0:00 You are invited to a real English conversation between me, Vanessa, and my husband,
0:06 Dan.
0:07 Hello.
0:07 You submitted some questions to us about daily life,
0:11 and we are here to answer them.
0:13 Our answers may not be incredible, but the English will be.
0:18 Oh, yes.
0:18 So, I hope that you can follow along in this conversation.
0:21 You can click CC to view the full subtitles
0:24 if you don't catch everything we're saying.
0:26 And like always, I have created a free PDF worksheet for you,
0:31 which is right now over Dan's face.
0:34 But this PDF worksheet has something I've never offered before.
0:38 It includes a whole bonus conversation video.
0:42 What?
0:43 So today in this lesson, we're going to be answering some questions,
0:46 but if you download the free PDF worksheet,
0:49 you will unlock access to the bonus conversation lesson.
0:53 It is not going to be available publicly on YouTube.
0:57 You will never see it anywhere except in the worksheet.
1:01 So, all you have to do is click on the link in the description,
1:03 enter your name, an email address, and voila, just like that,
1:07 the worksheet will land in your email inbox.
1:11 You can open the worksheet,
1:12 and there will be a link you can click to view the bonus conversation.
1:16 I want to give you a sneak peek.
1:18 In the com bonus conversation,
1:19 we will be talking about questions like what dishes do you like to cook?
1:23 Do you have a garden?
1:24 Do Americans easily understand other English accents?
1:28 What is a book you have enjoyed recently?
1:30 How do kids learn to spell in school?
1:33 Wonderful questions submitted by you.
1:35 So, make sure you click on the link in the description,
1:37 enter your name and email address,
1:39 and get the free worksheet for today
1:42 so that you can unlock the bonus conversation.
1:45 Okay, Dan, are you ready?
1:47 I'm ready.
1:48 All right, let's get started with our first question
1:50 that was submitted in fact by one of my Fearless Fluency Club students.
1:55 The first few questions have been submitted by my course students
1:59 and the bonus conversation questions have been submitted by you on YouTube.
2:05 So maybe those bonus questions were yours.
2:08 All right, let's get started with our first question.
2:10 Conversation question number one was submitted by my lovely student Sergey.
2:14 Sergey asked us, "How often do you go to the grocery store
2:19 and how do you get there?"
2:21 He asked if we use public transportation or just a car.
2:25 Thanks in advance.
2:27 All right, Dan.
2:28 How often do we go to the grocery store
2:30 and how do we get there?
2:31 I would say we probably go maybe twice a week.
2:35 Oh, you think that often?
2:36 Well, once a week for the big shop
2:38 and then there's sometimes a little shop peppered in there.
2:42 Okay.
2:42 Okay.
2:42 I don't go to the grocery store very often anymore
2:45 because I'm at work kind of far away from all the grocery store action
2:50 and you're a lot closer to the action.
2:52 Yeah.
2:53 The action of the grocery store.
2:54 So much action.
2:55 It's a lot of fun.
2:56 Especially taking a toddler into the grocery store.
2:58 Oh, so fun actually.
2:59 It is really It's okay.
3:00 Yeah.
3:01 But I go once a week.
3:03 Take take a big shop.
3:05 Get a big shop.
3:07 Have a list.
3:07 Know what we're cooking that week.
3:09 Buy a bunch of stuff.
3:11 And then I usually forget something or we realize, oh,
3:16 we have some like fresh stuff
3:17 that we need that wasn't available at
3:19 that store.
3:19 So, we have to go somewhere else and we might go another time.
3:22 We run out of milk usually.
3:24 Yeah.
3:25 Some kind of some product we run out of.
3:28 So, we actually live close enough to a grocery store where technically we could
3:33 walk there if we were really ambitious.
3:36 Torturous to walk there though.
3:37 Well, to bring back the groceries wouldn't be fun.
3:39 We could bike there, but the infrastructure in America is not great for biking.
3:45 So, it would be kind of uh annoying.
3:48 You'd be sharing the road with a lot of dangerous cars.
3:51 Yeah.
3:51 It'd probably take 30 minutes to get there.
3:54 And if we drove in a car, it takes like 5 minutes.
3:57 Yeah.
3:57 We're 5 minutes away in a car.
3:59 So, we just drive there.
4:00 Yeah.
4:00 And you can't take kids when you bike, at least our young kids.
4:04 So, you have to find It has to be a time
4:07 when you're with the kids.
