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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.

Ludlow is a pretty town.

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.

This is where I work.

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.

Out for a ride with my son on the back of the bike

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.

John Radford in action

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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Comments

Denis2000's picture
Denis2000
16/10/2023
BY
689
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!


Denis2000's picture
Denis2000
16/10/2023 12:51
Belarus
Tottenham Hotspur
689

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!

Jack Radford's picture
Jack Radford
18/10/2023
GB
22
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.


Jack Radford's picture
Jack Radford
18/10/2023 23:07
United Kingdom
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.

cezario.abrantes's picture
cezario.abrantes
22/01/2023
BR
49
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!!


cezario.abrantes's picture
cezario.abrantes
22/01/2023 14:19
Brazil
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!!

Jack Radford's picture
Jack Radford
23/01/2023
GB
22
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


Jack Radford's picture
Jack Radford
23/01/2023 09:57
United Kingdom
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

cezario.abrantes's picture
cezario.abrantes
24/01/2023
BR
49
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!


cezario.abrantes's picture
cezario.abrantes
24/01/2023 12:35
Brazil
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!

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
13/06/2020
TR
6510
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 :)


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
13/06/2020 13:44
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

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 :)

Khaldoun83's picture
Khaldoun83
09/09/2017
DZ
325
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 ?


Khaldoun83's picture
Khaldoun83
09/09/2017 22:13
Algeria
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 ?

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
12/07/2017
PS
3705
points

Actually i liked your story too much, what is the name of the team and in what division they are playing at?


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
12/07/2017 21:16
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

Actually i liked your story too much, what is the name of the team and in what division they are playing at?

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
13/06/2017
UA
4408
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?


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
13/06/2017 14:11
Ukraine
Watford
4408

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?

admin's picture
admin
13/06/2017
GB
560
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


admin's picture
admin
13/06/2017 15:34
United Kingdom
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

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85717
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

2
Average: 2 (1 vote)

Goals

To learn more about life in other countries.

To learn about members of the Premier Skills English community.