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Culture Corner | My Interview with Johnny from China
Manage episode 413202704 series 3366657
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In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Jack talks with lifelong English language learner Johnny from China.
Transcript:
00:00:00
Jack
Hey A-Z listeners, this is Jack here.
00:00:03
Jack
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00:00:23
Jack
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00:00:42
Jack
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00:00:44
Jack
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00:00:52
Jack
Now let's get on with the show.
00:00:56
Jack
Welcome to the AC English podcast. My name is Jack, and today we have a very special episode for you. I am doing an interview with Johnny and Johnny is from China and we're just going to have a conversation today. And, you know, leave and see where it leads. So Johnny.
00:01:16
Jack
Tell us a little bit. Like where, where?
00:01:17
Jack
Are you from in China? Exactly.
00:01:19
Johnny
Hi. Hi, Jack. Hi. The audience of AZ English podcast. My name is Johnny and I'm from China and I'm living in China at the moment, so it's a it's a great honor to me to be on the show with Jack. Yeah.
00:01:35
Jack
It's. It's an honor to have you here. You're a long time listener and you know you always, you know, send us, you know, comments and things like that. And we really appreciate your support. It's it's.
00:01:39
Johnny
Exactly, yeah.
00:01:46
Jack
Awesome.
00:01:47
Johnny
Well, that yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:01:49
Jack
Where where in China?
00:01:50
Jack
Are you from exactly like what city?
00:01:51
Jack
Do you live in?
00:01:52
Johnny
Oh, I'm. I'm from. I'm from the city called Fuzhou. That's like the the southern part of China. And so I'm in the South of China, basically. Yeah. It's like the coastal city here. Yeah. Yeah.
00:02:00
Jack
OK. OK. OK.
00:02:04
Jack
Yeah. Oh, I'm. I'm sure they've got amazing seafood there.
00:02:08
Johnny
Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know if you heard of the place, but we've actually got a lot of fellow countrymen, everyone, especially you, will find a lot of my people from my hometown in in New York. OK. So in Chinatown, a lot of them.
00:02:23
Jack
Oh. Oh, really.
00:02:25
Johnny
Are from Fuzhou.
00:02:26
Johnny
Actually, yeah. Yeah. So and they speak.
00:02:26
Jack
OK. Interesting.
00:02:28
Johnny
And and they speak still speak the the, the native native language. And it's like a dialect, yeah.
00:02:37
Jack
Right. So, so a lot of people there speak that dialect. OK, you sing. That's fascinating. OK.
00:02:40
Johnny
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:02:43
Jack
Yeah. Well, Johnny, a lot of our listeners would love to know, you know, they just from listening to you talk right now they're they're probably in awe because you have such a strong command of the English language. And when we do interview episodes like this, we'd love to, like, ask our our guests.
00:02:57
Johnny
Thank you.
00:03:03
Jack
Like, how did you like? What was your language journey like starting from when you were young? When did you Start learning English? What was your trajectory?
00:03:14
Johnny
Yeah, like on uh, so, you know, in China. So I think it's pretty much the same in in Korea. So we started learning language in perhaps in in our primary school. So we have like text.
00:03:25
Jack
I think it's third.
00:03:26
Jack
3rd grade in Korea is when they start.
00:03:28
Johnny
So great. Yeah, the same. No, it's it's. It's just thing to find out. Korea is the same. Yeah. So it's like third grade and we'll learn it all the way up to.
00:03:38
Johnny
Some people to high school high school, so we have the in the in the big exam, you know for entering university you will be tested in your English, just like Korea, right in Asian countries.
00:03:41
발표자
MHM.
00:03:47
Jack
Just like Korea, but but that test, am I not mistaken? Because I do teach some Chinese students that test is very grammar based. I mean, so it's a lot of just grammar, grammar, grammar, right.
00:03:58
Johnny
Exactly. Yeah, that's the.
00:04:02
Johnny
Yeah, and well, actually, we don't really learn spoken English in China. So it's not that focused on spoken English, so.
00:04:13
Johnny
They can. Well, like it's, you know, I've been.
00:04:16
Johnny
Previously I I have been learning English for many years, but I can barely speak three words of English because I've never spoken to anybody in China, so we don't really have the, you know, the the language environment here in China. That's that's the problem. The same in Korea.
00:04:31
Jack
I think it's the same in Korea. I think that they've they've implemented certain strategies to try to overcome that problem.
00:04:39
Jack
Because there are a lot of private academies in Korea, which I'm sure there probably are a lot of private schools in China as well, where students can Start learning English at a younger age and have exposure to like a native English speaker from Australia, America, Canada, whatever, yeah.
00:04:55
Johnny
Hmm.
00:04:59
Jack
Umm, but you know those are expensive. You know, not everyone can afford those. So you know, some kids are stuck with the public school system where it's like a.
00:05:10
Jack
A Korean teacher or a Chinese teacher lecturing in Chinese or in Korean, but they're teaching English, which is doesn't really make a lot of sense. You know when you're, when you think about it.
00:05:22
Johnny
Yeah. So I I still, I I think we're we're we're in desperate need for some good English teachers like you in China so.
00:05:30
발표자
But.
00:05:30
Johnny
Unfortunately, we don't. We don't have that many.
00:05:33
Johnny
Of native speakers who teach spoken English in China. Really. So that's. That's basically the situation here and.
00:05:39
Jack
OK. So take us back. So you're so Johnny's in primary school. And are you going to a private Academy or are you using the public school system?
00:05:42
Johnny
Yeah.
00:05:51
Johnny
Yeah, I'm. I'm pretty much using the the the public school system. Yeah. So just like, just like anybody else in in China. OK. So I wasn't in any language training school or anything. I didn't.
00:06:02
Johnny
Uh, I I didn't like English all that much, to be honest. I was like, yeah, right, that was. That was just a.
00:06:06
Jack
I was just gonna ask you that question. I was like, I bet you hated it passionately being, you know.
00:06:08
Johnny
Lot of fun, yeah.
00:06:11
Johnny
Yeah, in, in a sense. Yeah, in a sense like it was just another subject for me, OK. And I and I, well, I think I I did OK in in middle school, but in.
00:06:23
Johnny
In in high school like it fell, it falls off, I think pretty badly in in high school. So. So I didn't do so well in the the college entrance exam.
00:06:34
Johnny
For my English.
00:06:35
Johnny
OK so so I didn't didn't wasn't a really good English speaker.
00:06:42
Jack
Yeah, that's that's.
00:06:43
Johnny
Probably.
00:06:43
Jack
Shocking to us, you know, because listening to you right now, this conversation I'm like, how is this possible? Like what?
00:06:45
Johnny
Probably not. Not even.
00:06:49
Jack
Something, obviously something.
00:06:51
Jack
Happened along the way there. That was like a a real watershed like moment for you where you you did something dramatically different than you know.
00:06:54
Johnny
Yeah, right.
00:07:02
Jack
Following the school curriculum.
00:07:05
Johnny
Yeah, like, yeah, I I I wouldn't say I, I I wasn't even a good English learner, let alone a speaker. OK. So I think things got changed when I.
00:07:16
Johnny
Uh, when I decided to go to Australia and for for a further study. So and so I think and I started learning English like proper learning.
00:07:29
Johnny
English before that because you have to, you know, you have to pass the exams, you have to pass English exam before you can go there. So.
00:07:40
Johnny
I I think that's that's where I got started. But I notice, OK, so this this is actually kind of interesting so.
00:07:47
Jack
So did did you make the decision to go to Australia before you started learning English, you know, or were you already in the process of learning English, you know?
00:07:56
Johnny
No. So that was, you know, that was all after the.
00:08:00
Johnny
After I decided to go to Australia.
00:08:02
Jack
Wow, that's real. Like trial by fire. You're like, oh, my gosh, I've made this commitment and now?
00:08:08
Johnny
Yeah. Then you're sort of, you know, force yourself to, to be committed to this.
00:08:13
Jack
Yeah.
00:08:14
Johnny
So you got to do.
00:08:16
Johnny
Whatever you can you.
00:08:17
Johnny
Know to because this is the. So you, you. This is the choice you made so.
00:08:21
Johnny
You've got to commit to that.
00:08:23
Jack
Right, right. Umm, what was it like when you first arrived in Australia? How was your? How was your English at that time?
00:08:29
Johnny
Well, uh, I think I think things got changed. Uh, a bit after I I uh, you know, I went to the language school before I go to Australia so.
00:08:39
Johnny
I think I can't discover that I have this interest in in spoken language because I decided to started to really see if if if your English Movies OK, I think that's.
00:08:45
Jack
MHM.
00:08:53
Johnny
What? What, what?
00:08:54
Johnny
What started me off in the first place?
00:08:57
Jack
What kind of movies were you into I like.
00:08:59
Jack
Like.
00:08:59
Johnny
Oh, OK, that that, that's it. That was great because that was so many years ago. OK, so the the one I I can. Well, you know this sort of giving it away. Well, how how many years ago. So I I think that was like.
00:09:05
Jack
OK.
00:09:19
Johnny
Uh movies? Well, actually, I when I started off I I watched some of the older movies, OK like that the the the movies from from someone from the 90s like Terminators because that's one of my favorite. Yes. So Terminator two. Yeah.
00:09:28
Jack
Ohh yeah, sure. Terminating. Well, Sonny, that that I was in high school when that came out. So that gives away how old I am.
00:09:40
Johnny
Yeah, and terminate that because that was the all time classics. So I started seeing all those classic films like I, I don't remember. This one's called the negotiator. I don't know if you have seen this one.
00:09:51
Jack
Yeah. Sam Jackson. Yeah, that's a.
00:09:53
Jack
Great one, yeah.
00:09:54
Johnny
Yeah.
00:09:55
Johnny
Yeah.
00:09:56
Johnny
Right, Samuel Jackson and and Kevin Spacey. I, if I remember right. Yeah. So that that was the the sort of the movies that I I watched that at the time. OK. And then I kind of started me off and I and I think I followed a a TV program in China and that that was called Learning English with movies.
00:09:59
Jack
Yeah, exactly.
00:10:16
Jack
Ohh, I like that. That's cool.
00:10:18
Johnny
OK. So yeah, that was that was many years ago. OK. So and I I stumbled across that that that show on TV and I think that kind of started my you know that was that was very that was really mind blowing to me.
00:10:33
Johnny
Yeah, I can. I can actually learn something through movies when watching movies.
00:10:37
Jack
Something fun language learning can actually be enjoyable. It doesn't have to just suck all the time, you know? Yeah.
00:10:39
Johnny
It can be fun, right? It's like studying is fun.
00:10:46
Johnny
Yeah, it's because to me English is all about exam before, so you know about exams before. So yeah.
00:10:54
Johnny
That that kind of.
00:10:57
Johnny
UM introduced me to a whole new world.
00:11:01
Jack
Yeah. Yeah, that's that's great. I'm. I'm so glad that you brought because I think these like.
00:11:02
Johnny
If you like, yeah.
00:11:07
Jack
This idea that like if it's fun, it's not learning, and if it's painful, it's learning and I I I really I I just, I get disgusted by that kind of philosophy where if it doesn't, if it isn't boring and it isn't painful and tedious, then you're not really learning anything.
00:11:26
Jack
And it's so funny because it's like when you really started learning is when you actually started enjoying the process and and discovering.
00:11:36
Jack
English language movies and you know things like that where you can actually be entertained and also learn something along the way. That's a really great.
00:11:46
Johnny
Exactly. Yeah. That's how I felt. That's exactly how I felt. So that's.
00:11:51
Johnny
Nelson with mind blowing to me at a time so going.
00:11:54
Jack
Yeah, I'm just picturing you. Sorry to interrupt you. So just to get back, so you, you you went to Australia?
00:12:03
Jack
And you, you you had a pretty, like decent command of the language when you got there, you felt pretty comfortable.
00:12:03
Johnny
Yeah.
00:12:08
Jack
With like like.
00:12:09
Johnny
I I wouldn't. I wouldn't say that I had a good command of the language. I still, you know, I would. I I was able to I I guess I was able to order something in McDonald's, yeah.
00:12:22
Jack
OK. OK. OK.
00:12:24
Johnny
So I was I didn't have to staff myself. That's I think I I I would say that's the level I've I've gotten. And at the time.
00:12:30
Jack
Kind of a we.
00:12:31
Jack
We would call that like in. Yeah. So like a surface level of understanding where you can kind of navigate, you can get around in taxi, go straight, turn right, turn left. This is my house. This is my stop. Give me the 2 cheeseburgers with large fries. You know that.
