ESL Blogs

How many of you were members of MyEC when we did Writing Challenge #13? This was a partner challenge. We interviewed a MyEC member. Some of you even interviewed Josef! I interviewed Salim.

Many members have joined since November, 2009. I think it's time to repeat this challenge.

Is there someone in your list who has an interesting story to tell? Does he or she have a unique job, a huge family, an identical twin? Has she climbed a big mountain, traveled the world, or overcome a major difficulty? True life stories are the best stories, and we all have one to tell. This month, put one of your MyEC friends in the spotlight. 

Your Task

1) Choose a friend to put in the spotlight. Ask your friend if he/she will answer some questions. 

2) Decide on a topic. Can you find an unknown fact about your friend? (Check his or her photos for inspiration.)

3) Write 5 (or so) questions for your friend and send them in a private message. Ask your friend to send you the responses in a private message.

4) Create a new blog post. Use the title: Writing Challenge #34: MyEC Spotlight on -- (member's name). Paste the questions and responses in your blog post. 

5) Ask your friend to send you an image to go with your post. Add the image to your post.

6) Publish your post. Share a link to your post in the comments below. Don't forget to leave comments for other writers. 

Note 

interviewer: the person who writes or asks the questions

interviewee: the person who responds to or answers the questions

BONUS CHALLENGE: Record the questions and answers by using Vocaroo or Audioboo. (Or, record a video chat!)  

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My Example: A Spotlight on Expector Smith

MyEC Member: Expector Smith
Country: China
Occupation: Doctor
Motto to live by: Live and Learn
Special role on MyEC: Blog Moderator

Popular Blog Post: Learn to Use Idioms in your Writing

Tara: It is hard to believe you are back in China already! It seems like just yesterday when you shared the exciting news that you were heading to Canada to study at the hospital in Montreal. Did the time go by quickly for you? 


Expector: Yes, it did. I wish I could have chosen to stay there longer.


Tara: Can you tell us how you got this opportunity and what you hoped to gain from it? 


Expector: The hospital where I work paid for my study in Canada. I hoped to sharpen my surgical and English skills in a developed English-speaking country.


Tara: Tell us one main difference about hospitals in China compared to hospitals in Canada. 


Expector: Patients in Canada don't need to pay for their stay in the hospital, while patients here in China need to pay, if they have no medical insurance or their insurance failed to cover all the expenses.


Tara: What surprised you most about Canadians in general? 


Expector: They enjoy the summer sunshine so much by lying on the grass (lawn) in the park, while people here seem to avoid the harsh sunlight.


Tara: True, it's rare to see someone walking around with a parasol here in Canada. The winters are too long! What interesting word(s) or phrase did you pick up while you stayed in Canada? Where did you learn it?


Expector: "Monster", which is used to describe a huge tumor. I learned it in the operating room.


Tara: Yikes. I guess that's something you don't like to see. We do tend to use that word to describe anything that is really large. What was the most challenging part about being abroad for an extended period of time? 


Expector: Being sick or under the weather.


Tara: This was a particularly bad year for flus in Canada. We had the flu shot, but we still had many colds and flus this year. As you know, Vancouver is my hometown, and home is where the heart is. I miss British Columbia every day and I was so happy to hear you were going to visit the west coast before you returned to China. What did you love most about BC? 

Expector: Vancouver is gorgeous, and I hear a lot of rich people live there. To my surprise, I even didn't need to speak English at the airport because there were so many chinese-speaking people, though I wanted to practice English, not Chinese. I love the natural beauty, the fantastic skyline (especially watching from the Stanley Park), and the wonderful weather there.


Tara: I'm glad you got good weather! People have been calling it a "bummer summer" in Vancouver. It's been unseasonably cool and rainy there this year. 

 If you could have done one thing differently, what would you have changed about your experience? 


Expector: I would have stayed with a local English-speaking family rather than a Chinese-speaking one.


Tara: Yes, that would have been great if you could have fully immersed yourself in the language that way. What tip would you give to anyone who is considering visiting or immigrating to Canada? 


Expector: Visit it in the summer (I don't really like skiing.)  Immigrate to Vancouver if you're wealthy, or Toronto if you don't like to speak French, or Montreal if you want to enjoy a fantastic French-speaking city in an English-speaking country.


Tara: Montreal is beautiful. I lived there for five years when I was a child. Okay, I have one more question for you. What is the funniest thing that happened to you in Canada? Did you have an embarrassing moment?


Expector: The funniest thing is I was even allowed to bring my bike with me when I took the metro/subway/underground.  I did have an embarrassing moment: I pretended to understand what they were talking about, and responded with something unrelated.

Related posts by Expector

Expector is about to study in Canada

Expector's study experience in Canada: Part 1

Expector's study experience in Canada: Part 2

Expector is going back to China soon