Jack
Jack
My name is Jack and I am English. I was born in Sheffield and have lived in lots of different places in England and around the world. I’ve been working as an English teacher for nearly 20 years and have been working on online learning materials since 2008.
I live in Ludlow in England. Ludlow is a small town in the west of England, quite near the border with Wales. The town centre is very old and has a castle, a big church and lots of other old buildings. Some of the buildings have timber frames and are very pretty. In the past, the castle was very important and Ludlow was important because there was a lot of wool traded here, but today, the town is known for food. Once a year, there is a food festival and people come to Ludlow to taste the local produce. There is even a sausage trail - each of the local butchers competes to produce the tastiest sausage and people trek from one butcher to the next to sample the sausages and vote for their favourite.
I live with...
...my wife and two young sons. My wife is from Indonesia so Ludlow is quite cold for her. We have been here for a few years and she really misses Indonesian food. There aren’t many Indonesian restaurants in the UK, but there are some Indonesian expats who sell food online so we get parcels of spicy tempeh (an Indonesian soya bean cake) and crispy krupuk (a type of cracker).
My parents live nearby in a small village so we see them regularly and they help out with the boys. Once a week, we meet for a drink in the Ludlow Brewery. A brewery is a place where beer is made. It is a nice place to catch up and enjoy a pint and a packet of crisps.
I have two sisters, but they don’t live here. One of my sisters lives in London and the other lives in Dubai. When my sisters come to visit, we go for walks in the country and eat out in the local restaurants. One of my sisters has two children so when she visits, the house is noisy and lots of fun.
In my free time...
I like to go out riding and taking photos. I have a little seat on the back of my bike that I can sit my boys in. They really like going out for a ride when the weather is nice.
In Ludlow, there is a local football team, but I don’t follow them. I support Arsenal so I watch matches on TV. I would like to see them at the Emirates, but it’s a long journey. When my sons are old enough, we will all go up to London for a game. Most people in Ludlow support Aston Villa or Wolverhampton Wanderers so it’s rare to find an Arsenal match playing live in a pub.
My football hero is...
...an Arsenal legend and distant relative. Although I have never met him, John Radford was an important character from my childhood. He played for Arsenal between 1964 and 1976 and scored 149 goals. He stopped playing for Arsenal before I was born, but my grandfather was very proud of the family connection and always had the football on.
I'd really like to ask him...
...what he thinks about the way football has changed since he was playing. Today, footballers are paid lots of money and everything is very professional. I’m sure that the atmosphere at Highbury, the old Arsenal stadium was exciting when he was playing and I’d like to know if the atmosphere at the Emirates on match day is the same.
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Comentários
16/10/2023
points
Hello Jack. While browsing through the pages of this site I came across this one and was thrilled to learn more about your life. 20 years ago I lived and worked for six months in a similar town called Ledbury, 30 miles from Ludlow, and was very pleased to learn that you lived there too. There are very beautiful places there, I always remember with admiration!
See you in the podcast!
16/10/2023 12:51
Tottenham Hotspur
713
Hello Jack. While browsing through the pages of this site I came across this one and was thrilled to learn more about your life. 20 years ago I lived and worked for six months in a similar town called Ledbury, 30 miles from Ludlow, and was very pleased to learn that you lived there too. There are very beautiful places there, I always remember with admiration!
See you in the podcast!
18/10/2023
points
Hi Denis
I have moved away from Ludlow and now live in Scotland, not far from Edinburgh. It's funny that you lived and worked in Ledbury. My uncle lives in Newent so I have driven past Ledbury many times. I hope you enjoyed your time there. It's a bit cut off from the rest of the country.
18/10/2023 23:07
Arsenal
22
Hi Denis
I have moved away from Ludlow and now live in Scotland, not far from Edinburgh. It's funny that you lived and worked in Ledbury. My uncle lives in Newent so I have driven past Ledbury many times. I hope you enjoyed your time there. It's a bit cut off from the rest of the country.
22/01/2023
points
Hello Jack! I was looking for a content where I could know a bit more about the guy behind this voice and I came across this one. Very pleasant to know these stuff and see the photos.
It's been a long time you wrote this text, so I was wondering if your kids are already old enough to go to Highbury. Have you already gone with them?
One thing that caught my attention is the part you said it's a long way from Ludlow to London. I saw in Google Maps that it's about 3 hours. For brazilians, 3 hours is like nothing, given the grandiosity (in size) of our country. We drive 3 hours to go to the beach and come back in the same day. I've already heard from other europeans the same of you. I think it's a profound cultural difference in perception, as the countries there are all much smaller than Brazil.
Best wishes!!
22/01/2023 14:19
Liverpool
49
Hello Jack! I was looking for a content where I could know a bit more about the guy behind this voice and I came across this one. Very pleasant to know these stuff and see the photos.
It's been a long time you wrote this text, so I was wondering if your kids are already old enough to go to Highbury. Have you already gone with them?
One thing that caught my attention is the part you said it's a long way from Ludlow to London. I saw in Google Maps that it's about 3 hours. For brazilians, 3 hours is like nothing, given the grandiosity (in size) of our country. We drive 3 hours to go to the beach and come back in the same day. I've already heard from other europeans the same of you. I think it's a profound cultural difference in perception, as the countries there are all much smaller than Brazil.
Best wishes!!
23/01/2023
points
Hi Cezario
I've moved since then and I live in Scoltand now. In a small town called Prestonpans near Edinburgh. I'm five minutes from the coast (though the water is very cold and I need a wetsuit if I'm ever taking my kids in the sea).
