On the Sidelines

"The foreign ministers of China and Japan met on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam." That phrase, "met on the sidelines of [a different meeting]" has shown up at least twice in our listening class (Units 4 & 7) and here it is again. The annual Asean summit began yesterday and the foreign ministers of Japan and China met about their latest diplomatic argument, even though that was not the main reason that they came to Hanoi.

When leaders come to a meeting or summit and meet for a different purpose during that summit, you will often see it reported as they "met on the sidelines."

A Mom's Tough Standards, Imported From Vietnam

If you'd like to practice listening, click here for a conversation between a Vietnamese mother and her daughter about what it was like to raise a child in America. The mom, Teresa Nguyen, who is originally from HCMC, talks about how she tried to raise her daughter Stephanie in American culture while trying to preserve their Asian culture. After listening a few times, you can read the transcript here but be sure to listen several times first!

Credit for pointing this link out goes to Ms. Melia, an American teacher who taught at DAV in 2007. Thanks, Melia!