1
00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,839
Speaker 1: I saw Halloween decorations at the story yesterday. What a

2
00:00:04,919 --> 00:00:09,759
reality check. I guess summer is almost over and we

3
00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:16,719
need to get back into the swing of things.

4
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,199
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from

5
00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:25,000
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.

6
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,559
Speaker 1: All right, thank you, John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael

7
00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:35,439
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.

8
00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,039
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight sixty seven,

9
00:00:41,759 --> 00:00:46,799
the end of Summer Vibe in the US. Hello, and

10
00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,280
welcome and thanks for joining me for another episode of

11
00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,479
the Happy English Podcast. Can you believe it? Summer is

12
00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,960
winding down? It feels like just yesterday we were talking

13
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,799
talking about hot dogs, fireworks and road trips. But now

14
00:01:05,159 --> 00:01:08,840
here we are at the official end of summer in

15
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,280
the USA. Today, I want to talk about two big

16
00:01:13,359 --> 00:01:16,640
things that happen at the end of the American summer.

17
00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,760
Getting ready to go back to school and Labor Day weekend,

18
00:01:22,239 --> 00:01:26,959
the last big hurrah before fall kicks in. And along

19
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,719
the way, I'll toss in a few idioms that you'll

20
00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:38,400
hear Americans using during this season. So let's dive in now.

21
00:01:39,599 --> 00:01:43,000
Even if you're not a student or you don't have kids.

22
00:01:43,439 --> 00:01:48,159
You'll still notice when back to school season hits. Stores

23
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:55,239
are full of school supplies, backpacks, laptops, lunchboxes, and of

24
00:01:55,280 --> 00:02:01,200
course those big red and yellow back to school sale signs. Seriously,

25
00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,840
you walk into a store in late August and it's

26
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:10,080
like the summer decorations vanish overnight. One day you're shopping

27
00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:15,560
for beach towels. The next day it's pencil cases and planners.

28
00:02:15,599 --> 00:02:19,039
Parents are trying to get everything on the school supply list,

29
00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:25,400
kids are dreading homework, and teachers well, they're getting back

30
00:02:25,439 --> 00:02:30,879
into the swing of things. When you get back into

31
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:34,199
the swing of things, it means that you return to

32
00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:39,599
your normal routine after a break, like after summer vacation.

33
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,319
It's hard to get back into the swing of things.

34
00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,560
It usually takes a week or two for kids to

35
00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:51,759
get back into the swing of school. And you know,

36
00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,240
when I moved here in March, it took me like

37
00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,919
a month to get back into the swing of things. Now,

38
00:02:59,199 --> 00:03:03,199
let's talk about it. Labor Day weekend. Labor Day is

39
00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,680
a national holiday in the US, and it was originally

40
00:03:06,759 --> 00:03:11,360
created to honor workers and the labor movement, but these days,

41
00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,639
for most people, it's a chance to enjoy one last

42
00:03:15,879 --> 00:03:19,919
summer weekend before the school year and the work routine

43
00:03:20,199 --> 00:03:25,400
kicks in. And since Labor Day itself falls on the

44
00:03:25,439 --> 00:03:31,000
first Monday of September, it's a three day weekend like barbecues,

45
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:38,120
road trips, beach parties, lake days, outlet shopping, and backyard games.

46
00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,080
I like to think of it as summer's last dance.

47
00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,520
In fact, it's such a big deal that some people

48
00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:52,479
really go all out for Labor Day. Yeah, they go

49
00:03:52,759 --> 00:03:58,000
all out. This means that people do something with maximum

50
00:03:58,039 --> 00:04:03,840
effort or enthusiasm, Like my neighbors went all out with

51
00:04:03,919 --> 00:04:08,639
their Labor Day barbecue. They had fireworks, a DJ, even

52
00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:13,199
a taco truck. In fact, my town goes all out

53
00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,439
for Labor Day weekend. They have a street fair with

54
00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:22,560
live music, food, and of course fireworks. But hey, if

55
00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:27,079
you're not into big gatherings, Labor Day weekend is also

56
00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,879
a good time to just chill, sleep in, and mentally

57
00:04:31,959 --> 00:04:36,600
prepare for the school year or busy fall season. And

58
00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:42,040
you know, summer is not technically over. I mean, the

59
00:04:42,079 --> 00:04:46,560
summer season doesn't officially end until later in September. But

60
00:04:46,879 --> 00:04:51,279
in American culture, Labor Day weekend feels like the end.

61
00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,360
I mentioned this point in our first Summer culture lesson.

62
00:04:55,959 --> 00:04:59,920
The American summer season of outdoor fun begins on mom

63
00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:04,240
Oriole Day weekend at the end of May and finishes

64
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:08,480
up on Labor Day weekend at the beginning of September.