00:12:42
Johnny
Yeah.
00:12:46
Johnny
Yeah, probably even.
00:12:46
Jack
Kind of stuff.
00:12:48
Jack
That's where my Korean is right now, you know.
00:12:50
Jack
To be honest, I've been stuck there for a decade.
00:12:51
Johnny
OK.
00:12:52
Jack
Right. So yeah.
00:12:54
Johnny
So I probably I I I couldn't even like name the the correct cheeseburger that I wanted. Yeah, I I can order a cheeseburger. Yeah, I I you know the the first thing I say is that you can even say.
00:13:01
Jack
You could just point.
00:13:06
Johnny
This one, that one is something like that.
00:13:08
Johnny
Yeah, yeah. I didn't even know how to say how to how to get a straw, you know? So in, in, in our language, we we call it a sucker. So The funny thing, you're.
00:13:16
Jack
So yeah, you don't want to ask for a sucker at McDonald's in Australia, you might you might get in trouble over there to see if.
00:13:17
Johnny
Not not get a.
00:13:22
Johnny
Yeah. Can I get a sucker or something like?
00:13:23
Johnny
That. So that's quite funny.
00:13:25
Jack
That is funny. Yeah, that's that's that's hilarious.
00:13:29
Jack
So how long in?
00:13:30
Jack
Australia, before you really started to like, you know, feel like you were in your groove, you know, really like making progress.
00:13:37
Johnny
Hmm.
00:13:38
Johnny
I I think that was I think the first major change or you know it's it's gone to a point where you realize that OK, something has changed. OK. So I have I have improved, OK that that moment came, I think about half year after I arrived in Australia 6 months later, OK.
00:13:56
Jack
Yeah.
00:13:58
Jack
Six months, yeah.
00:13:59
Johnny
Hmm.
00:14:00
Johnny
So I I think I you know the the the the sentences that that came out of my mouth was a little different. You know I can I think I can sort of.
00:14:09
Johnny
Use the the relative cost in my in my sentences. So that was a big that that was a that was a big change.
00:14:12
발표자
MHM.
00:14:17
Jack
Yeah, this is the place where that's the person who.
00:14:20
Johnny
This is a place where, yeah, so you can actually add a little description after the after the NUM.
00:14:25
Jack
Right.
00:14:26
Johnny
And and that that was, uh, that, that that was like a game changer.
00:14:31
Johnny
OK, so you can add significant amount of information to your to the, to the things that you say.
00:14:31
Jack
Yeah.
00:14:38
Jack
Absolutely. Absolutely. And that because it's instead of short, choppy sentences all the time, you're able to, like you said, add description to a noun and to, you know, build on that and and make your sentences longer and longer. So it's really funny that you bring up like relative clause because it's like.
00:14:54
Johnny
Yeah, it's still longer.
00:14:58
Jack
You're going back to your grammar roots, you know, in China.
00:15:02
Jack
Where you learn.
00:15:02
Johnny
Yeah.
00:15:02
Jack
From relative clauses, but you're like now I can use a relative clause, which is. You know, that's really different to me. Yeah. And you know what it means exactly. Yeah.
00:15:07
Johnny
Now I really understand what it means.
00:15:13
Johnny
And I understand.
00:15:14
Johnny
Why they did native speakers use it OK, because you need to. You need more. You need depth in in your language you need more information description.
00:15:17
Jack
Yeah.
00:15:24
Jack
Absolutely.
00:15:24
Johnny
Sorry, yeah.
00:15:26
Jack
I'm so yeah, I'm. I'm just, you know, I'm. I'm thinking about your your your story is really.
00:15:32
Jack
Maybe making a lot of like I'm making a lot of connections to other students that I've that I've met and that I've talked to and interviewed. They find that like when they, I I I equated to like learning the guitar or something. When you're learning the guitar or learning a language.
00:15:53
Jack
You improve quickly in the beginning.
00:15:55
Jack
And then you hit a plateau.
00:15:57
Jack
And you get kind of stuck on this one level and you feel like you're never going to.
00:16:02
Jack
Bump up another level and then suddenly one day out of the blue, like you said, you're just making sentences that are longer and more descriptive. And it kind of does that kind of light a fire with within you to be like, wow, this makes me wanna learn this even more because I'm seeing the improvements.
00:16:23
Jack
Objectively, you know.
00:16:24
Johnny
You know. Yeah, certainly. Yeah. So I think I've, I've got more confidence after after I I know I what I can do.
00:16:36
Johnny
But interestingly enough, like not long after that, you know, I think I kind of hit another ceiling.
00:16:43
Jack
OK.
00:16:44
Jack
That's normal. That's normal. Normal, yeah.
00:16:45
Johnny
That's not. Yeah, that's that's not there for. So I I I can.
00:16:52
Johnny
You know, I I.
00:16:54
Johnny
I think I passed that phase where I can only, uh, say very simple sentences. OK, so uh, so I can have, uh, more meaningful conversation with, with some with a native speaker.
00:17:07
Johnny
OK, but I still uh, I'm so.
00:17:12
Johnny
Uh, I'm still not confident. I'm not confident enough in in some of the the more deep conversations, right. And I think I I kind of stuck there. It's just like you said, you know, so yeah, that was a really good analogy like learning guitar. It's like kind of stuck there for for a long time again.
00:17:32
Jack
Good.
00:17:33
Johnny
OK, I didn't see any. I didn't see any improvements in my language. So I think that that's that, that that lasted.
00:17:39
Johnny
About I think maybe.
00:17:43
Johnny
A good one or two years. OK. So that was, uh, kind of suffered because.
00:17:49
Jack
But I I wanna. I wanna just talk about this a little bit because I I think I I don't want to listeners to misunderstand that you're.
00:17:58
Jack
You felt like you're not making progress and maybe when it comes to like producing utterances, but but things were happening inside of your brain during that entire period of time there were you were you were immersed in English language, you were internalizing rules and patterns and things like that. You just weren't able to.
00:18:19
Jack
Kind of convert it into utterances that were, you know, you know, speech perhaps. But I think that you were improving. I I just think.
00:18:30
Jack
Like it's it's part of the process is like you feel like you're stuck, but you're actually not. Things are happening and and progress is being made. It just might not be as obvious as you know. Perhaps we would want it to be, you know, because we we want like in two weeks later we want to.
00:18:50
Jack
You know, show people look what I can do, you know? But it's it takes.
00:18:53
Jack
A long time.
00:18:55
Jack
To get to that next level. And so I think a lot of people give up during that time. And it's sad because they're actually they are improving, it just maybe isn't showing the way that they want it to.
00:19:01
Johnny
Yeah.
00:19:06
Johnny
That I think that that's a fair point because.
00:19:08
Johnny
Probably you know, I I I I would have given up at A at a point, but you know I was.
00:19:16
Johnny
I was not in China, you know, I was in another country, so there's no way. There's no way you can get around.
00:19:18
Jack
You couldn't give up you. You were in. You were swimming with sharks. You know you. You were. You. Like sink or swim right here.
00:19:27
Johnny
Yeah. So there was, there was so everything. Everything you do, every every time after you, you know, you wake up, you have to speak English, otherwise you you know, otherwise you wouldn't be able to do anything. So. So I I kind of got lucky there. So at at that point.
00:19:39
발표자
Sure.
00:19:44
Johnny
You you're in that environment, so there's no.
00:19:46
Johnny
Way you can give up.
00:19:48
Johnny
So I kind of got me through that period where you feel, you know, a little disappointed about yourself, OK, about not making any progress.
00:19:58
Jack
So Johnny, we talked about that you're like long plateau. That was like maybe two or three years.
00:20:03
Jack
Or maybe one?
00:20:04
Jack
Or two years where you got kind of stuck. Yeah. And so how how long were you in Australia by the?
00:20:04
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:06
Johnny
One or two years.
00:20:10
발표자
OK.
00:20:12
Johnny
Just a couple of.
00:20:12
Johnny
Years like three to four years, yeah.
00:20:14
Jack
OK, OK. And and what did you like when when you made that second jump up after that one to two year plateau, were you able to like have deeper conversations with people? Did you feel like like when you're sitting in a circle at a coffee table in there, you know the native Australians are are kind of you know?
00:20:34
Jack
Bantering back and forth and you before you were kind of lost in the conversation, did you feel like now you understood what was going on? You were able to understand kind of a more on a deeper level what they were talking about?
00:20:47
Johnny
Actually, no, actually no. No, because you know, you know Aussies because they have this very strong Australian accent. So as long as they they have the, it's like almost like they.
00:20:48
Jack
OK, OK.
00:20:55
Jack
Right.
00:21:00
Johnny
You're not really speaking English, right? So there's systems like totally different use different words, you know? So they are a lot different when the slings are strong and slang so.
00:21:05
Jack
They use a lot of different words, yeah.
00:21:11
Johnny
You will not be.
00:21:12
Johnny
You get.
00:21:14
Johnny
So that was that was the problem there.
00:21:16
Johnny
Sure, sure.
00:21:18
Johnny
Yeah, and no. You have problem with overseas students. So the overseas students usually hang out.
00:21:25
Johnny
With the overseas students.
00:21:26
Jack
Yes. So you we always tell them that we always, I always tell my students, don't hang out with your Korean friends like, don't do it.
00:21:27
발표자
I didn't really.
00:21:31
Johnny
Exactly.
00:21:33
Johnny
I I tell I tell myself that but you.
00:21:35
Johnny
Know it's just.
00:21:37
Johnny
Sometimes it's, uh, it's uh. Well, you know, you know, uh, it's something you should do, but you just not be able to do it, right. So you.
00:21:43
Jack
Right. And it's comfortable and it's familiar and it's comforting and it's so it's so tempting. It's so tempting.
00:21:46
Johnny
It's kind of, yeah, it's familiar, right? So you? Yeah.
00:21:51
Johnny
So when you.
00:21:52
Johnny
When when you, when you talk to the native speakers and you when you hear so many words that you don't understand, it's just so frustrating. Right? I I guess it's frustrating for for anybody. You know, it's funny thing is I I found like a French class.
00:22:00
Jack
Sure.
00:22:05
Johnny
They they they hang out with friends as well. That's what happened.
00:22:09
Jack
Ohh yeah, this is not yeah, this is not like a Korean or Chinese. You know, I don't wanna say problem, but like situation, you know it's it's something that a lot of exchange students will do because when you're when you're feeling lost and completely rudderless, you know just you alone in the ocean.
00:22:18
발표자
Yeah.
00:22:29
Jack
The first thing you're gonna do is is go towards something that's comfortable and familiar.
00:22:34
Jack
And you're gonna find people who are from your, you know, your country, and you're gonna latch on to them and hold on for dear life, you know, because it's. It's.
00:22:44
Johnny
Like. Yeah, yeah, I I guess because I think you you probably share the same experience cause you're you're in career. Yeah, so you.
00:22:44
Jack
Scary. You know to do that.
00:22:51
Jack
Yep, Yep.
00:22:53
Johnny
So I don't know about that. When you put the life there.
00:22:54
Jack
My my I hung out with a lot of Americans and Canadians and.
00:22:58
Jack
The.
00:22:59
Jack
Went to a lot of places where there were a lot of other Canadians and and Americans and.
00:23:04
Johnny
Exactly.
00:23:05
Jack
Yeah.
00:23:06
Johnny
Yeah.
00:23:07
Jack
I guess I tell my students do do as I say, not as I do you.
00:23:08
Johnny
So.
00:23:11
Jack
Know so yeah.
00:23:13
Johnny
Yeah. Well, that that's basically what happens everywhere. Yeah, so.
00:23:16
Johnny
I guess that's that's why you know, I I hit the second ceiling because I.
00:23:20
Johnny
Don't have enough conversations with the real native speakers. Now I go to classes. OK, yeah, we we use English in the classroom, and we'll probably do some food assignment scaling and uh, you know that that's it. OK, so so you don't actually. So.
00:23:34
Jack
Yeah.
00:23:38
Johnny
You, you, you have a lot of input.
00:23:41
Johnny
But not not enough output. I understand this like in many years. Many years later. I don't understand the the understand the theory at the time.
00:23:43
Jack
Yes.
00:23:49
Jack
Right, right. Not so many students don't understand the theory, and there are a.
00:23:53
Jack
Lot of lot of.
00:23:54
Jack
Teachers have kind of older I'm going to use a big word here, antiquated for our listeners out there just means like old fashioned. Yeah, old fashioned kind of philosophy on education where.
00:24:01
Johnny
What does that mean? Old fashion OK.
00:24:09
Jack
You know, the students are sitting in a desk pointed at the teacher, and the teacher is speaking English to them.
