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So I recently went to my cousin’s wedding in Edinburgh, which turned out to be much colder than expected, ESPECIALLY since I was camping! Fortunately, the beauty of the Quaker wedding ceremony more than made up for it.

I couldn't stick around for long, though, as I had to whiz back to London on the train to take the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Sounds boring, but in fact it allowed me to process old failures, reconnect with academia, and set me up on a good mental path for my move to China. Learn all this more in this episode of Easy Stories in English!

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Freezing for the full transcript.

Vocabulary: Camper van, RV, Quaker, Ceilidh, Pass rate, Emotional breakdown, Close the loop, Peter Pan syndrome, Puer aeternus, Heart rate variability, 'It hits different', Shibboleth

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Yes, that's right, I was kicked out of a public building... Not only that, I went to a wild party in Cambridge, and I'm setting the house on fire with incense. Sort of.

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Kicked for the full transcript.

Vocabulary: Hay fever, Incense, Ball (party), Checkmate, Gen Z, Shisha, Bumper cars, Helter skelter, Middle of the road, Joie de vivre

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A monkey shares his figs with a shark, and for a while they are friends, but when the shark invites the monkey to his home under the sea, the monkey suspects that something may be wrong...

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Monkey⁠⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

Level: Intermediate.

Genre: Philosophical.

Vocabulary: Fig, Nimble, Toss, X and Y don't mix, Halfway, Graceful, Indifferent, Ordeal, Nap, Send someone your wishes.

Setting: Fairytale.

Word Count: 1686.

Author: Fairy Tales.

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British people are obsessed with class, but what does it mean to be middle class? From accents to animatronic tigers, come with me for a whirlwind tour of class markers in British society.

Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/MiddleClass for the full transcript.

Vocabulary: Social bubble, Parvenu, Nouveau riche, Processed food, Received Pronunciation, Posh, Chav

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Tony cannot say no. So he eats food he doesn't like, does a job he hates, and goes on holidays where he almost dies. But when his friend asks him to marry her, will he still say yes?

Go to ⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Yes⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

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Level: Pre-Intermediate.

Genre: Comedy.

Vocabulary: Salmon, Give a speech, Allergy, Spot (body), Squeamish, Faint (verb), Bowling, Health condition, Terrible, Horse-riding, Unable.

Setting: Modern.

Word Count: 2308.

Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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I do a tarot reading, and I draw THE DEVIL!! Dun dun dun... Will I survive, or is my future all going up in flames?

Go to ⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Devil for the full transcript.

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Vocabulary: Tarot, Woo woo, Esoteric, Vibrate at a certain frequency, Quantum physics, ASMR, Shuffle, The Devil, Temptation, Hedonism, Uncoil, Disintegrate, Generosity, Get a lot of mileage out of something

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Have you met Elaine? Elaine is very giving, but not very nice. Oh, she loves everyone, but she shows her love through action, not smiles. And Elaine has a secret, which only I know about...

Go to ⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Elaine⁠ for the full transcript.

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Level: Intermediate.

Genre: Horror.

Vocabulary: Cuppa, Hoarder, Ragamuffin, Vandalise, Parish council, Egging, Spot (skin), Fertiliser, Infer, Defrost, Intermittent fasting, Six pack.

Setting: Modern.

Word Count: 1728.

Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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I discuss six things I wish I'd done sooner in life, tell you about my 32nd birthday and discuss some books and films I've enjoyed recently.

Go to ⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Sooner⁠ for the full transcript.

List of books:

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

Film: The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober

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An old fisherman sits by the sea, waiting for fish to come. He has seen the world change hugely through his life. But today, something different is waiting in the water: something monstrous.

Go to ⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Return for the full transcript.

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Level: Intermediate.

Genre: Philosophical.

Vocabulary: Moustache, Frown, Broom, Fishing rod, Excretion, Barnacle, Wrath, Kelp, Froth.

Setting: Modern.

Word Count: 1220.

Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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Today's episode is a rerun of an older story. Before we get into the story, I talk about my religious experiences during Easter.

St George is a famous mythical figure throughout Europe. Most versions of his story involve him fighting and killing a dragon who is causing problems in a city. But in my version, things are bit... smellier.

Go to ⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/George for the full transcript.

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Level: Pre-Intermediate.

Genre: Myths & Legends.

Vocabulary: Saint, Dragon, Dew, Kingdom, Desert, Tame, Well (water), Pass out, Knight, Scratch, Collar.

Setting: Fairytale.

Word Count: 1662.

Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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