Hi guys, welcome to the first unofficial episode of my podcast. This is like a trailer to the movie, because in this one I'm going to share with you a little bit about what I want to do here. Why and some real language learning stories. These are not going to be your typical English lessons. So if you want to level up for English to a C1 or C2 native speaker level, this is the place to be and if you love science even more because I'm going to combine some tips from science to help you learn faster and hack your brain.
Now first, let me tell you that when I started studying for exams, and then learning other languages, I discovered all of these methods that made it so much easier for me to learn to remember the information actually use the skills and get better grades at the same time as improving my language learning. But that wasn't always the case because I remember studying for exams in both English and Spanish when I was doing my master's in education a few years ago, and the university would cram six exams into one weekend. I mean, it was easier at school because that's all I was doing. So if you have nothing else to do, you can organise your time and eventually you'll probably have a plan that works and be able to study for all of those exams like when we're at high school. But for those of us who are actually working and need to do all of these things at the same time, like our jobs and improving your English for example, or getting ready for the IELTS exam, then it's kind of challenging, and you're going to need to know how to organise your time well hack your brain to perform your best because I'm telling you that is a total game changer. And change your mindset because basically if you believe you can do we'll be able to do it but I hear some of you every day telling me I can't do it. I'm not confident. I don't have time. I don't know where to start, and I get it.
I've been there. It's really complicated, but you have to start somewhere and change all of these habits and break these bad cycles so that you can get that score and go live that dream I know that you want to go work abroad you're gonna get a better salary, you'll have a better quality of life hopefully, with a better work life balance and more freedom because you'll be able to do what you want, talk to whoever you want, eventually, you're just going to be so much happier. I know because my students who have moved already are living their best lives. I mean, sure it's a challenge at first it takes time to adjust. I'm not gonna lie to you. I've done it several, seven times. I think. So yeah, that part is difficult, but it's worth it. That's all I'm gonna say. So yeah, where was I digress?
Okay, so when I was studying for these six exams, I had no idea about all of these hacks or how to do it and I was making a complete mess. I mean, I was exhausted. I was barely sleeping or eating. I mean, I was working full time doing I don't know how many hours every day way too many teaching. And what else is they doing? Well, obviously studying for these exams. Oh, yeah. That was it. I had to do my teaching practice at school. So it was like two full time jobs. Plus studying for the six exams, which was crazy. I mean, I remember being so exhausted. I couldn't even lie on the sofa without thinking because my brain was just full of information. I couldn't even watch TV. I didn't want to talk to anyone. That is what happens if you literally overload your brain with too much information. We need to rest your brain needs to process what you are learning. It's not unlimited. It can be if you hack it the right way. But you can't just pump it full of information like you're uploading it onto a hard drive. It doesn't work like that. So we have to be kind to ourselves sometimes so that we can do it better. And I thought when I was going through this, there has to be another way like this cannot be normal.
I know that people have normalised it because people think that there is no other way but actually there is and I investigated it, and I started to uncover some really shocking information and statistics like Did you know that stress and anxiety are just constantly increasing around the world and are inextricably linked to higher suicide rates in both adults, even in Europe, especially in Asia? You guys know that you're working way too. Hard. But unfortunately, that's that's the culture and you're kind of forced into it even here. I see all the time too. It's not that much better here either. But so I decided to do research into this and I wanted to change it because if this even starts in school in high school, and they're also stressed, anxious and mental health is increasing all the time, even from as young as 13 years old.
So imagine going through all of this, we're working at the same time as well and it's taking a toll on our bodies, our health and our life. So I've made it my mission to change this because there are ways that we're just not taught in school, about how we can learn and remember better and you know, you can use your brain to your advantage, which is what we should all be doing. Now. I love learning languages myself. And my background is actually in psychology and neuroscience. So I knew there had to be a connection and there is so these are the things I want to share with you. And we're gonna have some chats so that you can improve your English faster, and prepare for the IELTS exam. You can use these episodes as a learning tool, so I'm going to share the transcript below with you. And then if you don't understand something can take look. You can do this and of all listening types too. So if you're watching interviews on YouTube or Netflix or listening to other podcasts, utilise this as a way to learn more vocabulary and understand the different accents. Of course, don't rely 100% on the transcripts because then you'll just be reading. But if there are things and you think, Oh, that's a useful phrase, highlight it.
