I Grew Up in New Jersey
I grew up in New Jersey, in a town called Long Branch, which is right by the ocean, and it’s about two hours from New York City by train.
Alicia: It was a pretty good place to grow up. It was the best in the summer, because it’s right by the ocean, so you can go swimming, you can go to the beach.
Alicia: I learned how to surf pretty young, because it’s very easy to learn there.
Alicia: The negative is the winter, because it’s really cold, and there’s a lot of snow and a lot of rain and ice, because the water… it helps to generate a lot of the weather.
Alicia: But, other than that it was pretty good. It was also a great place to have a summer job, because there were a lot of beach clubs and things like that, and restaurants and things. So, that was great.
Alicia: But yeah, overall I really liked it. The high school I went to had about 400 people in each class, so it was pretty big. It was a regional high school for all of the towns.
Alicia: So, that was good too. Having that many people made it easy to make friends and everything.
Alicia: But yeah, overall I really liked it. I thought that it was a good place to grow up, and I still like to go back and visit.
Vocabulary:
right by the ocean – very close to the sea, “We stayed at a hotel that was right by the ocean so we could hear the waves.”
pretty good place – a nice or fine area to live or be in, “The park is a pretty good place to have a picnic with your family.”
best in the summer – most enjoyable during the warmest months of the year, “The ice cream shop is best in the summer when the weather is hot.”
learned how to surf – figured out how to ride on waves using a board, “He learned how to surf during his vacation to Hawaii.”
The negative is – the bad part or disadvantage of something, “The negative is that the house is very far from the city center.”
generate a lot of the weather – to cause or make different types of weather happen, “Large lakes can generate a lot of the weather in nearby towns.”
other than that – except for that one thing, “The car has a small scratch, but other than that it looks brand new.”
summer job – work done during school vacation months to earn money, “She got a summer job working as a lifeguard.”
beach clubs – places near the shore that offer pools, food, and fun for members, “Many families spend their weekends at the local beach clubs.”
overall – in general or looking at the whole situation, “Overall, the trip was a lot of fun even though it rained one day.”
regional high school – a large school shared by students from several close towns, “Students from three different villages attend the same regional high school.”
make friends – to meet new people and become friendly with them, “Joining a sports club is a great way to make friends.”
go back and visit – to return to a place you used to know to look around, “I love to go back and visit my old school whenever I have free time.”