H = Hina
H:
Hi, Im Hina. I work for the BBC here in London. I know a lot of
people here but I only have a few close friends. I keep in touch with
friends by texting, emailing and using social networking sites like
Facebook.
For me, a friend is someone I can trust and depend on, but also
someone who makes me laugh. Today, were asking people about
their friends.
M1:
Ive got a nice circle of friends, theyre not too many but I like to
keep in touch with both old friends and new friends.
W1:
W2:
W3:
Yeah, Ive got a lot of close friends. Ive met them through college
I actually moved over here with 3 friends so we all live together.
M2:
Ive got close friends. Im not the type of person to have lots of close
friends. I like to have really close, close friends, and then Ive got
friends outside of that as well.
W4:
M3:
M4:
H:
M1:
W1:
The thing we have in common is that were all doing a similar kind
of work, so we network within that circle quite a bit. Email,
telephone.
W5:
W2:
M2:
W4:
M3:
We live all over the place, so its the internet is the major way we
do that. Email, or, or, networking sites.
M5:
Normally through the internet, but I like to write letters very often.
H:
W3:
W2:
Honesty is probably the first one. If theyre not honest with me then
they cant be my friend.
W4:
M1:
W5:
Mainly like the personality and if they, like, have the same interests
as me.
M3:
Mostly its people who can make me laugh. Or who I can share
experiences with.
M5:
W1:
M2:
The qualities I look for in a friend - they have to be funny, they have
to be kind and sincere, they have to be honest, and they have to be
about this tall, otherwise I get intimidated.
H:
W1:
M1:
Im an accountant.
M2:
I work in advertising.
M3:
Im a filmmaker.
M4:
W2:
I work in an office.
W3:
M5:
M6:
M7:
W4:
W5:
M8:
W6:
W7:
H:
M2:
I work in London.
W1:
M4:
W2:
I work in London.
M5:
M7:
W4:
W3:
M8:
H:
M2:
The best things about my job are the different people that I meet
from all around the world.
W6:
I get to travel and lots of different people every day and every day
is different.
W1:
The flexibility.
M1:
The variety of work that I have. Meeting people throughout the day.
M3:
M4:
W2:
M8:
Ive made some really good friends over the years, from the locals
and natives, from the local crews I work with.
Seeing peoples faces when you do something for them and seeing
little kids being very happy and laughing I really love that.
M6:
H:
W2:
The worst thing about my job is that it can get very stressful.
W1:
As much as I love my job, there are times when I need to take work
home to meet deadlines. Id say thats, thats probably the only bad
thing I can think of right now.
M6:
When you see people who are very poor and very sad and dont
have much opportunity. And there is not much that they can do
about it, then that hurts you a lot.
M2:
W6:
Long hours. Its tiring and youre on call quite a lot of the time.
M3:
You never know what youre going to be doing from one day to the
next, so sometimes its hard to make plans.
M4:
M8:
You miss family, you miss friends. So I think spending a lot of time
out of the UK can have its disadvantages.
F:
M1:
I like to keep fit. I like to be very active. I like to do a lot of sport. I also
like to see a lot of friends. I like to go to the theatre. I like to go and see
plays.
W1:
I like to read, books about crime novels, for example. And I like to go
running. And obviously I cant run when I am at work. In my free time, I
like to do some exercise.
M2:
I have two small children so I dont have much free time. But seeing
friends is one of my great pleasures. I have some friends, we play
music together. Were in a band.
M3:
W2:
W3:
M4:
I enjoy reading. I enjoy playing the guitar. I also enjoy creative writing and watching films.
F:
M2:
W1:
M4:
W2:
M3:
M1:
H:
I have a full-time job but I like learning new things in my spare time. At
the moment, Im studying Spanish. Im enjoying it but Im finding it quite
difficult. Today were asking people about learning new things.
W1:
W2:
W3:
W4:
Im learning Arabic.
M1:
Well, Ive been learning to play the guitar for about 50 years now. And
its a constant process, so still learning bits, yes.
W5:
M2:
M3:
Im learning Swahili.
W6:
W7:
M4:
W8:
W9:
M5:
H:
M5:
Patience, I think.
W4:
Arabic.
M2:
Courage.
W3:
W6:
The most difficult thing I have ever learnt is Mandarin Chinese. I did it
in evening classes a few years ago and I found it really, really difficult.
