Courses Without Walls

1. In the park – A walk to remember

Talk about nature. Start with plant structure, types of vegetation (grass, flowers, trees, etc.), types
of parks and gardens, birds and insects. Observe people in the park and their activities (use present
continuous). Environmental issues (use present perfect and modal verbs). Children’s activities and
games. The playground. Sports activities in the park – jogging, cycling, rollerblading, skate boarding,
etc. Discuss the benefits of outdoor activities and sports. Rules and regulations regarding the ratio
between built areas and green areas in European cities. Pick a famous park (in Bucharest or in
Europe) and talk about its history and development.

2. At the café – Socializing habits and needs

Start with listing places and ways of socializing nowadays. Compare modern ways of socializing with
19th century ones, compare modern communication means with the ones before the appearance of
the telegraph and with the ones before the internet. Drinking coffee – a short history and types of
coffee. Drinking coffee habits in different parts of the world (Turkey, Italy, France, the US, Romania),
special types of coffee - Marghiloman coffee, Irish coffee, civet coffee – the most expensive coffee in
the world (if you could, would you have a cup of this coffee? If yes, why, if no, why? What other
types of food or drinks you would never like to try? Why? What food/drinks would you very much
like to try but you haven’t tried yet? – use of If Clause and present perfect vs past tense).
Children’s socializing habits and needs nowadays – changes and reasons for them. What are the
main risks regarding current socializing habits. Socializing networks – benefits and risks.

3. At the restaurant – Eating habits and disorders

Start with a walk and discussion about favourite food, cuisine, restaurants, ingredients.
Characteristics and particularities of local food. Pick two different cuisines and discuss their
characteristics, similarities and differences. Eating habits around the world (number of meals a day,
need of nourishing substances according with climate characteristics). Disgusting food around the
world (rotten fish in Alaska, unhatched eggs in Vietnam, fried worms and scorpions in China). What
do foreigners consider disgusting in local food?
Eating disorders. Causes and treatment.
Get to a restaurant and focus on the food there (dishes, ingredients, cutlery, drinks). Ask for a menu
in English. Compare variants. Show wrong translations of menus (handouts or documents on i-pad),
spot the mistakes and correct them. Table conversation – acceptable topics. Cook’s shows on TV,
cook books (bring on i-pad examples of old or foreign cook books).
Complaints and requests – how do you complain about food? How do you request to change food?
How do you ask the waiter for help?
4. At the hotel – Checking in and checking out

Accommodation places – types and examples (guest houses, B&Bs, motels, youth hostels, hotels,
boutique hotels). (Examples will be provided on an i-pad.) Accommodation places around the world:
famous examples – from Burj Khalifa or Austrian Boutique Hotels to Mongolian Yurt Hotels or to
Japanese Capsule Hotels. Types of rooms and apartments in a hotel. Hotel facilities and their stars.
Hotel jobs and policies.
How do we book a room? How do we ask for changing the room? Complaints and service requests
(laundry, car park, etc.). Room service. How do we get to the city centre or to the airport? –
directions from and to the hotel.

5. At home or abroad? – Cultural differences and culture shock

Start the conversation: where would you like to live and work? Would you move there in a month’s
time? Why? The discussion moves towards adjusting abilities: when did you have to adjust yourself
and why? Which were the biggest challenges in this situation? Would you relocate if you found a
better job? You would get a raise if you moved there but it is not an option for you. Why? What’s
the jetleg?
Imagine life in two different parts of the world: Seoul, Korea and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Imagine a day in the life of an expat in these two different locations. Expats’ associations and
publications/sites/forums in Bucharest.

6. At the market – Buying and selling

Types of markets: traditional fairs, vegetable and fruit markets, flea markets and car boot sales,
book fairs, used car markets, souqs (provide images of these types of market). Use some images of a
flea market to identify objects sold in such a place.
Selling and buying exercises: provide an image and description of a house and the student should
provide the discourse for selling it. How would you sell a piece of land on the moon? (argumentative
discourse)
Bargaining around the world – situations where bargaining is the polite way of buying.
Prices and phrases related to pricing.

7. On the plane – Meeting new people

Talk about the first flight experience. How did you feel? Talk about emotions and feelings: sadness,
fear, happiness, surprise, disgust, anger. Pick one of these emotions and tell a situation in which you
experienced it.
Airport and plane phrases and structures: buying a ticket, checking in, choosing a seat, on the
airplane, the arrival, getting through customs, going through immigration, getting the luggage, etc.
Getting to know the person next to you. Introductory lines, topics for conversation, etc.
8. In the street – A trip back in time

Going around the town and asking for and giving directions. Talk about main buildings in the city and
some of the building elements. Bring images with famous streets and famous buildings around the
world. Discussion on the images shown.
Taking a walk in one of the old parts of Bucharest, talk about life in the 19th century. Imagination
exercise – let’s imagine we are now living in the 19th century Bucharest. Discussion about life and
work in that period. Take up a 19th century identity (a well-known person or just an ordinary person)
and talk about a day in his/her life. What can you see in the street, at work and at home? How are
the people around you?

9. Going shopping – Fashion, trends, and more

Discussion about clothes and shoe shops. Favourite brands and items.
Discussion about types of foot wear (flip-flops, shoes, boots, etc.) and their parts (sole, heel, etc.)
and about types of clothes (shirts, blouses, dresses, etc.) and their parts (sleeves, collar, etc.).
Discussion about materials and patterns and prints.
Conversation between a shop-assistant and a buyer: colours, sizes, changes, etc. Forms of payment:
cash, with card, by cheque. Discount policies and seasons. Black Friday – history and facts.

10. At the doctor – Diseases and ailments

Talk about the latest news related to diseases (Ebola, for example). Aches (5), conditions, injuries,
what hurts – ways of expressing pain. Flue and cold – symptoms and treatment, food poisoning –
symptoms and treatment, allergies - symptoms and treatment. 112 – emergency room.
Nurses, doctors and specialists, tests and diagnosis (jobs and procedures).
Comparing public and private health systems.
Talk about movies about hospitals and doctors.

11. In traffic – Road rules and regulations

Driving rules and regulations. Types of streets and roads. Fines and penalties. Driving license test in
Romania. European regulations.
Rush hours and traffic jams – conversation on photos of crammed streets.
Means of transport in Bucharest. Means of transport around the world (fastest trains and unusual
transport) – provide photos.
Getting a taxi: calling/ordering a taxi, giving directions to the driver (address and indicating the
route), asking him/her to stop or to change the route, asking for receipt.