4:09 I'm gonna bike to the store. 30 minutes to bike there, do the shop,
4:13 30 minutes back.
4:14 It's just not convenient.
4:16 And that's kind of the US.
4:17 It's on my bucket list to bike there someday cuz I know it's close
4:20 enough.
4:20 But yeah, with all the kids and all the action going on here,
4:24 it's uh Yeah, we're busy.
4:26 So, we usually just drive.
4:28 Yeah.
4:28 But that's not our main grocery store.
4:29 We like a grocery store grocery store called Trader Joe's.
4:33 And it's kind of like our I feel like I've mentioned Trader Joe's
4:36 so much.
4:36 Yeah.
4:37 They they've mastered the art of the grocery store experience.
4:41 Yeah.
4:41 If you visit the US Yeah.
4:43 If you visit the US,
4:44 I recommend going into Trader Joe's just buying a few things
4:47 because people there are
4:49 so nice and if you want to have just like a spontaneous conversation with
4:53 someone,
4:54 that's a great way because they'll usually say like, "Oh, how are you doing?
4:57 Are you doing anything interesting this afternoon?
4:59 Oh, have you ever tried this before?
5:01 Where are you from?"
5:02 like they'll generally strike up a conversation
5:05 and that's part of the marketing is
5:07 and it works.
5:08 I love going there.
5:09 They got good vibes.
5:10 They all wear shirts like this.
5:11 They're really happy.
5:12 Hawaiian shirts is what we call that.
5:14 All right, let's move on to our next question.
5:17 So, in this conversation lesson,
5:19 we are going from light question like how often do you go to the
5:23 grocery store to serious question
5:26 then back to light question.
5:27 So, the next one is a little more serious.
5:30 All right, I'm ready.
5:30 All right, Carmen, Msako, Dongrim, and Tracy all asked variations of this question.
5:37 How do you do it all?
5:38 Kids, business, work, house, food, chickens, how do you do it all?
5:46 They didn't even add the chickens, did they?
5:47 Or did they?
5:48 No.
5:48 The a very good question I feel like here um the way
5:52 that Tracy worded it is,
5:54 Vanessa, you are so busy.
5:55 I believe your daily life is quite hectic.
5:57 You must care for three children. film lessons, prepare lesson plans, among other things.
6:02 I am just curious if you have time for yourself.
6:06 Dong said, "Do you often do overtime?
6:09 You run your business.
6:10 I think it must be inevitable."
6:11 Mso said, "You have numerous roles and responsibilities.
6:14 What's your highest priority?"
6:16 Carmen said, "How many times a week can you carve out spare time for
6:19 yourself?"
6:20 Thanks a lot, dear teacher.
6:22 So, this is all asking basically,
6:24 how can you do so many things and maintain your sanity?
6:30 That is a really good question.
6:32 Well, I don't know.
6:33 How do we May I answer this first?
6:35 Yeah.
6:35 What do you think?
6:36 I need some I would say wisdom.
6:38 We don't do it all.
6:39 Uhhuh.
6:40 Yeah.
6:40 We can't do it all.
6:41 Right.
6:41 See, we have to pick and choose a lot of things.
6:44 I know for me personally,
6:46 I've had a lot of hobbies in the past
6:49 that I've just had to like cut out of my life,
6:51 especially the ones that are like non-essential.
6:55 Like for example, I used to play video games.
6:58 I just have a zero video game policy now
7:00 because it doesn't contribute anything to the family.
7:04 And I could sit here and be a sour puss about it,
7:06 but overall I'm a lot happier now, you know,
7:10 contributing in a different way than just, you know,
7:14 having that as a hobby just for myself.
7:16 Yeah.
7:16 So, you got to be a lot more selfless in the position we've put
7:20 ourselves in,
7:21 especially because we've added not one, not two, but three children to the mix.
7:27 So, it is hectic.
7:28 That's a good word for it.
7:30 It's hectic.
7:30 So, yeah, it's uh it helps a lot
7:34 if you have a uh good relationship
7:38 and have good communication
7:39 and can share a lot of stuff.
7:42 So, in the past, I actually didn't work a regular job at all.
7:46 So, I did a lot of child care and a lot of household stuff.
7:49 Yeah.
7:49 You worked for my business and I worked for your business as well.
7:53 And so, yeah, I didn't have a job outside the home, I should say.
7:58 And um I would say
8:00 that that took a lot of the load off of you at the time
8:04 and you were a lot busier back
8:06 then.
8:07 Yeah.
