In The Same Boat #21
A weekly dose of motivation, inspiration and education from Masha and Jedrek.
Ahoy Sailors!
It’s your captain speaking! We made it safely to the harbor this year, it seems :) This issue of the In The Same Boat newsletter is the last one before the summer holiday. This week, once again, I am inviting you to read my text (on reading newspapers) and to check out what the rest of our fantastic crew has prepared for you. There’s Maciek with "Clutching at Straws," Agata with—guess what?—another spicy story ;), and Mateusz with a summer hit from Sylvie Kreusch. There are some links to click and a picture from the heart of Provence. Let’s roll!
How Newspapers Shaped My Life (and my language)
By Jedrek Stepien
I don't know how much I behave like my parents — I tend to think I am different — but there is one thing in me that is solid proof of modeling: my habit of reading newspapers. Newspapers have been in my life forever. My parents always read a lot; my mum was more into books, but my dad was all about the press: local, regional, and national. He never took a holiday from reading. Going to new places always meant buying a local newspaper to get a quick glance at the situation. And it wasn't the front pages my dad was most interested in, but the less sensational or even mundane stuff from the middle of the issues, including classified ads — the mirror of true life according to him.
So, reading newspapers is one thing, but reading them in a specific way is also what I took from home for the rest of my life. Today, I can spend half of my Saturday with several titles spread across the table, enjoying yesterday's news and some tea. But I don't do it to be better informed. Or at least, that's not what I get out of it. I don't think I am better informed than people who watch evening news on TV or listen to a 5-minute podcast summarizing everything in the morning. The whirlwind in my head is probably similar to everyone else's. Ask me about what happened one week ago or who said what, and I may not remember. Still, what matters to me is the presence of the printed pages in front of me, where human lives are captured, if only for a fleeting moment.
That specific approach to reading the press helped to ease my discomfort after moving to France. If you may know, I came here without knowing French. And yet, I started buying French newspapers almost immediately after settling in. My old habit won and I am thankful for it, because a newspaper is a great language teacher too. The first and most obvious advantage of a newspaper over other media is that it's not moving. Once you buy a newspaper and put it on the table, it stays there. The language is not escaping like it does on the radio or TV. It's waiting for you to be read, and if you don't understand, you either consult the dictionary or look at the sentence more carefully and investigate, combining text with pictures and deciphering any words that look familiar. It's not a shame to quit reading too. Unlike books, newspapers offer plenty of short, independent texts, and if you don't understand one, you can always start somewhere else, say, in the sport section. There's nothing to be afraid of about foreign newspapers.
In France, I started with the local newspaper La Provence, a bit later the national title Le Figaro, and somewhere in between, I came across the strange weekly called Le1, which became one of my biggest adventures in France. Le1 is strange, first and foremost, because of its format. It's one huge sheet of paper (A1) folded three times to A4. It drew my attention because I was looking for ways to decorate my freshly rented room in a coworking office, and for some reason I wanted to have a lot of text on the walls. Le1 seemed perfect because of its size but also because of its paper—thicker and stronger than traditional newspapers. Before decorating the walls, however, I browsed it of course and even with my highly imperfect French, I quickly realized that this weekly is everything I was always looking for in the press — not the news, but human curiosity; not the current, but the important. Each issue of Le1 circles around current affairs but it's always at a safe distance from pure news. Whatever they are writing about is approached with curiosity. They are able to discuss the Suez Canal in one issue only to write about the importance of bike trips in the next one, and you don’t feel that either is less relevant.
Le1 celebrated its 10th anniversary or 500th issue recently, and somehow, I have been with them for more than half of this distance. It became my weekly routine to pop into the newsagent during my Wednesday’s visit to the street market to grab an issue. I was even for a few seconds on the French news channel France Info where the crew from Le1 had its weekly program, and where readers could ask their own questions. Le1 became my guide in France, through France and in French. I cannot underestimate the impact of reading French one hour per week for the past 300 weeks or so. Even if I don’t manage to read the whole issue, I try to read at least the interview (there is always at least one). Interviews are always easier to understand than the plain text of an article. Today, I have no problems whatsoever with reading newspapers in foreign languages. And if I ever move to another country, I will start my new life there by buying a local newspaper.
THIS WEEK IN ToL:
Thinking Out Loud: Summer Break
No episode 100, not yet at least :) We decided to take a break for the summer and come back in September. Till then you can try and listen to any of our archival episodes. Here’s the top 10 of the most popular ones according to Spotify:
10. Thinking Out Loud 602: Popular and Famous with Jacek
09. Thinking Out Loud 613: Redefining Education and The Good Life
08. Thinking Out Loud 617: Trends In Education For 2024
07. Thinking Out Loud 419: Enemy vs. Competitor with Kris
06. Thinking Out Loud 507: Culture and Civilization with Michał
05. Thinking Out Loud 614: Technofeudalism and the Illusion of Instagram
04. Thinking Out Loud 412: Coach vs. Teacher with Tamara
03. Thinking Out Loud 509: Quality and Condition with Boris
02. Thinking Out Loud 001: IQ -- Open Mind; Coziness
01. Thinking Out Loud 417: War and Education with Hugh
THE PHRASE OF THE WEEK
By Maciek Skulski
Clutching at Straws
It was the year 1987 when I heard the album "Clutching at Straws" by Marillion on Tomek Beksiński's radio show. It was amazing! Fresh sounds moving forward beautifully, making my blood pump. Recently, after 37 years (OMG!), I played this album again and remembered how perfect it is! The music hasn't aged at all and still sounds fresh! Marillion is still in shape!
