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NEW: Fall/winter 2025 Family Chat ESL for school age children ages 12-17.
ESL meeting support.
Do you speak English and need to conduct meetings with other international English speakers, but struggle to understand their accent or expressions? Some Hungarian English speakers have told us that is it challenging to understand British English, for example.
Patty still takes monthly Board minutes for the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce via Zoom. She has been doing this for over 5 years. She is an active and mindful listener accustomed to getting group meeting communication down on paper in a clear format. International companies using English as a second language may hire her to attend meetings via Zoom and take notes. Read her blog entitled: "Oh, that British English. Blimey!"
Invite Patty to your next meeting. She will take notes and help by carefully listening to all parties. Learn more.
All Posts
The big driving decision...
“She took our car away”. That is what my mom said when anyone mentioned travel. My parents were in the early 80’s. Mom could still see but was in a wheelchair due to a stroke. She had not driven in 2 years; and Dad wore glasses with prisms to deal with double vision. He was starting to get dementia as well. I did not actually take the car. But I was relieved when Dad received a notice from the motor vehicle department to take an eye test and could not pass it. He had n
Patty Sepety
19 hours ago3 min read
The silence was deafening
The silence was deafening. I could hear a pin drop. These are some American ways of expressing an uncomfortable interruption in a conversation. I’ll come back to that in a minute. My backstory: I started teaching English as Second Language or ESL first to an international engineering student, then as a vocation in my new country home. They were adults with formulated opinions and ideas. Later I was asked to work with teenagers. I may even take on a younger child soon. I u
Patty Sepety
Feb 214 min read
Loving the view from here
Today is Valentines Day and it is also the birthday of my grandchild and nephew. Happy Birthday to you both! and Happy Valentines Day! I have been teaching English for over a year now. This gives me opportunities to share not only my American English words but talk about topics of mutual interest and current events. I ask the students to share their opinions and I sometimes share mine. But teachers are supposed to be neutral and not share a bias. That is something I respect
Patty Sepety
Feb 145 min read
You Inspired Me
Older brother Art III, Dad, me & Steve, the strong Mann! Photo from 2007. There are several people in my life I need to hear this. Sorry if I missed telling you before you left the planet. Hope to see you in the next life so I can make sure you know how much I appreciated all you accomplished. I want to highlight a few of you here in this post. My husband David overcame dyslexia and being told he was stupid to have a successful career as a chef. He is such a talented ar
Patty Sepety
Jan 162 min read
As you go
As you go … make disciples. Matt. 28:19 That is how one preacher translated and explained this verse to me some years ago. He explained that we are to be salt and light in our daily walk. I once attended a church that had a sign above the exit which read, “You are entering your mission field.” Great weekly reminder. We get with other believers to be refreshed and learn, then we go out to minister. We are instructed to go by twos and bring our peace. But shake the dust of
Patty Sepety
Jan 163 min read
Toll House Cookies
I just finished creating a PowerPoint and a video on how to make my favorite cookie. Once I get the video to upload I can share that. The PowerPoint is ready. This will be a teaching tool for ESL -English as a Second Language, but it can also be helpful for young bakers who want to learn to make a great tasting cookie. Stay tuned.
Patty Sepety
Jan 111 min read
To Drive or Not to Drive...who decides and when?