8:07 But then we went through like a huge transition phase where we basically organized
8:13 a lot of our life to be able for me to work outside the
8:16 home and for you to have less work
8:19 and you hire more people now.
8:20 Yep.
8:21 To do some of the stuff.
8:22 So yeah, that's my answer.
8:24 So there's a lot of strategy
8:25 that goes on beyond this behind the scenes
8:28 and you have to share stuff really well
8:30 and you have to make sacrifices in your own life.
8:34 That's some really good wisdom.
8:35 Yeah, that's the gist of it.
8:37 Yeah, I hope you guys um cannot just hear the lawn mower
8:41 that just started beside us.
8:42 I wanted you to hear the beautiful bird sounds
8:44 because there's so many wonderful birds.
8:46 But um talking about it's America.
8:48 This lawnmowers got to go right now.
8:50 Talking about like not doing it just ourselves.
8:53 Speak English with Vanessa has a wonderful team of people.
8:57 So for example, David will help to edit this audio
9:00 so that that lawn mower is not
9:02 so loud. if that were up to me,
9:04 the audio would just have the lawn mower really loud
9:07 and I couldn't do anything about it.
9:10 But because the business is capable of hiring people to do various jobs,
9:16 I don't have to do everything.
9:18 That would not be possible with three kids.
9:20 And I'm not the best at everything.
9:22 I feel like Kevin edits these videos.
9:25 David helps with the sound, especially if there's other things going on.
9:29 I used to edit the videos.
9:31 Not for YouTube, though. you did for the Elsa helps with emails
9:37 and Amber helps with some lessons.
9:39 Like there's so many things going on that I'm not doing myself.
9:44 I'm helping to manage that.
9:47 But you have to depend on other people.
9:49 Like that is essential.
9:51 And sometimes that's not what you see.
9:52 Like you just see the final product.
9:54 Whether it's, oh, we have homemade dinners for our family every night.
10:00 A lot of work goes into organizing.
10:02 How can we have a homemade dinner for our family every night?
10:05 Or how do I run this business?
10:08 Well, there's a lot of behindthe-scenes stuff that you never see.
10:10 Like Dan just made our dinner for tonight.
10:14 It's 1 in the afternoon.
10:16 Dan made our dinner.
10:18 Chopping.
10:18 He organized what it is.
10:20 Like that's the behind thescenes stuff
10:21 that it takes a lot of work
10:23 and organization,
10:25 but it really helps things be smoother.
10:27 Um, I would say for me the the one mindset tip
10:33 that helps me lessen the hecticness of my life,
10:38 it doesn't always work, so take it with a grain of salt,
10:41 but it is when I'm doing something, I try to be in that 100%.
10:48 So, if I'm gardening with my kids, I'm not thinking about YouTube videos.
10:54 If I'm sitting in the office coming up with new YouTube video ideas,
10:58 I'm not thinking about what's for dinner that night.
11:00 I really try to focus.
11:03 And I think that's especially valuable with my family.
11:07 When I'm going for a walk, I'm trying to just take a break.
11:13 Don't feel like I need to be productive at every moment doing all these
11:17 things because goodness knows
11:19 when you multitask,
11:20 you're usually less productive, right?
11:22 At least I am.
11:23 So, I try to just, you know,
11:25 sit in the sandbox
11:26 and play with my kids
11:27 and not check my emails
11:29 and think about some work thing
11:31 or think about something else going on.
11:33 Just try to be 100% in the activity I'm currently doing.
11:39 I don't do this perfectly, but it's kind of like my goal.
11:43 It's what I strive to do.
11:45 And I feel like it's kind of a good centering.
11:48 So when I feel hectic and I look back at the day,
11:52 I think usually, oh, my brain was all over the place.
11:56 There were like 500 things going on
11:58 and I couldn't focus on one of them.
12:00 And sometimes that just happens.
12:02 Like you got three kids, they're all crying.
12:04 You got to make dinner.
12:05 Oh no, I have to answer this email.
12:06 Like sometimes that happens.
12:07 M but if I
12:09 when I get the chance to just be calm in a moment,
12:15 going for a walk with the kids, planting stuff in the garden,
12:19 those types of things, I try to just embrace it.
12:22 Embrace the moment.
12:23 Yeah.
12:24 May I add something here, too?
12:25 Okay.
12:26 So, this is a little bit different,
12:28 but I think it really helps to have the space to do this stuff
12:33 if you have um a kind of career in place where you have a
12:38 little bit of flexibility.