00:24:14
Jack
That they're supposed to, you know? Shut your mouth, be quiet. Listen and and don't disturb my classroom, you know.
00:24:21
Johnny
You know what that that that's the the. That's the kind of educational system we've been using for more than 100 years and still going.
00:24:29
Jack
I know it's still going. You could put a PPT. You know you can put a a projector in a classroom and but it's still. I still find myself standing in front of a room full of people with their chairs pointing at me. And I I wondered to myself, why are we doing this? You know, 100 years.
00:24:44
Jack
Twitter it's it's it's terrible. So.
00:24:46
발표자
Yeah.
00:24:48
Johnny
Oh yeah, I almost fell. You're. You're a universal teacher.
00:24:52
Jack
Right. I teach university here in Korea. But yeah, it's still, you know, the this whole setup is is very familiar. Yeah, it it's it's the same almost everywhere. So how do we get to Johnny today, you know, with, with your wonderful eloquence and and speaking ability?
00:24:57
Johnny
It's 9.
00:25:11
Johnny
Yeah, I can only say I'm still learning, still learning to go still long way to go.
00:25:14
발표자
Well.
00:25:16
Jack
Yeah, sure. I mean, it's a, it's a, it's a never ending journey. You're never going to get there. There is no final destination.
00:25:22
Jack
And you know there, there's always, there's always even for me as a native speaker, there's still more words for me to learn and more things for me to read and understand and and to. But but that's kind of the beauty of of teaching I find is like.
00:25:32
Johnny
Excellent.
00:25:40
Jack
You you realize that?
00:25:43
Jack
The more you learn about something, you think that it's going to get closer to you. But as you look on the horizon, it just gets farther and farther away. It's like the deeper you that you go into English, the the horizon is moving away from you, the you know, it's getting farther away. And and you realize, oh, this is a never ending process.
00:25:59
Johnny
Yeah.
00:26:01
Johnny
Yeah.
00:26:04
Jack
Until you know the day I die, I'll still be learning English, you know, and.
00:26:08
Johnny
Yeah, we call that the A lifelong learner. OK, so you're learning for a lifetime.
00:26:11
Jack
Yep.
00:26:13
Jack
Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think that's that's a better way to look at yourself as or a better way to.
00:26:18
Jack
Look at it then to say ohh this is my destination and when I get there I'm going to stop.
00:26:24
Jack
It's like, no, you it it's be a lifelong learner. It's a much better way to think of yourself.
00:26:26
Johnny
Yeah, no.
00:26:31
Jack
So how how did you?
00:26:32
Jack
Get how did you get to where you are now?
00:26:34
Jack
Like what? What was your? What's your secret?
00:26:36
Johnny
I think the uh the 2nd, so now I'm coming to the the the second big game changer in my journey in my journey in in Australia. OK so.
00:26:42
Jack
OK. OK, right.
00:26:43
Jack
Right.
00:26:44
발표자
OK.
00:26:50
Johnny
I a well I I got a a part time job at the time. OK? So because I I think, OK, so something has to change.
00:27:00
Jack
Yeah.
00:27:00
Johnny
You have to work out. You have to work out your comfort zone. You know, sometimes you just have to push yourself a little to work out the comfort zone so that I found myself a part time job there.
00:27:10
Johnny
You know, uh, which is a salesperson at uh at a mobile phone store.
00:27:14
Jack
Oh wow. OK.
00:27:15
Johnny
So yeah, so and.
00:27:16
Jack
Now you now you need some technical English because.
00:27:19
Johnny
You have to learn. Yeah, you.
00:27:21
Jack
You're not going to get by with hamburger and.
00:27:21
Johnny
Have to learn a lot of 2nd.
00:27:23
Jack
You know. Yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
00:27:27
Johnny
My name is. You're not getting away with those simple words. So because not only do you have to talk to the customer.
00:27:34
Johnny
OK.
00:27:36
Johnny
But you also have to sell your products, OK? Otherwise you'll get fired.
00:27:40
Jack
Right, right.
00:27:41
Johnny
Well.
00:27:42
Johnny
So you not only have to to, uh, speak to them, you have to sort of get them hooked, you know, get them, listen to you. So so they'll they'll buy things right. So so establish this kind of connection.
00:27:56
Johnny
Yeah, right. So again, it it really allows me to get into a deeper conversation with them and and you know, because it's a paid job, right? So it's a paid job. So. So you're more serious about this, not like you're fooling around with your mates, right? Yeah.
00:28:12
Jack
Right. It's not like the classroom, you know, project where you're.
00:28:15
Jack
Joking around and you know, you know.
00:28:17
Johnny
You know.
00:28:18
Johnny
So sort of force myself to think about.
00:28:19
발표자
Absolutely.
00:28:24
Johnny
The some of the grammar, some of the the the terms that I use and I think I learned a ton from my my colleagues, OK, so.
00:28:32
Johnny
I think 1.
00:28:32
Johnny
Of my colleague is the is the best son. He's like 16 years old or something at the time, you know? So and.
00:28:42
Johnny
UM.
00:28:46
Johnny
So actually he he was using a lot of the teenager language, you know, still a lot of slang, the teenager slang saying and.
00:28:50
Jack
A lot of slang and yeah, yeah.
00:28:54
Johnny
I I still, but still you.
00:28:56
Johnny
You learn, you learn a.
00:28:57
Johnny
Lot.
00:28:57
Johnny
You know from that experience.
00:28:59
Jack
Yeah. Actually I think that might be the perfect kind of like practice partner is someone who's, you know they're they're not necessarily professional or established yet, you know, so they're not.
00:29:06
Johnny
Yeah.
00:29:11
Jack
Getting and you know, he's they're also probably way more relaxed and chill than like, you know, the an older person might be someone in their 40s and so.
00:29:22
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:29:25
Jack
It's much more comfortable.
00:29:26
Johnny
Yeah.
00:29:27
Johnny
Much more comfortable exactly.
00:29:29
Johnny
And and and I'm you know.
00:29:31
Johnny
I'm really thankful that he's not judging because I'm not so fluent in English. You know, because sometimes the teenagers, they're, they're the they, they can be, they can be the.
00:29:41
Johnny
Uh, some little demons, but they can be can also be the nicest person in the world, so you know, I just happened. I'm just so glad that I that I met the the, the, the the nicest person.
00:29:46
Jack
Right.
00:29:51
Johnny
In the world.
00:29:52
Johnny
They will be not judging and but it could be daunting sometimes, you know, to still face the face the customers, because they they can ask your questions, right. And they're they well. And I mean, I wouldn't. I don't want to say.
00:30:02
Jack
ABC.
00:30:02
Jack
Absolutely.
00:30:06
Johnny
But sometimes, as customers, they don't, they do not forgive you because because your native language is not English, right? Because.
00:30:14
Jack
They're just going to get frustrated. They're going to complain.
00:30:16
Johnny
Yeah, if you can't. Yeah, they they. If you can't explain something thoroughly, they're just gonna get complaint. It's very natural.
00:30:23
Jack
Well, it's a we we call them. That's a a Karen behavior social and I talked about. Yeah. One of our podcast well, I mean, but you you're gonna eventually you're going to get a Karen. You know what I mean? Like you're gonna get someone who's gonna.
00:30:30
Johnny
The shopping game.
00:30:39
Jack
The.
00:30:39
Johnny
OK.
00:30:40
Jack
Very impatient and frustrated because maybe they're not going to give you that extra like I don't know space to like kind of catch up in the conversation. They want to be understood immediately, and if you're not meeting their demands, they're going to start complaining. And so that that could be scary.
00:30:57
Johnny
Yeah. Yeah. And it was. It was. Yeah. And I'm going to just. I'm just going to.
00:31:04
Johnny
This, on behalf of all our audience here I are. You, a male, Karen Jack.
00:31:10
발표자
I'm like, yeah.
00:31:11
Jack
To be honest, actually I'm I'm very far from a male. Karen, you know I'm not. I'm not. I don't, I don't.
00:31:20
Jack
I I don't practice Karen like behavior in my in my regular day I'm pretty. I'm pretty patient and pretty, pretty laid back when it comes to those things. So yeah, yeah.
00:31:26
Johnny
And I'm just joking, just playing.
00:31:32
Jack
Yeah. So that was that sounds like that, that job, your part time job was again.
00:31:38
Jack
Your philosophy is kind of like, I mean, I'm starting to see a pattern here in like your in your life.
00:31:44
Jack
You first you decide to go to Australia, then you're like ohh. Now I have to learn English, you know. And then you're learning English in Australia and you're like, I'm gonna get a job. Ohh my gosh. Now I have to start speaking on a deeper level to these customers. It's like you put yourself in these situations that are very high stress and then you.
00:32:05
Jack
Rise to the OK.
00:32:06
Jack
Vision, which I think is you know, I mean that's like a a trade for of like very successful people will do that they'll they'll jump in first and then they'll be like now I have to figure this out whereas cautious people will you know I'm going to study for 10 years and then maybe I'll apply for that job it's it's much better to just do it your way.
00:32:27
Jack
Right. Just jump in and go for it or swim.
00:32:29
Johnny
Well, I I I guess I I I.
00:32:31
Johnny
Guess I I I got lucky. I got lucky that I have this opportunity.
00:32:36
Johnny
My as my family has been able to support me financially and which allows me to go to another country.
00:32:40
Jack
Yeah.
00:32:44
Johnny
To study so that that's what you know when you're in this country, when you're in this environment. So you could sort of.
00:32:51
Johnny
Take away your your safe, safe net so you don't have the safe net to fall back on. So you, you.
00:32:55
Jack
Right.
00:32:59
Johnny
You you have to, you have to.
00:33:02
Jack
And but you know it, it doesn't have to be extreme like what you did. I mean, what you did is pretty extreme, but.
00:33:08
Jack
I'm going to.
00:33:09
Jack
I'm going to say to our our listeners out.
00:33:11
Jack
There, you know.
00:33:12
Johnny
So.
00:33:14
Jack
It's also scary to introduce yourself to a native speaker.
00:33:18
Jack
You know, if you if you see one in your neighborhood, you know, like, that's scary. But you know what? Go introduce yourself. Just take that leap of of faith. And so that's like kind of doing it on like a micro level of what you did. And you don't have to move to Australia. You don't have to get a job.
00:33:26
Johnny
Yeah.
00:33:35
Jack
You know selling mobile phones, but you could just introduce yourself to someone who speaks English, try to befriend that person and and that could be another Ave. to success that doesn't require money. It might require a little bit of time and energy and you, you know.
00:33:53
Johnny
Exactly, yeah.
00:33:54
Jack
But I think.
00:33:55
Jack
I think these little things are, there are little ways to do to be, to take risks that will actually benefit you.
00:34:02
Johnny
Hmm. Yes, totally agreed. Yeah. So. So I I think it has to. Yeah. Yeah, I heard this. You have to start somewhere, right. Everything has to start somewhere. So.
00:34:14
Johnny
I think it's the the, it's. It's really crucial that.
00:34:18
Johnny
I think it's better.
00:34:19
Johnny
If you're determined to to learn this language.
00:34:23
Johnny
You better start somewhere or say whether that's uh, that's a really simple sentence. And maybe just saying hello, just like you're saying hello to.
00:34:30
Johnny
The to the foreigner in your.
00:34:31
Johnny
In your neighborhood? Yeah, something.
00:34:34
Johnny
You know, we're not gonna eat.
00:34:35
Johnny
You right, so why not? Why not?
00:34:37
Jack
They're.
00:34:38
Jack
Gonna.
00:34:38
Jack
Eat you. That's. I like that. That's.
00:34:39
Johnny
No. Why not? Yeah.
00:34:40
Jack
True.
00:34:42
Jack
Yeah.
00:34:43
Jack
UM, that's fascinating. And So what do you? Are you a teacher now? Is that if if.
00:34:47
Jack
I'm not mistaken.
00:34:47
Johnny
I am. Yeah. I I I, I.
00:34:49
Johnny
Am a teacher. I have a.
00:34:51
Johnny
I am the Niles teacher.
00:34:52
Johnny
So I think from that you know.
00:34:54
Johnny
Yeah.
00:34:55
Johnny
Uh, from a mobile phone job many years ago, and I found my interest in learning the language and speaking the language so.
00:35:05
Johnny
I you know.
00:35:06
Johnny
Well, I you know, I.
00:35:07
Johnny
Wound up in different.
00:35:07
Johnny
Jobs later, you.
00:35:08
Johnny
Know so that that's a long story, but anyway, so I eventually I was able to.