W5:
W1:
M3:
Well, I learnt some Sanskrit, and thats got nine cases, two more than
Latin. Its quite difficult by most standards.
M4:
W2:
I learnt the trumpet at school. That was pretty difficult. And maybe
learning to drive. I hated learning to drive.
F:
Ive spent a lot of time living in different countries so there isnt one
place, I think of as home. Ive lived in Scotland and Poland and China.
I love going to new places and learning about new cultures. Today, Im
asking people about travel.
W1:
M1:
W2:
Ive done quite a bit of travelling with holidays and stuff. I think its
good- good experience.
W3:
You get to meet different people from different backgrounds, and thats
pretty important to get an understanding.
M2:
Its always nice to just get out and experience a different culture and
different lifestyle.
W4:
I get very excited about the thought of going to most countries, any
country.
W5:
M3:
Absolutely love travelling. Ive been travelling for about two and a half
years solid now.
W6:
M4:
F:
M3:
I think you mature a lot when you travel. You learn oh, just
completely different experiences to what youre used to at home.
W6:
M5:
W5:
You see some of the most beautiful scenery around the world which
you wouldnt experience in other countries.
M2:
I just really like getting out there and experiencing a different culture,
getting far away from, you know, what were used to in Australia, and
meeting new people.
W4:
F:
W6:
W3:
I suppose plane journeys are not always the most exciting of things.
W1:
Flying. I dont particularly like flying, but its a necessity when you live
in Ireland, you know.
M2:
W4:
M4:
You spend a lot of time outside the United Kingdom and the
disadvantage of that is, that you tend to miss families and friends. I
miss out on normal things in life, so Ive been outside the United
Kingdom for two thirds of the year. Id say thats the main
disadvantage.
W5:
M5:
My wifes usually late getting to the airport. It wasnt until I got married
that I actually started missing flights.
M1:
Often its hard to find a time to exercise when you have a full-time job.
Lots of my friends belong to gyms but I prefer to go running outside to
keep fit. How about you? What do you do to keep fit?
I do quite a few things actually. I go to the gym quite regularly. I go
for
runs. Im also a little bit involved
in the sport of rowing. So, Im down there quite a bit. I actually
coach rowing as well.
W1:
I have three children, and I work full-time. And I dont have a lot of time
to do any extra organised exercise.
W2:
M2:
Usually, I ride my bike, like I got here. And I go to the gym more or less
three to four times a week. And I also watch what I eat.
W3:
M3:
I try and walk everywhere because, erm, I dont really enjoy running.
W4:
I have quite a hectic lifestyle as a musician but I do try to keep fit going to the gym, yoga classes, Pilates classes, sometimes running,
and generally keeping active.
W5:
F:
M1:
Id love to get involved with some team sports. I really enjoy, sort of,
the team aspect of sport. Particularly I think Id like to get into hockey.
W1:
Id quite like to learn how to play tennis properly. Its probably one of
the only sports Im interested in, its something I would watch on TV.
M2:
Id like to run, but my legs are not running legs, so I prefer to cycle.
W3:
I would actually like to try to join a rowing club, but unfortunately I dont
have time and it is a little bit expensive.
W4:
I really enjoy getting out of London at the weekend and going sailing.
W5:
When I was at university, I got quite into swing dancing, which is very
like jive, 1940s jazz dancing. Id quite like to take that up again
because its an easy way of keeping fit, and you meet a lot of people.
F:
M1:
I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I love dessert, and I love to eat sweet
things.
W4:
W2:
Eating late is really bad for you so I try and avoid that as much as I
can, although it does happen quite regularly.
W1:
W5:
Because of my shift work, I eat a lot of fast food, especially in the early
hours of the morning.
W3:
M3:
I eat far too many crisps, and chocolate and biscuits. And because I
bake, I also eat a lot of cake.
H:
I feel good about life at the moment. I live in a fantastic city and Im
really happy with my job at the BBC. Tell me about you.
W1:
I have a fabulous partner, four beautiful children, a great job- and I live
in London.
W2:
W3:
I enjoy living in the UK, and I have been over here for about nine years,
so I do enjoy my life.
W4:
W5:
Im happy with where I am, yeah. Ive just graduated for two weeks.
W6:
My lifes great. Ive got two lovely children, a great husband and I just
finished paying for my house.
