Learning English Podcast - December 25, 2024
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Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America. I'm Katie Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

Coming up, a report from Brian Lynn, followed by a story from me. Later, a special report about Christmas in America long ago. And we close the show with the lesson of the day. But now, here's Brian.

A non-profit group in Greece uses small horses to provide pet therapy to sick and disabled people. But the organization is now considering its future after facing financial difficulties. The Associated Press AP recently met members of the group called Gentle Carousel Greece and

The animals are brought to hospitals and care centers to give joy to the sick or those suffering physical limitations. The horses are bred as miniature animals and stand about 72 centimeters tall. They are specially trained to provide comfort to disabled children, sick people, or older adults.

One of the horses was recently brought to a school outside Athens for children with special needs. At the school, nine-year-old Josefina Topa-Mazouk seemed drawn to a small gray horse. She ended up leading the animal down a school hallway. The horse, named Ivy, stood no taller than the girl's pink wheelchair.

I really want them to come again. Josefina told the AP about Ivy and another visiting horse, Calypso. They made me feel really happy, she added. Ivy and Calypso are two of nine miniature horses provided by the non-profit group.

The organization is linked to an American group called Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses. The U.S. group is based in Ocala, Florida. The organization said the horses complete at least two years of training. They are taught how to work in confined environments with children and adults with special health needs.

Caregivers say the horses provide a form of pet therapy that offers valuable social interactions and new learning experiences. But the leader of the Greek organization says her group has been financially struggling in recent years. Gentle Carousel Greece is run by 68-year-old Mina Karagianni.

She said she now performs most of the group's duties herself. Karagiani also finances the group and cares for the nine miniature horses, mostly by herself. Karagiani also told the AP she learned about the Florida-based organization over the Internet while she was searching for information on a pony she had rescued.

After learning about the group's activities, she got the idea to start her own operation. "'I was touched and I was moved and I said, "'Okay, we have to bring this to Greece,' Kerigiani said. "'So she decided to make changes to her land to be able to care for the horses.'

She said she turned her property into what she calls a magic garden. She has everything she needs to care for the horses. She also runs a small restaurant and party area. Karagiani launched her Greek group in 2014.

She said the organization has served about 12,000 children since it began until the pandemic led to restrictions in 2020. The pandemic caused financial pressures and Karagiani herself faced a medical problem that hurt her ability to run the group.

I'm just starting to get myself back together again now, she told the AP, with a lot of financial difficulties. But what can I do? I'm trying. Karagiani said she had contacted businesses and non-profit groups about financial help but has not been successful. She plans to continue to seek help.

I'm making superhuman efforts, Karagiani said. I'm doing what I can, but I can't do it alone, she added. Karagiani said she keeps going because she sees the great benefits the children and adults receive from the animals.

At the special needs school, teacher Eleni Volokhaki said she sees incredible reactions from the children. It's like something awakens their senses. Volokhaki noted the horses can often get students to make more progress than with other therapy methods.

We saw things we didn't expect, she said. We saw children with autism, or children who are generally afraid of animals, coming very close, letting the horses get close to them, Volokaki added. Brian Lynn

On most days, Mark Lindenberg either drives or walks over to visit with Boots, his beloved cat, who died in 2020 at 17 years old.

The New York man had the animal buried at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, a burial place on small grassy hills near the main road. The words on Boots' tombstone read, You taught me how to love and be loved.

Other tombstones include phrases such as, A truer friend we never had. And, Our beloved queen. Human cemeteries are sad, Lindenberg said. This is one of the most cheerful places. He added, I can't think of a better place.

Hartsdale is America's oldest pet cemetery in operation. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Lindenberg says he paid about $7,000 to bury boots at Hartsdale. Those costs cover the individual site and

Burial, Burial Container, Tombstone, and Grounds Care. What have I worked for if I'm not going to do the things that matter most? And this mattered most, Lindenberg said. I got instant closure the day I decided I was going to bury her here.

Pet burials started in Hartsdale in 1896 when animal doctor Samuel Johnson let a woman bury her dog on his property of apple trees. The place is about 30 kilometers north of New York City.

Since that time, about 70,000 animals have been laid to rest in the two-hectare cemetery. Most of the pets buried at Hartsdale are cats and dogs, but several other kinds of animals are also there. There's reptiles that are buried here, mice, said Edward Martin III, vice president of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery.

There's a lion cub that was buried here in 1912 by a Russian princess. There's the ashes of Ming, who's a Bengal tiger that was buried here a few years ago. There are some monkeys. There is also Hudson the horse, some birds, and singer Mariah Carey's cat, Clarence.

