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Brazilians Abroad - Auckland

Full Transcript - Episode 17

Episode 17 - Transcript: Image

A pricey pigeon, a praised physician, a perplexed pontiff and visa renewal problems. 


PLUS - Leonardo Magri talks about the importance of minding your Ps and Qs in New Zealand.

J: 5-4-3-2-1 lift-off! Welcome to another edition of The Samba Buzz, São Paulo!

G:  Welcome to The Samba Buzz!

J: So, welcome Gee. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. How are you doing?

G: I am doing very well, actually. I...erm...all...I’m all the better to see Donald Trump lose the presidential election. Did you...did you vote in the election?

J: Yes, I did. I voted for Biden, and so I’m...I’m very happy. But...

G: But...!

J: Donald Trump is still technically in office and he’s going through all his legal gyrations...er...to delay the process and it’s not really a good scene for American democracy, right now.

G: It would have been quite interesting to be one of the lawyers for Donald Trump, actually, because...um... how do you defend something where you got no evidence, you know?

J: Well, I think some of their lawyers have started thinking about themselves and the...several of the big firms have dropped...dropped out of the cases, because they saw no possible...er...end to this.

G: Exactly. They didn’t want to be a part of the embarrassment, did they, really?

J: And that’s when, er, Rudy Super-Giuliani stepped in – the star of Borat number 2.

G: I want to see Borat number 2. Borat number 1 was fantastic. So, what have we got in today’s episode?

J: We have several stories in the What Caught My Eye. Wh...where we talk about... The What Caught My Eye.

G: I thought you were Irish for a moment there. ‘What Caught My Eye?’

J: And, we also have Guru.

G: We have Guru. Good.

J: We have the guru, and then we also have some mystery guests. So, tell us a little bit more about these mystery guests.

G: Well, our mystery guest, I’m prepared to bet won’t be coming to the studio because he’s quite far away.

J: Well, how...how far is quite far?

G: Well, 15 hours away, actually, as the...

J: 15 hours. So he’s in Goiania?

G: He’s in, well 15 hours in time zones. So, he’s actually in New Zealand!

J: Now, that is far away.

G: So...um...yes, it’s going to be part of our ‘Brazilians Abroad’ series, and he’s going to be talking to us from New Zealand.

J: Um...yeah, I am very curious. I don’t know much about New Zealand other than...than they have more sheep than humans but let’s hear!

G: Yes. Go New Zealand!


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G: Well, I am going to start with a story that takes us back to Belgium.

J: Belgium?

G: Following on from the success of our...

J: Ooh, that...that was where we had the French fries story, wasn’t it?

G: The French fries, yes. The Belgians are a...a rich source of material, actually. Did you know that Belgium is the heartland of pigeon racing?

J: No, that’s...no. You got me on that one. I didn’t know that.

G: In fact, um, mainland Europe in general...er...pigeon racing is quite a big thing, actually.

J: Well, how do they do it with the pigeons? Do they set up, like, a track in the sky where they just fly round and round? Or how does that work?

G: Er, I really have no idea of how they program the pigeons as to where to fly, but...um...they have got this thing that they kind of say is the equivalent to the Tour De France.

J: Ok.

G: But...but for the pigeon races.

J: Oh, my goodness. So how far do these pigeons actually fly in a day?

G: Well, the...um... One of the races...um...that was recently run flies 1000km, and it goes around the Pyrenees. It started in France and then they go around the Pyrenees and they fly back again.

J: Well, how do they know that the pigeons actually go around the Pyrenees?

G: Well, I guess that they must each have a tag and they probably track them by satellite, or something like that.

J: Ok. So, if...if one of the pigeons decides to take a short-cut, and just kind of...er...dive bomb over to the other side...

G: Er...yeah. It’s...it’s a very curious. I...I don’t know all the details, I have to confess, but...um... Do you know how many...how many...um...pigeons compete in a race?

J: No. That’s a good question. I have no idea. Two hundred?

G: Um...fifteen thousand.

J: And how many....how many of them die on the way?

G: Well, it depends whether they’re poisoned before the race or not, actually, because there was...there was...um... There was a scandal, actually, in France, earlier this year where eleven birds were found dead.

J: My goodness.

G: Eleven French birds were found dead the night before the race.

J: And...and...and...