M1:
Ive got a career opportunity going on, progressing a bit, started a new
one, just changed the career a couple of years back. Started a family
as well. I bought a house. Things like that, you know. Things are going
well so Im so far, happy.
H:
M1:
Eventually yes. But not at the moment, things are going alright.
W2:
No, not at all. No, not at the moment, no. A little bit more travel.
W3:
Id like to be richer.
W4:
M2:
W5:
I would like to get into graphic design. Thats something that Id really
want to change.
W6:
My life has changed a lot in the past 10 years. Ive lived in three
different countries. How about you? How has your life changed in
the last few years?
W1:
My life has changed quite a bit in the last two years. Specifically in that
I had a five-year break from work, put my career on hold and returned
back to full-time employment.
M2:
Ive recently had a young girl, a daughter my wifes given birth. And
yeah, thats a big change in your life.
W4:
W3:
Ten years ago I was a student and so I used to get up late, and I used
to have lots of time. And now I have to go to work.
W2:
M1:
W6:
Ive had a family and so I dont see so much of my friends any more.
We do a lot of family things and a lot of my friends have moved out of
London so we dont get together so much any more.
F:
I spend a lot of time shopping. I like buying shoes and books. I buy
things online but I also like visiting street markets. How about you?
How do you feel about shopping?
W1:
I dont really like it very much on the whole. I find it can get very
stressful, big crowds, especially in London.
M1:
W2:
W3:
I like shopping when I can afford it. But I cant afford it most of the
time.
W4:
I love shopping. Its a good way to spend a day. You can have fun, go
with your friends or family and come home with some new things
W5:
Love it. I enjoy it very much. Its great. Gives you a buzz.
M2:
W6:
I love shopping, because, you like, buy new things. You spend time
with your friends or family. Yeah, its good fun.
M3:
W7:
M4:
F:
W1:
For clothes? I like the high street chains. And you find them in lots of
places around London.
M1:
W2:
Ive been to Harrods. Harrods is really expensive, obviously, but its just
wonderful to go in there and see what theyve got on offer and things
like that.
I shop on eBay. I like eBay because you can find older things or very
rare items.
W3:
Second-hand stores. I like vintage stores and markets, and those sorts
of places.
W4:
If I have the money, I go for the more expensive designers. But usually,
just mid-range.
W5:
M2:
I try to avoid the big department stores and find the small independent
shops.
W6:
W8:
F:
W1:
M1:
W2:
M5:
W6:
I bought lots of things in the sale, like tops and skirts. And I bought a
pair of shoes as well, that I had my eye on for a while.
M2:
Yes, Ive bought some very cheap trousers in the sales, which Im very
pleased about. I bought two pairs because when you find one pair that
you like, you should always buy another.
W3:
W4:
W1 = 1 woman etc.
F:
I like being in the countryside, but I'm always happy to come back to
the city. How about you?
M1:
W1:
M2:
It's nice, its quiet- you know, you can forget about the city.
W2:
M3:
I love being in the countryside. I love the quiet, I love the fresh air. It's
great.
W3:
W4:
I love the countryside. It's a nice change to living in London and I enjoy
taking weekends out, I enjoy camping.
M4:
I enjoy the countryside because I've lived there for about 37 years.
And particularly I enjoy gardening - growing a lot of vegetables.
F:
The thing I like most about being in the countryside is watching animals
and birds. How about you? Do you like wildlife?
W1:
W4:
I like wildlife and animals. Since I was a little girl, Ive always really
liked foxes, for some reason. And I know a lot of people dont, but
foxes have always been my favourite animal.
M1:
I love wildlife. I really, sort of, enjoy things that you don't see every
day. I enjoy sort of very exotic wildlife that I haven't seen before.
M4:
W2:
I like big cats. They're very graceful, they're very beautiful. And
something- Ive always just had a fascination with from an early age. I
also quite like large snakes. A friend of mine used to keep them.
W3:
F:
M2:
Snakes and scorpions. Just cause I know that usually one bite, could
mean thats the end.
W3:
I don't like spiders. It's not really an animal - but I hate spiders.
M1:
M4:
I don't particularly like horses because theyre big, and they frighten our
dog.
W1:
M3:
W4:
I'm quite scared of sharks. I don't really like the sea and so whales and
animals such as that, I don't really like. I suppose because its the
unknown. I just find it quite scary.
H:
I've always enjoyed living in cities. I like the mix of people and all the
different things that you can do. Not everyone feels like me, though.