12:40 So, a lot of people don't have this in their life.
12:42 You know, you work 9 to5 and you may, you know,
12:47 have a little break here or there,
12:48 but you're just stuck in this very structured system
12:52 and maybe they even maybe even have to work overtime.
12:55 Um, we're very fortunate because even though you work a lot,
12:59 it is structured in a way that you can build your own schedule.
13:03 So that is very helpful
13:06 and I think it's kind of a privilege we have.
13:09 But you know I kind of hope it's the direction the world goes in
13:13 in a way like in some a lot of jobs you don't have to
13:16 be in a place 9 to5
13:17 and people are starting to work from home more
13:20 and you know they can eat at in their kitchen for their lunchtime instead
13:25 of you know I think I think the world is wanting more flexibility especially
13:29 the next generation.
13:30 I I hear that a lot
13:31 that like the next generation is not putting up with corporate America.
13:36 Yeah.
13:36 Like they want more flexibility and I'm very curious what the future holds.
13:41 But yeah, let's go.
13:42 There's some give and take there, but you know.
13:44 Yeah, we'll see.
13:44 I never This is a can of worms apparently this question.
13:48 So, all right, let's go on to the next question.
13:49 Well, lots of people ask that,
13:50 so I think it's important to dive into it for a while.
13:54 Um, the next one's kind of connected.
13:57 Elanora asks, "Do you do yoga?"
14:00 But she added on to that in order to balance yourself.
14:04 Thank you, teacher Vanessa.
14:05 So, this is kind of also talking about self-care.
14:08 I wanted to talk about exercise and yoga.
14:12 First of all, do you do yoga, Dan?
14:16 No.
14:16 I I tried doing yoga for a while.
14:19 Uh we did it together when we lived in South Korea.
14:21 Yeah.
14:21 And that was like the longest stretch we did it.
14:25 And it's just not really for me.
14:27 I like the vibes of it, but I am 0% flexible.
14:32 So, it's just Yeah, it's it's not my thing.
14:36 Yeah.
14:36 Um, I like doing yoga, but I don't have the life right now.
14:41 So, this is also kind of the mindset stuff.
14:42 I don't have the life right now where I can go to a yoga
14:45 class.
14:45 I would love to go to a yoga class twice a week,
14:49 but I'm choosing to take care of my daughter all day
14:55 and I work when she naps.
14:57 So, I could hire someone to come take care of her
14:59 so I can go to a yoga class.
15:01 That's possible.
15:02 We have the money to be able to do that.
15:05 But that's a lot of coordination and figuring out and organizing.
15:09 And I'm choosing right now not to do
15:12 that and choosing to do other types of exercise
15:15 that fit with what I'm capable of
15:18 because I would feel like that's just adding too much to my life right
15:22 now.
15:22 But once she's older and she's in school, absolutely.
15:25 I would love to go to a in-person class twice a week
15:28 or something like that.
15:30 I like the people who do yoga.
15:32 I like there's a yoga studio near us that's called Asheville Community Yoga
15:36 and it's a nonprofit
15:39 which means all the teachers are volunteers
15:41 that it blows my mind
15:43 because some teachers teach there like every day
15:47 and they're just doing it out of the goodness of their heart
15:49 and it's it's so cool.
15:51 I love that type of giving atmosphere.
15:54 But I would go there twice a week
15:57 or so and I'm realizing this time in my life is just limited.
16:02 A season one might say it's a season.
16:04 Yeah, that's what we say.
16:05 So like in 2 years, sure, I can do that and that's fine.
16:09 And right now for exercise, we have the perfect scenario.
16:13 Fortune has landed upon our laps.
16:16 Yes.
16:17 In multiple ways because our neighbor, our new neighbors, she is a personal trainer.
16:22 She is so nice.
16:24 She's wonderful.
16:24 If you're in the Fearless Fluency Club, you know her.
16:27 Her name is Lindsay.
16:28 Uh you met her back in February.
16:30 She's got his pumping iron
16:32 and I go over there
16:33 and Dan goes over there separately
16:35 because we have to watch the kids.
16:36 You can tell, right?
16:37 Yeah.
16:38 Twice a week.
16:39 And we lift weights.
16:41 And this is something I would not do on my own.
16:44 I don't know how to do that on my own.
16:46 I have some more skills now.
16:47 I've been doing it for nine months or so, but it's a social thing.
16:53 I get to talk to Lindsay.
16:54 I like her.
16:55 I like talking with her.
