A Guide To Minimalism For Language Learners
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Minimalism: a wonderful recipe for a simple life full of meaning, value, and happiness - but have you ever thought of how this applies to language learning? In this splendid short documentary, I'd like to share my thoughts on embracing the lessons of minimalism within our language learning practice for a richer, happier, and more fulfilling experience doing that thing we love ❤️ 🌎
Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
0:49 - 1: What Is Minimalism?
2:31 - 2: Why Should You Care?
4:39 - 3: How This Helps Language Learners
9:38 - 4: Conclusion
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Ahhhh I'm just so *SO* happy and excited to be creating work like this and to have such wonderful, amazing, kind folks supporting me ❤️ What did you think of this latest short documentary piece? Are any of you minimalists yourselves? Did you learn anything from the video or have any tiny little "aha!" moments? 💡 Sending big hugs, high fives, and all the good vibes to everyone! ☀️
I'm no minimalist by any means, but I try to appreciate the things I own or am surrounded by. Sometimes it also makes sense to wait with a purchase of a language learning book, especially the more advanced ones, because it could be that an updated edition will be published soon (this might be less likely for Hopi or Icelandic etc., though). There is a Japanese term for 'buying books and not reading them', which is 積ん読 (つんどく), not sure whether it is widely used. I think libraries are also great meta-resources, which provide sometimes literally millions of books, including language learning material, which goes often unnoticed or underappreciated. If you think of your library membership (which is sometimes for free) as an potential and temporary access to many books, you can first check them out and see whether you would actually use or need them, thus reducing mindless purchases. I think William Morris summed it up nicely by saying: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. Some things just do not 'spark joy' but we still need them, and there is a fine epistemological distinction between 'know' and 'believe'. Anyway, I really appreciated your video about your Japanese learning experience. It felt very authentic and relatable. For me it is also an on-off relationship, albeit for different reasons. 七転び八起き！
ps: For a long time I disliked the meaning of 捨てる because it made me think of 塵, until I found out that it is a key notion in buddhism, as in 捨て置く or 捨という心 (cf. www.otani.ac.jp/yomu_page/b_yougo/nab3mq000001juxx.html). In a way, it might be not only advisable to discard of some things we do not need but also of false ideas (of self, ego, or permanence) by which we attach too much importance to things. Perhaps, this is too far-fetched or misleading.
I have thought a lot about your latest video Robin ( minimalism ) and it is so significant in our times. We are so bombarded with advertising in our daily lives. We may think that we can get away with it but it does stick somewhere in our brain. It may not affect us immediately but it may well bubble up later . So many thanks for this refreshing video.....excuse me now, ..I have to clear the deck !
would you like to try online AI tech mandarin classroom for free?
I have such a bad habit of spending my time looking for new language resources. I should just be studying. 💔
Wow i feel called out. I just did that a while ago and that's all i did instead of studying.
I feel like there should be a secondhand market in language learning communities, because I know that there is a lot of people on there holding onto resources they dont like, use, or no longer get value from
I totally agree! When I left the U.S. and moved back to the U.K. recently, I donated almost all of my textbooks except the ones I was actively using (my Mandarin Chinese ones). I think a lot of good could come from more second hand activities with language learning resources!
So everyone here because thumbnail 🤣🤣. Do what you gotta do😎
🤣🤣 I thought this is an eye-catching thumbnail but also an honest one, since it relates to the common misconception that minimalism is something "extreme" and I try to address this within the video in a fun and comedic way 😆 Trying my best to balance making eye-catching content that also never strays from my authenticity and honesty 😇🌟 My hope was that anyone who clicks on this video will enjoy it, get value from it, and see the fun connection between the thumbnail and topic 😂
Production values going through the roof!
Woohoooo I'm so glad you noticed, I'm having SO much fun with these!!
For real!! I felt that. I was like "Damn son!!!" I need to be taking notes from him haha.
"Clothes are not very minimalistic, let's take em off"
MacPherson Robin~
this has really clarified a lot for me
I've aquired so many of these rescourses for my Italian study that I'm overwhelmed, confused, jumping from one thing to another and not really doing anything properly
thanks so much!
Time to minimise
"Keep getting input. Relax. Keep getting input. Relax. Read. Listen. Read. Listen. Make friends." - Stephen Krashen
This is the kind of video I'd definitely share with my students. With the pandemic everybody started to do much more because of lockdown. However, most people (I must say I did it too) fitted so much in that they ended up quitting whatever they took up. I totally agree with you, I think most of us have many resources already that we can use in a more efficient way. There's a nice saying in my country that goes: "El que mucho abarca, poco aprieta", which basically means that if you do a lot, you end up doing nothing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Robin.