G: And another seven were described as unwell. So...um...there was a lot of suspicion of poisoning. Anyhow, what...what caught my eye this week was there was an auction, and there was a record amount bid for a pigeon.

J: A racing...a racing pigeon?

G: A racing pigeon.

J: A rare racing pigeon.

G: Yes, it broke the record in auction, so...

J: Ok, so...

G: The name of...the name of the pigeon, just to help you, is...er...New Kim. It’s a female, which is unusual, because normally they...um...they bid on the males because with the males, they have more offspring, generally, and therefore they are more productive and you get more...

J: Ok.

G: ...like...a bit like horse-racing.

J: She must be really fast, for her to break the...the bid?

G: Yes. So how much do you think the...er...the successful bidder paid for this racing pigeon, New Kim?

J: I’m gonna say €2000.

G: Er...you’re a little bit low on that, actually. Try again.

J:  €10,000.

G: One more go.

J: €50,000!

G: Er...try €1.6 million.

J: For a f...pigeon!

G: For a pigeon. The previous record was from March 2019, was €1.25 million. On this occasion there was two Chinese bidders who both decided they wanted the pigeon and they got into a bidding war and they forced it all the way up to €1.6 million, which is $1.9 million.

J: €1.6 million for a bird.

G: For a bird – something you’d normally eat in a pie, no?

J: Yes, my goodness.

G: So, never...never eat pigeon pie again. You should breeding those and selling them off.

J: Wow. That’s...

G: She’s...she’s a two-year-old. So, they say that pigeons normally live to be ten. So, they reckon they got eight good years of breeding out of her.

J: So, that’s what? 200,000 a year, more or less you’re paying for?

G: Yeah. Depending on how many birds she produces, she could possibly get...make them money in the long run...

J: Ok. Sure. Sure.

G: ...if some of the others go for something similar.

J: Well, maybe she’ll produce more male offspring, which will give her more...more return? I don’t know.

G: Yes. So...um...

J: My goodness.

G: ...hot news from the pigeon-racing world!

J: Wow, the...the...the things we just don’t know!

G: And you, Jay? What have you got for us this week?

J: Who is Luciana Borio?

G: Luciana Borio? I have never heard of her, I don’t think. And she’s a Brazilian?

J: A Brazilian. Luciana Borio. She comes from Rio de Janeiro. Ok, she’s a doctor and Joe Biden has selected her to be part of his Covid-19 task force in the United States.

G: Huzzah!

J: She has, so...she is...er... She has spent her career, dedicated her...her career to learning about infectious diseases, and she got a lot of publicity when she was working for – I think it’s either the Obama or the Bush administrations and they were fighting Ebola. If you remember – Ebola went to the United States and...

G: They had Ebola in the United States?

J: Yeah, they did. The...there...a couple of doctors died, but they...they...

G: Wow. I didn’t know that.

J: ...they...they nipped it in the bud rather quickly and they say that she was quite helpful in that. So she has...currently she has worked for three United States’ presidents.

G: Excellent.

J: She’s worked...she’s worked for Bush, Obama and, most recently, Trump. And now she’s going to be transferred...or she’s going to be...er...working with Biden, now also.

G: And she’s a Brazilian. Fantastic.

J: Yeah, anyway, and so her specialty is...she’s setting up the protocols to test the medicines for the Covid-19 and, let’s say, if you look at it from a...a...from, let’s say, a mortality perspective, her Ebola job was much more difficult, because the mortality rate in that was about 50%. The mortality rate with Covid is about 2.5%.

G: Right.

J: Except in the United States, where it is a little bit higher than global.

G: Well, that’s because of the obesity rate, isn’t it?

J: Well, yes. So, she’s got her job cut out for her. So, they...they...they talk about... You’ve heard about super-bugs or super-flu vaccines...

G: Right. Right. Right.

J: ...and things like that. So, she does her work related to that. So, she’s the one... The way I understand it is that you have the head and he’s the one that does, let’s say, the political...with talking to the Press, coordinating with governments, and she’s the specialist going out there, establishing what kind of protocols to do...t...working with drug companies... She’s the one actually doing the work in this case.

G: So, now we have a vaccine, then what will her role be, do you think?

J: I...I...I don’t know. I...I don’t know about that...er...just now but we will try to do a follow up a little bit later and to see how she’s doing. So...

G: Alright.

J: ...go Brazil! And you’re fighting...er...Covid in the United States.