65
00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,480
Since kids are basically on summer vacation until around the

66
00:05:13,519 --> 00:05:18,680
beginning of September, it's summer vibes. Between those two long

67
00:05:18,759 --> 00:05:24,959
weekends and Labor Day weekend is where everyone collectively starts

68
00:05:25,199 --> 00:05:31,759
shifting into fall mode. You might hear people say something like, well,

69
00:05:31,959 --> 00:05:36,199
I guess that's it. Summer's over. Even if it's still

70
00:05:36,399 --> 00:05:41,839
hot as heck outside, there is this bittersweet feeling in

71
00:05:41,879 --> 00:05:45,639
the air. The fun is winding down and the reality

72
00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:50,920
is starting to creep in. And that's quite a reality check.

73
00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:56,759
A reality check that means a moment that reminds you

74
00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:01,759
that the fun and party are over and real life

75
00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:06,399
is about to start again. Like buying school supplies is

76
00:06:06,439 --> 00:06:12,839
a total reality check that summer's ending. Seeing Halloween decorations

77
00:06:12,879 --> 00:06:18,279
in the story Yesterday is a weird reality check. And

78
00:06:18,759 --> 00:06:23,480
for college students or teachers, Labor Day is often their

79
00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:28,879
last day of freedom before everything gets serious again. You know,

80
00:06:29,639 --> 00:06:32,399
like the last day of your cruise or the last

81
00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,120
day of your trip to Rome. That plane ride home

82
00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,399
is a reality check. And let's not forget one more

83
00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:46,600
thing that happens on Labor Day weekend. Those Labor Day

84
00:06:46,879 --> 00:06:55,399
sales big ones, furniture stores, clothing shops, car dealers, electronics stores.

85
00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:59,759
If it can be discounted, it will be. In fact,

86
00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,879
a lot of people wait for Labor Day to buy

87
00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:07,079
things like sofas, laptops, or a new car. Like I

88
00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,680
wasn't planning to shop for a new computer, but then

89
00:07:10,879 --> 00:07:13,720
I saw the fifty percent off sale and I got

90
00:07:13,959 --> 00:07:21,040
sucked in. I got sucked in. To get sucked in

91
00:07:21,319 --> 00:07:26,800
means to be pulled into something, usually without planning to.

92
00:07:27,959 --> 00:07:31,160
I just went to look around, but I got sucked

93
00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,879
in and bought a new phone. Like we weren't going

94
00:07:34,959 --> 00:07:41,360
to buy anything, but the low prices sucked us in. Okay,

95
00:07:42,079 --> 00:07:46,279
let's wrap it up. As Labor Day weekend rolls around

96
00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,199
in the US, people are getting back into the swing

97
00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:56,360
of things, going all out for that last celebration and

98
00:07:56,439 --> 00:08:01,279
facing a little reality check, and sometimes getting sucked in

99
00:08:01,319 --> 00:08:07,920
to those back to school sales. It's the season of change. Goodbye, summer.

100
00:08:08,439 --> 00:08:13,199
Hello routine, What about you? Are you back into the

101
00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:17,040
swing of things in September. I hope you enjoyed this

102
00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:21,399
little series of lessons on American summer culture. It was

103
00:08:21,519 --> 00:08:25,680
fun for me to bring them to you. Thanks, as

104
00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:29,279
always for hanging out with me today. Remember the best

105
00:08:29,319 --> 00:08:32,120
way to remember English like this and any other word

106
00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,519
or phrase in English, is to take that word or phrase,

107
00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,960
write it in a sentence that's true for you or

108
00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,759
true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. And

109
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,600
remember to check out my AI tutor. It's a great

110
00:08:47,639 --> 00:08:52,360
way to practice your English, get answers and more twenty

111
00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,360
four to seven and it's all free. There's a link

112
00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,080
in the description where are you listening to this podcast

113
00:08:58,279 --> 00:09:02,480
right now? It out and if you like it, leave

114
00:09:02,519 --> 00:09:05,200
me a thumbs up there. There's a link in the

115
00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,919
description where you are listening to this podcast right now?

116
00:09:09,399 --> 00:09:12,120
Check it out and if you like it, leave me

117
00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,519
a thumbs up there. And if you really want to

118
00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:19,279
get more practice using your English, you should join my

119
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:25,080
podcast Learner's Study Group. There you can practice your English

120
00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,759
make new international friends when you join us for live

121
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:34,320
group lessons every week where we practice these podcast lessons

122
00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,879
together to learn more, well, just visit Myhappy English dot

123
00:09:38,919 --> 00:09:45,039
com and choose podcast lesson eight sixty seven. Remember, learning

124
00:09:45,039 --> 00:09:48,960
another language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and

125
00:09:49,039 --> 00:09:53,000
I'm here to help you on your journey.

126
00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,480
Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please

127
00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:02,080
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy

128
00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,840
English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy,

129
00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:19,559
Happy English.