00:35:09
Jack
Yeah.
00:35:15
Johnny
Find a true interest which is language and language teaching, I guess.
00:35:20
Jack
Yeah.
00:35:20
Johnny
Hmm so so I am a teacher now.
00:35:21
Jack
That's amazing.
00:35:23
Jack
Yeah, I I love your story. I think it's fantastic and I think it's very inspiring. A lot of our listeners out there are going to appreciate it. And and I think some of them have had similar experiences and maybe you know, like you said, a lot of it is luck too, right? The fact that you met the.
00:35:24
Johnny
So this.
00:35:39
Jack
Right, people at the right time.
00:35:41
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:42
Jack
But you know, if you.
00:35:44
Jack
Put yourself out there. Opportunities are they're floating around, you know, and if you don't try you, you you 100% chance of failure. So you know you you you got to take you got to take a risk.
00:35:55
Johnny
Exactly, yeah.
00:35:58
Jack
UM, so Johnny, you're you're interested in podcasting, if I'm not mistaken, this is something that you're aspiring to do. Yeah. And you said you had some questions for me, so yeah.
00:36:04
Johnny
Yeah.
00:36:09
Johnny
Not only not. Yes, and thank you, Jack, for.
00:36:15
Johnny
You know, actually, I want to thank you to inviting me and thank you for inviting me today here. So I could be on the show and ask you about all these questions.
00:36:24
Jack
Absolutely.
00:36:25
Johnny
And so, yeah, you're you're saying that exactly. I'm. I'm I'm interested in starting a podcast. You know, I've been thinking about that for a long time and actually not not only broadcasting because.
00:36:39
Johnny
I'm I'm I'm actually.
00:36:40
Johnny
Quite new to podcasting because it's not the I guess it's not as popular as it is in.
00:36:46
Johnny
And you know basically.
00:36:48
Johnny
Outside China. OK, so in China it's, it's not a thing.
00:36:50
Jack
Yeah, yeah. And and these days it's always evolving because what I've noticed is that podcasting without youtubing or being a YouTuber or in China, Billy, Billy, you know, without doing something like that, you know, people want to be able to see you and listen to you. That's what I've I've, I've I've come to realize, is that they really want to see.
00:37:03
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:12
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:12
Jack
And listen.
00:37:14
Jack
And so I I would recommend if you do, you know if I were to do it all over again, I would have made more of an effort to be a podcaster slash like YouTuber and really put the effort into like the video as well, which we haven't, you know, for the last couple of years, we've been mostly just an audio podcast.
00:37:14
Johnny
Exactly.
00:37:25
Johnny
OK.
00:37:34
Jack
I don't know how you did. How did you find us, by the way?
00:37:38
Johnny
Oh, oh, yeah. That's that's an interesting word as well. I think the first summer class.
00:37:46
Johnny
Your channel on the on the channel, unbelievably.
00:37:50
Jack
Oh, OK.
00:37:51
Johnny
Yeah. So I was. Yeah, I yeah. So because I was, I was trying to find some of the some of the materials for my students because I don't think they have enough input. So I think they should listen to more of the native speaker conversations and.
00:37:52
발표자
All right.
00:38:05
발표자
Right.
00:38:10
Johnny
Well, trust me, I I've tried a few a bunch of different. I've tried different things, try different channels. OK so. But you know, because I I teach out.
00:38:15
발표자
Sure.
00:38:17
Jack
Yeah, yeah.
00:38:20
Johnny
Right, so I'm not speaking. It's sort of a, it's very conversational English, you know.
00:38:27
Jack
Right.
00:38:28
Johnny
Right, so a lot.
00:38:29
Johnny
Of students are familiar with the the sort of uh monologue type of uh speech type of English.
00:38:36
Jack
More toic or something like that, where it's like a a kind of presentational or something like a.
00:38:42
Jack
Like a.
00:38:42
Johnny
Presentation or. Yeah, yeah, yeah, something like that. Right. So, but not not, you know, the conversational English. So that that's that's.
00:38:48
Jack
Right.
00:38:50
Johnny
I came across your channel and I and I think wow this so this is just fantastic.
00:38:56
Jack
Thank you so much. We are the least like academic of the podcast that I've come across.
00:38:57
Johnny
This is this is.
00:39:02
Jack
You know we.
00:39:02
Johnny
And that that.
00:39:04
Johnny
Happened to be exactly what I needed.
00:39:06
Jack
That's fantastic. I I love hearing that. It makes us, you know it. It kind of validates, you know, things for, for social and me because we do we have kind of found our lane in which is it's not the most beautiful polished you know kind of podcast.
00:39:25
Jack
But we do just love to have, like, real, genuine conversations with each other. And I feel like that's something that's missing. It's everything's all planned out. It's so clean and so crisp and, you know, conversation is messy and ugly sometimes it's not, you know, it's it's not this like.
00:39:43
Johnny
Yeah, but that's, you know.
00:39:44
Jack
Beautiful, yeah.
00:39:47
Johnny
Well, it doesn't have language, doesn't have to be beautiful. That's that's my take.
00:39:49
Jack
Right. Yeah, exactly. We can't all be Shakespeare. It's not all poetry, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So if you, you know, if I. If I were in your your shoes. Well, let me ask you a couple of questions. First are are you thinking of doing like an aisle?
00:39:55
Johnny
No, no, no, no.
00:40:06
Jack
The style of podcast or something are you are you going to focus on?
00:40:08
Johnny
So yeah, that that you.
00:40:09
Jack
Something specific like that.
00:40:11
Johnny
Know Jack, that that's where I got stuck. You know, that's kind of where I got stuck because.
00:40:17
Johnny
There are some many.
00:40:19
Johnny
There are many competitors out there who are doing this kind of content already. OK, so.
00:40:25
발표자
Right.
00:40:27
Johnny
So if I were to do it now, OK, would I be able to ever compete with them because they started earlier?
00:40:34
Johnny
OK, so and and and and in doing that I kind of limit myself to uh, you know, to this group of audience that that they are only interested in in outs knowing you know this kind of small group of people you should know that.
00:40:35
발표자
Yeah.
00:40:47
Jack
Yeah.
00:40:49
Johnny
Yeah. So that's that's that's what I've done.
00:40:53
Johnny
That's that's what I'm worrying about. OK, so I I I, you know, in a way, I don't want to.
00:40:55
발표자
Mm-hmm.
00:40:58
Johnny
Limit myself to only.
00:41:00
Johnny
This screwed up audience and I want to. I want a bigger audience but.
00:41:04
Jack
Yeah, exactly. I, no, no, you got to be greedy because it's there's only, you know, there's only so much bandwidth out there that people have, you know, for for this kind of.
00:41:06
Johnny
Is that not too greedy?
00:41:15
Jack
Content and uh, you know, I mean social and I were still plugging away two years later and we've made some progress. But you know, there are times where our downloads are not as as good as some months. And you know we wish we were more successful like some of the bigger, you know, ESL podcast. But you know we stayed.
00:41:36
Jack
You know, we try to be genuine. We try to be authentic, we try to be true to ourselves and what we enjoy doing.
00:41:43
Jack
And I guess that's what I think that's my the best advice I could give you is find out like what your what do you authentically enjoy doing, you know like what are are you you know, if if teaching a lesson is your thing then then you know you could take some of your lessons from your alts class and you could actually.
00:41:55
Johnny
Yeah.
00:42:03
Jack
You know, convert those into like podcast form, you know, and do it that way, if you're you're a conversationalist because we're have we had, it's already been 45 minutes. We've been talking. So we're we're having this great conversation.
00:42:20
Jack
So you could go down that lane and or you could do all of those things, you know, and and just and and see what clicks with the, with the audience as well. Because once you get something that people like, you have to follow that, you know, follow that lead that trail because they're they're telling you what they want.
00:42:33
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:42:39
Jack
And you have to follow it. You know, sniff it out.
00:42:42
Johnny
Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not. It's.
00:42:44
Johnny
It's not about, yeah.
00:42:45
Johnny
Doing the right thing the right time.
00:42:47
Johnny
And uh, so I I guess, uh, videos, uh, the the the short videos are a thing you know since since the.
00:42:55
Johnny
Since TikTok I guess.
00:42:57
Jack
Yes.
00:42:57
Johnny
So you have seven other point, yeah, I was.
00:42:59
Johnny
Thinking about maybe I should do a TikTok or should I?
00:43:01
Johnny
Do TikTok.
00:43:02
Johnny
Or YouTube, or because YouTube is isn't really a you know, available in in China. So so should I be a YouTuber or so?
00:43:07
Jack
Right, right.
00:43:12
Johnny
A lot of things you have to take into consideration at the moment so.
00:43:15
Jack
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I would tell you, you know, honestly do it for a while because you'd love to do it.
00:43:23
Jack
And don't worry about the downloads and the success, because if you, you know, you find that that you really enjoy doing it. Like for me this is like very much.
00:43:35
Jack
A kind of a hobby. I I always call it a job. It's a jobby. It's like a.
00:43:38
Johnny
Yeah. OK. Is that is that a word?
00:43:42
Jack
I just made that up, but it's it's between, yeah.
00:43:44
Johnny
OK.
00:43:47
Jack
You know it. It's it's, it's something that I would love to do and generate income and survive on, but I'm not there yet. But I keep doing it. Not for for money or for fame or anything like that. I just really enjoy it, you know, it's just something that is really, really good.
00:44:06
Jack
And I think it's and you're you're doing something good for.
00:44:10
Jack
You're not just wasting people's time, you're actually giving them something that they they need, which is, you know, more, you know, content for language learning. Cause I think there's just, there's never. There can never be enough of that. To be honest, in my opinion, because people are always looking for more ways to learn English and they're connecting with certain personalities.
00:44:30
Jack
And you know it, you may just resonate with with certain people and and but I would, you know, follow your instincts, be yourself. Don't try to be you know somebody else.
00:44:36
Johnny
Yeah.
00:44:41
Jack
I am.
00:44:42
Jack
You know, I tried that in the beginning of podcasting where I tried to have a better broadcasting voice, but the truth is, I stammer. And I I I, you know, repeat myself and I, you know, you know, I do all that kind of stuff. And and that's just who I am, you know. And if if people don't like it, then you know, they they'll tune.
00:44:55
Johnny
Just feed yourself.
00:45:03
Jack
No, but I I think people will forgive you if they think you're being authentic and genuine as as a, as a presenter, as a podcaster.
00:45:12
Johnny
Yeah, I think.
00:45:13
Johnny
Being genuine that that's that's really crucial.
00:45:15
Johnny
Yeah, well, you know, I share the link of your your podcast to many of my students, and I think they they think it's absolutely fantastic. So a lot of my students been listening to. Well, thank you, Jack. Well, thank you for creating such a great.
00:45:26
Jack
Oh man, thank you so much.
00:45:31
Jack
Yeah.
00:45:33
Johnny
All these great content. OK. Thank you for you. And socials and Kevins and effort. You know, we're actually listening to some of these earlier, earlier episodes where you feature.
00:45:46
Jack
Yeah.
00:45:47
Johnny
Kevin and I mean.
00:45:49
Johnny
Maybe someone else. I don't remember the name.
00:45:52
Jack
Yeah, you're you're going into the deep cuts. Yeah, we had some really good conversations at the beginning, you know, Kevin and I started it together, and then he got too busy and social was a guest on our our podcast. And then she became a my full time podcasting partner. So. Yeah, just kind of funny how that happens.
00:45:53
Johnny
Are you sure? Yeah.
00:46:08
Johnny
Oh, OK.
00:46:12
Jack
UM, but uh, you know. Thank you, Johnny. It means a lot to us. And thank you so much for spreading the word and for our listeners out there. This was my my conversation with Johnny. John. If Johnny gets a podcast started, I will be the first to promote it to all our listeners out there. Of course. Of course.
00:46:29
Johnny
Thank you. Thank you, Jack, my name is.
00:46:33
Jack
And if you guys want to listen to this episode, go to our website A-Z englishpodcast.com if you want to leave us a message, you can send us an e-mail at at Oz English podcast at Gmail.
00:46:43
Jack
Com you can talk to us in our WhatsApp group or in our WeChat group for our our Chinese listeners out there. And with that said, Johnny, thanks again man and listeners. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.
00:46:53
Johnny
Thank you.
00:46:55
Johnny
Thank you.
00:46:57
Johnny
Bye bye.
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701 episodes
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In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Jack talks with lifelong English language learner Johnny from China.
Transcript:
00:00:00
Jack
Hey A-Z listeners, this is Jack here.
