TIRANA, ALBANIA – Goodbye, Montenegro.
Hello, Albania!
My three weeks between the mountains and the sea have come to an end.
It was a productive time.
Like all polite travelers, I mastered the basics of the local language: Hello…goodbye… thank you… beer…
And then I decided to hit the road again (translation: leave).
After a wild and crazy bus ride through the windy mountain roads — the passenger in front of me actually vomited — we arrived at the Albanian border.
That’s when the trouble started….
Two Birds
Last week I promised to bring you the first chapter of my next book.
My strategy is called “killing two birds with one stone.”
I’ll write the book as I write my weekly Vitamin V lesson.
The first chapter: Time.
Because, as super-polyglot Steve Kaufman says, there are only three elements to learning a language: time, method and attitude.
So what do you need to know about time?
Well, I’m not just going to dump of lot of information on you.
That’s for amateur teachers.
No, no, no.
Instead, I’m going to involve you and get you thinking and solving your own problems.
In my experience, that’s a pretty good way to learn.
Ready?
My Question For You
“I don’t have enough time.”
Oh, I hear that a lot.
But something interesting happens when I work with a private student.
Suddenly, he or she has enough time.
I don’t give them more time.
Nor do I make them quit their job or stay up late.
Rather, I change their thoughts about time.
Next week I’ll tell you the biggest misconception about time (translation: incorrect idea).
But before I do that, I’d like to know your thoughts.
1. Is time a problem for you?
2. How much time do you spend on English now?
3. And how much time do you need?
Please take a minute to go over to the blog and share your thoughts.
Trust me, this will help everyone understand the problem better.
At The Border
The bus pulled over and everyone got out.
The man sitting in front of me looked for a place to throw away his bag of vomit.
Everyone else lined up for inspection.
Finally, it was my turn.
I gave the guard my passport.
I showed him my virus test.
He looked at me.
Then finally, he stamped my passport and waved me into Albania.
“But wait, what about my new words?” I asked. “I’ve been practising and practising and…”
But it was no use.
He didn’t care.
So like the vomit man left his breakfast behind, I said doviđenja to my new vocabulary.
Later, I learned they have new words in Albania… for EVERYTHING!
Wow. But I’m only here for three days.
Will I have time…?
Cheers,
Mr. Vig
YOUR TURN
Please answer one or all of these questions in the comment section below. Thanks!
1. Is time a problem for you?
2. How much time do you spend on English now?
3. And how much time do you need?
1) My problem is focus on English practice more than find some time for English practice. I need time to focus on English. (In my opinion). When I have some minutes or hours often my mind think about anything else in native language. And so I read text, or I listen to an audio, or I watch move but i often disfocus. So it is not effective.
2) Now i spend about one ore two hour per day (for reading, listening or anki practice) Recently I’ve started to watch serials “Jeeves And Wooster” it is funny, but not so easy for understanding. But fast and clear English is magic.
3) How much time do I need? hmm…hmm… half of a day may be))
Thanks, Dmitri! Very interesting self-observation…
Time. Time is the most valuable express of our life. We usually don’t have enough time for our activities.
In my situation time is not a big issue. I can size it as I like. So the only problem I have is the motivation, the novelty of the activities I have to perform. Some how I lost my motivation to improve, I got bored with the habits. To go further I need at least something new and atractive. I keep doing some English habits but not as I used to. So hopefully will find something promising.
1. Is time a problem for you?
Sometimes I think so. But in other time I don’t think like that. Actually, I’m not a focus person.
2. How much time do you spend on English now?
For about 3 session of 15 minutes every day. During my time doing something in my home.
3. And how much time do you need?
If I Could about 3 session of 30 minutes would be better.
First, I want to say I really enjoy the stories which you have written about your self. It knows me how to tell stories🙏
I have no problem with time. My problem is that i
have to learn two news language in the same time.They are Swedish and English language (I live in Sweden).There are large differences between them in pronunciation.
So, I need your advice about it .
Thank in advance Mr. Vig.