Some people prefer the peace and quiet of the country. How about
you? Do you enjoy city life?
M1:
W1:
Yes, I love city life. I mean, Londons such a vibrant, active city. There's
always lots of things to do.
W2:
Where I live is very, very central and it's inner city. So it's what I'm used
to and I enjoy that I can get everywhere really easily.
W3:
W4:
I really enjoy living in London. It's a great place to be. Theres lots of
people around, lots of things happening. Where I live, theres lots of art
shows, and photographers.
M2:
I do like city life. I think London especially is very vibrant, and theres
always something going on.
H:
W1:
London is such a large city. You know, you can never tire of it, really.
W4:
M1:
Obviously culture. I live right next door to the Globe Theatre, the Tate
Modern so theatre is terrific. Huge choice of restaurants, of course.
W3:
The good things about living in the city is, the tube, which is really
amazing. It's cheap and it's really frequent.
M2:
I think transport is one of the best things. The fact that you can live,
probably miles away from your friends - and you can all sort of, get to
the same place fairly easily, and fairly quickly.
W2:
M1:
W1:
Sometimes it can be difficult to get round the city quickly, and that can
be frustrating.
W4:
I think there's always very much of a go-go attitude- that you have to be
on the go the whole time. And there isnt the time just to chill out or
take time out. And if you're not doing something, you're missing out.
W3:
The main problems I'd say, are probably crime, and just not feeling
safe.
W2:
I think the crime. I think that the crimes a huge problem in city life.
M2:
W3:
I think theres not much that you really can do about crime. Because I
think it's a social issue. So if people are - you have to, kind of, address
why people are committing crimes before you can do anything about it.
W4:
I think a citys a city. You either want to live in a city or you want to live
in the countryside, or by the sea. And I think its your choice.
W1 = 1 woman etc.
H:
I love technology. I enjoy reading about new gadgets and I spend a lot
of money on technology. I couldn't live without my mobile phone
because I plan my life with it - or without my MP3 player because I love
listening to music. How about you? How do you feel about
technology?
W1:
I love technology.
W2:
W3:
Oh, I love technology. I love computers, and I love Twitter. And I love
mobile phones I love technology.
M1:
M2:
W4:
W5:
M3:
W6:
I have a mobile phone, and I do have an iPod. But I'm probably the
only person I know that doesn't own my own computer.
M4:
H:
M1:
W3:
W2:
I have an iPod, but it's not charged. So that's why I'm not using it.
M3:
W5:
My laptop.
W1:
M4:
An e-book reader, and a laptop, and an iPod, and so lots and lots of
gadgets.
H:
W1:
M1:
M3:
W6:
W4:
My mobile phone. That would be the only one. And maybe the TV.
W3:
I don't think I could live without my mobile phone. And I couldnt live
without the computer, and I couldn't live without the Internet - because I
depend on them.
be
I like reading about famous people and finding out about their lives. But
I wouldn't want to be famous myself. I'm happy being a normal person,
doing a normal job. How do you feel about fame? Would you like to
famous?
W1:
M1:
W2:
W3:
W4:
W5:
No.
M2:
No.
W6:
No, I wouldn't like to be famous. I think that people are too obsessed
with fame, too interested in fame these days.
M3:
W7:
I'm not sure about that. I would like to be a bit famous but I wouldnt like
to be like, really really famous, because you just don't have time on
your own any more.
W8:
I'm not sure. I think it's very easy to get obsessed with the good things
that fame can bring, like the free gifts, and the doors opening for you,
and all that kind of side of things.
M4:
H:
W8:
M4:
W2:
W6:
M3:
W5:
H:
W3:
M3:
At the moment, I'd probably like to meet the President of the United
States, Barack Obama.
W7:
Maybe Mischa Barton. Because she does loads of different things, and
I think she's really pretty, and I like her style.
W6:
I'd like to meet Bob Dylan. I really like his music. I don't know what I'd
say to him, but I think I'd like to meet him.
W2:
W5:
I would like to meet Johnny Depp, because I enjoy his movies a good
deal.
M4:
I think I'd like to meet Ranulph Fiennes - just generally because of what
he's done, his sort of Arctic exploration, and the fact that he's been
able to go where other people haven't.
W8:
I'd love to meet a famous explorer. If he was still alive I would really like
to meet Edmund Hillary.
M2: