health of an ecosystem.

● Each program is taught for a class with at least 10 students.

● All programs include plenty of time outdoors. So please prepare proper clothing, sunscreen and insect killers for children.

● To take part in a program, please email dcprograms@mdc.mo.gov.

    It's a common belief that the roles actors play might somehow reflect their true personalities. It's usually not true, but British actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 34, is an exception.

    Just like Fleabag, the character she played in the comedy-drama series of the same name, Waller-Bridge feels that her life is a mess. "It's just really wonderful to know that a dirty and messed up woman can make it to the Emmys," she said. She may be "messed up", but Variety magazine calls her an "all-around icon".

    Last month, Waller-Bridge took home three Emmy awards for her work on Fleabag — best writing in a comedy series, best lead actress, and best comedy series.

    Her success is partly because of her family. Waller-Bridge was brought up in a free environment. Her mother always told her, "You can be whatever you want if you imagine it." So Waller-Bridge broke all the rules about what a "good" girl should do. "Our laws and moral codes don't apply — she lives without fear of consequence," The Sun noted.

    That fearlessness extends to being authentic (真实的) in her writing and acting. Unlike the can-do heroines and strong, successful women in many TV dramas, Waller-Bridge shows a flawed but real character. The character Fleabag was a screw-up who always found a way to say or do the wrong thing. "It resonated with the lives of stressed-out women everywhere in reality — doing their best to find balance in their lives," a viewer wrote on US movie website.

    Villanelle in Killing Eve, another hit TV series developed by Waller-Bridge, was a little bit violent but showed no interest for the rules others created, which make many people see themselves in her.

    "People have been scared to write characters like these. But I think, now, women are so relieved to have this new template (样板). And, aren't we all a bit of everything?" Waller-Bridge said in an interview with Indian Express.

    With such courage and sincerity, Waller-Bridge is, without a doubt, a "golden girl" in Hollywood, Australian news website The New Daily commented.

    Young ladies with good behavior and social skills will be more confident in society and understand their ability better. This 4-week course teaches social rules, table manners, personal grooming (打扮) and skin care. Classes are easy to learn.

    Curriculum. (课程)

    Class one: Self Introduction and Introducing Others — Handshaking, Eye contact, and Smiling — Please, Thank You and You're welcome — Making mistakes and Apologizing — Telephone Etiquette. (礼节)

    Class Two: Quick Review — Gift Giving and Receiving — Attending a party — Thank-you Notes — Becoming a Skilled Conversationalist — Joining a Group and Exciting a Conversation

    Class Three: Quick Review — Three-Course Meal Instruction — Table skills and Dining Manners — Formal/Informal Place Settings — Use of Proper Utensils (用具) — American/Continental Style of Dining — Entering and Leaving the Table — Posture (姿势) and Conversation.

    Class Four: Quick Review — Grooming — Skin Care — Graduation Celebration

Homework will be given at the end of each class.

    Class Dates and Pricing

    Class span (持续) over four separate days, and each class lasts two hours.

    Start Date: Jan 12th 2019

    Time: 1:00pm — 3:00pm

    Price: $250.00/person

    For more information, please email us at Info@itsallaboutetiquette.com or call 480-510-6346.