G: Exactly. Meanwhile, we have the...the Butantã people, working on the Chinese vaccine, and apparently nobody wants to take that. Nobody trusts this vaccine. Have you heard about this?

J: Yeah, I don’t really trust the Chinese, either.

G: Well, why...why is that? Why do you think people are so suspicious of a vaccine that’s got associations with China, even when it’s been developed with people here in Butantã, the snake people, who are...who are fantastic.

J: Yeah, I...I think there, first of all, there’s a lot of prejudice that...that you talk about. It’s not racial prejudice, you’re talking about national prejudice, in this case.

G: What’s the difference?

J: Well, you’re talking against the Chinese!

G: It’s that national Chinese opera singer, isn’t it?

J: Yes.

G: Yes, that’s the one. Yes, that guy. That’s why they don’t like them.

J: Yes.

G: Ok. I was...I was just kind of surprised, really cos if it’s gonna save your life, you’d take it, wouldn’t you?

J: Yeah. Except if it...Russia, I definitely wouldn’t trust!

G: Let’s not....let’s not even go there with Russia, no.

J: No, no. An...and imagine if North Korea developed their own vaccine? Come on, seriously! Is anybody going to take a North Korean vaccine for anything?

G: Well, it’s interest...interesting to see where the perception of China is in the world, in terms of, you know...how people perceive...

J: Yeah.

G: ...the country. They are quite happy to accept the money for infrastructure but they don’t trust them enough to accept their vaccine. So...

J: So, my next story, it is also in the United States but has a Brazilian flavor. It’s related to some of the problems that people have had traveling to the United States. Now, this is a specific case, because for any Brazilian that wants to study in the United States, they need a special visa, like a student visa to go to the United States. And with the Covid crisis, a lot of people are affected because of this – because they have to get the student...er...visa, and, you know, that only has a validity for, typically, one year. Then, you can get it extended for up to 4, I think...I think even 6 years you can extend the student visa.

G: Yes.

J: As long as you show that you...you’re, let’s say, studying...er...for important issues in the United States.

G: Ok.

J: And, what we have here, are...are a situation with some volleyball players that were asked to come to the United States to receive the...a volleyball scholarship.

G: Yes.

J: And they needed to renew their...their, let’s say, their visa. One girl was smart enough to do it in the United States before she came back to Brazil, with the crisis.

G: Yes.

J: And the other girl did it here. But the U...US embassy shut down. Basically, anybody that’s studying in the United States and currently in Brazil – they’re having difficulties because the United States...er... embassy...or consulate is not...they’re not processing, basically anything.

G: Wow.

J: The US consulate has said that they recognize the severity of the issue, and they will work to correct...to correct any problems that arise because of that.

G: Ok. That’s all well and good then. And the volleyball players may get to the US eventually.

J: Well, yes and that’s in the school’s interest as well, because the school’s in the United States...er...wanted these people to come help with their volleyball teams. Cos that’s...er...the volleyball in the United States – it does generate money for the university – not as much money as college, let’s say, American football...

G: Right.

J: ...but it still does generate some revenue. So, of course, they want to get those people there as soon as possible. And, it’s in...it’s in the university’s own interest. So, Gee, what else do you have for us? I’m curious after that.

G: Um, I have another lady for you, actually. Have you ever heard of...

J: You have a lady for me?

G: Well, a lady to identify.

J: Oh.

G: Have you ever heard of Natalia Garibotto?

J: No. I guess she’s a Brazilian but I...I...?

G: She is Brazilian and...

J: Ok.

G: Maybe you know her better by her nickname, which is Nata Gata.

J: Nata Gata?

G: Yes.

J: This...this sounds like some kind of m...

G: Nata the Hot One. Yes. Um...she’s a model, you might be surprised to hear.

J: A lingerie model?

G: Well, kind of looks like a lingerie model, yes. And she...

J: Kind of looks like a lingerie model? So, I...ok.

G: Anyhow, she obviously did a photoshoot at some point and...um...it must have got posted on her Twitter account...

J: Nata Gata, ok.

G: ...and meanwhile in the Vatican, the Holy See also has a Twitter account.

J: It’s called Nata Gata, also?