Mr Magoo was a cartoon charachter when I was a kid. In spite of his vision challenges he always seemed to survive and thrive. “She took our car away”. That is what my mom said when anyone mentioned travel. My parents were in the early 80’s. Mom could still see but was in a wheelchair due to a stroke. She had not driven in 2 years; and Dad wore glasses with prisms to deal with double vision. He was starting to get dementia as well. I did not actually take the car. But I
Patty Sepety
Jan 103 min read
My ADA advice to whom it may concern:
Sunday January 4th was Braille Day. On that day I was inspired to write a post on a FB group page called Low Vision. There people share their experiences and struggles with having lost their eye sight or in the midst of losing it. I have been in the midst for a while. It was hard for me to write about it because many people don't know and knowing makes some act differertly. I experienced this more when I was with my long time girlfriend who lost her sight in an incubator
Patty Sepety
Jan 56 min read
CHRISTMAS BAKING MEMORIES AND THE NEXT GEN
David grinding walnuts the old fastioned way When my mother-in-law, Ida, died we asked for her cookbooks as David is a chef. In them we saw special notes from her about how she made certain dishes. There were some inserts as well: old torn envelopes with recipes scribbled on them. I should mention here that people who grew up in the time we call the Great Depression used every scrap. A piece of paper or used envelope was often reused to jot down a new recipe. They also cu
Patty Sepety
Dec 24, 20252 min read
Our heritage journey status update
On Tuesday Dec. 16th David and I went to Budapest. There he met with officials at the Hungarian Embassy. It took a lot of documents and patience, but he has satisfactorily proved he is descended from native Hungarians who are his 4 grandparents. We also were allowed to extend our resident status for 2 years. Now we will intensify our Magyar language studies. We plan to continue to grow our consulting business if you know anyone who needs help with conversational English. We
Patty Sepety
Dec 18, 20251 min read
English support for teachers
Hi everyone! This is Patty. I once asked a professional counselor how he could listen to the problems of others on a daily basis and not get burned out. "That's simple." he replied, "I go to a counselor support group." Every profession needs to stay on top of their game. They need continuing education to learn new methods or the latest technology. Professionals also benefit from mentoring or having a group where they share their experiences and support each other. Teacher
Patty Sepety
Dec 11, 20252 min read
Merry Christmas!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKXq76oxJog&list=RDVKXq76oxJog&start_radio=1
Patty Sepety
Dec 10, 20251 min read
Be Prepared
GO BAG I live in a very safe place. But it was not always that way. So I learned to be prepared for emergencies. As a ch ild I was a Girl Scout. As an adult I was a trained Red Cross disaster volunteer. I was raised in a traveling military family as well. All of things make me aware of emergency preparedness. To that end I want to share what you can do to prepare and keep your family safer in an emergency. You may be thinking this won't happen to me. You may be righ
Patty Sepety
Nov 30, 20252 min read
THANKSGIVING MEMORIES MAKE US SMILE
“Hi! Good to see you! So glad you could make it! Welcome! Come inside. How the children have grown!” Welcome and hugs start the day! Families in the USA often do not fully gather except at funerals. Sometimes at weddings, however, those have become smaller events due to the rising cost. But there is another time for a happy gathering . It is called Thanksgiving ! In my family this often includes a lot of extended family such as siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews
Patty Sepety
Nov 21, 20255 min read
The Bean, the Bean!
Typical HU bill Sometimes we can speak the same language but still have failures to communicate. This was the case shortly after we...
Patty Sepety
Oct 9, 20252 min read
GETTING OLDER YET STILL KEEPING A SMILE ON YOUR FACE
I get inspired to write my blogs sometimes by things people say to me and sometimes my life situations. A couple of people and...
Patty Sepety
Oct 4, 20259 min read
ON OUR CURRENT BUSINESS AND LIFE IN MAGYAROSAG
David with our translator Andrea on Feb 22nd at the Alsózsolca Disnotoros (our town's annual pig fest). We were treated to a free...
Patty Sepety
Jul 27, 20254 min read
HEALTH JOURNEY WITH DIABETES
In January 2025 my husband began to experience foot pain. He thought he stepped on a stone, but the reality was later revealed as a lack...
Patty Sepety
Jul 1, 20252 min read
IRON SHARPENS IRON
Sometimes I come across people who just impress me. Then there are those who are irritating. Both people groups can be beneficial....
Patty Sepety
Jun 3, 20251 min read
PARADIGM SHIFT
That is my phrase of the week or possibly the month. Do I stay or do I go? A paradigm shift is a major change in how people think and...
Patty Sepety
Mar 29, 20252 min read
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