hello everyone and welcome to the speak English podcast my name is Marco um and my name is Erica thanks so much for joining us today we uh dive into an interesting topic about uh talking about your hometown we're really excited about this episode because we're going to talk about a topic everyone has a personal connection to our hometowns that's right it's one of those topics that comes up all the time in conversations whether you're meeting someone for the first time traveling or just chatting people often ask so where are you from and suddenly you find
yourself talking about a your hometown exactly we thought it would be great to explore how to talk about your hometown in English diving into details stories memories and even a few fun facts by the end of this episode you'll be ready to talk about your own Hometown with confidence and maybe even feel a little more connected to where you're from that's the goal so Erica why don't we get started tell me a little bit about where you're from gladly I'm from a small town in the midwest called Cedar Valley it's one of those places where
everyone knows everyone it's got this great combination of Natural Beauty with Rolling Hills and tons of trees and a strong Community Vibe people there are friendly and it has that classic Main Street feel uh I can already picture it small town America with a main street that has let me guess probably a diner a small grocery store maybe a town hall all you're spot in Marco we even have a little movie theater that shows older movies on weekends it's not super fancy but it's cozy and has this charm you just can't find in big cities
so what about you Marco where's home for you I'm from Genoa Italy it's a port city one of the oldest in Europe with a history that goes back over 2,000 years there's a mix of everything in Genoa ancient buildings narrow Alleyways big bustling markets it's the kind of place that's full of life and history at every corner wow that sounds incredible I can't even imagine growing up surrounded by so much history did you live near the water yes growing up near the port was amazing we could smell the Sea Air all the time and there
was always this bustling energy with boats coming in and out the Mediterranean has this beautiful blue color and there's something magical about seeing ships from all over the world dock at at the harbor it's like a constant reminder that the world is bigger than your own backyard that sounds so beautiful I love that idea of a HomeTown that's part of a larger world like you're always connected to something bigger Cedar Valley is definitely more well how can I put it isolated or itself we're kind of out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by farmland and
Forest but that's what makes it feel like a true escape from everything I think there's something to be said for both honestly being from a small tight-knit town has its charm too people in big cities sometimes miss out on that sense of community where everyone really looks out for each other totally I remember growing up my neighbors were practically family if you needed a cup of sugar you just popped over to someone's house no problem and everyone knew everyone's business For Better or Worse oh yes I can relate in Genoa even though it's bigger we
have something similar in certain neighborhoods the alleys called karugi are narrow and winding so you often run into the same people every day and you get to know each other it's a bit like having a big extended family spread across the city that's amazing speaking of family did your family have any particular Traditions tied to Genoa maybe something unique that only people from Genoa would understand oh yes definitely one big thing is our pesto Genoa is the birthplace of pesto ala genovesi and we take it very seriously growing up my family had this little tradition
of making homemade pesto every Sunday we'd use fresh basil pine nuts garlic parmesan and olive oil all ground together in a mortar and pestle no shortcuts wow that sounds delicious I think I'd get hungry every Sunday just smelling it there's something about family food traditions that really connects you to where you're from Torsen eaters in Cedar Valley we have our own kind of food culture though maybe not as ancient as genoa's pesto I'm curious what's a typical Cedar Valley Specialty oh that's an easy one we're all about comfort food especially when it's cold out I'd
say a Cedar Valley classic is a good old-fashioned pot roast my mom makes this amazing one with tender beef carrots potatoes and onions troll she slow Cooks it all day and by dinner time the whole house smells like well like home that sounds so cozy I think food like that is really at the heart of what makes a HomeTown feel special it's amazing how those smells and tastes can bring you back to a place even if you're halfway across the world absolutely food is like a time machine even when I make pot roast here it
reminds me of family dinners of everyone gathered around the table and I know it's something that's shared across Cedar Valley most families I know have their own version of it um it's a amazing how food can connect people to a place and to each other you know speaking of memories one of my favorite spots growing up in Genoa was the Piaza de Ferrari it's the main square of the city and it has this beautiful fountain in the center as kids we'd run around the fountain pretending it was some magical portal or something a fountain as
a portal I love that it sounds like you had such a playful childhood I can almost picture Little Marco running around with his friends yep that was me the whole Square was um like our playground and even now when I go back I can still feel that magic I think every Hometown has those kinds of spots places that hold a piece of who you are do you have a spot like that in Cedar Valley yes definitely for me it's the Cedar Valley Park it's this huge park with biking trails a lake and picnic areas it's
