ROBINSON'S ADVENTURES AT SEA 1/4

PART 1/4

Robinson's Adventures at Sea

I accepted the offer, and became friends with the captain, who was a good an honest man. Following the captain's advice. I spent about forty pound on things of little value.These I could trade for gold on the coast of Africa.

The voyage was a great success for me. Indeed, it was my only successful voyage. My friend the captain taugh me the skills of both a sailor an a merchant. I brought home five pounds nine ounces of gold, which I sold in London for nearly three hundred pounds.

Soon after our return to England, my friend died. I decided to do the same voyage again and signed up on the same ship eith its new captain. As we appoached the coast of Africa, we were pursued by a Turkish ship. After a short battle, the Turkish ship was victorious, and we were all taken as prisioners to the port of Sallee.

The captain of the Turkish ship made me his slave. I was horrified by this surprising change from merchant to miserable slave. I remember my father's prphecy that I Would be miserable, and I realizad that it had indeed been fulfilled.

Five pounds nine ounces : about 2,5 Kilos.

Pursued : Followed,Chased (past of the verb 'to pursue').

Fulfilled : (here) the prophecy happened.

#Imaintaindistance.

LEARNING FROM JAPAN

Although we still do not know when we will leave this life between four walls, we sense that we have to prepare to take on the following challenge: #Imaintaindistance.

Fernando Simón, Coordinator of the Health Alerts Center of the Spanish Ministry of Health, already said it: "You have to learn to relate to the Japanese."

A GREETING WITH THE HEAD: It is a world symbol and is learned in schools from the age of 3. It is done a little more than a meter away, hands are extended on each side of the hips and the torso leans forward with its gaze fixed on the ground. The "aisatsu" can be practiced with a slight bow of the head and accompanied by a cordial "Konichiwa" (how is the day going?).

USE OF GLOVES .: And not only in winter. Protection of the body against external agents begins with the hands.

DO NOT SWEAT, DO NOT COUGH, DO NOT SNEEZE: At 38º C and with 95% humidity, we will not see a Japanese sweat the shirt. It's not that they're used to it: it's a matter of technique. Japan has developed a whole industry of interior accessories to prevent sweat from floating. Soaking pads for the chest, armpits or waist are the best kept secret for a society in which bodily effluvia is frowned upon. Face blotting paper, for example, is the most common cosmetic accessory. Sneezing or coughing, publicly, goes beyond bad manners. Hence, it has been decades since the use of face masks among the Japanese. Just by feeling a little sick they use it on their own initiative. Protecting yourself is a priority.

SHOES ON THE DOOR .: To avoid contaminating the privacy of the home with germs from outside.

THE DELIMITED STREETS .: They are used to having limits set. It happens with the sidewalks. There are many symbols that define its use. You can smoke a cigarette at one point, but only there so as not to disturb others.

CRADLE OF THE HIKIKOMORIS .: the famous "hikikomoris", young people who have chosen not to leave their homes for life in brutal self-isolation, is a sociological phenomenon born in Japan and still prevalent in this individualistic society, tending towards shyness and difficulty even for couple relationships.

GOSSIP

Which are the European Royal Houses with more purchasing power?

Despite what might seem a priori, Queen Elizabeth II does not appear on the Business Insider list.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg: 3.6 billion.

The Luxembourg Grand Ducal Family is the first European royal to appear on this list, taken from Arab royal houses, and comes in at number 6 with a fortune of 3.6 billion euros. This Royal House does not receive a monthly salary, as it happens in other European monarchies, but since 1948 they receive around 300,000 euros per year for the fulfillment of their functions.

Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein: owners of the LGT GroupIt is one of the most important bank holdings in the Principality of Liechtenstein, and Prince Hans-Adam II owns it, making it the largest beneficiary of the LGT Group. Most of the fortune of the royal family of this small territory comes from this business of the investments made through the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.

Prince Albert of Monaco: 900 million

It corresponds to a quarter of the total patrimony of the Principality of Monaco, an extensive sum of almost 900 million. In addition, Alberto de Mónaco has an impressive collection of vintage cars, stocks in a Monte Carlo resort, a collection of high-value stamps and the house in Philadelphia (USA) that belonged to his mother, Grace Kelly, and that the monarch acquired in 2016 for 676,000 euros.

The incalculable fortune of Juan Carlos, King Emeritus: from the ‘Soleado’ account to business with Corinna.