You're right to say that 3 hours is not really far for Brazilians. I've heard Americans make similar comments. The UK is small. It was a real pain for me whenever I had a meeting in London and I could get there in under three hourse if I drove to Coventry and then got a train. It would always feel like a hard day, though I am used to working from home now so it's a big deal when I have to go anywhere.
I have never lived anywhere like Brazil. I lived in Indonesia and journeys could take a long time there, but that was due to the traffic in Jakarta.
Thanks for writing.
Jack
23/01/2023 09:57
Arsenal
22
Hi Cezario
I've moved since then and I live in Scoltand now. In a small town called Prestonpans near Edinburgh. I'm five minutes from the coast (though the water is very cold and I need a wetsuit if I'm ever taking my kids in the sea).
You're right to say that 3 hours is not really far for Brazilians. I've heard Americans make similar comments. The UK is small. It was a real pain for me whenever I had a meeting in London and I could get there in under three hourse if I drove to Coventry and then got a train. It would always feel like a hard day, though I am used to working from home now so it's a big deal when I have to go anywhere.
I have never lived anywhere like Brazil. I lived in Indonesia and journeys could take a long time there, but that was due to the traffic in Jakarta.
Thanks for writing.
Jack
24/01/2023
points
That's very good to know, Jack!
I'm sure it's pretty cold there, but I would love to live in an organized place like there. Brazil is beautiful and sunny, but it's a mess. That's why I'm focusing in studying English: we aim to live overseas soon.
See you in the next podcast!
24/01/2023 12:35
Liverpool
49
That's very good to know, Jack!
I'm sure it's pretty cold there, but I would love to live in an organized place like there. Brazil is beautiful and sunny, but it's a mess. That's why I'm focusing in studying English: we aim to live overseas soon.
See you in the next podcast!
13/06/2020
points
Lovely to hear from you Jack your interesting story and the places you lived it so I consider you as a traveller like Ibn Battuta the famous Moroccan traveller.
I live being a teacher as well to inspire people and see how successful they can reach. It's such a priviliged job
It's also so interesting to hear that you are married to a non-British woman and I was wondering if it was easy to merge both of your traditions and cultures together or it was challenging.
Wish you more success and lovely time in the future Jack :)
13/06/2020 13:44
Manchester United
6539
Lovely to hear from you Jack your interesting story and the places you lived it so I consider you as a traveller like Ibn Battuta the famous Moroccan traveller.
I live being a teacher as well to inspire people and see how successful they can reach. It's such a priviliged job
It's also so interesting to hear that you are married to a non-British woman and I was wondering if it was easy to merge both of your traditions and cultures together or it was challenging.
Wish you more success and lovely time in the future Jack :)
09/09/2017
points
Thank you Mr Jack for telling us your story, I really liked it, but would you mind telling us your opinion about the coach Arsen Wenger, and whether you prefer him to continue as a club's coach or do you want him to leave ?
09/09/2017 22:13
Liverpool
325
Thank you Mr Jack for telling us your story, I really liked it, but would you mind telling us your opinion about the coach Arsen Wenger, and whether you prefer him to continue as a club's coach or do you want him to leave ?
12/07/2017
points
Actually i liked your story too much, what is the name of the team and in what division they are playing at?
12/07/2017 21:16
Liverpool
3705
Actually i liked your story too much, what is the name of the team and in what division they are playing at?
13/06/2017
points
Hi Jack,
Thank you for your story. It would be very interesting to know in what countries you lived and worked. Which of them do you like most?
13/06/2017 14:11
Watford
4417
Hi Jack,
Thank you for your story. It would be very interesting to know in what countries you lived and worked. Which of them do you like most?
13/06/2017
points
Hi Liubomyr
You're welcome. I love being an English teacher because I've been able to see quite a lot of countries. I've taught in Poland, Spain, Italy, Indonesia, Egypt and Sri Lanka. I miss all of the places I've lived for different reasons. I had a great time in Poland and made some great friends. I only worked in Spain over the summer, but it was in a small village in the mountains in Catalonia and the food and drink was fantastic. I could walk out of the school and straight into a national park - it was beautiful. Palermo was great for the food and culture - and also because I worked in a really good school with brilliant colleagues. Indonesia is an amazing country - so vast and varied with so much food and culture that really is as different to England as you can find. I met my wife there so it will always be the most special place. Cairo was crazy and intense - a challenging city to live in, but Cairenes are really friendly and the city can reward you with glimpses of intense beauty. Sri Lanka is a marvellous island and it's really easy to get around. I think it's the perfect holiday destination as you can see amazing beaches, nature reserves (with incredible wildlife), ancient cities and temperate hill stations all in a few days. Also, I love fish and have had some of the best seafood ever in Colombo.
Thanks
Jack
13/06/2017 15:34
Arsenal
560
Hi Liubomyr
You're welcome. I love being an English teacher because I've been able to see quite a lot of countries. I've taught in Poland, Spain, Italy, Indonesia, Egypt and Sri Lanka. I miss all of the places I've lived for different reasons. I had a great time in Poland and made some great friends. I only worked in Spain over the summer, but it was in a small village in the mountains in Catalonia and the food and drink was fantastic. I could walk out of the school and straight into a national park - it was beautiful. Palermo was great for the food and culture - and also because I worked in a really good school with brilliant colleagues. Indonesia is an amazing country - so vast and varied with so much food and culture that really is as different to England as you can find. I met my wife there so it will always be the most special place. Cairo was crazy and intense - a challenging city to live in, but Cairenes are really friendly and the city can reward you with glimpses of intense beauty. Sri Lanka is a marvellous island and it's really easy to get around. I think it's the perfect holiday destination as you can see amazing beaches, nature reserves (with incredible wildlife), ancient cities and temperate hill stations all in a few days. Also, I love fish and have had some of the best seafood ever in Colombo.
Thanks
Jack