16:57 She knows more about lifting weights
16:59 and she knows how I can do it in a healthy way without hurting
17:03 myself and all of
17:04 that just and it's across the street from our house.
17:08 So, I can just walk across the street.
17:09 Dan comes home from work.
17:10 I say bye.
17:11 I walk across the street.
17:13 He watches the kids.
17:14 And the next day he does that.
17:16 He comes home.
17:16 I'm with the kids.
17:17 He gets changed and goes and works out.
17:20 Yeah.
17:20 And there's not an awful lot of friction.
17:22 I think that's the thing with working out for a lot of people.
17:25 For me, that getting there,
17:27 it's hard to go from Yeah. not working out to working out to having
17:31 a habit of exercising.
17:33 If you don't have that habit,
17:35 it's hard to get that ball rolling as they say.
17:40 So, I feel like this is the perfect scenario for us
17:42 that we have someone across the street who can give us accountability
17:46 and can do that for us,
17:48 like can help us.
17:49 I just show up.
17:50 I don't need to think.
17:51 She shows me what to do.
17:52 She makes the plan.
17:53 It's so lovely.
17:55 Um, I'll add a bit to this as well.
17:58 So, I I work out with Lindsay as well.
18:01 Uh, and so that's like a really good uh like mind body connection activity
18:08 to kind of get your body engaged in a way
18:10 that we normally aren't
18:12 because we do a lot of stuff unconsciously without thinking about our bodies.
18:16 Yeah.
18:16 And obviously like I do a lot of yard work
18:19 and I just pick up stuff the wrong way.
18:21 And so this is kind of relearning that kind of thing.
18:24 Yeah.
18:25 Um, but going back to yoga,
18:28 the nice thing about yoga is it's like a lot to do with like
18:32 mindfulness and breathing and stuff
18:34 and her stuff is less like
18:37 that.
18:37 So, we are also trying to do some meditation activities.
18:43 Mhm.
18:43 We're not very consistent with this,
18:45 but um us in particular and maybe Americans in general are very very go.
18:52 Uh not much slowing down,
18:55 one thing to another um kind of activities or lifestyle.
19:00 Yeah.
19:00 And so we are trying our best to add some of this mindfulness, meditation,
19:08 uh slowing down moments or activities or even just like noticing for five minutes.
19:16 Um checking in with your breathing and how you're feeling and stuff like that.
19:20 U even though it's not necessarily physical like yoga,
19:24 it's still kind of like a uh noticing your body
19:27 and your breathing type of activity.
19:29 It's about keeping yourself balanced like Elanora said.
19:32 Yeah.
19:32 Yeah.
19:32 We um we have something called stillness practice
19:35 that we've tried to do with our kids.
19:37 So before they go to bed,
19:40 we sit on the couch and we have some it's like meditation music,
19:44 you know, just soft music
19:46 and we light a candle
19:50 and we all sit there quietly
19:52 and stare into the flame.
19:55 And when the song is done, it's about five minutes.
19:57 Then we get up
19:58 and ideally the kids would feel relaxed
20:01 and calm and be able to go to bed.
20:03 Doesn't always doesn't always work, but for that five minutes,
20:06 I have seen the kids and I think we have too,
20:10 but I've seen I've noticed it in them take deeper breaths
20:15 and kind of just release
20:17 that tension even if it's like for two minutes of the five minutes just
20:22 and we or 5 seconds.
20:24 Yeah. even just a little bit of that practicing in their lives.
20:29 Um I think it's good for us
20:30 and I like that they get the opportunity to try
20:33 that.
20:34 Um I think a lot of schools are trying to incorporate this like the
20:37 school um that you teach at does
20:40 that somewhat alternative school.
20:42 I don't know how common it is.
20:43 I think it's getting more common for like yoga to be in schools
20:47 and for teachers to do various mindfulness exercises at the beginning of the day.
20:52 Um, it certainly helps the teacher because the kids if they're more centered,
20:56 they're going to have a better day.
20:58 Um, but yeah, anyway,
20:59 those are some of our things that we do to stay fit,
21:03 mentally healthy maybe, and it's not always going to be perfect, right?
21:10 It's just different tools
21:12 that you can have
21:13 so that you feel like physically good
21:15 or um the kids
21:17 and us as a family can have a moment in the hecticness to just
21:23 be still and to get a 5-year-old boy to be still for 5 minutes.
21:28 Yeah.
21:29 They're really proud of themselves actually.
