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Michael
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Todd
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Chance Encounter
Michael talks about how he met his wife.
Todd: Hey, Michael, I just met your wife. She's a really nice woman. Really friendly.
Mike: Yeah. yeah. We met a long time ago. We've been married a lot of years, now.
Todd: How did you meet actually?
Mike: Oh, gosh, we met back when we were both students, at Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona, and I had volunteered to be one of the tour guides for new students, foreign students who just coming in for that school year, and it was the end of August, and it was very steamy, a very hot day, and I remember I met the students, there were maybe four or five of them at the Student Union for this walking orientation tour of the campus. It's a beautiful campus, by the way, and so, you know, I remember she was sitting on this bench and I went and, you know, she smiled at me and I smiled at her, and there was some kind of spark.
Todd: Yeah, yeah, like a connection.
Mike: There was a connection. There was a connection there, and I, you know, we went on this walking tour of the campus and when we were you done, you know, I kind of reluctantly, sort of said goodbye to her and the rest of the group, and you know, kind of said, "see you around," and I think the next day even, she went and found out who I was and where I worked and she dropped in my office.
Todd: Wow, that's pretty cool. That's pretty romantic.
Mike: It was very cool. Very romantic. You know the funny thing is, that particular bench, where we met, on our anniversary, 20th anniversary, we went back to the campus (no way) where we met and we took a picture of ourselves on the same bench because this is where we first met.
Todd: What a great story!
Mike: It was very cool to go back there.
Todd: So, in terms of your personality, how are you guys similar?
Mike: How are we similar? Oh, man, I think we're more different than anything. I think our biggest similarity is that we're both so different, in other words, that we're both very tolerant of people who are different and so we, you know, we kind of get along. We have an understanding that's we're going to misunderstand each other most of the time.
Todd: Right, right.
Mike: But we sort of approach that with a kind of humor and flexibility so I think that's what makes our relationship work is that we got that kind of agreement.
Todd: So you think that's the key to any successful marriage?
Mike: Is not getting so upset at misunderstanding each other or kind of using misunderstanding as a way of getting to know each other. I think that is one of the keys.
Todd: That's nice. Thanks.
Mike: Sure.
volunteer
I had volunteered to be one of the tour guides for new students.
To 'volunteer' means to do work to help people without getting paid for it. Notice the following:
- The year after she graduated she volunteered in a
hospital.
- Where did you volunteer last summer?
spark
She smiled at me and I smiled at her, and there was some kind of spark.
In this case, a 'spark' refers to a feeling of attraction between two people. This happens if you like someone romantically. Notice the following:
- He was very handsome, but I felt no spark with him.
- They had a spark from the very beginning.
reluctant
I kind of reluctantly, sort of said goodbye to her and the rest of the group.
If you are 'reluctant' to do something, you don't want to do it or resist doing it. Notice the following:
- I felt very reluctant to go to the party.
- He was very reluctant to talk to her again after they
broke up.
make the relationship work
That's what makes our relationship work.
'To make a relationship work' means to keep the relationship happy and successful. Notice the following:
- Humor helps make our relationship work.
- Both people need to communicate to make the relationship work.
misunderstanding
One key is not getting so upset at misunderstanding each other.
A 'misunderstanding' happens when people do not understand each something correctly. Notice the following:
- A simple misunderstanding caused them to argue.
- We talked about the problem and cleared up the misunderstanding.
tolerant
We're both very tolerant of people who are different.
To be 'tolerant' of something is to accept it without making judgments. Notice the following:
- He is a very tolerant father, but lying makes him really
angry.
- She was not very tolerant of his smoking habit.
the rest of the group
I said goodbye to her and the rest of the group.
'The rest of the group' means all the other people in the group. Notice the following:
- The rest of the group arrived later.
- I waited for the rest of the group.
see you around
I said, "See you around."
You say 'see you around' when you think you will see someone again, but by chance. Notice the following:
- Bye! See you around.
- I'll see you around campus.
found out
She went and found out who I was.
'Find out' means to learn or discover something. 'Found out' is the past tense form of the phrase. Notice the following:
- I found out the answer.
- She found out where he lives.
drop in
She dropped in my office.
To 'drop in' means to visit someone without planning it. Notice the following:
- My friend dropped in to see me after work.
- Our old boss dropped in to say 'hi' today.
get along
We kind of get along.
If people 'get along,' they have a good relationship and are friendly with each other. Notice the following:
- My brothers don't get along well. The fight a lot.
- Do you get along with the people in your office?
getting to know each other
Getting to know each other, I think, that is one of the keys.
'Getting to know each other' means learning more about another person. Notice the following:
- We are still getting to know each other.
- The game helped us get to know each other.
one of the keys
That is one of the keys.
'One of the keys' means one of the most important things. Notice the following:
- Practice is one of the keys to success.
- Patience is one of the keys to learning.
similarity
Our biggest similarity is that we're different from most people.
A 'similarity' is something that is the same between two or more people or things. Notice the following:
- We have many similarities. We are both tall, thin and blond.
- Our biggest similarity is our sense of humor.
in other words
Our biggest similarity is that we're open. In other words, we're both tolerant of people who are different.
Speakers use the phrase 'in other words' to say the same idea in a different way. It often helps explain an idea or phrase. Notice the following:
- He was running on empty. In other words, he was very tired.
- She bombed the test. In other words, she cannot take the next class.
Vocabulary Quiz
misunderstanding • tolerant
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