G: And no, he...him...he obviously liked what he saw, the Holy See because next to her photo is a like by the Vatican with the Pope! And, of course, this has caused a bit of controversy because there she is – she’s wearing...well, she’s kind of leaning forward against these lock...this locker – an open locker – and she’s wearing basically a skirt that covers merely her waist and white stockings and suspenders. And next to this photo, you’ve got the Pope’s comment, which is...um... “I want to walk with you along the way of God’s mercy and tenderness,” and then the official account, copyright Vatican Media. Anyhow, there’s a lot of embarrassment and they are trying to investigate exactly how this has happened – that he would have liked such a picture on his official site. And, of course, they’re saying, “Well...er...his...his Holiness doesn’t actually manage the site himself. He’s got people who post things for him, and obviously it wasn’t the Pope who actually liked the photo but...”

J: So, it was somebody else who was actually doing that for the Pope? My goodness.

G: So, I...I think this must have done wonders for Natalia’s career. And I’m sure it has propelled her into the spotlight, and she will prosper from now on...on.

J: Hashtag Nata Gata. Liked by the Pope. My goodness.

G: Liked by the pope.

J: My goodness. That’s...that’s a fantastic story. Really made me laugh, that one.                 

                                                                          

                                                            End of Part 1

Episode 17 - Transcript: Text

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G: So, um, tell us how you ended up in New Zealand, Leonardo.

L: So, er, I’ve been in New Zealand for seven years now. And...um...New Zealand is one of the only countries that give (sic) working holiday visas to Brazilians. So, I found that could be a good opportunity and a great way to...to start in a different country. So, that’s what I did. I applied for the visa. I went to Auckland, which is the biggest city in New Zealand and I lived there for ten months, and then I was travelling around the north islands. If you...for the people who don’t know, New Zealand is divided in two islands – North Island and South Island...

J: Ok.

L: And...er...I found this beautiful, tiny place called Whitianga, and...um...got a job, and I have been living here since then, which is pretty cool.

J: Nice! So...so... Are you a sheep-herder in New Zealand, or...or...or...or...I ’m making a joke but...

G: You don’t get many Brazilian sheep-herders, do you?

L: There’s a lot of...there’s a lot of sheep here, man! There’s a lot of sheep. But....but that’s not my thing. Not my thing.

J: Ah, ok. So...so...so, w...what do you do now? You say you...you got a job in New Zealand. What do you do in New Zealand?

L: Er, well, I’ve done a few different things. As you guys might know, foreigners have to...to ‘dance with the music that is playing.’  Um...I...I started with hospitality. I did a few different things...painting. But now I work in the education sector. So I work at a school. I’m the arts administrator of the school.

J: Nice!

L: And...um...part of my job is also...er...working with the music department. I’m a drummer, so I...I...I’m a drum tutor and I do some music appreciation sessions with kids with disability, so it’s a cool job.

J: So, you...you mentioned that New Zealand was one of the only places that gives Brazilians a working visa. Right?

L: Working holid...working holiday visa.

J: Ok. Wh...what’s a working holiday visa?

L: So...um...a working holiday visa, it’s a visa that allows you come to the country. I could study but I could also apply for jobs, which is a great thing when you are a foreigner because...

J: Right. And you...so you...you could immediately work? You could immediately go to work, right?

L: Yeah, but that’s the thing. It only lasts for...for twelve months.

J: Ok.

L: And for...for most of the European countries...erm...it’s...it’s an open thing, so you can go to any country and apply for a working holiday visa. It is a pretty easy process.

G: What do you miss about Brazil? Anything?

L: Er...well, I’ve been on a plant-based diet for four years, so what I miss in Brazil is the variety of fresh fruits.

G: Ah, ok.

J: Sure.

L: The fruit is amazing. The weather. Brazil, it’s warm, it’s beautiful. Erm, I like the way that people party and celebrate life in Brazil. You know, I think it’s very similar to the African culture. Er...people are living the sh**, so you might as well celebrate and enjoy life, because you don’t know how...how much it’s going to last. Um...I like the positive vibe about the Brazilians and, of course, you know, like, it goes without saying that I miss friends and family, but after seven years, you just learn how to deal with it.

G: But that leads us to an interesting point too. What about the people in New Zealand? How do you find them compared to Brazilians? Do you find them easy...approachable? Are they easy to get on with? Do you make many friends with New Zealanders?

L: Yeah. Er...they...er...well, the first approach, it’s a bit hard. So, you have to break a wall.

J: W...what do you mean, ‘it’s like hard’? That they....they...don’t want to talk to anybody they don’t know, or what?