It is an open secret but the magnitude is invaluable. The international business of King Juan Carlos I has allowed him to accumulate a great fortune from his first steps as prince. However, this heritage is not reflected in any of the official accounts of the State and it is practically impossible to know, for sure, how much money the Bourbons and, specifically, the king emeritus accumulate. The last amount attributed to Juan Carlos I approached 2,000 million, according to Forbes magazine.

ROBINSON'S ADVENTURES AT SEA-3-

PART 1/3

Robinson's Adventures at Sea

The sailors began to cry out that the ship would founder*. Fortunnately, I did not know what the word ´founder´ meant. I saw the captain and some others praying to God. At last we were rescued* by a boat from another ship. As we escaped, we saw our ship go down. It was only then that I understood the word ´founder´.

When we reached the shore, the people were very kind to us. They gave us money to return to Hull or continue to London. as we pleased. If I had returned home, I would have been happy. My father, like the father in Christ's story of the prodigal son, would have welcomed me. But I was foolish* an I did not go home.

The captain, who was my friend's father, said to me, Ýoung man, you should never go to sea again.´

´Why, sir?´ said I. ´Will you never go to sea again?´

´That is different´ Said the captain. ´The sea is my profession. It is my duty to go to sea, but you made this voyage to see if you liked it. God has show you that the sea is not for you. Perhaps that is why my ship foundered. You are like Jonah of the Bible story. I am sorry I ever allowed you on my ship!´

I went to London by land.How unwise* young people are!*

They are not afraid to sin*, but they are afraid to seem foolish!

I signed up* for a voyage to Africa. I should signed up as a sailor. I could have learned the sailor's profession. In time, I might even have become a captain. However, I always made the worst choice, and I chose to go to sea as a gentelman.

Therefore I had no duties on the ship, and no chance of learning to be a sailor.

I met the captain of a ship that had been on the coast of Africa. He had made good profits from the voyage and was eager* to go again. He asked me to go with him as his companion. He said, that i need not pay for the voyage. If I had any money, he said, he would show me how to make a profit in trade*

*founder: sink, go down to the sea bottom.

*rescued: saved, got out of a dangerous situation.

*foolish: stupid.

*unwise: irresponsible, not reliable.

*sin: a religious or moral law.

*signed up: enrolled, enlisted (past of the   verb ´to sing up´)

*eager: enthusiastic, wanting very much to   do something.

*trade: buying and selling.

ROBINSON'S ADVENTURES AT SEA -2-

PART 1/2 

Robinson's Adventures at Sea

During the last part of the his discourse the tears ran down his face, especially when he spoke of my brother. When he said that I would regret my choice, he was so moved* that he could say no more.

I was sincerely affected by his words and decided not to think of going abroad any more. But alas! In a few days I began to dream of the sea again. I spoke to my mother. I told her that I still desired to go to sea and that nothing else would make happy. I said that I was eighteen years old, too old to begin another profession. I asked her to persuade my father to let me go to sea.

This made her very angry. She said it would be useless to speak to my father. if I wanted  to ruin myself, she said, there was nothing she or my father could do to stop me. However, they would never agree to it.

A year later, I ran off to sea. This is how it hapepened. One day I went to the port of Hull. A friend of mine was going by sea to London in his father's ship. He asked me to go with him. Since it would cost me nothing. I decided to go, without even telling my mother and father. Thus* on the first of September 1651 I went on board a ship for the first time.

As soon as the ship was at sea, the wind began to blow. I felt very sick and frightened*. I thought that God was punishing me for leaving my father's house. The storm grew* worse although it was not as bad as many I have seen since. It was not even as bad as the storm I saw just a few days later, but it frightened me then. I thought the sea would retun to my father's house and never go to sea again.

The next day the sea grew calm and the sun shone. I no longer fel sick or frightened. My friend said, "Well, Bob, how do you feel? Were you afraid?

'It was terrible storm´, said I.

´Do you call that a storm?´ said he. ´that was nothin. Let's drink some rum and forget about it.´

We drank the rum, and I forgot my promise to God. A few days later, there was a really terrible storm. The waves were as high as mountais. I was very frightened. I felt sorry that I had my promise to God.

*moved: affected with emotion(past of the verv ´to move').

*thus. so, consecuently.

*frightened: afraid,scared.

*grew: (here) become ( to grow-grew-grown).

*swallow: cause  something to disappear.

*swore: promised solemnly with an oath ( to swear- swore- sworn).