Conversaciones cotidianas: ¡Gracias por presentarte voluntario! [audio]

Seis estudiantes de distintos lugares del mundo se conocen. ¿Qué tienen en común? Todos son estudiantes de intercambio en una universidad de Estados Unidos durante un semestre. Durante este período aprenderán más inglés, conocerán mejor la cultura estadounidense y aprenderán más en sus campos de estudio.

Esta serie de “Conversaciones cotidianas” trata de seis estudiantes y sus experiencias durante un semestre académico en una universidad de Estados Unidos. Estas conversaciones son para niveles de inglés intermedio o más alto.

Las conversaciones cotidianas son una gran opción para mejorar tu inglés. Los estudiantes más avanzados pueden leer este artículo en la versión original en inglés.

Escucha el audio:

Tres estudiantes trabajan como voluntarios en un festival de otoño. En esta conversación, los estudiantes (Peter, Akinyi y Lee) hablan sobre las actividades en el festival.

Peter: I thought we were all meeting up here this morning. Where are Lucía, Ajay and Jana?

Akinyi: Ajay and Jana are helping Lucía with a huge midterm project for one of her classes. You’re stuck with us.

Lee: But we’re ready to help!

Peter: Well, thanks for volunteering to help out at the fall festival. It’ll be a lot of fun, and all the money goes to the children’s hospital in town.

Akinyi: Could you explain one thing to me first? What exactly is a fall festival? I volunteered without knowing what I was getting myself into*.

Lee: Me too!

Peter: Now I really appreciate that you volunteered! A fall festival is like an outdoor fair with a fall theme. There’s food and music, as well as games for children. This one is an off-campus** event near a farm, so there’s even going to be a corn maze***.

Lee: A corn maze? Like a maze made of corn?

Peter: Exactly. You have to walk through tall cornstalks trying to find your way out of the maze. Just when you think you’re finding your way, suddenly you come to a dead end, and you have to turn around and try a different path.

Akinyi: And what happens if you can’t find your way out?

Peter: There are people who will help you. You won’t be stuck in the maze forever.

*get oneself into – expresión que significa “meterse en algo”.

**off-campus – fuera del recinto universitario.

***corn maze – laberinto formado al podar intencionadamente un sembrado de maíz de manera intrincada creando una figura o caminos confusos. La gente joven suele acudir a estos sembrados y perderse y buscarse en los laberintos como modo de diversión.

Revisemos ahora el vocabulario

To be stuck with [estar atascado con alguien, no poder escapar su compañía] someone or something means that one is forced to take care of or deal with someone or something. In this context, it is said as a joke.

To volunteer [trabajar de voluntario, sin cobrar] means to offer to do something without being paid to do it or without being asked to do it.

A fall festival is a type of outdoor celebration or fair in the fall. Fall festivals have a fall theme, often with seasonal food and drink, music, games and crafts.

The phrase without knowing what (one) was getting (one)self into means that the person did not know the details of a situation in advance.

An off-campus event is an event that does not take place on the campus of a school.

A maze [laberinto] is a complicated system of paths or passages that people try to find their way through for fun. A corn maze is a large maze created in a cornfield. Cornstalks are cut down to create the paths.

A dead end [calle sin salida] is a road or path that is closed at one end and does not join another road or path. As a result, one must turn around to exit a dead-end path.

A cornstalk [planta de maíz] is the thick, tall stem of a corn plant.

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