I'd never been to Athens
/When I first moved to Spain a long time ago, people would sometimes ask me what I missed most about life in the UK. I would usually say 'the radio'. Back in the mid-80s, the only UK-based station I could listen to in Spain was the BBC World Service which I never really liked much. I wanted the dramas, news programmes, documentaries and quiz shows from Radio 4 and the music from Radio 3. Of course things have changed since then. First came satellite TV which included UK radio stations and then came the Internet.
Today, apart from being able to listen live to radio stations from around the world or use various catch-up services, I can subscribe to podcasts and have programmes automatically downloaded to my audio player to listen to whenever I want. Now, when people ask me what I miss most about life in the UK, I usually don't know what to say.
All of which brings me (in a roundabout way) to Pop Culture Happy Hour, a podcast I regularly listen to. It doesn't come from the UK but from NPR (National Public Radio) in the US. According to its blog, NPR's entertainment and pop culture round-table podcast 'features spirited discussions of movies, books, television, and nostalgia.' The show is basically a group of people talking about fun things that I'm interested in. And each podcast ends with a segment called 'What's making us happy this week' in which the presenters talk about something that's making them happy that week - it could be a new album, a project they're working on or a sports event ... anything.
I borrowed the question to ask the teachers at the IP Conference in Athens last weekend as part of a talk I gave on life skills: 'What's making you happy this week?' It's an example of the kind of question you could ask students when they come to class. You know how students often arrive to class in a bad mood because they've had a bad day or have a problem at home or have just argued with their best friend? Asking a question like this can help to make students aware that there are always reasons to feel good, even if they’re just small things. If you do something like this regularly, it not only makes your students feel better, they'll be more receptive in class. Positive thinking.
At the talk, I let the teachers know what was making me happy this week... Many years ago I co-wrote a series of ELT songs for the Cambridge English Course with Jonathan Dykes. One of the songs was called Brighton in the Rain. The song practised the present perfect and there were two versions - one with all the lyrics and one with all the past participles removed. The students had to provide those past participles. The first line of the song was 'I've never been to Athens' and the music was a pastiche of a Greek folk song. Anyway, I've been singing that song for years and the first line had always been true for me. I'd never been to Athens - until going to the IP conference. So being in Athens was what was making me happy this week.
Thanks to everyone who came to the talks. If you're interested in hearing the song then follow the link below. I apologise for the music but would like to point out that that I love Greek music - thanks largely to my brother-in-law who lived in Athens and has a large collection of Greek music. He also suggested I visit the Acropolis Museum. I'm glad I followed his advice. I can't wait to go back again ...