21:31 It's hard but like they they're like we did it for five minutes.
21:34 All right.
21:34 Like they feel really excited that they did it.
21:36 So anyway, that's that's our thing.
21:39 All right.
21:39 The next question is unfortunately not for you.
21:44 It is for me.
21:45 Oh man.
21:47 It is, how do you fit learning French into your daily life?
21:52 Oh yeah, this question for me is for from Camila,
21:56 another Fearless Fluency Club student.
21:58 And uh my answer, Camila, is that first of all,
22:03 I try to be realistic and I try to have fun.
22:08 So, what I'm capable of right now
22:10 and what I want to do is speak with someone.
22:13 I don't want to increase my vocabulary a lot right now
22:17 or uh watch a bunch of French movies.
22:20 I don't really like movies anyway,
22:22 but that that's not something that really interests me.
22:25 It might interest you.
22:26 Cool.
22:27 Please watch a bunch of English movies.
22:28 Great idea.
22:30 But for me, I try once a week to have a French lesson.
22:34 So, for about 30 minutes,
22:36 I pay a French teacher
22:39 and she's a lovely woman uh from France
22:42 and we just we just talk on a video chat for 30 minutes.
22:46 She asks about my life.
22:47 She knows things that are going on.
22:48 So, she'll be like, "Oh, last week you did this.
22:50 How did that go?"
22:52 Um sometimes we talk about, you know,
22:54 deeper things or philosophize about things or whatever comes up.
22:59 And this type of like real connection in French is amazing.
23:05 She's a wonderful conversationalist, asks great questions,
23:09 but it's a time for me to just show up
23:12 and I'm not responsible for anyone.
23:14 It it feels to me almost like working out with Lindsay.
23:16 I just show up there
23:17 and she tells me kind of what to do the rest of my life.
23:21 I have so many responsibilities that when I show up to my French lesson,
23:27 I'm just talking and I'm learning because, you know, she'll correct some things.
23:31 She'll write down some things that I can say better.
23:33 And it's 30 minutes once a week.
23:35 It's maintenance.
23:36 It's time for myself.
23:38 Yeah.
23:38 It's maintaining what I know.
23:41 And it's also time for me because I love any conversation in French.
23:45 I just feel very excited about it.
23:47 Um, so yeah, it feels like I'm taking care of myself.
23:51 I'm also maintaining some French level and yeah having a good time.
23:57 And if you cannot find 30 minutes to speak with someone each week,
24:02 rethink some other priorities in your life because you can absolutely do it.
24:06 This is like the number one thing that I tell my students.
24:10 If you want to speak confidently in English,
24:13 you need 100% to speak for at least 30 minutes every week with someone
24:20 else.
24:21 That's accountability.
24:22 It's real.
24:23 It's a real conversation.
24:25 You are having to respond.
24:27 You're not just reading a book or watching this video.
24:30 You are active and it's real life.
24:32 Like you're actually communicating.
24:34 Um I think it can be really scary at first,
24:38 but it's essential. you want to improve your English, so you can do it.
24:42 Um, as a little plug, um,
24:45 since all of these students are in my course, the Fearless Fluency Club,
24:49 one of the features of this course is that students talk together.
24:53 They meet together and they talk on Zoom multiple times a week
24:57 and it's studentled.
24:58 So, everybody understands exactly that nervous feeling,
25:02 that I don't know exactly what to say all the time feeling,
25:06 but they support each other.
25:07 It is so amazing.
25:09 So, if you don't have anyone to talk to,
25:11 I recommend joining the Fearless Fluency Club.
25:13 Join one of the studentled speaking groups
25:16 and it it will be scary the first few times
25:19 because that's normal.
25:21 But after a few weeks and then a few months, you'll be amazed.
25:26 You'll feel so much more confident, interested, excited, and you'll have friends,
25:30 which is so cool.
25:32 Have friends around the world.
25:33 A lot of my students have actually met up with each other around the
25:36 world.
25:37 H that makes my heart so happy.
25:39 Okay, let's go on to our next question.
25:40 All right, the next question is, do Americans brush their teeth in the morning?
25:47 Walter, my student, asked it a little more detailed.
25:50 In general, do American people brush their teeth after or before breakfast or twice?
25:55 Warmest regards.
25:57 Uh, all right.
25:58 I don't know about all Americans.
26:00 Let's just talk about us.
26:01 I think this is pretty hit or miss.
26:03 I don't think there's a standard, you know.