And use it in your own speaking practice or in real life, like I said, I want these episodes to be as realistic as possible. And actually, you will see that sometimes I am not scripting everything so I might change my train of thought and then there might be like, some kind of mistakes, but that is totally normal because we want to change our ideas or talk about something different in the middle of a sentence, in which case you're going to have to change your grammar, or you change the word in the middle of another word. It's okay. Language is not perfect, and I want you to know that no one speaks perfectly even in their own language. And as you can see, probably in this podcast, we also repeat a lot of things or words frequently because we're not used to using multiple synonyms on a daily basis. But you know, if you're doing the IELTS exam, then that is one of the things you have to do. That's why I always tell people that IELTS is not the same as real life. So this is going to be a mixture of preparing you for that move, helping you feel better teaching you real English as well as giving you some tips and mindset to prepare yourself for the IELTS exam. Okay, so with that said, I want you to be able to understand when you move abroad, what people are actually saying, so that you can get used to a normal pace of English. So it's not such a surprise because I find like when you listen to things like IELTS listening tests all the time or just what's documentaries isn't great in an educational setting, but then what happens when you go out into real life? It's a bit different. So for sure when you will see UK, Australia, Canada or wherever you're going, obviously, you're going to encounter different accents, new words, and vocabulary.
I mean, that happens to me even that so if I go back to England to visit my parents, for example, because you guys know I actually live in Spain, and I left the UK in 2007 and went travelling around the world. And I've been teaching English ever since then. So I know what it's like and it's crazy. But that happens in all languages. So you're never going to know everything you're never going to be able to know exactly what everyone on the planet is same. Obviously, you'll get to a point where you can understand 99% which is pretty amazing. But there will always be this 1% of people who have some weird accent pronouncing this differently or have some strange words from that particular city. This happens to me too, so it's not you. I mean, I go to a different city in UK, for example, and there will still be people that I didn't really understand what they were saying.
Actually, in fact, the other day, I was talking to one of my students and he was telling me oh, I went to Singapore, and they supposedly speak English but I have no idea what they were saying. It's just really weird. And has this ever happened to you when you've been travelling? Did you go to an English speaking country and you were like, What are they actually saying? Because according to Singapore, English is one of their official languages. But I lived there for about six months in 2008. And they can tell you it's not really English. Obviously there are people who speak really well. But it's also has a kind of weird pidgin version. And if you don't know what a pidgin version of languages it basically means it's not a complete version. It's broken up. It's just a very basic version. And it's really hard to understand if you don't speak it can as an example, like I remember I was in a sharp and they would come and see me can can and how are you supposed to understand what they want to say if they're just using one word and not even the full question. Can means nothing on its own.
So you're going to encounter these things, obviously, not all the time. The majority of the time, you'll be able to understand what people are saying I hope, especially if you get a band seven or C one level, but even so don't have this idea with a finish line in your head because there isn't one and that's what I want to share with you in this unofficial first episode. Because learning languages and their culture, they're basically inextricably linked. You can't learn one without the other and this is going to be a lifelong process for all of us, me included for everyone. Even your own language is never going to be finished. Languages are continually growing, changing and new things are being added. It's just what it is cultural changes language changes, and we go through this process and it's just a continual process of change. So it's never ever going to be complete, but we can share these experiences together help each other as much as we can because moving abroad is hard and even more so in another language. So that's why I'm here to support you, help you get that job in the English speaking country.
You want to go to a start a better life. Hopefully you'll get a better salary and have a better work life balance to see how I just said better like way too many times that this is a perfect example of what we do in real life that you should not do in the IELTS exam or other English exams for example, but once you've done it, you can forget it and say those things as much as you want. Okay, so all the hard work that we are doing is going to help pay off and you'll be able to do what you love, and help make the world a better place. So with that said, I'm gonna see you in the next episode. Don't forget to have a look at the transcript. Check the vocabulary, pronunciation and any expressions I've used. This is just a starter episode, but I will include more language for you to us in the aisles and in real life, as I keep telling you they're totally different.
One more thing later this summer I'm going to be hosting a totally free masterclass on the five essential things you need to speak English fluently. So you can score seven on IELTS and finally go get that job in an English speaking country. Make sure you sign up at the link below. It's totally free, but only the people who have my email will get a special invite first. It's first come first serve because there are only going to be a limited number of people allowed in the Zoom call for that opportunity. I'll drop the link below for you to access and I'll be in touch with the date soon.