1.Time is definitely not a problem for me, even though I spend a lot of time away from home. I like to swim and I like to walk. I go to a water pool three times a week and swim there for 2 hours every day. I enjoy watching movies, older or not (good, non-commercial movies). But I have enough time because I’m retired.
2. I read stories in English every night for about 15-20 minutes, and I listen little stories and conversations on the BBC or other shows. I think I’ve learned a lot of new words, but not enough. Sometimes I don’t understand everything. I stop the story and look up the words in the dictionary. I had the opportunity to learn a lot of new words because TV movies have subtitles. Many times I tried to watch movies without subtitles but it’s dificult because the actors talk very fast. It depends on the type of movie.
3. I don’t have trust in my self and I must think a little when I try to speak to someone. Many times I have tried to speak English in my mind.
4. I don’t know exactly how many hours I would need a day to improve my English (learning, listening, writing) but I realize that conversation is the best way to learn a foreign language. Those who have no fear are happy.
Yes, if I would say that time is continous problem I will not reveal something spectacular. We are all busy and have dynamic daily agenda, but personally I would say that I love my English and everything about it. I love the learning process and I have the enthusiasm to read, watch, discuss, work on my progressing in English. Somethimes I spend more time in contact with the problematic, sometimes less. Despite the seriousness of my obligations I tend to put my English on the top of my priorities and get in touch with the problematic every single day. If you would ask me…. am I satisfied with the level of my knowledge or could I try more hard to intensify the developing process…
I would say YES definitelly I would prefer to continue the learning process more effectively. Of course, learning English is not at all easy procedure, so I am greatful for your excellent educational program and your great professional logistic. I count on your support as a teacher in my further learning tendencies as participant in your program.
Best,
Natalija Kajchevska
Hello Ryan and Dmitrii!
I’m agree with the below/previous statement in regards of focusing from Dmitrii’s.
It’s important to keep focus on it when you have a goal to achieve. It’s also depends on how to learn. For example, everyone has possibility to make physical exercises at home. To be much beauty and have much better body shape. Also have longer ability to do something in your life. But it’s hard to make at home instead of the gym. Constantly you find something to do or to help someone. When you come to gym, you/your mind, understands that this time is for your body and health. Moreover, you’ve paid for it and waste money. Therefore, you focusing on it. The same when you learn something with someone, to whom you’ve paid and you one-on-one/face-to-face learning and concentrating on it.
The second aspect is to be motivated. Even if you have time, you may use it for the other things which you suggest much important for now. To do something additional for work, Family or Friends. Or to spend time for the other actions, but not for English. This motivation has to be very strong, inside of you. As you know, inside all people would like to be better and the best. When you’ve got bad score or you’ve received bad results, inside of you appear some worm, which begin to eat you and begin grow and gets bigger and bigger. When you’ve tired of it, the better scenario that angry on it and aim the goal to improve. All of your negative energy to focus to kill this worm and get the better results. Became the better of yourself, I’ll give the positive energy charge to go further, forward and ahead to understand better, to express yourself or fillings to others, to have more friends, etc.
This is also a question to self-oriented attitude for the personal goals. All polite and useful for others people suffer on it. Sometimes people just can’t say NO to others.
Also, important it’s permanence/consistency/persistence of doing. Scientists already proved that to became of master doing something you need spend 15000hours on it. If we’ll count on days it’ll 625 days or 1.7 years constantly to do it. Of course, we need time to sleep, eat and personal care. Let’s minuses 10 hours per day and we’ll get 14 hours’ day. Then we got 1071 days or around 3 years.
And the final. Almost all people think that life is very long. 60-70 years as minimum. But let’s also to count on. 70 years its just 25550 days and part of it already gone. Is it too many?! Just think and you’ll realize that life is very short.
With best wishes, Sergey
Actually I’m a doctor, I always busy during the day and during the night i fill tiered,I didn’t determine the specific time for English learning. but when I am became free by reading email and see TV I want to improve my English language.I decided in the future determine the specific time will from 09:00 Pm up to 10:00 pm Kabul time for English learning
best regards