26:06 I remember when we lived in South Korea, after every meal,
26:09 people would brush their teeth.
26:10 Yeah, it's very very common.
26:12 And like after lunch, everyone's in the bathroom brushing their teeth.
26:16 Uh when I was a kid,
26:18 it was always brush your teeth in the morning and the evening.
26:21 Was it before or after breakfast?
26:23 He would like to know.
26:25 I think it was before.
26:26 It was just right after you wake up, I think.
26:29 Even though it makes more sense after you eat, I would say,
26:32 but you know, nowadays I usually brush my teeth in the evening
26:36 and then sometimes in the morning
26:38 if if I'm feeling like I don't want her to smell my morning breath,
26:42 then I'll brush my teeth in the morning.
26:44 So, every day almost.
26:46 Yeah.
26:46 Yeah.
26:46 In the morning, right when I wake up,
26:48 I brush my teeth
26:50 and then I don't brush them after breakfast
26:52 and then I brush my teeth before I go to bed.
26:54 But I do find myself, I would say, not using toothpaste,
26:59 but just like running a toothbrush over my teeth to get like any food
27:04 out of my teeth.
27:05 Waving a toothbrush in front of your face.
27:07 Magic.
27:09 Mainly cuz I don't want bits and pieces of food stuck in my teeth.
27:13 But I'm also at home a lot, so I have that option.
27:16 I think if I were in an office,
27:18 I probably wouldn't have a toothbrush
27:20 because it feels I remember
27:22 when we were in Korea
27:23 and after lunch,
27:24 people were brushing their teeth in the bathroom together.
27:27 It It struck me that I consider brushing teeth kind of a private thing.
27:33 Like it was weird that people were brushing their teeth together.
27:36 Like it's a personal private thing.
27:38 You're never like in your house with other people brushing your teeth.
27:41 It's like in the bathroom by yourself brushing your teeth.
27:44 But because people were doing it at work, I was like,
27:47 "This is not professional.
27:48 This is not a private situation.
27:51 What is this?"
27:52 I was really surprised.
27:54 But I get it.
27:56 When you eat kimchi, you need to brush your teeth.
27:58 There's little red flexcks of pepper always in your teeth.
28:02 So, I I understand how that is a cultural thing.
28:06 But for Americans in general, if you are an American watching this video,
28:11 let us know in the comments, please.
28:13 Do you brush your teeth in the morning?
28:15 Do you brush them before breakfast, after breakfast twice?
28:19 Are you like an amazing teeth hygiene person?
28:23 Dental hygiene.
28:24 The standard is in the morning after you wake up
28:27 and then the evening before you go to bed.
28:28 Yeah, I think that's probably the most common.
28:30 Yeah.
28:31 Well, let us know in the comments.
28:32 All right, Walter.
28:32 I hope that helped.
28:34 Our final question for this video here on YouTube before we get to our
28:38 bonus.
28:38 Oh, we don't end on the brushing teeth question.
28:40 No.
28:41 Is this one from YouTube?
28:42 So all the other questions were from my course students.
28:45 This one is from Usra Rare Moon on YouTube.
28:50 And this person asks,
28:51 "What is a song you can listen to and never be bored?"
28:56 Never be bored.
28:57 Yes, never be bored.
28:58 Okay.
28:59 Well, this one, this is really cliche.
29:01 You You can probably guess it.
29:03 You got to just tell me.
29:04 I have no idea.
29:06 Bohemian Rapsidity.
29:08 Ah, I got two actually.
29:10 Okay.
29:10 Bohemian raphemian rapsidity by Queen because it's just like the most exciting song.
29:15 It's got movements.
29:16 It's got a breakdown.
29:17 You can headbang.
29:18 It is never boring and it's not boring.
29:20 I don't always want to listen to it.
29:22 Sing, but it's never boring when I listen to it.
29:25 Right.
29:25 Yeah.
29:25 I don't always want to hear it, but I'm never bored.
29:28 Yeah.
29:29 And then the other song is maybe a bit of a deeper cut.
29:32 So, I like uh music from the 70s is pretty much my favorite time
29:37 era overall.
29:38 And I like the artist Joanie Mitchell.
29:41 Who is a singer songwriter and she has a song called Coyote.
29:46 Oh.
29:46 Which is just her an acoustic guitar.
29:49 Uh some conga drums and a bass.
29:52 Really really good basist in the song.
29:55 And okay, I don't think Vanessa's too into Joanie Mitchell
29:58 that much cuz it's a little too moody for me.