00:00:03
Jack
And if you would like to become a an exclusive subscriber to the show, you can hit the link in the description and that will take you to our Red Circle page, where for $1.99 a month you will get access to an extra two or three episodes each week.
00:00:23
Jack
And be careful, don't hit that donation button if you want to become an exclusive subscriber because the donation button is just a one time donation. However, the exclusive subscriber button will give you access to the extra two or three episodes.
00:00:42
Jack
Each week.
00:00:44
Jack
So make sure you hit that exclusive subscriber button if you want access to the extra episodes.
00:00:52
Jack
Now let's get on with the show.
00:00:56
Jack
Welcome to the AC English podcast. My name is Jack, and today we have a very special episode for you. I am doing an interview with Johnny and Johnny is from China and we're just going to have a conversation today. And, you know, leave and see where it leads. So Johnny.
00:01:16
Jack
Tell us a little bit. Like where, where?
00:01:17
Jack
Are you from in China? Exactly.
00:01:19
Johnny
Hi. Hi, Jack. Hi. The audience of AZ English podcast. My name is Johnny and I'm from China and I'm living in China at the moment, so it's a it's a great honor to me to be on the show with Jack. Yeah.
00:01:35
Jack
It's. It's an honor to have you here. You're a long time listener and you know you always, you know, send us, you know, comments and things like that. And we really appreciate your support. It's it's.
00:01:39
Johnny
Exactly, yeah.
00:01:46
Jack
Awesome.
00:01:47
Johnny
Well, that yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:01:49
Jack
Where where in China?
00:01:50
Jack
Are you from exactly like what city?
00:01:51
Jack
Do you live in?
00:01:52
Johnny
Oh, I'm. I'm from. I'm from the city called Fuzhou. That's like the the southern part of China. And so I'm in the South of China, basically. Yeah. It's like the coastal city here. Yeah. Yeah.
00:02:00
Jack
OK. OK. OK.
00:02:04
Jack
Yeah. Oh, I'm. I'm sure they've got amazing seafood there.
00:02:08
Johnny
Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know if you heard of the place, but we've actually got a lot of fellow countrymen, everyone, especially you, will find a lot of my people from my hometown in in New York. OK. So in Chinatown, a lot of them.
00:02:23
Jack
Oh. Oh, really.
00:02:25
Johnny
Are from Fuzhou.
00:02:26
Johnny
Actually, yeah. Yeah. So and they speak.
00:02:26
Jack
OK. Interesting.
00:02:28
Johnny
And and they speak still speak the the, the native native language. And it's like a dialect, yeah.
00:02:37
Jack
Right. So, so a lot of people there speak that dialect. OK, you sing. That's fascinating. OK.
00:02:40
Johnny
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:02:43
Jack
Yeah. Well, Johnny, a lot of our listeners would love to know, you know, they just from listening to you talk right now they're they're probably in awe because you have such a strong command of the English language. And when we do interview episodes like this, we'd love to, like, ask our our guests.
00:02:57
Johnny
Thank you.
00:03:03
Jack
Like, how did you like? What was your language journey like starting from when you were young? When did you Start learning English? What was your trajectory?
00:03:14
Johnny
Yeah, like on uh, so, you know, in China. So I think it's pretty much the same in in Korea. So we started learning language in perhaps in in our primary school. So we have like text.
00:03:25
Jack
I think it's third.
00:03:26
Jack
3rd grade in Korea is when they start.
00:03:28
Johnny
So great. Yeah, the same. No, it's it's. It's just thing to find out. Korea is the same. Yeah. So it's like third grade and we'll learn it all the way up to.
00:03:38
Johnny
Some people to high school high school, so we have the in the in the big exam, you know for entering university you will be tested in your English, just like Korea, right in Asian countries.
00:03:41
발표자
MHM.
00:03:47
Jack
Just like Korea, but but that test, am I not mistaken? Because I do teach some Chinese students that test is very grammar based. I mean, so it's a lot of just grammar, grammar, grammar, right.
00:03:58
Johnny
Exactly. Yeah, that's the.
00:04:02
Johnny
Yeah, and well, actually, we don't really learn spoken English in China. So it's not that focused on spoken English, so.
00:04:13
Johnny
They can. Well, like it's, you know, I've been.
00:04:16
Johnny
Previously I I have been learning English for many years, but I can barely speak three words of English because I've never spoken to anybody in China, so we don't really have the, you know, the the language environment here in China. That's that's the problem. The same in Korea.
00:04:31
Jack
I think it's the same in Korea. I think that they've they've implemented certain strategies to try to overcome that problem.
00:04:39
Jack
Because there are a lot of private academies in Korea, which I'm sure there probably are a lot of private schools in China as well, where students can Start learning English at a younger age and have exposure to like a native English speaker from Australia, America, Canada, whatever, yeah.
00:04:55
Johnny
Hmm.
00:04:59
Jack
Umm, but you know those are expensive. You know, not everyone can afford those. So you know, some kids are stuck with the public school system where it's like a.
00:05:10
Jack
A Korean teacher or a Chinese teacher lecturing in Chinese or in Korean, but they're teaching English, which is doesn't really make a lot of sense. You know when you're, when you think about it.
00:05:22
Johnny
Yeah. So I I still, I I think we're we're we're in desperate need for some good English teachers like you in China so.
00:05:30
발표자
But.
00:05:30
Johnny
Unfortunately, we don't. We don't have that many.
00:05:33
Johnny
Of native speakers who teach spoken English in China. Really. So that's. That's basically the situation here and.
00:05:39
Jack
OK. So take us back. So you're so Johnny's in primary school. And are you going to a private Academy or are you using the public school system?
00:05:42
Johnny
Yeah.
00:05:51
Johnny
Yeah, I'm. I'm pretty much using the the the public school system. Yeah. So just like, just like anybody else in in China. OK. So I wasn't in any language training school or anything. I didn't.
00:06:02
Johnny
Uh, I I didn't like English all that much, to be honest. I was like, yeah, right, that was. That was just a.
00:06:06
Jack
I was just gonna ask you that question. I was like, I bet you hated it passionately being, you know.
00:06:08
Johnny
Lot of fun, yeah.
00:06:11
Johnny
Yeah, in, in a sense. Yeah, in a sense like it was just another subject for me, OK. And I and I, well, I think I I did OK in in middle school, but in.
00:06:23
Johnny
In in high school like it fell, it falls off, I think pretty badly in in high school. So. So I didn't do so well in the the college entrance exam.
00:06:34
Johnny
For my English.
00:06:35
Johnny
OK so so I didn't didn't wasn't a really good English speaker.
00:06:42
Jack
Yeah, that's that's.
00:06:43
Johnny
Probably.
00:06:43
Jack
Shocking to us, you know, because listening to you right now, this conversation I'm like, how is this possible? Like what?
00:06:45
Johnny
Probably not. Not even.
00:06:49
Jack
Something, obviously something.
00:06:51
Jack
Happened along the way there. That was like a a real watershed like moment for you where you you did something dramatically different than you know.
00:06:54
Johnny
Yeah, right.
00:07:02
Jack
Following the school curriculum.
00:07:05
Johnny
Yeah, like, yeah, I I I wouldn't say I, I I wasn't even a good English learner, let alone a speaker. OK. So I think things got changed when I.
00:07:16
Johnny
Uh, when I decided to go to Australia and for for a further study. So and so I think and I started learning English like proper learning.
00:07:29
Johnny
English before that because you have to, you know, you have to pass the exams, you have to pass English exam before you can go there. So.
00:07:40
Johnny
I I think that's that's where I got started. But I notice, OK, so this this is actually kind of interesting so.
00:07:47
Jack
So did did you make the decision to go to Australia before you started learning English, you know, or were you already in the process of learning English, you know?
00:07:56
Johnny
No. So that was, you know, that was all after the.
00:08:00
Johnny
After I decided to go to Australia.
00:08:02
Jack
Wow, that's real. Like trial by fire. You're like, oh, my gosh, I've made this commitment and now?
00:08:08
Johnny
Yeah. Then you're sort of, you know, force yourself to, to be committed to this.
00:08:13
Jack
Yeah.
00:08:14
Johnny
So you got to do.
00:08:16
Johnny
Whatever you can you.
00:08:17
Johnny
Know to because this is the. So you, you. This is the choice you made so.
00:08:21
Johnny
You've got to commit to that.
00:08:23
Jack
Right, right. Umm, what was it like when you first arrived in Australia? How was your? How was your English at that time?
00:08:29
Johnny
Well, uh, I think I think things got changed. Uh, a bit after I I uh, you know, I went to the language school before I go to Australia so.
00:08:39
Johnny
I think I can't discover that I have this interest in in spoken language because I decided to started to really see if if if your English Movies OK, I think that's.
00:08:45
Jack
MHM.
00:08:53
Johnny
What? What, what?
00:08:54
Johnny
What started me off in the first place?
00:08:57
Jack
What kind of movies were you into I like.
00:08:59
Jack
Like.
00:08:59
Johnny
Oh, OK, that that, that's it. That was great because that was so many years ago. OK, so the the one I I can. Well, you know this sort of giving it away. Well, how how many years ago. So I I think that was like.
00:09:05
Jack
OK.
00:09:19
Johnny
Uh movies? Well, actually, I when I started off I I watched some of the older movies, OK like that the the the movies from from someone from the 90s like Terminators because that's one of my favorite. Yes. So Terminator two. Yeah.
00:09:28
Jack
Ohh yeah, sure. Terminating. Well, Sonny, that that I was in high school when that came out. So that gives away how old I am.
00:09:40
Johnny
Yeah, and terminate that because that was the all time classics. So I started seeing all those classic films like I, I don't remember. This one's called the negotiator. I don't know if you have seen this one.
00:09:51
Jack
Yeah. Sam Jackson. Yeah, that's a.
00:09:53
Jack
Great one, yeah.
00:09:54
Johnny
Yeah.
00:09:55
Johnny
Yeah.
00:09:56
Johnny
Right, Samuel Jackson and and Kevin Spacey. I, if I remember right. Yeah. So that that was the the sort of the movies that I I watched that at the time. OK. And then I kind of started me off and I and I think I followed a a TV program in China and that that was called Learning English with movies.
00:09:59
Jack
Yeah, exactly.
00:10:16
Jack
Ohh, I like that. That's cool.
00:10:18
Johnny
OK. So yeah, that was that was many years ago. OK. So and I I stumbled across that that that show on TV and I think that kind of started my you know that was that was very that was really mind blowing to me.
00:10:33
Johnny
Yeah, I can. I can actually learn something through movies when watching movies.
00:10:37
Jack
Something fun language learning can actually be enjoyable. It doesn't have to just suck all the time, you know? Yeah.
00:10:39
Johnny
It can be fun, right? It's like studying is fun.
00:10:46
Johnny
Yeah, it's because to me English is all about exam before, so you know about exams before. So yeah.
00:10:54
Johnny
That that kind of.
00:10:57
Johnny
UM introduced me to a whole new world.
00:11:01
Jack
Yeah. Yeah, that's that's great. I'm. I'm so glad that you brought because I think these like.
00:11:02
Johnny
If you like, yeah.
00:11:07
Jack
This idea that like if it's fun, it's not learning, and if it's painful, it's learning and I I I really I I just, I get disgusted by that kind of philosophy where if it doesn't, if it isn't boring and it isn't painful and tedious, then you're not really learning anything.
00:11:26
Jack
And it's so funny because it's like when you really started learning is when you actually started enjoying the process and and discovering.
00:11:36
Jack
English language movies and you know things like that where you can actually be entertained and also learn something along the way. That's a really great.
00:11:46
Johnny
Exactly. Yeah. That's how I felt. That's exactly how I felt. So that's.
00:11:51
Johnny
Nelson with mind blowing to me at a time so going.
00:11:54
Jack
Yeah, I'm just picturing you. Sorry to interrupt you. So just to get back, so you, you you went to Australia?
00:12:03
Jack
And you, you you had a pretty, like decent command of the language when you got there, you felt pretty comfortable.
00:12:03
Johnny
Yeah.
00:12:08
Jack
With like like.
00:12:09
Johnny
I I wouldn't. I wouldn't say that I had a good command of the language. I still, you know, I would. I I was able to I I guess I was able to order something in McDonald's, yeah.
00:12:22
Jack
OK. OK. OK.
00:12:24
Johnny
So I was I didn't have to staff myself. That's I think I I I would say that's the level I've I've gotten. And at the time.
00:12:30
Jack
Kind of a we.