L: Er...no, well, New...New Zealand has a lot of foreigners. It...it...it’s quite amazing, the diversity of...of people who live here. So, Kiwis, and the Maoris – they...they are very used to...er...having people from...from other countries. It’s...it’s...it’s very common, like. If you go to Auckland, especially, it’s a...it’s a multi-diverse country...city, and it’s beautiful. But I...I think it’s just the...the...the English way, because of the colonization, you know? Like, I think it’s a little bit different – sorry, Gee!

G: I understand fully!

L: As I was saying, like, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just a little bit more skeptical, let’s say, and once you break the wall, it’s just amazing. Like, I have amazing friends, you know? Like, my life here has been pretty awesome because I have very close friends. And that’s the thing – sometimes you create even stronger bonds because you have to break the wall but once you get the trust, it’s legit. Like, the friendships are...are solid.

J: Did you have any situation where you mispronounced a word and it came out totally wrong, like it was...it meant something completely different?

L: Absolutely. Er...all the time! Still, especially when you work with kids. They call you out straight away. Erm....but I remember saying... I worked once at a...erm...at a day spa. It was a hot pools kind of thing. So ‘pool’ is already a big one, right, just....just to say ‘hot pool’. It’s...it’s....it’s a...it’s a bad way to start, if you mispronounce ‘pools’ or ‘pool’. But also, we would tag the people. We would give them numbers and I would always say – ‘Oh, you’re the first. You’re the second, and you are the third.’

G: Oh dear!

L: I was not saying...I was not saying...

G: You don’t want to insult people like that!

J: You were saying – ‘and you’re the turd!’

L: Yes. I was not saying third. I was saying turd. And then, my manager heard, and she was like – ‘Oh, fantastic that you are calling our clients turds!’

J: Ah, because a turd...a turd is excrement for anybody who doesn’t know, so...

L: There you go, yeah. And I didn’t even...that’s the thing...I didn’t even know what it meant! That was even worse, so...

J: Yeah, well, and then you also said – ‘I...I...I used to work at a day spa.’ And what did they understand? A gay spa, maybe? Or something like that.

L: Man, that...that was...that was an interesting one because a lot of...erm...a lot of men would come to the day spa thinking that we would offer ‘happy endings’...you know?

J: Ah, yeah...yeah, of course!

L: But...er...I don’t know. Men are weird, so, you know.

G: Yes. Men are weird everywhere, no?

J: So...so you didn’t stay there very long, did you?

L: I stayed there for almost three years. It was a pretty cool job.

J: At the gay spa? Wow, that’s a long time.

L: No. No, no. It was a day spa.

G: Are they...er...are the New Zealand women high maintenance, or are they easy-going?

L: Ooh, again, I think it really depends on you, you know? Like, the kind of people that you will attract. The Coromandel is also famous for...for having a more alternative lifestyle. So, there will be a lot of people into, like, permaculture, gardening, tiny...the tiny house movement – it’s a big thing in New Zealand, you know? So there’s a lot of people...

J: W...what’s the tiny-house movement?

G: Ah, this...this is the hobbit...this is Hobbiton, isn’t it? You’re no...you’re not living close to Hobbiton, are you?

L: No, no! Not the hobbits but that...that’s a good one! So, tiny houses – you can just build a tiny house on wheels.

J: On wheels?

L: It...it...on wheels, yeah. So, it...it’s like a...a caravan I would say...

J: Like a mobile home, or something like that?

L: A mobile home. That’s...that’s...that’s it, yes. That’s the right term.

J: So, you take a truck. You put some, like, a little canopy on top of it, and you live inside of that?

L: You...you actually build a...a normal house but it’s...it’s...it’s tiny. It’s like – I don’t know – ten square meters, you know, or something.

J: Oh...oh...ok. So, why is that attractive, then, because normally...I mean...

L: Oh, I wouldn’t say attractive but...but...but I was just connecting with the fact that, like, some girls can be high maintenance but some others can be more into the alternative lifestyle.

J: Oh, ok.

L: And now it’s a big thing in New Zealand for a lot of people, this Sustainability, especially because of our...our governments, you know...

J: Right.

L: ...women in power, The Green Party taking a lot of seats. So, there’s a lot of people caring more about the environment and living small, being minimalistic is...it’s actually a trend now. You know, it’s...it’s a cool thing to be small and limited. So, those kind of girls...those kind of people, they connect more with the mindsets that I...I have. I wouldn’t date a girl with a mansion, or anything. It’s just not my style.

