Gabby is from Vietnam and lives and works in the Philippines. I decided to record our conversation for the podcast.

All American Podcast 

Gabby from Vietnam

Today’s episode is “トイレの女の子（toire no on’nanoko）”《A girl in the restroom》.
This story is based on urban legends from various parts of Japan, and a little scary story.
This episode is JLPT-N5 level.

I created a quiz on this episode.
After listening, please take the quiz!

Please use this audio for listening and shadowing practices.

☆Words☆
教室（きょうしつ）：classroom
思（おも）い出（だ）す：remember
聞（き）こえる：be heard
やっぱり：after all
急（いそ）いで：hurry
怖（こわ）い：scary
心配（しんぱい）：worry
手（て）を洗（あら）う：wash one's hands

☆Conjugation of verbs☆ 
・te-form：（ています／てください／てから）
・nai-form
・plain-form

☆Script for this episode
https://meg-smile.com/41-short-story-a-girl-in-the-restroom/

☆Quiz for this episode
https://www.italki.com/quiz/set/13773?utm_source=copylink_share&utm_medium=share_content&utm_campaign=share_quiz

Simple Japanese Listening with Meg（めぐ）Smile

#41 Short story / トイレの女の子《A girl in the restroom》/ Urban Legends / Horror  // N5 Level / Japanese listening

Situation: Employee Experiencing Micromanagement

Statements: "I feel like I'm constantly being watched," "I don't have autonomy in my role," "My manager doesn't trust me to make decisions," "I'm overwhelmed with constant check-ins."

Questions: "How can I communicate my need for more autonomy?" "What strategies can I use to build trust with my manager?" "How can I handle excessive workload due to micromanagement?" "Is it appropriate to set boundaries with my manager?"

Situation: Manager Accused of Micromanagement
Statements: "I'm just trying to ensure the work is done correctly," "I want to be supportive of my team," "I'm afraid of making mistakes," "I have high expectations."

Questions: "How can I delegate effectively without losing control?" "How can I build trust with my team?" "What are the signs of micromanagement?" "How can I empower my employees to take ownership of their work?"

Situation: Team Discussion About Micromanagement
Statements: "Micromanagement is killing our morale," "We need more trust from management," "I feel like I'm not learning or growing," "This is affecting our productivity."

Questions: "How can we address micromanagement as a team?" "What can we do to improve communication with our manager?" "How can we create a more empowered work environment?" "Are there specific examples of micromanagement we can share?"

Situation: Organizational Level Discussion
Statements: "Micromanagement is a systemic issue," "We need to develop leadership training," "We need to redefine our management philosophy," "This is impacting our company culture."

Questions: "How can we create a culture of trust and autonomy?" "What are the long-term consequences of micromanagement?" "How can we measure the impact of micromanagement on performance?" "What role does organizational structure play in micromanagement?"

The Global Professional Podcast

How to Talk About Micromanagement - Episode 107

CHISTES MEXICANOS

DICHO MEXICANO 1

Here's today's news. Please share your thoughts at the end when I ask a question.
You can check the script at the link provided.

今日(きょう)のニュースです。最後(さいご)に質問(しつもん)をしますので、感想(かんそう)を聞(き)かせください。スクリプトはリンクで確認(かくにん)できます。

■暑さ指数を調べて生徒が熱中症にならないようにする - Check the heat index to prevent students from getting heatstroke -
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10014512741000/k10014512741000.html

NEWS for beginners - Native Japanese Accent -

暑さ指数 - Heat Index -

speaker: 
俞敏洪Yú Mǐnhóng   新东方教育集团创始人，英语教学与管理专家。
Yu Minhong, or Michael Yu is the founder and president of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.. As the owner of one of the largest private educational services, Yu is known as the "richest teacher in China", and "Godfather of English Training".
script: 
城市孩子上不了大学，对城市孩子影响不是那么大。但是农村孩子上不了大学，其实他就变成一辈子农民了。我觉得一个农民的孩子如果说能上上正规的大学的话，对他来说，扩大他的视野也好；扩大他对这个世界的理解以及人脉关系也好；以及他的自我认知也好，一定是有大大的好处。我相信进了大学整体来说命运总会变得更好。因为人们的想法是被观念改变的。那能够改变观念的人最好的地方就是大学。那他只要考上大学，哪怕是三本，是吧？那他大学四年给他的磨练；带来的眼光、感觉、格局肯定就不一样的。那个时候他再回到农村,他可能就变成农村的创业者，或者是变成农村中间最有想法的人。我觉得想法是改变世界的基础。
高考   gāo kǎo   College Entrance Examination
命运   mìng yùn  n. 1.destiny ；fate；lot  悲惨的命运a tragic lot
                   2.trend of development；tendency of change  国家的命运
eg.他想要掌握自己的命运。He wants to be in control of his own destiny.
      我们是自己命运的主人。We are masters of our own destiny.
translation:
Being able to go to university or not has little effect on students from cities. But for students from rural areas, if they don't go to college, they will be lifelong farmers.
I think it would be good for a peasant's child to expand his horizons, understanding of the world， connections, and self-perception if he went to a proper university.
I think going to college will change your destiny. Because people's thoughts are changed by perspective. College is the best place to build a new perspective. As long as you can get into a university, even if it is just a third-class university. Four years of college life will change his new ideas and views. Then he goes back to the countryside, and he may start his own business, or he may become the most thoughtful person there. I think ideas are fundamental to changing the world.

One Minute Chinese—— Celebrity speeches & interviews with Chinese & English script

10.俞敏洪：高考，农村孩子“改变”命运的唯一机会 Gaokao is the only chance for rural students to change their destiny.

Poetry can teach you more about the English language, culture and way  of thinking than any academic textbook ever could. Join me in my podcast as I analyse Ant and Elephant by legendary Spike Milligan.

Transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18x3B_VVjcftdwLE5jpxvEsIyukw1nWbI/view?usp=sharing

Schedule a class with me here: https://teach.italki.com/teacher/12103910

Lisa's Podcast

A bit of English in a little poem

What do you think is the most expensive place in the world to live? New York? London? Maybe Tokyo?

While Japan has long had a reputation as an expensive place to live, its cities have been getting cheaper in recent years — with some big changes coming just in the last 12 months.

American consulting company Mercer recently released its 2024 Cost of Living City Ranking, which compares the costs of over 200 items in 226 cities around the world. The results are based on a March 2024 survey, and include things like housing and transportation, as well as food, clothing and entertainment.

All five of the world's most expensive cities are unchanged from last year, with Hong Kong and Singapore again in first and second place. These two Asian cities are followed by three Swiss cities: Zurich, Geneva and Basel.

Bern, another Swiss city, has risen from seventh to sixth place, while New York City has fallen one place to seventh.

However, Tokyo has dropped 30 places to 49th — putting it right after San Juan in Puerto Rico. And Osaka has dropped 53 places to 146th — just ahead of Wuhan in China.

However, the biggest drop since last year was for Lagos in Nigeria, which fell 178 places to 225th. And the least expensive city is now Abuja, Nigeria's capital, at 226th.

Mercer wrote that many big drops were caused by changes in exchange rates. Japan's yen dropped to a 34-year low against the US dollar in March — and hit a 38-year low in early July.

The ranking was also affected by inflation — especially in housing prices — as well as increasing political uncertainty around the world.

Mercer says it's important for companies to look at its cost of living ranking when thinking about sending staff to live abroad.


