Canadian Town
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Rina
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Todd
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Todd: So, Rina, where are you from?
Rina: I am from Davidson, Saskatchewan, and it's a small town in Saskatchewan, about 1,000 people, and I grew up there.
Todd: Now, Saskatchewan, that's a part of Canada that doesn't have a lot of people, right?
Rina: There's, in the whole province, there's a million people.
Todd: That's it.
Rina: In all of Canada there is only 33 million, so yeah.
Todd: And you only have one?
Rina: One. There's 33 million.
Todd: Yeah, actually, is there any major Canadian cities in Saskatchewan?
Rina: Well, the capital is Regina. (Really) Yeah, if you've heard of that.
Todd: No
Rina: But I live in, right now my parents live in Saskatoon.
Todd: Oh, OK.
Rina: And that's, my town is between Regina and Saskatoon, called the midway town.
Todd: What's it like growing up in a very small rural setting?
Rina: It was awesome. My parents, because they immigrated from Lebanon were very strict with me so I really wasn't allowed to do very much until I was about in grade 11, when my brother was old enough to come with me, but it was, once I was able to start going out and going to dances and things like that I loved it.
Todd: Oh, really, even in your small town?
Rina: In my small town, yeah. Cause I had it, I was very close with a lot of, like a very small class, very very close with a lot of people there, yeah.
Todd: Sounds good. So, in all of Canada, like when you go back and you settle down and you live in Canada, do you want to live in Saskatchewan?
Rina: No.
Todd: No.
Rina: No, it's not, it's, I've developed a lot more since I was that age and it's just not the same anymore. I'd like a bigger center, preferably Vancouver, or Montreal, on one of the coasts. Yeah. So.
Todd: Not Toronto?
Rina: No, I'm not a big fan of Toronto.
Todd: Ah, why?
Rina: Because I'm a little jaded. When I was, in 94, we went to Niagara Falls, and we drove through Toronto and it was just so, it looked so busy and smoggy and just crazy, and so I never really liked it since then. I have that image in my head still of that.
Todd: Yeah, well, that's how I feel about L. A.
Rina: Yeah.
Todd: Yeah. I don't like Los Angeles. OK, well thanks.
go out
Once I was able to start going out and going to dances and things like that I loved it.
'Going out' refers to going to a place to be social. This can be dance clubs, social events, parties or bars. Notice the following:
- I am going with my friends tonight.
- You can't go out tonight, because you have an important
meeting early tomorrow morning.
settle down
When you go back and you settle down and you live in Canada, do you want to live in Saskatchewan?
When you choose a place to live and start to make a life there you are 'settling down.' This usually implies a house or apartment, a job, a car, and other things that indicate a commitment to a place. We also use this to talk about marriage. Notice the following:
- They settled down in the same town where he grew up.
- All of his friends are settling down, but he is still
like a teenager.
develop
I've developed a lot more since I was that age.
To 'develop' is to become more mature and responsible, more like an adult. Notice the following:
- She hasn't developed a bit in ten years.
- He was a very bad child, but he developed into a
respectful and kind man.
jaded
Because I'm a little jaded.
If you are 'jaded' about something, you feel negative about it, either because you exhausted or worn out by it or because you are skeptical of the outcome. Notice the following:
- Don't be so jaded. The city isn't dangerous, you
just have bad luck.
- I'm feeling a bit jaded by my first experience at salsa
lessons. I don't know if I'll go again.
smoggy
It looked so busy and smoggy.
A place that is 'smoggy' has a lot of pollution and looks cloudy or foggy from the contamination in the air. Notice the following:
- After the car
race was over, the air was very smoggy and everyone was
coughing.
- The city was
so smoggy that you could barely see ten feet in front of
the car.
Vocabulary Quiz
jaded • smog