The oldest headstone, dating to 1898, remembers the life of a dog named Blagg. Martin operates the place with his father, Edward Martin Jr., who purchased the cemetery in 1974. The younger Martin is a lawyer and accountant, who decided later in his career to help run the cemetery.

He had worked there also as a teenager. I've seen what people go through, and they lose their pets, and I feel like I'm in a good position where I can help them, he said. And I have helped them, and it makes me want to continue helping them. Between 250 and 300 burials take place at Hartsdale each year.

The cemetery never runs out of space because not all of the burial sites are permanent. People can make a one-time forever maintenance payment of $3,500 or a yearly payment of $105. If the yearly payments stop, that grave site is offered for sale.

The pet in the grave will be removed from that plot, so someone else who wants it can pay the maintenance. And the pets are taken out and they're cremated. And they don't leave the cemetery, said Martin Jr., Hartsdale's president. Their remains are scattered over the cemetery grass.

A centerpiece at the cemetery is the War Dog Memorial at the top of a hill. Established in 1923, the memorial honored World War I service dogs, but these days the memorial honors service dogs of all kinds.

Although Hartsdale is mostly a resting place for animals, the cremated remains of about 800 humans are buried here with their pets. There is a Martin family plot where the elder Martin plans to be laid to rest when he dies. I have to be buried somewhere, and why would I go to any place other than this, he said.

My mother and father and my mother-in-law or father-in-law are buried here, and so that's a good reason by itself to do it. Lindenberg also likes the idea. He has already prepared to be cremated and buried alongside Boots when the time comes.

I'm single, I don't know if I'll ever get married, and I can't think of a better place, he said. I lived with my cat every day for almost 17 years. Why stop now? In the meantime, Lindenberg, who lives a 10-minute walk away, will continue to visit his old friend almost daily.

Today, Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith present a special program on Christmas traditions in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. During this period, there was no set way of celebrating the day, which was not yet an official holiday.

Communities around the country honored the day in different ways. Some observed Christmas as an important Christian religious day, honoring the birth of Jesus. Others celebrated the day with parties, music, drinking, and eating. And some communities did not celebrate the day at all.

But it was during this period that Americans began to reinvent the holiday. They combined ancient Christmas traditions from different cultures with modern American influences. Here are Steve Ember and Shirley Griffith.

In 1819, the popular American writer Washington Irving wrote a series of five essays published in a book called The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. The essays describe a wealthy British landowner who invites his farm workers into his home to celebrate Christmas.

The landowner recreates a traditional Christmas as it would have been celebrated in the distant past. Irving praised this looking back to ancient traditions. He liked the idea of different levels of society coming together to enjoy a festive and peaceful holiday.

Washington Irving seemed to express concern about the lack of such unifying Christmas traditions in modern America. Penny Restad wrote a book, Christmas in America, A History. It shows how Americans began to slowly shape Christmas into a unifying national holiday during the first half of the 19th century.

She describes how Christmas had different meanings for Americans who came from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Many immigrants brought Christmas traditions from their own countries. Religion played a big role in how an American might celebrate the holiday. Calvinist Christians banned the celebration of Christmas.

But groups such as Episcopalians and Moravians honored the day with religious services and seasonal decorations. By mid-century, Christian groups began to ignore their religious differences over the meaning of Christmas and honored the day in special ways. Christmas became an important time for families to celebrate at home.

More and more Christian Americans also began to follow the European traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts. Christians believe that the tree represented Jesus and was also a sign of new beginnings.

German immigrants brought their tradition of putting lights, sweets, and toys on the branches of evergreen trees placed in their homes. This tradition of setting up a Christmas tree soon spread to many American homes. So did the practice of giving people presents.

As these traditions increased in popularity, the modern trade and business linked to Christmas also grew. As Christmas became more popular, some states declared the day a state holiday. Louisiana was the first state to make the move in 1837. By 1860, 14 other states had followed.

It was not until 1870 that President Ulysses Grant made Christmas a federal holiday. Americans already knew old Christmas songs that came from England and other areas of Europe. But many new American Christmas songs started to become popular.

For example, in 1849, a religious leader from Massachusetts wrote the words to It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. The song Jingle Bells appeared seven years later, and a year later, a religious leader in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, wrote the song We Three Kings of Orient Are.

And, of course, no discussion of Christmas would be complete without talking about one of the holiday's most famous representations, Santa Claus. This character is based on the story of St. Nicholas, a Christian holy person believed to have lived in the 3rd century. St. Nicholas became known as a protector of children.