G: Those...those tiny houses must have been tough during the Covid lockdown, though, weren’t they? Or did you not have a lockdown in New Zealand?

L: We did...we did have a lockdown period here. Um, it was...I guess it was very different from the rest of the world because New Zealand is small.

G: But you didn’t have much of a lockdown there, then, I guess. No, mostly life carried on as normal, did it?

L: Well, New Zealand was pretty strict. New Zealand when...when Covid hit New Zealand because, the thing is, all the towns, they are small. So, there are not many hospitals. There are not many medical facilities. So, the government understood that it was a good move to do a (sic) extreme action, and take quick, fast actions. So, we all went, like, Level 4...er...for maybe two months, almost three months.

J: Ok.

L: So, we all went home and that was fantastic, you know, like it doesn’t matter how much you argue – conspiracy theories or whatever – you got to understand that a virus is a virus and you catch it if you’re around it and if your immune system is not strong. So, I thought it was pretty smart, you know? Like, everybody was getting paid. I was still working online. And look at us now, you know. Like, we are living a normal life. We can go to gigs. You know, we...we...we can have our get-togethers. At the beginning, everything (sic) was a bit skeptical about it, but now it’s paying off.

G: So, what...what about the music scene? Can I talk about the music scene, quickly? You’ve...you’ve... um...you actually got to play in some bands while you were there?

L: Yeah...er...currently I am in two bands. So, I have a duo. It’s a funk-folk-punk...it’s a mix of...of gypsy, a little bit of everything. So, my friends sings, plays the guitar, harmonica, mandolin, everything and I play percussion. Er....but we also have a punk-rock trio, which is...

G: Punk-rock trio! Look at that – am...amazing.

J: So that...that’s just for fun, right, the punk-rock?

L: Oh, we’re actually gigging.

J: Yeah?

L: But not a lot.  But like...cos that’s the thing. Sometimes you find a niche and you...and you...and you hit that right. So, we’re actually having fun playing punk-rock.

G: So, what do you do? Do you actually dye your hair and put a safety pin through your nose when you perform or what...what happens there?

L: Gee, as you can see, the hair’s gone, man!

G: There’s...there’s such a thing as a wig, you know. I use them all the time. You can tell, l you know.

J: Well, you definitely have a bit of that Bin Laden look, though. You could do something with that.

G: Yeah, you could do something with that.

L: Yeah, I keep...I keep just the punk-rock attitude, not the look.

G: So, before you go, I think you should tell us some Maori. What Maori have you learned? You must have learned a few words?

L: Well, the...the good one is the greeting. So, er – Kia Ora. Kia Ora.

G: Ok. That’s the same as the bar around the corner.

J: That’s the bar here – right around the corner from us.

L: Is it?

J: Yeah, Kia Ora.

G: Kia Ora. Now we know.

J: Puta que pariu! I never knew.

L: Kia Ora, yes. So Kia Ora is...is the greeting for, like, ‘Hello’. You know, it’s like the...the fact, that’s how you would start any conversation or anything, is the Kia Ora. And...er...New Zealand is the name of the country but actually we prefer...and most people prefer referring (sic) to New Zealand as Aotearoa, which is the Maori name.

J: Ok.

L: Which means ‘the long, big, white cloud.’ That’s...that’s how they refer to New Zealand - Aotearoa.

J: Ok.

G: Nice.

L: Erm...I think...two...two words, for now, is enough!

J: I have...I have...I have one last question. If...if I were to meet a New Zealander, let’s say, right now. What is there...what’s one thing I should not say to that person?

L: Well, don’t say that you’re from Australia!

J: Ok.

G: Don’t say they sound like they’re Australian.

L: I think you would go well just talking about your culture and where you’re from and saying that you are not a Trump supporter, and you’ll be fine.

J: Ok, nice! Fair enough.

G: How’s the cat? What’s the cat’s name?

L: Jay!

J: Now that’s funny!

G: That is funny.

L: Her full name is...is...is Janey Jones, but for the close ones, Jay.

G: So, we got two Jay. Excellent.

J: Ok...well...well thank you very much for your...for taking the time to join us. I really appreciate it, all the way from New Zealand.

G: Yeah, thanks very much Leonardo.