This is what I need now! Good thing i haven't purchased all of the books in my cart yet. Thank you so much. Now I'm gonna filter out those books i know I won't be needing at all.
I was just thinking about this a few days ago! Having chosen a more minimal life style, but also being a language lover, I was thinking if I could somehow apply minimalism to language learning. Less is truly more.
Instead of jumping from one resource to the other, we should focus on less material but using it to the max.
Thanks for the short documentary, it's nice to see other language learning minimalists :)
Goodness, Robin, your timing is impeccable!
Today, I'm reassessing things, what's working, and what's cumbersome, and simply refining my study tools and resources. And it's funny how usually I think 'oh there's gotta be an app for this that'll make things easier.' But recently I've been thinking, what do I have that I can just repurpose if needed? I don't have time to get used to and maintain a whole new thing anymore. Then I realized that often times that past me actually pulled a rather big brained move by learning or using one thing in particular and using to it's fullest. But with the ease of getting the new thing and accumulating more of 'what's hot right now' I've forgotten that I already have what I need and that's 'hot' too lol.
It's so easy to get overwhelmed when you're starting something new and even more so when you've been at something for a while. Mainly because in the later stages, you've accumulated things that were supposed to help or might help you when you get to 'that future' you've imagined. Then that future becomes the present and you realize that who you are, what you're capable of and what your interest are in the 'now' is very different from the one you imagined yourself to be then. I've actually tried to incorporate this minimalism type of thinking as much as possible just to combat the overwhelm I can feel in the day to day. Getting things down to the bare essentials, or simply just what I need has become my new focus in recent months. One element that you mentioned that I should definitely consider as well is what will bring me joy.
Your video is as poignant as ever and at times hilarious! Well done!
Thanks for such a lovely and thoughtful comment, Jahayra! I always love reading your thoughts that you kindly share on these videos ❤️ It's so nice to see that this video was so timely for you. I think you bring up excellent points about repurposing things. I totally agree that's "hot" too 😂
Your second paragraph made me think about how when we accumulate all these things for our "future selves", it's almost like we're just setting ourselves up for feeling guilty and disappointed in ourselves because I think we very often do end up feeling guilty or bad about all those things we haven't or won't use, as if we failed in some strange way. We're putting unfair expectations on our future selves and also adding some level of rigidity to our journey by creating a "plan" for our studies when, as you said, our interests and needs often evolve in unexpected ways. Or perhaps we'll be so determined to try and stick to that plan and fail to adapt the the organic twists and turns that are just part of the process.
It's great you were already using minimalism and I hope these new musings on the subject will bring new benefits and happiness to your life 💫
Robin!! You are a my first language teacher and It is my first youtube comment.1years ago I saw your video first time.I don't understand it never.becasue I had have a terrible english skill.now also I am not flunt .but I understand 100% your talking.Thank you for your kindness video and I will expect your another video☺️☺️
Woww, you've come such a long way girl🤗🙌. Well done.
I am trying to learn Korean, I doubt though, that I will be able to understand fully even after a year😂🙂.
Thanks so much for this wonderful comment, @정미소 ! Congratulations on making so much progress with your English, that's a huge accomplishment to be able to understand 100% of a CZcams video like this! 👏🏼 Keep up the great work and thank you always for your support ☺️
Well done good job 💜
Brilliantly stated and described me perfectly. Isn't it more fun to research new language resources that to actually study my target language. Thank you for sharing this wisdom.
Thank you so much for this video. I am happy to know that I'm not alone. I am totally a resource hoarder, especially when they are free. And I have resources now for every level, even though I would still be considered a beginner. I think one more contributing factor is the FOMO when discounts or limited offers are at play, I think then "I should get it now because it's cheaper or free, and it won't be in a month". Bad habit 🤣 I think your arguments about thinking for my future self and spinning wheels in the same level are great ones and should help me in the future decisions!
i am intersted on minimalism since 2007 and yeah this can also help a lot. now i am practicing my german with macrame, but also with movies, music, and crossword too :p but yeah i can also put all together , my love for macrame, my interest for minimalism and many many other subject that are very interesting for me (Zéro waste / psychology / healthy food / medicinal herbs / kids behavior / unschooling / camping / violin / home made staff ) ! you are genius !!!!!! i am so excited to make german on all that ! and you know what? in cybernetic science we call that "Temptation bundling" and yes this is the secret! i am soooo happy to discover your channel Robin ! thanks a lot ! you are the Spark i'm waiting for ! big big hug ! Super Robin !
simplicity is one of the greatest power we need because what we focus on grows we should be careful to only focus on the right things
I agree 😊
This was a very timely and needed discussion about language learning. I am especially finding out that I dont need these language courses. They are often below my language level, and I am just throwing away my money and my time.
