Escapism - Travel To Escape Threats, Bad Memories, and illness - Getting Out and Back Quickly

Let's start with the worst case scenario, needing fast action.

Threats

What can you do to escape danger? In some countries such as the UK and USA you can take out a restraining order. However, this does not always succeed.

 When somebody is trying to kill you, or your child, you could take your child on a holiday to a foreign country and then change hotels. Take a trip from there to a different country. 

Before sending a letter or making a phone call, you could go across the border to an adjoining country for the day. So that your location is not known or traceable. Rent your home to somebody who does not speak English who looks of a different race. 

Witnesses

What if you cannot leave the country because you are needed in a court case?

1 In some cases it is possible to give evidence by video link from a separate room.

To avoid danger, to save the cost of travel, and missing work or medical appointments, you may be able to give evidence by video link from another country. I remember this being done in Singapore.

2 Your country might organize a witness protection scheme.

Changing Identity

You could change your name by deed poll.

You could adopt a pen name or professional name.

You could change to a shorter name, from Alexander to Alec or Al.

You could change back to your longer name, from |Al to Alexander.

You could alter the spelling of your name, eg from Jane to Jayne, or from Jayne to Jane.

You could marry somebody and take their family name.

You can change your email from your name to your status or profession. eg from John Smith at the Company to Treasurer at The Company.

Moving permanently overseas

Since Brexit you have to consider several legal and financial questions 

1 Do you have the right to reside overseas permanently?

2 Can you buy property overseas?

3 Can you receive your pension overseas?

4 Can you avoid paying tax in two countries?

The cheapest form of accommodation is often camping. 

If wartime or security causes your holiday, or return flight to be cancelled, and you need to return home for work, children's schooling, consider whether you can hop countries. You might use budget airline, private plane, taxi, bus, ferry, hire car, shared expense car. You could start a whatsapp group for all the passengers on a stranded plane, which cannot fly because the crew are over their flying hours limit.

To leave or return in a hurry, you could even buy an old or new car and sell it at the destination.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15793521/Mother-died-Bristol-explosion-hailed-hero-saving-child-seconds-gangster-ex-boyfriends-grenade-

https://www.college.police.uk/app/prosecution-and-case-management/victim-and-witness-care

https://www.myexpattaxes.com/

https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/About-Singapore-Law/Civil-Practice-ADR/requirements-of-foreign-jurisdictions-on-the-taking-of-evidence-given-voluntarily-by-way-of-live-video-link-from-a-witness-located-in-their-jurisdiction-in-civil-proceedings-before-singapore-courts

Toastmasters Clubs for speakers in London, England? Singapore? Or Worldwide?

In London I belong to two Toastmasters International clubs:

Harrovians meets the first and third Monday evenings each month (unless some national holiday or other event takes precedence - always phone or sent them an email to check). They meet in a church near Harrow on the Hill station on the fast Metropolitan line from Baker Street station (by Madame Tussauds).

HOD meets the first and third Thursday evening at The Bridge in the car park of the Leisure centre near Harrow and Wealdstone station. A short walk. the station is on the overground train line from Euston and national rail.

Both clubs are on:
Meetup
Facebook
Toastmasters International find a club website.

In central London you will find many more club which welcome visitors. Several meet in rooms above pubs where you can have a drink or meal before or after the meeting, on your own or with the members you meet.

Most clubs are open to visitors, whether members of other Toastmasters clubs in the UK or overseas, as well as welcoming visitors who are not yet a member of a Toastmasters club and are potential members.

In-house clubs include one for employees of the tube line (underground railway), and banks, and a breakfast club. You would be better able to get an invitation from them if you worked for an overseas branch of the same company or industry and were already a member of Toastmasters.

One club which meets frequently during the term time is the London Business School, near Baker Street.

At this time of year, March to June, the clubs are holding speech contests, which means members will invite family members and supporters.

Singapore
In Singapore if you are visiting a club in a skyscraper in the financial district, you will have to get your name on the list to get admitted by security, who will want to photograph your passport or national identity cards before opening the turnstile to let you through. Toastmasters clubs are in many major companies such as Paypal, Google, IBM and other household names.  If your first language is English, and you are from the UK or the USA, you will be extra welcome.

UK
In the UK, it is a bit different. You have to register because of space considerations. If an auditorium has 100 seats,  the organizers will allocate 100 tickets, even if the tickets are free. If 105 people turn up in hope, 5 people will not be allowed to stand at the back or in the doorway nor to sit on the stairs, because that is blocking the fire exits. So make sure you register early for a major contest.

USA and Worldwide
Toastmasters started in the USA. So the USA has many toastmasters clubs, speaking English and sometimes Spanish.

French
Canada has French speaking clubs. So do London, England, (bilingual) and Singapore (all in French).

Useful Websites
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several more posts on Toastmasters clubs, speaking languages, Singapore, the UK and the USA. Please share links to your favourite posts.

German words which are clear and confusing - in banks

Problem
1 How do you remember words? In a bank you may want to check your bank account, and ask how much money is in it.

Answer
Look for similarities. Similar letters or similar sounds.

German - English
Kreditkarten - Credit card
Finanzierung - credit, financing (looks like finance)
Frist (eine Frist) - deadline (a deadline)
Geld - money (originally it would have been gold with gold and silver coins)
Konto - account

English - German
account - Konto (German nouns begin with capital letters, unlike English words, where only p r o p e r names have capital letters) (P r o p e r was turned into paper by automatic spell correction.)
credit - Finanzierung
deadline - Frist (I think of rush to be first past the post before the race is over and you've missed your chance, like the hare and the tortoise)

Tips
Watch out for in the account which is auf - in this context meaning in, not from.

To test yourself, use Duolingo website which can be used on a laptop or as an ap on your mobile phone. You will have to go through the course from lesson one onwards in order. Unlike a paper textbook, or phrase book, you cannot skip around from one chapter to another.

Angela Lansbury, author and teacher of English and languages. Please share my posts.