00:12:31
Jack
We would call that like in. Yeah. So like a surface level of understanding where you can kind of navigate, you can get around in taxi, go straight, turn right, turn left. This is my house. This is my stop. Give me the 2 cheeseburgers with large fries. You know that.
00:12:42
Johnny
Yeah.
00:12:46
Johnny
Yeah, probably even.
00:12:46
Jack
Kind of stuff.
00:12:48
Jack
That's where my Korean is right now, you know.
00:12:50
Jack
To be honest, I've been stuck there for a decade.
00:12:51
Johnny
OK.
00:12:52
Jack
Right. So yeah.
00:12:54
Johnny
So I probably I I I couldn't even like name the the correct cheeseburger that I wanted. Yeah, I I can order a cheeseburger. Yeah, I I you know the the first thing I say is that you can even say.
00:13:01
Jack
You could just point.
00:13:06
Johnny
This one, that one is something like that.
00:13:08
Johnny
Yeah, yeah. I didn't even know how to say how to how to get a straw, you know? So in, in, in our language, we we call it a sucker. So The funny thing, you're.
00:13:16
Jack
So yeah, you don't want to ask for a sucker at McDonald's in Australia, you might you might get in trouble over there to see if.
00:13:17
Johnny
Not not get a.
00:13:22
Johnny
Yeah. Can I get a sucker or something like?
00:13:23
Johnny
That. So that's quite funny.
00:13:25
Jack
That is funny. Yeah, that's that's that's hilarious.
00:13:29
Jack
So how long in?
00:13:30
Jack
Australia, before you really started to like, you know, feel like you were in your groove, you know, really like making progress.
00:13:37
Johnny
Hmm.
00:13:38
Johnny
I I think that was I think the first major change or you know it's it's gone to a point where you realize that OK, something has changed. OK. So I have I have improved, OK that that moment came, I think about half year after I arrived in Australia 6 months later, OK.
00:13:56
Jack
Yeah.
00:13:58
Jack
Six months, yeah.
00:13:59
Johnny
Hmm.
00:14:00
Johnny
So I I think I you know the the the the sentences that that came out of my mouth was a little different. You know I can I think I can sort of.
00:14:09
Johnny
Use the the relative cost in my in my sentences. So that was a big that that was a that was a big change.
00:14:12
발표자
MHM.
00:14:17
Jack
Yeah, this is the place where that's the person who.
00:14:20
Johnny
This is a place where, yeah, so you can actually add a little description after the after the NUM.
00:14:25
Jack
Right.
00:14:26
Johnny
And and that that was, uh, that, that that was like a game changer.
00:14:31
Johnny
OK, so you can add significant amount of information to your to the, to the things that you say.
00:14:31
Jack
Yeah.
00:14:38
Jack
Absolutely. Absolutely. And that because it's instead of short, choppy sentences all the time, you're able to, like you said, add description to a noun and to, you know, build on that and and make your sentences longer and longer. So it's really funny that you bring up like relative clause because it's like.
00:14:54
Johnny
Yeah, it's still longer.
00:14:58
Jack
You're going back to your grammar roots, you know, in China.
00:15:02
Jack
Where you learn.
00:15:02
Johnny
Yeah.
00:15:02
Jack
From relative clauses, but you're like now I can use a relative clause, which is. You know, that's really different to me. Yeah. And you know what it means exactly. Yeah.
00:15:07
Johnny
Now I really understand what it means.
00:15:13
Johnny
And I understand.
00:15:14
Johnny
Why they did native speakers use it OK, because you need to. You need more. You need depth in in your language you need more information description.
00:15:17
Jack
Yeah.
00:15:24
Jack
Absolutely.
00:15:24
Johnny
Sorry, yeah.
00:15:26
Jack
I'm so yeah, I'm. I'm just, you know, I'm. I'm thinking about your your your story is really.
00:15:32
Jack
Maybe making a lot of like I'm making a lot of connections to other students that I've that I've met and that I've talked to and interviewed. They find that like when they, I I I equated to like learning the guitar or something. When you're learning the guitar or learning a language.
00:15:53
Jack
You improve quickly in the beginning.
00:15:55
Jack
And then you hit a plateau.
00:15:57
Jack
And you get kind of stuck on this one level and you feel like you're never going to.
00:16:02
Jack
Bump up another level and then suddenly one day out of the blue, like you said, you're just making sentences that are longer and more descriptive. And it kind of does that kind of light a fire with within you to be like, wow, this makes me wanna learn this even more because I'm seeing the improvements.
00:16:23
Jack
Objectively, you know.
00:16:24
Johnny
You know. Yeah, certainly. Yeah. So I think I've, I've got more confidence after after I I know I what I can do.
00:16:36
Johnny
But interestingly enough, like not long after that, you know, I think I kind of hit another ceiling.
00:16:43
Jack
OK.
00:16:44
Jack
That's normal. That's normal. Normal, yeah.
00:16:45
Johnny
That's not. Yeah, that's that's not there for. So I I I can.
00:16:52
Johnny
You know, I I.
00:16:54
Johnny
I think I passed that phase where I can only, uh, say very simple sentences. OK, so uh, so I can have, uh, more meaningful conversation with, with some with a native speaker.
00:17:07
Johnny
OK, but I still uh, I'm so.
00:17:12
Johnny
Uh, I'm still not confident. I'm not confident enough in in some of the the more deep conversations, right. And I think I I kind of stuck there. It's just like you said, you know, so yeah, that was a really good analogy like learning guitar. It's like kind of stuck there for for a long time again.
00:17:32
Jack
Good.
00:17:33
Johnny
OK, I didn't see any. I didn't see any improvements in my language. So I think that that's that, that that lasted.
00:17:39
Johnny
About I think maybe.
00:17:43
Johnny
A good one or two years. OK. So that was, uh, kind of suffered because.
00:17:49
Jack
But I I wanna. I wanna just talk about this a little bit because I I think I I don't want to listeners to misunderstand that you're.
00:17:58
Jack
You felt like you're not making progress and maybe when it comes to like producing utterances, but but things were happening inside of your brain during that entire period of time there were you were you were immersed in English language, you were internalizing rules and patterns and things like that. You just weren't able to.
00:18:19
Jack
Kind of convert it into utterances that were, you know, you know, speech perhaps. But I think that you were improving. I I just think.
00:18:30
Jack
Like it's it's part of the process is like you feel like you're stuck, but you're actually not. Things are happening and and progress is being made. It just might not be as obvious as you know. Perhaps we would want it to be, you know, because we we want like in two weeks later we want to.
00:18:50
Jack
You know, show people look what I can do, you know? But it's it takes.
00:18:53
Jack
A long time.
00:18:55
Jack
To get to that next level. And so I think a lot of people give up during that time. And it's sad because they're actually they are improving, it just maybe isn't showing the way that they want it to.
00:19:01
Johnny
Yeah.
00:19:06
Johnny
That I think that that's a fair point because.
00:19:08
Johnny
Probably you know, I I I I would have given up at A at a point, but you know I was.
00:19:16
Johnny
I was not in China, you know, I was in another country, so there's no way. There's no way you can get around.
00:19:18
Jack
You couldn't give up you. You were in. You were swimming with sharks. You know you. You were. You. Like sink or swim right here.
00:19:27
Johnny
Yeah. So there was, there was so everything. Everything you do, every every time after you, you know, you wake up, you have to speak English, otherwise you you know, otherwise you wouldn't be able to do anything. So. So I I kind of got lucky there. So at at that point.
00:19:39
발표자
Sure.
00:19:44
Johnny
You you're in that environment, so there's no.
00:19:46
Johnny
Way you can give up.
00:19:48
Johnny
So I kind of got me through that period where you feel, you know, a little disappointed about yourself, OK, about not making any progress.
00:19:58
Jack
So Johnny, we talked about that you're like long plateau. That was like maybe two or three years.
00:20:03
Jack
Or maybe one?
00:20:04
Jack
Or two years where you got kind of stuck. Yeah. And so how how long were you in Australia by the?
00:20:04
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:06
Johnny
One or two years.
00:20:10
발표자
OK.
00:20:12
Johnny
Just a couple of.
00:20:12
Johnny
Years like three to four years, yeah.
00:20:14
Jack
OK, OK. And and what did you like when when you made that second jump up after that one to two year plateau, were you able to like have deeper conversations with people? Did you feel like like when you're sitting in a circle at a coffee table in there, you know the native Australians are are kind of you know?
00:20:34
Jack
Bantering back and forth and you before you were kind of lost in the conversation, did you feel like now you understood what was going on? You were able to understand kind of a more on a deeper level what they were talking about?
00:20:47
Johnny
Actually, no, actually no. No, because you know, you know Aussies because they have this very strong Australian accent. So as long as they they have the, it's like almost like they.
00:20:48
Jack
OK, OK.
00:20:55
Jack
Right.
00:21:00
Johnny
You're not really speaking English, right? So there's systems like totally different use different words, you know? So they are a lot different when the slings are strong and slang so.
00:21:05
Jack
They use a lot of different words, yeah.
00:21:11
Johnny
You will not be.
00:21:12
Johnny
You get.
00:21:14
Johnny
So that was that was the problem there.
00:21:16
Johnny
Sure, sure.
00:21:18
Johnny
Yeah, and no. You have problem with overseas students. So the overseas students usually hang out.
00:21:25
Johnny
With the overseas students.
00:21:26
Jack
Yes. So you we always tell them that we always, I always tell my students, don't hang out with your Korean friends like, don't do it.
00:21:27
발표자
I didn't really.
00:21:31
Johnny
Exactly.
00:21:33
Johnny
I I tell I tell myself that but you.
00:21:35
Johnny
Know it's just.
00:21:37
Johnny
Sometimes it's, uh, it's uh. Well, you know, you know, uh, it's something you should do, but you just not be able to do it, right. So you.
00:21:43
Jack
Right. And it's comfortable and it's familiar and it's comforting and it's so it's so tempting. It's so tempting.
00:21:46
Johnny
It's kind of, yeah, it's familiar, right? So you? Yeah.
00:21:51
Johnny
So when you.
00:21:52
Johnny
When when you, when you talk to the native speakers and you when you hear so many words that you don't understand, it's just so frustrating. Right? I I guess it's frustrating for for anybody. You know, it's funny thing is I I found like a French class.
00:22:00
Jack
Sure.
00:22:05
Johnny
They they they hang out with friends as well. That's what happened.
00:22:09
Jack
Ohh yeah, this is not yeah, this is not like a Korean or Chinese. You know, I don't wanna say problem, but like situation, you know it's it's something that a lot of exchange students will do because when you're when you're feeling lost and completely rudderless, you know just you alone in the ocean.
00:22:18
발표자
Yeah.
00:22:29
Jack
The first thing you're gonna do is is go towards something that's comfortable and familiar.
00:22:34
Jack
And you're gonna find people who are from your, you know, your country, and you're gonna latch on to them and hold on for dear life, you know, because it's. It's.
00:22:44
Johnny
Like. Yeah, yeah, I I guess because I think you you probably share the same experience cause you're you're in career. Yeah, so you.
00:22:44
Jack
Scary. You know to do that.
00:22:51
Jack
Yep, Yep.
00:22:53
Johnny
So I don't know about that. When you put the life there.
00:22:54
Jack
My my I hung out with a lot of Americans and Canadians and.
00:22:58
Jack
The.
00:22:59
Jack
Went to a lot of places where there were a lot of other Canadians and and Americans and.
00:23:04
Johnny
Exactly.
00:23:05
Jack
Yeah.
00:23:06
Johnny
Yeah.
00:23:07
Jack
I guess I tell my students do do as I say, not as I do you.
00:23:08
Johnny
So.
00:23:11
Jack
Know so yeah.
00:23:13
Johnny
Yeah. Well, that that's basically what happens everywhere. Yeah, so.
00:23:16
Johnny
I guess that's that's why you know, I I hit the second ceiling because I.
00:23:20
Johnny
Don't have enough conversations with the real native speakers. Now I go to classes. OK, yeah, we we use English in the classroom, and we'll probably do some food assignment scaling and uh, you know that that's it. OK, so so you don't actually. So.
00:23:34
Jack
Yeah.
00:23:38
Johnny
You, you, you have a lot of input.
00:23:41
Johnny
But not not enough output. I understand this like in many years. Many years later. I don't understand the the understand the theory at the time.
00:23:43
Jack
Yes.
00:23:49
Jack
Right, right. Not so many students don't understand the theory, and there are a.
00:23:53
Jack
Lot of lot of.
00:23:54
Jack
Teachers have kind of older I'm going to use a big word here, antiquated for our listeners out there just means like old fashioned. Yeah, old fashioned kind of philosophy on education where.