Only later, when I started thinking about what the album title "Clutching at Straws" means, did I realize the meaning of the words. "Clutching at straws" means a desperate attempt to find a solution or hope, even if it is unlikely to succeed.
Today, we can use this idiom in different situations. For example, when a fisherman goes out to sea during bad weather, knowing his chances of catching anything are minimal, we can say he is "clutching at straws." Another example is when one person in a relationship tries to save it, even though the other person has already given up. They try different ways to fix the relationship, even though success seems unlikely—they are also "clutching at straws."
Did you know this idiom? And do you know the music of Marillion?
THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE?
By Agata Kasperczak
An Incidental Proposal
Last time I wrote about body language, and this time I will tell you a short story about sign language, which has a lot in common with the former.
Did you know that there is a Polish sign language and an international one?
Anyway,
There was a funny situation in a course I attended. One participant came late, and after a few minutes, the teacher noticed that she was making some gestures with her tongue.
The teacher observed this participant for a few minutes as she repeated the gesture again and again. The latecomer was checking her molar tooth with her tongue as she had just come back from the dentist. Little did she know that in sign language, that means a sexual offer.
So, be careful with your body language. You never know what you may be saying.
THE SONG OF THE WEEK
By Mateusz Borowik
Sylvie Kreusch - Comic Trip
The summer has begun, and so the song should be summery. Today, I turn to Sylvie Kreusch, a former member of Warhouse, with whom she released the very good "Popcorn" earlier this year. However, I am focusing on her new solo track. "Comic Trip" is the ideal summer hit. This song smells like summer and takes us back to the carefree years of childhood. I don't understand why it isn't being played in heavy rotation on radio stations yet. What does a summer hit need? A good and catchy melody. A memorable rhythm. An increase and buildup in tempo. Louder vocals and backing vocals. And that distinctive motif that makes us shout WOW!
"Comic Trip" checks all these boxes. I have no doubt that the song will be a frequent choice for reels summarizing the summer months.
Lyrics:
Big bold emotions
Another frame full of comic scenes
You see the world anew
Now “Can I see it too?”
Speech bubbles bursting
No need for sound that’s what pictures do
You hear the world anew
Now I can hear it too
Paaw, paaw
Beng, beng
Kachaaaaw
Whem, blem
I always knew but I want to believe it now
Boem cheka wauwww
Oh God, I can’t believe it’s real
All I see colourful emotion
Sped up and in slow motion
Boem chika wauw
Oh God, oh what a big reveal
All I feel’s wonderous adoration
Calling for celebration
Boem cheka wauwww
Real superwoman
Flying straight out of her comic strip
It’s in the way she movеs
Man, if she only knew
Frames bursting opеn
And blending in with reality
You feel the world anew
And I can feel it too
Paaw, paaw
Beng, beng
Kachaaaaw
Whem, blem
I always knew but I want to believe it now
Boem cheka wauwww
Oh God, I can’t believe it’s real
All I see colourful commotion
Sped up and in slow motion
Boem chika wauw
Oh God, oh what a big reveal
All I feel’s wonderous adoration
Calling for celebration
Boem cheka wauwww
Another whiii
Another whoehoehoehoo
Another whaaaaaauuuww
Another whoooehaaaaaaa
Another whiii
Another whoehoehoehoo
Another whaaaaaauuuww
Another whoooehaaaaaaa
Boem cheka wauwww
Oh God, I can’t believe it’s real
All I see colourful commotion
Sped up and in slow motion
Boem chika wauw
Oh God, oh what a big reveal
All I feel’s wonderous adoration
Calling for celebration
Boem cheka wauwww
Boem cheka wauwww
LINKS TO CLICK:
VIDEO: How Covid £700bn Is Killing The Economy
Garys Economics
Warning! What you are going to see is revolutionary and the government does not want you to watch it. Gary runs this highly popular YouTube channel to promote a different point of view on economics. An angry one. In this video he explains how the Covid money a.k.a. helicoper money given by most of the Western governments to ordinary people ended up (or is ending up) in the hands of the rich, making the income gap wider, not narrower. Worth watching in my opinion, if only to find out what the young generation is thinking.
VIDEO: Alice Munro and the dignity of everyday life
I take coaches with a pinch of salt normally, but Sean is different. I know him, he used to be an English teacher (maybe still is?) and I find what he’s doing really open and honest. In this video he’s talking about appreciating small things, just like my newspaper from the text above. Check it out!
MY FRANCE:
One of the undeniable benefits of living in the middle of nowhere is that there’s always somewhere to go on your bicycle. I took advantage of a rare opportunity to get on my bicycle and rode to a nearby town 25 km away. I stopped at a bakery (one of the famous French boulangeries) and bought myself a salad for lunch and something sweet for dessert, which I consumed with huge appetite some 20 kilometers later.
MY ToL:
An SMS from Maciek: “On the way to Gozo island, taking the ferry and ofc listening to the ‘Thinking Out Loud’☀😀”
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…
Have a Beautiful Week!
That is literally all from us this semester. We are coming back in September. I want to thank Masha in the first place, but also Maciek, Agata, Mateusz and Ela for their contributions. Without you this boat would feel empty! Special thanks to my wife, Natalia, for bearing with me editing this newsletter on weekends ;) And last, but not least, huge thanks to you dear readers!
Don’t forget that you can co-create this newsletter by sending us your texts, reflections, jokes, memes (anybody?), photos and whatever you want! We are waiting for your contributions - tolpodcast@hotmail.com
You are also more than welcome to comment and interact with us in the chat in the substack app.
Thanks for reading, have a great holiday and stay tuned for the next issue of our newsletter 🫡.