Last week, we told you about the Many Languages, One World (MLOW) essay contest. ELS Educational Services created this contest as a part of the United Nations Academic Impact initiative. This week, we want to introduce you to the winners of MLOW. Each winner studied the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Then, they wrote an essay. Each essay was about learning language in order to understand other cultures.

The 2016 MLOW winners put a lot of effort into their essays. It was difficult for many of them because they could not write the essay in their first language. However, their hard work paid off because they each won a trip to the Global Youth Forum in New York City. This is a big compliment! Now, they can work together to share new ideas at the United Nations headquarters.

In today’s English video, the participants share their feelings about winning this exciting contest. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When I wake up from my fever dream and this isn’t real, I’m going to be bummed.—Actress Melissa McCarthy, speaking about starring in Ghostbusters 3 (Jimmy Kimmel Live) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

On April 21, 2016, Prince Rogers Nelson passed away. Prince was a famous American musician, and his death devastated his fans. He made music for forty years, including hit songs like Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, and 1999. Many people consider Prince to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time! And Prince’s clothing choices were as funky as his musical style. He often wore platform boots, colorful suits, and unique blouses.

Prince was also famous for his intellectual property fights. A company called Warner Brothers sold Prince’s music until the early 1990s. In the early 1990s, Prince didn’t like the way Warner Brothers handled his songs. He wanted to leave the company and changed his name to a strange symbol to fight Warner Brothers. Years later, Prince wanted to sue YouTube because he didn’t want his music shared there. His fans still love his music, though, and his songs are popular today.

Dominique and Gary are talking about Prince. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out what they think about Prince, and which tune is Dominique’s favorite. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Sometime in life, you will get an amazing opportunity. Maybe, you will have a chance to win a big contest, or perhaps, you will get to live the dream by finding the perfect job. When these wonderful opportunities happen, you need to make some important choices, and you need to make them fast. You don’t want these incredible things to slip through your fingers and be lost.

When something “slips through your fingers,” you don’t take advantage of it. In other words, you decide not to enter the big contest, or you don’t apply for your dream job. You just let life continue, and your opportunities slip through your fingers and disappear. However, most people want to experience the great results of a big opportunity. This is why you will usually hear people use this expression in the negative. They might say, “This is too good to miss. We can’t let it slip through our fingers.”

Travel Bug has the chance at some free publicity, but they must make a commercial first. Find out which member of the team is already a star in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Each of us has a special food that brings back good memories. Maybe, you love the smell of your mom’s favorite soup, or perhaps, the smell of your dad’s grilled steaks reminds you of happy summer memories. For many people in the United States, one of these special foods is apple pie. In fact, it’s a summer tradition to eat apple pie a la mode, or with ice cream.

Many US grandmothers have secret apple pie recipes that they only share with their families. People may have different ideas about how to make an apple pie, but most recipes have a buttery crust, Granny Smith apples, and lots of cinnamon and sugar. The most satisfying slice of home-baked apple pie is fresh from the oven and served with a cold scoop of ice cream.

Romeo is telling Dominique about his grandmother’s apple pie. Listen to today’s English lesson to hear why he loves it so much. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

I want someone who is super smart, can make me laugh, has, like, a dad bod. I don’t need no six-pack. Like, I ain’t kicking it out of bed for sure, but every character I’ve been with has been too perfect.—Actress Emilia Clarke, talking about her ideal man (huffingtonpost.com) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

We all know that exercise is good for us, but sometimes, it is difficult to begin. Exercising with friends is a great socialization technique that can also make exercise a regular habit. Mall walking is a good example. This simple hobby is becoming very popular. People put on their tennis shoes and workout attire and then go to their local mall.

Before the stores open, these people meet and begin to walk laps around the mall. It’s a simple way to get fit while talking to friends and also window shopping. Because the stores are closed, no one can buy anything. But they can look at the new items in the windows and make a shopping plan while they break a sweat.

Jessica recently tried mall walking and loves it. Listen as she tells Andy about her new hobby in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

After a long week of work or school, what do you like to do? Some people like to relax at home, but many people want to go out and have a good time in town. They might meet a buddy at a local restaurant for dinner, or they might take their partner and hang out with other couples at a dance party. Either way, they will paint the town red by enjoying themselves for a long time and probably going home late.

When you paint the town red, you don’t stay at home. You go out and party! You might dress in a costume and go to a theme party, or you could even go on a late-night riverboat cruise. No matter what happens, when you paint the town red, you have a blast. You may also need to sleep late the next morning. Painting the town red is a lot of fun, but it takes a lot of energy to party all night long.

Sheila has been invited to a special party. Learn how she’s going to paint the town red in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you a busy person who likes to learn new things? If you are, you might enjoy listening to podcasts. You can find these audio programs on the internet and listen to them on your phone or on your computer. Instead of listening to a radio DJ blabbering about silly things, try a science or history podcast. Be inspired by an interview with a famous person. Learn about the day-to-day of life in another country in a travel podcast.

Serial is a very popular documentary podcast that started in 2014. Serial makes content about the lives of different people. Over 5 million people have downloaded this podcast! You can listen to it online for free to improve your English. A great place to look for other engaging podcasts is NPR, or National Public Radio. NPR has many podcasts about money, politics, books, and music. One of NPR’s most popular podcasts is Car Talk, a funny program about car problems. And, of course, you can always do a Google search to find a podcast about other topics you like.

Jessica is a new listener. Listen as she and Andy talk about their favorite kinds of podcasts. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When you were a child, you probably had a fantasy of being someone else. Maybe, you fantasized about being your favorite comic-book character, like Wonder Woman or The Tick. Do you still dream about being a super hero? Many people share this dream. In fact, so many people like to dress up in comic-book costumes that there is a large network of comic-book fans. These fan can go to Comic-Con.

People share the hobby of cosplay at Comic-Con. Cosplayers study their favorite characters and then spend time sewing costumes. Some people think that cosplay is juvenile, but many love this escape from their day-to-day lives. They can meet friends at Comic-Con and forget about their worries for a short time. And they get to share their creativity with others.

Gary is confused because there are many people wearing costumes in town. Listen as he and Jessica talk about cosplay in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com