00:24:01
Johnny
What does that mean? Old fashion OK.
00:24:09
Jack
You know, the students are sitting in a desk pointed at the teacher, and the teacher is speaking English to them.
00:24:14
Jack
That they're supposed to, you know? Shut your mouth, be quiet. Listen and and don't disturb my classroom, you know.
00:24:21
Johnny
You know what that that that's the the. That's the kind of educational system we've been using for more than 100 years and still going.
00:24:29
Jack
I know it's still going. You could put a PPT. You know you can put a a projector in a classroom and but it's still. I still find myself standing in front of a room full of people with their chairs pointing at me. And I I wondered to myself, why are we doing this? You know, 100 years.
00:24:44
Jack
Twitter it's it's it's terrible. So.
00:24:46
발표자
Yeah.
00:24:48
Johnny
Oh yeah, I almost fell. You're. You're a universal teacher.
00:24:52
Jack
Right. I teach university here in Korea. But yeah, it's still, you know, the this whole setup is is very familiar. Yeah, it it's it's the same almost everywhere. So how do we get to Johnny today, you know, with, with your wonderful eloquence and and speaking ability?
00:24:57
Johnny
It's 9.
00:25:11
Johnny
Yeah, I can only say I'm still learning, still learning to go still long way to go.
00:25:14
발표자
Well.
00:25:16
Jack
Yeah, sure. I mean, it's a, it's a, it's a never ending journey. You're never going to get there. There is no final destination.
00:25:22
Jack
And you know there, there's always, there's always even for me as a native speaker, there's still more words for me to learn and more things for me to read and understand and and to. But but that's kind of the beauty of of teaching I find is like.
00:25:32
Johnny
Excellent.
00:25:40
Jack
You you realize that?
00:25:43
Jack
The more you learn about something, you think that it's going to get closer to you. But as you look on the horizon, it just gets farther and farther away. It's like the deeper you that you go into English, the the horizon is moving away from you, the you know, it's getting farther away. And and you realize, oh, this is a never ending process.
00:25:59
Johnny
Yeah.
00:26:01
Johnny
Yeah.
00:26:04
Jack
Until you know the day I die, I'll still be learning English, you know, and.
00:26:08
Johnny
Yeah, we call that the A lifelong learner. OK, so you're learning for a lifetime.
00:26:11
Jack
Yep.
00:26:13
Jack
Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think that's that's a better way to look at yourself as or a better way to.
00:26:18
Jack
Look at it then to say ohh this is my destination and when I get there I'm going to stop.
00:26:24
Jack
It's like, no, you it it's be a lifelong learner. It's a much better way to think of yourself.
00:26:26
Johnny
Yeah, no.
00:26:31
Jack
So how how did you?
00:26:32
Jack
Get how did you get to where you are now?
00:26:34
Jack
Like what? What was your? What's your secret?
00:26:36
Johnny
I think the uh the 2nd, so now I'm coming to the the the second big game changer in my journey in my journey in in Australia. OK so.
00:26:42
Jack
OK. OK, right.
00:26:43
Jack
Right.
00:26:44
발표자
OK.
00:26:50
Johnny
I a well I I got a a part time job at the time. OK? So because I I think, OK, so something has to change.
00:27:00
Jack
Yeah.
00:27:00
Johnny
You have to work out. You have to work out your comfort zone. You know, sometimes you just have to push yourself a little to work out the comfort zone so that I found myself a part time job there.
00:27:10
Johnny
You know, uh, which is a salesperson at uh at a mobile phone store.
00:27:14
Jack
Oh wow. OK.
00:27:15
Johnny
So yeah, so and.
00:27:16
Jack
Now you now you need some technical English because.
00:27:19
Johnny
You have to learn. Yeah, you.
00:27:21
Jack
You're not going to get by with hamburger and.
00:27:21
Johnny
Have to learn a lot of 2nd.
00:27:23
Jack
You know. Yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
00:27:27
Johnny
My name is. You're not getting away with those simple words. So because not only do you have to talk to the customer.
00:27:34
Johnny
OK.
00:27:36
Johnny
But you also have to sell your products, OK? Otherwise you'll get fired.
00:27:40
Jack
Right, right.
00:27:41
Johnny
Well.
00:27:42
Johnny
So you not only have to to, uh, speak to them, you have to sort of get them hooked, you know, get them, listen to you. So so they'll they'll buy things right. So so establish this kind of connection.
00:27:56
Johnny
Yeah, right. So again, it it really allows me to get into a deeper conversation with them and and you know, because it's a paid job, right? So it's a paid job. So. So you're more serious about this, not like you're fooling around with your mates, right? Yeah.
00:28:12
Jack
Right. It's not like the classroom, you know, project where you're.
00:28:15
Jack
Joking around and you know, you know.
00:28:17
Johnny
You know.
00:28:18
Johnny
So sort of force myself to think about.
00:28:19
발표자
Absolutely.
00:28:24
Johnny
The some of the grammar, some of the the the terms that I use and I think I learned a ton from my my colleagues, OK, so.
00:28:32
Johnny
I think 1.
00:28:32
Johnny
Of my colleague is the is the best son. He's like 16 years old or something at the time, you know? So and.
00:28:42
Johnny
UM.
00:28:46
Johnny
So actually he he was using a lot of the teenager language, you know, still a lot of slang, the teenager slang saying and.
00:28:50
Jack
A lot of slang and yeah, yeah.
00:28:54
Johnny
I I still, but still you.
00:28:56
Johnny
You learn, you learn a.
00:28:57
Johnny
Lot.
00:28:57
Johnny
You know from that experience.
00:28:59
Jack
Yeah. Actually I think that might be the perfect kind of like practice partner is someone who's, you know they're they're not necessarily professional or established yet, you know, so they're not.
00:29:06
Johnny
Yeah.
00:29:11
Jack
Getting and you know, he's they're also probably way more relaxed and chill than like, you know, the an older person might be someone in their 40s and so.
00:29:22
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:29:25
Jack
It's much more comfortable.
00:29:26
Johnny
Yeah.
00:29:27
Johnny
Much more comfortable exactly.
00:29:29
Johnny
And and and I'm you know.
00:29:31
Johnny
I'm really thankful that he's not judging because I'm not so fluent in English. You know, because sometimes the teenagers, they're, they're the they, they can be, they can be the.
00:29:41
Johnny
Uh, some little demons, but they can be can also be the nicest person in the world, so you know, I just happened. I'm just so glad that I that I met the the, the, the the nicest person.
00:29:46
Jack
Right.
00:29:51
Johnny
In the world.
00:29:52
Johnny
They will be not judging and but it could be daunting sometimes, you know, to still face the face the customers, because they they can ask your questions, right. And they're they well. And I mean, I wouldn't. I don't want to say.
00:30:02
Jack
ABC.
00:30:02
Jack
Absolutely.
00:30:06
Johnny
But sometimes, as customers, they don't, they do not forgive you because because your native language is not English, right? Because.
00:30:14
Jack
They're just going to get frustrated. They're going to complain.
00:30:16
Johnny
Yeah, if you can't. Yeah, they they. If you can't explain something thoroughly, they're just gonna get complaint. It's very natural.
00:30:23
Jack
Well, it's a we we call them. That's a a Karen behavior social and I talked about. Yeah. One of our podcast well, I mean, but you you're gonna eventually you're going to get a Karen. You know what I mean? Like you're gonna get someone who's gonna.
00:30:30
Johnny
The shopping game.
00:30:39
Jack
The.
00:30:39
Johnny
OK.
00:30:40
Jack
Very impatient and frustrated because maybe they're not going to give you that extra like I don't know space to like kind of catch up in the conversation. They want to be understood immediately, and if you're not meeting their demands, they're going to start complaining. And so that that could be scary.
00:30:57
Johnny
Yeah. Yeah. And it was. It was. Yeah. And I'm going to just. I'm just going to.
00:31:04
Johnny
This, on behalf of all our audience here I are. You, a male, Karen Jack.
00:31:10
발표자
I'm like, yeah.
00:31:11
Jack
To be honest, actually I'm I'm very far from a male. Karen, you know I'm not. I'm not. I don't, I don't.
00:31:20
Jack
I I don't practice Karen like behavior in my in my regular day I'm pretty. I'm pretty patient and pretty, pretty laid back when it comes to those things. So yeah, yeah.
00:31:26
Johnny
And I'm just joking, just playing.
00:31:32
Jack
Yeah. So that was that sounds like that, that job, your part time job was again.
00:31:38
Jack
Your philosophy is kind of like, I mean, I'm starting to see a pattern here in like your in your life.
00:31:44
Jack
You first you decide to go to Australia, then you're like ohh. Now I have to learn English, you know. And then you're learning English in Australia and you're like, I'm gonna get a job. Ohh my gosh. Now I have to start speaking on a deeper level to these customers. It's like you put yourself in these situations that are very high stress and then you.
00:32:05
Jack
Rise to the OK.
00:32:06
Jack
Vision, which I think is you know, I mean that's like a a trade for of like very successful people will do that they'll they'll jump in first and then they'll be like now I have to figure this out whereas cautious people will you know I'm going to study for 10 years and then maybe I'll apply for that job it's it's much better to just do it your way.
00:32:27
Jack
Right. Just jump in and go for it or swim.
00:32:29
Johnny
Well, I I I guess I I I.
00:32:31
Johnny
Guess I I I got lucky. I got lucky that I have this opportunity.
00:32:36
Johnny
My as my family has been able to support me financially and which allows me to go to another country.
00:32:40
Jack
Yeah.
00:32:44
Johnny
To study so that that's what you know when you're in this country, when you're in this environment. So you could sort of.
00:32:51
Johnny
Take away your your safe, safe net so you don't have the safe net to fall back on. So you, you.
00:32:55
Jack
Right.
00:32:59
Johnny
You you have to, you have to.
00:33:02
Jack
And but you know it, it doesn't have to be extreme like what you did. I mean, what you did is pretty extreme, but.
00:33:08
Jack
I'm going to.
00:33:09
Jack
I'm going to say to our our listeners out.
00:33:11
Jack
There, you know.
00:33:12
Johnny
So.
00:33:14
Jack
It's also scary to introduce yourself to a native speaker.
00:33:18
Jack
You know, if you if you see one in your neighborhood, you know, like, that's scary. But you know what? Go introduce yourself. Just take that leap of of faith. And so that's like kind of doing it on like a micro level of what you did. And you don't have to move to Australia. You don't have to get a job.
00:33:26
Johnny
Yeah.
00:33:35
Jack
You know selling mobile phones, but you could just introduce yourself to someone who speaks English, try to befriend that person and and that could be another Ave. to success that doesn't require money. It might require a little bit of time and energy and you, you know.
00:33:53
Johnny
Exactly, yeah.
00:33:54
Jack
But I think.
00:33:55
Jack
I think these little things are, there are little ways to do to be, to take risks that will actually benefit you.
00:34:02
Johnny
Hmm. Yes, totally agreed. Yeah. So. So I I think it has to. Yeah. Yeah, I heard this. You have to start somewhere, right. Everything has to start somewhere. So.
00:34:14
Johnny
I think it's the the, it's. It's really crucial that.
00:34:18
Johnny
I think it's better.
00:34:19
Johnny
If you're determined to to learn this language.
00:34:23
Johnny
You better start somewhere or say whether that's uh, that's a really simple sentence. And maybe just saying hello, just like you're saying hello to.
00:34:30
Johnny
The to the foreigner in your.
00:34:31
Johnny
In your neighborhood? Yeah, something.
00:34:34
Johnny
You know, we're not gonna eat.
00:34:35
Johnny
You right, so why not? Why not?
00:34:37
Jack
They're.
00:34:38
Jack
Gonna.
00:34:38
Jack
Eat you. That's. I like that. That's.
00:34:39
Johnny
No. Why not? Yeah.
00:34:40
Jack
True.
00:34:42
Jack
Yeah.
00:34:43
Jack
UM, that's fascinating. And So what do you? Are you a teacher now? Is that if if.
00:34:47
Jack
I'm not mistaken.
00:34:47
Johnny
I am. Yeah. I I I, I.
00:34:49
Johnny
Am a teacher. I have a.
00:34:51
Johnny
I am the Niles teacher.
00:34:52
Johnny
So I think from that you know.
00:34:54
Johnny
Yeah.
00:34:55
Johnny
Uh, from a mobile phone job many years ago, and I found my interest in learning the language and speaking the language so.
00:35:05
Johnny
I you know.
00:35:06
Johnny
Well, I you know, I.
00:35:07
Johnny
Wound up in different.