In his role as a Christmas hero, different cultures have given him different names. These include Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas. But for most Americans, his most popular name would become Santa Claus.

In the 19th century, many Dutch immigrants living in the United States celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. St. Nicholas was especially important to New Yorkers because of their history as a Dutch colony. In 1809, Washington Irving published his History of New York.

It lists St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New Yorkers. He describes the saint wearing a low hat, large pants, and smoking a pipe. Does this description sound familiar? That music means it's time for the lesson of the day on the Learning English Podcast.

My name is Andrew Smith and I'm joined by Dr. Jill Robbins. Hi, Jill. Hi, Andrew. Our lesson is based on our video series, Let's Learn English. The series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C. Here's Ana introducing herself.

My name is Ana Mateo. Today's lesson is based on Lesson 30 of Level 2 of the series. It's a special episode. Yes, indeed. It's special because it is the final episode of the series. And it gives Ana and her co-workers a chance to dream about the future. That's right. Every end is also a new beginning.

So listen carefully to what Anna and her co-workers dream of doing. That means what they hope for the future. And listen for the I-N-G form of the verb after the two words, dream of. The episode begins when Anna and Ashley meet, and they each share what they have dreamed of doing. Anna! Anna!

Where are you going in such a hurry? Oh, hi, Ashley. The nurse's office. Today, I get the results from my blood test. I'm sure you're fine. Don't worry. You know, I used to dream of being a nurse. It is such an honorable career. Is there something you've dreamed of doing? Sure. I would love to be a dog trainer. Actually, I've taught my dog Dublin lots of tricks. Well, I'm off to the nurse. When we say, I'm off to...

That is an informal way of telling someone where we are going. Anna is off to the nurse's office. After she gets there, the nurse gives Anna some advice. She tells Anna that life is short and that it's important to do something you love every day. I think the older you get, the shorter life seems. That's true.

And maybe the idea that life is short is one reason people have bucket lists. A bucket is an open container that can hold about 15 to 20 liters of material. For example, you put water in a bucket to help you wash a car or clean a floor. But a bucket list is a list of the big things, the big dreams you hope to do during your life.

Anna asks Jonathan about his bucket list. Okay, Anna, say something and I'll check your sound level. Testing. One, two, three. Testing. Jonathan, I've been wondering something. What's at the top of your bucket list? That's easy. I'd love to win the World Karaoke Contest.

This is so strange. I just saw on Twitter that they are having auditions in D.C. this weekend. Are you serious? Can you read the story by yourself? Sure, absolutely. Thanks. You go. Anna is helping Jonathan do something he's dreamed of. He has dreamed of winning a big karaoke contest. And he's not the only person she helps. Listen. Penelope. Penelope.

I was wondering if you still dream of being a dancer. Only every day. Well, guess what? A famous dancer is having a flash mob around the corner. Hundreds of people are dancing together. No way. Way. If you leave right now, you can join them. A flash mob is a dance that happens like a surprise, with many people dancing together in a public place.

Near the end of Lesson 30, Ms. Weaver notices that Anna's co-workers have left the building. Anna suggests to her that there is something going around. When we say there's something going around, we are usually talking about an illness like the flu or a cold. But that's not what Anna really means. Listen to find out.

Anna, what's going on? Where is everybody? I don't know. Maybe something is going around the office. You mean germs? Anna, you better use some of this hand cleaner. You don't want to get sick too. Right. Okay, thanks. Not germs. Dreams, Ms. Weaver. Dreams. What'd you say, Anna? Nothing. Nothing. Anna is helping her co-workers follow their dreams.

Listeners, what are some of your dreams? What do you dream of doing? Are your dreams realistic and feasible, or are they far-fetched? Far-fetched means something is very unlikely or almost impossible to happen. But feasible means it's something that you can really do. And remember, even difficult things can be feasible.

So, listeners, write to us at learningenglish at voanews.com and let us know what you dream of doing. What's on your bucket list? Does your list include learning to speak English well? I bet it does. To finish today's lesson...

We'll hear Professor Bott talk about following your dreams. Thanks for listening to the lesson of the day on the Learning English Podcast. I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith. Here's Professor Bott.

We hope you have enjoyed level two of Let's Learn English. Everyone is following their dreams, big and small. What are your dreams? Our dream is for you to keep learning English.

And that's our show for today. But join us again tomorrow to keep learning English on The Voice of America. I'm Katie Weaver. And I'm Mark.