elllo.org

Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview:

www.elllo.org:Interview #944

Mel:

So, Doron, what didyou do last Valentine'sDay?

Doron:

Last Valentine'sday I got disappointed Ithink, cause I teach atuniversity, and I'd heardthat Japanese studentsalways give their teachersloads and loads of chocolate, and eventhough it was my fifthyear, and every other year I only got like two or three, I was still reallyexcited cause I'm atuniversity now and I gottwo chocolate bars.

Mel:

Oh, really?

Doron:

How, about you?Are you looking forwardto it this year?

Mel:

I'm planning ongoing to Korea with myco-workers to escape theValentine's Day.

Doron:

To escape?

Mel:

Atmosphere, yes.

Doron:

You're not a fanthen?

Mel:

I like Valentine'sDay, but I don't plan oncelebrating it this year. IsValentine's Day big inEngland?

Doron:

I haven't lived inEngland for awhile now,about ten years. When Iwas a kid it was big inschool, like in junior school, and we used tohave a little Valentine'spost box in your classwhere you could writelittle messages to your classmates and then youput it in the box and it'dget delivered.

Mel:

Oh, in a box?

Doron:

Yeah, in a littleValentine's post box.

Mel:

Oh, cool.

Doron:

The teacher would deliver them.

Mel:

Did you only getnotes or did you getcandy as well?

Doron:

No, it was justnotes. In England wedon't really give candyand chocolate andpresents to people. We just give letters, unlessit's like a boyfriend or agirlfriend or something.But when you are seven,you don’t really bother.

Mel:

Well, the thing I likedabout Valentine's Day asa kid was that you'd getValentine's Day cardsfrom everyone, but I wasalways curious to seewhat the boy I liked wroteto me.

Doron:

Did you knowwho wrote what to you?

Mel:

Yeah, they wouldsign their name on thecard.

Doron:

What? They signnames?

Mel:

Yeah, it'd be like.Happy Valentine's DayAdam.

Doron:

Oh, in England Idon't think you don't putyour name. Even if youknow who it's from. Youknow it's from your girlfriend, or your bestfriend, or your grandma,or something, I think you just put a big questionmark.

Valentine

sDay

Mel and Dorondiscuss Valentine’sday experiences.

elllo.org

Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview:

www.elllo.org:Interview #944

Mel:

Really?

Doron:

It’s half the fun. You have to figure it out.

Mel:

But my favorite Valentine's Day gift is always from my mom.

Doron:

She gives you a gift every year.

Mel:

She'll send me gifts in the mail, and when I was in elementary school, she wouldhide chocolates and stuff in my desk. It was awesome.

Doron:

That's brilliant.

Mel:

Yeah.

Doron:

I don't remember getting any really really cool Valentine's presents. I remember giving a couple. I was dating a girl who lived in Norway when I was at university inEngland and so for Valentine's Day is the same ... I think her birthday was February the11th or something.

Mel:

Oh, yeah.

Doron:

So, I just flew over. I e-mailed like her best friend who I knew quite well as welland he picked me up at the airport I and flew over to Norway.

Mel:

Yeah.

Doron:

And in Norway, it's a very safe country, so they don't really lock their doors a bitlike Japan, and he just drove me down to the house and I walked in at like nine in themorning, and she just came down stairs and she nearly died. She thought I was aghost.

Mel:

Yeah. That would be scary but fun.

Doron:

Scary but fun. That's what she said when she could talk.

Mel:

Yeah, so it was a double birthday, Valentine's Day gift.

Doron:

Exactly.

Valentine

s Day

Continued...

elllo.org

Go online for the slide show, interactive quiz, and free downloadable MP3 of this interview:

www.elllo.org:Interview #944

Summarize

Take notes as you listen or read the interview on the left side of the paper. Then writecomplete sentences to summarize the story in your own words. The ﬁrst one is done.

Part 1:Last Valentine

s day, disappointedJapanese students give chocolateexcited, but 2 chocolatesDoron was disappointed last Valentine

s daybecause he had heard that Japanese studentsgive their teacher

s a lot of chocolate, but heonly got two.Part 2:going to Korea to escapeLike V-day, but not celebrating____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part 3:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part 4:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part 5:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________