00:35:07
Johnny
Jobs later, you.
00:35:08
Johnny
Know so that that's a long story, but anyway, so I eventually I was able to.
00:35:09
Jack
Yeah.
00:35:15
Johnny
Find a true interest which is language and language teaching, I guess.
00:35:20
Jack
Yeah.
00:35:20
Johnny
Hmm so so I am a teacher now.
00:35:21
Jack
That's amazing.
00:35:23
Jack
Yeah, I I love your story. I think it's fantastic and I think it's very inspiring. A lot of our listeners out there are going to appreciate it. And and I think some of them have had similar experiences and maybe you know, like you said, a lot of it is luck too, right? The fact that you met the.
00:35:24
Johnny
So this.
00:35:39
Jack
Right, people at the right time.
00:35:41
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:42
Jack
But you know, if you.
00:35:44
Jack
Put yourself out there. Opportunities are they're floating around, you know, and if you don't try you, you you 100% chance of failure. So you know you you you got to take you got to take a risk.
00:35:55
Johnny
Exactly, yeah.
00:35:58
Jack
UM, so Johnny, you're you're interested in podcasting, if I'm not mistaken, this is something that you're aspiring to do. Yeah. And you said you had some questions for me, so yeah.
00:36:04
Johnny
Yeah.
00:36:09
Johnny
Not only not. Yes, and thank you, Jack, for.
00:36:15
Johnny
You know, actually, I want to thank you to inviting me and thank you for inviting me today here. So I could be on the show and ask you about all these questions.
00:36:24
Jack
Absolutely.
00:36:25
Johnny
And so, yeah, you're you're saying that exactly. I'm. I'm I'm interested in starting a podcast. You know, I've been thinking about that for a long time and actually not not only broadcasting because.
00:36:39
Johnny
I'm I'm I'm actually.
00:36:40
Johnny
Quite new to podcasting because it's not the I guess it's not as popular as it is in.
00:36:46
Johnny
And you know basically.
00:36:48
Johnny
Outside China. OK, so in China it's, it's not a thing.
00:36:50
Jack
Yeah, yeah. And and these days it's always evolving because what I've noticed is that podcasting without youtubing or being a YouTuber or in China, Billy, Billy, you know, without doing something like that, you know, people want to be able to see you and listen to you. That's what I've I've, I've I've come to realize, is that they really want to see.
00:37:03
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:12
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:12
Jack
And listen.
00:37:14
Jack
And so I I would recommend if you do, you know if I were to do it all over again, I would have made more of an effort to be a podcaster slash like YouTuber and really put the effort into like the video as well, which we haven't, you know, for the last couple of years, we've been mostly just an audio podcast.
00:37:14
Johnny
Exactly.
00:37:25
Johnny
OK.
00:37:34
Jack
I don't know how you did. How did you find us, by the way?
00:37:38
Johnny
Oh, oh, yeah. That's that's an interesting word as well. I think the first summer class.
00:37:46
Johnny
Your channel on the on the channel, unbelievably.
00:37:50
Jack
Oh, OK.
00:37:51
Johnny
Yeah. So I was. Yeah, I yeah. So because I was, I was trying to find some of the some of the materials for my students because I don't think they have enough input. So I think they should listen to more of the native speaker conversations and.
00:37:52
발표자
All right.
00:38:05
발표자
Right.
00:38:10
Johnny
Well, trust me, I I've tried a few a bunch of different. I've tried different things, try different channels. OK so. But you know, because I I teach out.
00:38:15
발표자
Sure.
00:38:17
Jack
Yeah, yeah.
00:38:20
Johnny
Right, so I'm not speaking. It's sort of a, it's very conversational English, you know.
00:38:27
Jack
Right.
00:38:28
Johnny
Right, so a lot.
00:38:29
Johnny
Of students are familiar with the the sort of uh monologue type of uh speech type of English.
00:38:36
Jack
More toic or something like that, where it's like a a kind of presentational or something like a.
00:38:42
Jack
Like a.
00:38:42
Johnny
Presentation or. Yeah, yeah, yeah, something like that. Right. So, but not not, you know, the conversational English. So that that's that's.
00:38:48
Jack
Right.
00:38:50
Johnny
I came across your channel and I and I think wow this so this is just fantastic.
00:38:56
Jack
Thank you so much. We are the least like academic of the podcast that I've come across.
00:38:57
Johnny
This is this is.
00:39:02
Jack
You know we.
00:39:02
Johnny
And that that.
00:39:04
Johnny
Happened to be exactly what I needed.
00:39:06
Jack
That's fantastic. I I love hearing that. It makes us, you know it. It kind of validates, you know, things for, for social and me because we do we have kind of found our lane in which is it's not the most beautiful polished you know kind of podcast.
00:39:25
Jack
But we do just love to have, like, real, genuine conversations with each other. And I feel like that's something that's missing. It's everything's all planned out. It's so clean and so crisp and, you know, conversation is messy and ugly sometimes it's not, you know, it's it's not this like.
00:39:43
Johnny
Yeah, but that's, you know.
00:39:44
Jack
Beautiful, yeah.
00:39:47
Johnny
Well, it doesn't have language, doesn't have to be beautiful. That's that's my take.
00:39:49
Jack
Right. Yeah, exactly. We can't all be Shakespeare. It's not all poetry, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So if you, you know, if I. If I were in your your shoes. Well, let me ask you a couple of questions. First are are you thinking of doing like an aisle?
00:39:55
Johnny
No, no, no, no.
00:40:06
Jack
The style of podcast or something are you are you going to focus on?
00:40:08
Johnny
So yeah, that that you.
00:40:09
Jack
Something specific like that.
00:40:11
Johnny
Know Jack, that that's where I got stuck. You know, that's kind of where I got stuck because.
00:40:17
Johnny
There are some many.
00:40:19
Johnny
There are many competitors out there who are doing this kind of content already. OK, so.
00:40:25
발표자
Right.
00:40:27
Johnny
So if I were to do it now, OK, would I be able to ever compete with them because they started earlier?
00:40:34
Johnny
OK, so and and and and in doing that I kind of limit myself to uh, you know, to this group of audience that that they are only interested in in outs knowing you know this kind of small group of people you should know that.
00:40:35
발표자
Yeah.
00:40:47
Jack
Yeah.
00:40:49
Johnny
Yeah. So that's that's that's what I've done.
00:40:53
Johnny
That's that's what I'm worrying about. OK, so I I I, you know, in a way, I don't want to.
00:40:55
발표자
Mm-hmm.
00:40:58
Johnny
Limit myself to only.
00:41:00
Johnny
This screwed up audience and I want to. I want a bigger audience but.
00:41:04
Jack
Yeah, exactly. I, no, no, you got to be greedy because it's there's only, you know, there's only so much bandwidth out there that people have, you know, for for this kind of.
00:41:06
Johnny
Is that not too greedy?
00:41:15
Jack
Content and uh, you know, I mean social and I were still plugging away two years later and we've made some progress. But you know, there are times where our downloads are not as as good as some months. And you know we wish we were more successful like some of the bigger, you know, ESL podcast. But you know we stayed.
00:41:36
Jack
You know, we try to be genuine. We try to be authentic, we try to be true to ourselves and what we enjoy doing.
00:41:43
Jack
And I guess that's what I think that's my the best advice I could give you is find out like what your what do you authentically enjoy doing, you know like what are are you you know, if if teaching a lesson is your thing then then you know you could take some of your lessons from your alts class and you could actually.
00:41:55
Johnny
Yeah.
00:42:03
Jack
You know, convert those into like podcast form, you know, and do it that way, if you're you're a conversationalist because we're have we had, it's already been 45 minutes. We've been talking. So we're we're having this great conversation.
00:42:20
Jack
So you could go down that lane and or you could do all of those things, you know, and and just and and see what clicks with the, with the audience as well. Because once you get something that people like, you have to follow that, you know, follow that lead that trail because they're they're telling you what they want.
00:42:33
Johnny
Yeah, yeah.
00:42:39
Jack
And you have to follow it. You know, sniff it out.
00:42:42
Johnny
Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not. It's.
00:42:44
Johnny
It's not about, yeah.
00:42:45
Johnny
Doing the right thing the right time.
00:42:47
Johnny
And uh, so I I guess, uh, videos, uh, the the the short videos are a thing you know since since the.
00:42:55
Johnny
Since TikTok I guess.
00:42:57
Jack
Yes.
00:42:57
Johnny
So you have seven other point, yeah, I was.
00:42:59
Johnny
Thinking about maybe I should do a TikTok or should I?
00:43:01
Johnny
Do TikTok.
00:43:02
Johnny
Or YouTube, or because YouTube is isn't really a you know, available in in China. So so should I be a YouTuber or so?
00:43:07
Jack
Right, right.
00:43:12
Johnny
A lot of things you have to take into consideration at the moment so.
00:43:15
Jack
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I would tell you, you know, honestly do it for a while because you'd love to do it.
00:43:23
Jack
And don't worry about the downloads and the success, because if you, you know, you find that that you really enjoy doing it. Like for me this is like very much.
00:43:35
Jack
A kind of a hobby. I I always call it a job. It's a jobby. It's like a.
00:43:38
Johnny
Yeah. OK. Is that is that a word?
00:43:42
Jack
I just made that up, but it's it's between, yeah.
00:43:44
Johnny
OK.
00:43:47
Jack
You know it. It's it's, it's something that I would love to do and generate income and survive on, but I'm not there yet. But I keep doing it. Not for for money or for fame or anything like that. I just really enjoy it, you know, it's just something that is really, really good.
00:44:06
Jack
And I think it's and you're you're doing something good for.
00:44:10
Jack
You're not just wasting people's time, you're actually giving them something that they they need, which is, you know, more, you know, content for language learning. Cause I think there's just, there's never. There can never be enough of that. To be honest, in my opinion, because people are always looking for more ways to learn English and they're connecting with certain personalities.
00:44:30
Jack
And you know it, you may just resonate with with certain people and and but I would, you know, follow your instincts, be yourself. Don't try to be you know somebody else.
00:44:36
Johnny
Yeah.
00:44:41
Jack
I am.
00:44:42
Jack
You know, I tried that in the beginning of podcasting where I tried to have a better broadcasting voice, but the truth is, I stammer. And I I I, you know, repeat myself and I, you know, you know, I do all that kind of stuff. And and that's just who I am, you know. And if if people don't like it, then you know, they they'll tune.
00:44:55
Johnny
Just feed yourself.
00:45:03
Jack
No, but I I think people will forgive you if they think you're being authentic and genuine as as a, as a presenter, as a podcaster.
00:45:12
Johnny
Yeah, I think.
00:45:13
Johnny
Being genuine that that's that's really crucial.
00:45:15
Johnny
Yeah, well, you know, I share the link of your your podcast to many of my students, and I think they they think it's absolutely fantastic. So a lot of my students been listening to. Well, thank you, Jack. Well, thank you for creating such a great.
00:45:26
Jack
Oh man, thank you so much.
00:45:31
Jack
Yeah.
00:45:33
Johnny
All these great content. OK. Thank you for you. And socials and Kevins and effort. You know, we're actually listening to some of these earlier, earlier episodes where you feature.
00:45:46
Jack
Yeah.
00:45:47
Johnny
Kevin and I mean.
00:45:49
Johnny
Maybe someone else. I don't remember the name.
00:45:52
Jack
Yeah, you're you're going into the deep cuts. Yeah, we had some really good conversations at the beginning, you know, Kevin and I started it together, and then he got too busy and social was a guest on our our podcast. And then she became a my full time podcasting partner. So. Yeah, just kind of funny how that happens.
00:45:53
Johnny
Are you sure? Yeah.
00:46:08
Johnny
Oh, OK.
00:46:12
Jack
UM, but uh, you know. Thank you, Johnny. It means a lot to us. And thank you so much for spreading the word and for our listeners out there. This was my my conversation with Johnny. John. If Johnny gets a podcast started, I will be the first to promote it to all our listeners out there. Of course. Of course.
00:46:29
Johnny
Thank you. Thank you, Jack, my name is.
00:46:33
Jack
And if you guys want to listen to this episode, go to our website A-Z englishpodcast.com if you want to leave us a message, you can send us an e-mail at at Oz English podcast at Gmail.
00:46:43
Jack
Com you can talk to us in our WhatsApp group or in our WeChat group for our our Chinese listeners out there. And with that said, Johnny, thanks again man and listeners. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.
00:46:53
Johnny
Thank you.
00:46:55
Johnny
Thank you.
00:46:57
Johnny
Bye bye.
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