Hi Robin, thank you so much for this video, I really enjoyed it and loved it. Also, I want to tell you that you are one of the main resources in my English learning, with your channel I have been able to practice my listening, I understand you perfectly, which makes me feel that I am on the right track to achieve the fluent English that I have always dreamed of. I have been following you for a while, your stories, experiences and recommendations really inspire me not to give up in the process of learning languages.
"For some languages, people feel lucky just to find *anything* they can use and enjoy."
Recently started learning Surayt, so I feel that :P
My heart goes out to you, brother! That's gotta be tough 😬 Hang in there and good luck with your Surayt!
i've never heard of that before :0
@@negan.defender It is a Neo-Aramaic language traditionally spoken in Tur Cabdin, in the southeast of Turkey. Scholars also sometimes refer to it as Turoyo, to more easily differentiate the different Neo-Aramaic languages from each other, as their names used in the communities themselves tend to be very similar and all translate to "Syriac". These communities are usually Christian, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Mandaeans, etc., and all their various Churches use Classical Syriac as their liturgical language, which they are related to but don't directly descend from.
I have never even heard of Surayt. So I can feel you feeling that phrase lol
Reading a language book 📖 and drinking coffee ☕️. This is me in Foyles bookshop
Awesome video. It gave me the motivation to keep it simple and to stay disciplined. ❤
I was at an esperanto meeting once, i met a guy who decided to live his life on a caravan visiting the world. He told me that when he needed to buy something he asked himself:
Do I really need this thing, can't i really do without it? Do i really need this thing, now?
If the answer was no, it meant it wasn't really needed in that moment.
And , honestly, now that i live in a 16sqm studio, I started applying the same principle :D
Yes! This hit home
Woohoo I'm so glad to read that! 🔥
Great content man! It's really important to make our journey light, because we gonna need some time to learn anyway, so if we keep adding a lot of stuff to our schedule is really hard to keep it sustainable! Amazing work! Love your videos!
It's you who brings us joy, Robin! Splendid video! 👏Now, time for coffee and a French lesson on CZcams... this has made me think about how many target language teachers I should continue to follow. Even taking into account "dead time" I don't have enough time for all of them
Yay I'm so happy to read that I bring you joy, Aggie! 🥰 Coffee and French study sounds like a splendid idea. I'm very glad this video got you thinking 😄 Bon courage !
Wowwww!!!! I was pretty curious about the new videos and your new style...I loved it!
this was very inspirational. thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
So happy you found it inspirational! 😄 That's what makes this worth it for me
Even just the free resources for some languages is enormous! And yet others seem impossible to find.
Absolutely!
I really needed to hear it! Thank you!
Hello Robin ! I'm following you for several months now and I must confess that you've changed a lot of little things/details in my life. In many beautiful and positive ways. I really like your videos, especially those about your German learning. I'm learning it too and with you, that makes it possible, attainable. A part from that, you are a beautiful person and I really want to thank you to make people confident and happier.
Such a great idea to share with us. I've been downloading almost every app I've finded out, subscribing to most of the podcast I've heard about and trying out a large amount of different resources. Having watched this video I think I should change my approach to learning languages in a more meaningful and in-depth way.
You've made some really good points Robin. The need to put ones foot firmly on the brakes ! Great video, and very well presented !
Thank you Brian! So glad you liked the topic/points and the presentation. Making this video was food for my soul 😊
Wow production level on this video really great. .. love this format
Woohoo I'm so glad you noticed it and love it! I absolutely adore making content at this production level 🥰
Occasionally going by the handle of Max Entropy, I'm the polar opposite. Each of us has our own way of approaching learning. As you said, a lot of what we do is governed by habit. Like everyone else I gravitate to sources w the broadest and cheapest offerings until one stands out. Amazon, absolutely, however, I start w the "Slightly used" and "Like new" book vendors. When studying I jump from book to book several times an hour. Any language book with Barron's on the cover, A+.
I'm old. Time is precious. I don't have 3 or 4 yrs to spend, and also, I have no desire to learn a lot of languages. I started w French, as many do, and discovered it may be one of the hardest to become fluent in. Fluency is the key word here. I began in Nov. Progress has been good, but slow.
