U utorak, 13. studenog 2018. godine, učenici osmih razreda naše škole proveli su školski sat engleskog jezika u razgovoru s izvornim govornikom. U posjet školi došao je Josh Brown, 24-godišnji Amerikanac, najnovije pojačanje KK Alkar iz Sinja.

Sat je protekao u opuštenoj atmosferi, naši učenici su s Joshem razgovarali o njegovom djetinjstvu u Americi, školovanju, interesima te o sličnostima i razlikama hrvatskih i američkih običaja. Naravno, nisu izostala ni pitanja o njegovoj košarkaškoj karijeri i o poznatim hrvatskim košarkašima. Ugodno druženje se iz učionice preselilo u sportsku dvoranu, gdje su Josh i naši učenici odmjerili snage u košarci.

Na kraju je uslijedilo zajedničko fotografiranje, a velik broj učenika je strpljivo čekao svoj red za autogram. Uz pozdrave, učenici su izrazili želju za ponovnim susretom, a Joshu poželjeli puno sreće u novoj košarkaškoj sezoni.

Evo kako su naši učenici opisali današnje druženje.

On 13th November we had a special guest at our school. It was a visit from Mr. Josh Brown who is currently a member of Alkar Basketball Club. He was invited by our school headmaster to give us an opportunity to talk to a native speaker of English and learn more about our guest. Our teachers and we greeted Mr. Brown at the beginning and then we asked a lot of questions. Here are some of them and the answers we got:

 

Teacher: Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

Mr. Brown: My name is Josh Brown. I came to Croatia three months ago, in August. It`s really nice to be here.

Student: Where do you come from?

Mr. Brown: I come from New Jersey, it is close to New York.

Student: What is the difference between Croatia and America?

Mr. Brown:  Life in America is fast, and people are different, there are much more selfish people than here. People here are more relaxed, life is slower. I had an experience in a supermarket where I had to pay for something, the amount was 22kn and I had two twenty kuna bills, the shop assistant said it was ok if I didn`t have the change of two kunas. In America, you have to give the exact amount every time.

Student: How did you decide to come to Croatia, was it a difficult decision?

Mr. Brown:  After college, my agent found out about this opportunity and here I am.

Teacher:  Have you tried any Croatian dishes, Croatian food?

Mr. Brown:  I have, I tried piletina and ćevapi.

Student:  What do you do in your free time?

Mr. Brown:  I watch movies. I`ve been to the cinema a couple of times. I like having coffee with my friends. I`ve been to some clubs.  I don`t really have much free time. I have only one day a week off.

Student: What kind of movies do you like watching?

Mr. Brown:  I like action movies and comedies because I like to laugh a lot.

Student: Do you like horrors?

Mr. Brown:  No, I don`t. You know, being alone and then getting to think about it.

Student: Have you visited any other places in Croatia?

Mr. Brown: Yes, I`ve been to Split. I visited the historic centre, it was really great.

Student:  Have you done any sightseeing around Sinj?

Mr. Brown:  Yes, I`ve visited the old town, the museum…

Student: Do you sometimes think that you are the subject/topic of some talk? It must be hard when you do not understand the language.

Mr. Brown: It is, but I`m trying to learn as many words as I can. So far I can tell “Dobar dan.”

Student: Who is your favourite NBA  player?

Mr. Brown:  LeBron James, of course.

Student: Do you know any Croatian players?

Mr. Brown:  I know some that have been playing in America. Bogdanović, for example, but I don`t think I`m pronouncing it right?

Teacher: Yes, you are. What about Dražen Petrović, have you heard about him? We are very proud of him, kind of a legend to us.

Mr. Brown:  Yes, of course. I`ve heard of him.

Student: Would you like to play with LeBron? In the NBA?

Mr. Brown: Yes, who wouldn`t. It`s my dream.

Student: How did you start playing basketball?

Mr. Brown: Actually, I played American football first, but it was too brutal for me, so I switched to basketball. I was talented and worked very hard, had an opportunity to go to a good high school and later on a basketball scholarship to university.

Teacher: How old were you when you had to choose your future career? These kids have to choose soon, at the end of elementary school.

Mr. Brown: There are trade schools in America, but I went to general high school and had to decide or choose when I was 18.

Student: What college did you go to?

Mr. Brown: I went to Temple College. I took up Criminal Justice and worked hard. I graduated from it a year ago. You always need a backup plan. So, you must do well at school, too.

 Student: Do you miss your family?

Mr. Brown: Yes, I miss them very much but I have a lot of FaceTime with my family. It is the same as college, you know, being away from home, so I am used to it.

Student: Who is the biggest support to you?

Mr. Brown:  My family, my father, who is a pastor, and my brother, who is currently training to be a firefighter. He is in California now.  My mother passed away when I was a baby, so there have been three of us, we are really tight.

Student:  How long do you plan on staying in Croatia?

Mr. Brown: For now, until my contract expires. We`ll see about later.

 

After the interview, we all went outside to take some photographs together, or some selfies with our guest. It was an interesting experience and we are thankful for it. We also asked some of our classmates for a comment and this is what they said:

 

“I was pleased that I had the opportunity to talk to an American basketball player. He told us a lot about himself and his life in America. All I want to say now is: Thanks a lot, Mr. Brown!” (Bože, 8B)

 

“Mr. Josh Brown visited our school today and we asked him a lot of questions about his life and career. It was really great and interesting for us. I hope that he had fun too.” (Andrea, 8B)

 

Written by: Anđela, Klara, Lucija and Petra (8A)