where I learned to ride my bike and where my family would have Fourth of July picnics every year the Lee when I think of Cedar Valley that Park is one of the first places that comes to mind that sounds beautiful especially that the idea of uh picnics by the lake and I bet it's one of those us at places that changes with the seasons right I imagine the fall must be stunning with all the leaves turning color and oh you're absolutely right fall in Cedar Valley Park is breathtaking the trees turn shades of red orange
and yellow and the whole park looks like it's on fire in the best way possible it's one of those sites that never gets old no matter how many times you see it I love that fall and Genoa is different we don't get as many dramatic colors but there's this unique Golden Light that hits the buildings especially in the late afternoon it gives the whole city this like warm glowing feel it's hard to describe but it feels like the city itself is alive breathing with the change in season that sounds so poetic Marco I think it's
amazing how two places can be so different and yet hold the same kind of Beauty in their own ways it's like each Hometown has its own soul its own personality exactly and um you know that's that's what I love about traveling and meeting people from different places you get to hear about all these unique details the little things that make each Place special it's a reminder that there's so much diversity in the world yet everyone feels connected to their Hometown in a similar way they're yes that's so true speaking of diversity did Genoa have a
lot of people coming and going I imagine being a port city there must have been a constant mix of different cultures oh definitely Genoa has always been a bit of a Melting Pot we have people from all over Italy but also from North Africa south America and other parts of Europe there's this vibrant mix of languages and traditions growing up I remember hearing Italian Arabic and Spanish all in the same Market it made me curious about the world Beyond Genoa that's so interesting Cedar Valley is pretty different in that regard we're a small town so
the community is more homogeneous most people have lived there their entire lives and everyone knows everyone else's family history there's a lot of pride in that that sense of Heritage I can see the appeal of that too sometimes big diverse cities can feel a bit impersonal in a small town you have that strong sense of identity of continuity do you think that's something that shaped you growing up oh absolutely I think growing up in Cedar Valley taught me a lot about the importance of community and family when you're surrounded by people who know you and
your family there's a sense of accountability and support I felt like I always had people looking out for me which I realize now is a rare gift that's really beautiful Erica I think that's something every Big City could learn from small towns how to build those connections and keep that sense of community alive yeah it's funny because when I was younger I thought it was annoying that everyone knew everything about everyone else but now looking back I see how it really made us close it's kind of like a big extended family I can totally see
that and honestly even in Genoa we have neighborhoods that feel like that like um my grandmother's neighborhood for example was very much like one big family people would watch out for each other and uh if someone needed help the whole neighborhood would pitch in there's something so special about that kind of closeness absolutely I think it's those experiences that make our hometowns feel like home even if we've moved away or haven't been back in years it's not just the place but the people and the memories exactly speaking of memories do you have any favorite childhood
memories from Cedar Valley something that really captures what it was like growing up there oh I have so many but one that stands out is our winter sledding tradition Cedar Valley gets a good amount of snow in the winter and there's this big hill at the park that becomes the unofficial sledding spot every kid in town would be there with their sleds and parents would bring hot chocolate and thermoses it was this big Community event and it's one of those memories that really defines winter for me that sounds amazing I can imagine the laughter the
bundled up kids and that thrill of racing down the hill it's those kinds of shared Traditions that make childhood so magical definitely and it's funny I still get a little thrill every time I see a sled or smell hot chocolate it brings me right back to those snowy days in Cedar Valley what about you Marco any childhood memories that really capture life in Genoa one that comes to mind is the yearly Festival we have called the Festa DEA madona de guia it's held every August and people hike up to the sanctuary on top of a
hill overlooking the city as kids we'd get to camp out watch the fireworks and there'd be food stands everywhere the whole city felt alive and the view from up there was incredible that sounds magical hiking up a hill for a festival camping fireworks food it's like something out of a story book and the view of the city from the top must have been breathtaking it really was you could see the whole city the port the coastline stretching out it felt like you were on top of the world that Festival made me feel so connected to
Genoa it was a celebration of our city our people and our Traditions I love that I think every Hometown has those unique Traditions that might seem ordinary to the locals but are truly special it's like they're woven into the fabric of the place making it unique let's move on to the next lesson Erica by uh um by Marco