30:00 She's very very moody.
30:01 And I think she's brilliant.
30:03 And the song has probably my like the best storytelling lyrics ever.
30:10 Do I know that song?
30:11 Have I listened to it?
30:12 You I'm sure you've heard it.
30:13 Okay.
30:13 Yeah.
30:14 I think all her music blends in together for you.
30:16 Yeah.
30:16 It all kind of sounds the same, but that I mean that's okay, too.
30:19 Like it's person by person.
30:20 Yeah.
30:20 So, but that's probably my favorite song by her
30:23 and she's one of my favorite artists.
30:25 So, cool.
30:26 Cool.
30:26 Um, I only chose one.
30:29 I feel like there's a couple that I always am excited by,
30:34 but one that stuck out is Teenage Dream.
30:37 That one is always exciting.
30:39 Is the Simon and Garfuncle song Sounds of Silence.
30:44 It's not an exciting song.
30:46 Hello.
30:48 It's like the least exciting song ever.
30:50 Come to talk to you.
30:51 Cecilia.
30:52 Oh, okay.
30:53 Cecilia, you're breaking my heart.
30:55 I feel like that song is
30:57 so ridiculous in the actual the words are ridiculous.
31:00 Yeah.
31:01 Like making love in the afternoon with Cecilia up in my bedroom.
31:05 Oh my.
31:06 I come back and wash my face.
31:08 When I come back to bed, someone's taken my place.
31:10 Like it's just ridiculous.
31:11 Well, it's not too relatable.
31:12 No.
31:13 But the the vibe of the song, the like the catchiness,
31:17 the like foot stomping, like all of that.
31:20 I love it.
31:20 It's so Every time I listen to it, I get excited about it.
31:23 And the other night I was coming home from
31:26 that one too hanging out with some friends
31:28 and that song came on
31:28 when I was in the driveway
31:29 and I was just like to see you breaking.
31:33 I was so excited.
31:33 The driveway song is a great song.
31:35 There's it comes on at the right time.
31:37 You're like I'm not getting out of the car yet.
31:39 It was great.
31:40 Yeah.
31:41 Apparently for Vanessa it's Cecilia.
31:43 Yeah.
31:43 I love that song.
31:44 It's so fun.
31:44 So let us know in the comments what is a song you can always
31:47 listen to and never get bored.
31:49 What if I want to add one more?
31:51 Go for it.
31:51 Okay.
31:52 Listen, if this is on the total other end of the spectrum, okay,
31:56 system of a down.
32:01 Okay, song.
32:02 Yeah, prison song.
32:04 It'll blow you away.
32:06 Okay, it might literally blow you away.
32:07 You might be scared, actually.
32:08 Okay, turn it turn it up really loud.
32:10 You have no idea what's coming.
32:13 Well, thank you so much, Dan,
32:14 for joining me for all of these You're welcome. conversation questions.
32:19 And if you would like to take your English to the next level,
32:24 you can download the free PDF worksheet
32:27 which includes dun a bonus conversation lesson just like this one.
32:32 We haven't recorded it yet.
32:34 We're about to and it will not be available publicly on YouTube.
32:38 The only way to access this bonus conversation is by downloading the free PDF,
32:44 clicking on that link and it will be unlocked just for you.
32:47 So, click on the link in the description to get your free worksheet
32:51 and just enter your name,
32:52 email address, and voila, just like that,
32:55 the PDF worksheet will land in your email inbox.
32:58 You will get access to that bonus conversation,
33:01 all of the vocabulary that you saw come up today.
33:04 And also, the cool thing is
33:07 that you will never need to sign up for my free PDF worksheets again.
33:12 I will automatically send them to you every week in your email inbox.
33:16 So, you just sign up once
33:18 and every week I will send them to you.
33:20 Pretty cool.
33:20 It is my gift to you.
33:22 Yay.
33:22 So, thank you, Dan.
33:24 Thanks for joining me.
33:25 Uh, we will continue this conversation in just a minute for our bonus conversation.
33:30 See you soon.
33:31 We will see you soon.
33:32 Thanks so much for learning English with me
33:34 and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my
33:38 YouTube channel.
33:38 Bye bye.
33:40 But wait, do you want more?
33:41 I recommend watching this video next where you will listen to another natural conversation
33:47 between Dan and I.
33:48 This time about education,
33:50 including why did Dan not go to school until he was a teenager?
33:56 H.
33:57 Well, you'll have to watch that video to find out.