J: There’s...there’s 15 hours difference.

G: 16 at the moment.

J: 16 hours difference.

L: Thank you, so much. You...you...you’re more than welcome to...to...to come for a visit, have a look on...er... Whitianga and the Coromandel on Google. I’m sure you will appreciate the vibe here, and just...just let me know when you are around.

                                                            End of Part 2


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J: So, Gee, what do you have for the Guru for us, this week?

G: Well, today, I am going to talk to you about the verb ‘to get’.

J: To get?

G: Because ‘to get’ is a verb that has multiple uses.

J: My goodness. There’s lots of uses with that, and lots of slang, and lots of everything.

G: Exactly, so we’re just going to have a look at some of the more common uses of the verb ‘to get’. Erm, I’m going to read you a short passage and then you’re going to identify what the alternative meaning is to each use of the verb ‘to get’.

J: Ok.

G: So, I got a letter from my grandmother.

J: I received a letter from my grandmother.

G: She says I need to get a job.

J: It would be nice to have a job.

G: But she doesn’t get it, and that gets me.

J: Ah, she doesn’t understand and that irritates me. That’s good! I like that one.

G: Doesn’t she know I’m getting by?

J: Er...I’m managing.

G: So, I’m just going to get another beer and get drunk!

J: I will have another beer and get fantastically drunk.

G: Well, I would...I would actually say the l...last ‘get another beer’ would be to fetch another beer, which is an interesting verb because...

J: Ok, fi..

G: ...we don’t really have a verb ‘to fetch’ in Portuguese.

J: No. I...I would say, typically, ‘fetch’ I don’t really use a lot. ‘Fetch’ I use more for dogs. Dogs fetch...

G: Exactly. Or I’m going to fetch my friend from the airport.

J: Yes, it’s not like I’m going to go out and fetch a girlfriend, or something like that, no.

G: Exactly. So, if I was to read that the other way, I would say – I received a letter from my grandmother. She says I need to obtain a job. But she doesn’t understand, and that annoys me.

J: Right.

G: Doesn’t she know, I’m doing ok? Um...so, I’m just gonna fetch another beer, and become drunk.

J: Ok. There we go!

G: Get, get, get.

J: Get, get, get. Yeah, and there’s multiple things we...with get. We use it in...in slang. We use it in many ways. Ah, I think we’ll be here another twenty minutes talking about all the different uses of get.

G: I...I have a list, actually, of about a hun...well...a hundred? No, about fifty – fifty different phrasal verbs with get. But there are probably hundreds.

J: Ok.

G: Especially when you take into account the uses culturally between the US and the UK, and Australia, I think there’s probably two or three hundred, if you actually go internationally.

J: Oh right. I’m sure there’s lots because it...because it’s so common it’s easy to combine with other verbs, and then you just get a different meaning every time. As do most phrasal verbs.

G: Exactly. So, that’s the get.

J: Ok, I got it!

G: You got it! So, that brings us to the end of another episode of...

J: ...The Samba Buzz!

G: That’s buzz with two zeds.

J: That’s buzz or...two zeds, yes.

G: Or two zees, possibly?

J: Or two zees. So, er, what do we have, let’s say, coming up for the next pod?

G: Let’s say, we’ve got another guest, actually. Um...

J: Oh, a...a new mystery guest.

G: A new mystery guest.

J: So, if anybody would like to contact us or give us suggestions for a...a next pod, or any guests or topics that you have questions about for our gurus to respond to...

G: ...you can contact us by email at thesambabuzz... I don’t know what the...

J: Yeah, www.thesambabuzz

G: That’s...that’s...that’s the web address, alright...so let’s do that.

J: Yes, that’s the web address.  You can contact us through the web address.

G: Yes, you can contact us at mailbox@thesambabuzz.com

J: Yes. And please do.

G: And please do.

J: And please, send us a shout out on Instagram or any other social platform.

G: Which we will have up running shortly!

J: Yes!

G: We said this about a year ago and it will happen soon!

J: And it will happen soon. So, that’s our promise to you. At least we can do that. If anyone has any suggestions for Christmas or New Year’s – any special pods – then we are accepting requests for that.

G: We always accept requests. We are very easy-going.

J: Ok.

G: So, until next time!

J: Thank you very much. Bye-bye and stay safe.

G: Indeed. Stay safe.


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The End

Episode 17 - Transcript: Text
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