Why? I am not stupid. It's because where English has 6 verb tenses, French has 14 plus 3 verb moods, PLUS what Francophiles like to call fast spoken french, which in reality is slang/idiomatic speech. And then there are liaison and special rules governing the silencing of letters and endings that make spoken French a much different language
from written French.
To sum up, I'm quite happy w where I am.
A Maximalist traveling ftsl
Wow, this is so important, thank you very much for making a video about it Robin, i don't see myself wanting to get books that i won't use for at least two years , or i have already bought books that was in my shelf for 2 years until i really used it, we need to pay attention to that :)
I’m so glad you liked the video and the topic Esther! :)
Robin!! This was so well made (and hilarious 😂😳) and you bring up several great points... though this does mean saying bye to apps for langauges I WANT to learn (but realistically won't right now).
Woohoooo yay I'm SO glad you liked the video Francesca! 🥳 I love that it got you thinking about those apps. For me, with digital minimalism and apps specifically, I find it comforting to realise that those apps aren't going anywhere and generally they'll still be there - likely improved - by the time I actually get to them one day. There's something so nice about opening my phone or any other device and seeing a beautiful, spacious screen that only has a few apps I use regularly and then I personally keep anything else stored away in a single folder in the dock of my phone.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend of language learning and everything else! Hugs ✨
@@RobinMacPhersonFilms You’re so right! My phone has this app called Ayo Lingo- only for Armenian. I had to pair down my language studies and only focus on Italian for the summer, like another facet of minimalism I suppose. So I did the thing and deleted Ayo Lingo until the day I pick up Armenian for real 😽 I appreciate your video as motivation to do!
You clearly upped your game for this one. Big fan!
Great to see you looking so content and in great form :)
The video and editing quality improved by a lot! Great to watch!
Thank you! I worked super hard on stepping things up and it was a bit scary to be honest haha just trying to many new things all at once, so it’s so nice and rewarding to see people noticing and appreciating all the improvements! 😄🙏🏼✨
Excellent point!
Such a great video, as always!
I'm so glad you liked it!
I suggest when you present the text-transition, then you lower the music even more or muted, when you are going to speak, for example 00:54
Thank you for your suggestion! 😊🙏🏼
Every word of this video is the screaming truth! I was just thinking how I need to cull my podcast subscriptions to what is most useful and beneficial, drop my subscriptions to various services, to pick just ONE textbook to use. It's the blessing and the curse of a popular target language (Spanish). 💚
i love this style of video SOO much! great info as well :)))
Yayyy I'm SO glad you love this video style!! I've been dreaming of making things like this for years and years and I'm so so happy to be finally doing it now! I can't wait to keep learning and improving ✨💫 I'm really happy you found the substance of the video to be great, too!
@@RobinMacPhersonFilms ahh you responded!! :) you actually caught me on my break between sets on your other study with me video! I love that you’re expanding and exploring styles and video ideas (that really do suit you) and letting us be on the ride with you! thanks for all of the creative, easily-digestible content and i’m soo looking forward to more 💓
Your video it's amazing, i like it a lot, it's so interesting!
You're right, when collecting so many resources it's difficult to stay focus.
I realize that i do have lot of apps to study.
Your video really make me think about all those things.
Woohooooo I'm so glad you loved the video! It's wonderful to see that it made you think about the resources you have. I definitely find that one of the side-effects of having lots of resources is that it makes it very hard to stay focused, and suddenly we have so many options to choose from. It introduces a new decision every time we go to study, whereas when we keep it nice, simple, and minimal, those choices become so easy and comfortable 😌🍃
Wow!! I really love the way your editing is. It is really beautiful. The way you add "B-rolls" and the way you sit to the left in the video creates an artistic depth that I enjoy. It is quite inspiring for my future videos. Thank you. I really love being minimalistic in the layout of my room. I love having my room practically empty, cuz it makes me feel like I have more headspace you know
@@jazmine9570 my room is not actually empty 😅😅. I actually do the same thing you do. If your stuff is in disorder, then your room don’t look minimalistic, doesn’t matter if you have practically nothing in there haha
It's the most natural tendency in life to create sludge in the slightly deluded service of "focus". Believe me, I know! Thanks, Robin - brilliant!
Thanks for the comment, Jack! I'm so glad you liked it and I agree, oftentimes acquiring something new feels productive but is a form of procrastination!
Hey Robin! GREAT Video !! thanks ! you are amazing
Woohooo I'm SO glad you loved it 😄
Great video, Robin!
Yay thank you, ReRe! 🙏🏼✨ I'm so glad you liked it
Wonderful inspiring video! 😊💕
Ohhh you are spoken from my soul 💙💙💙💙 I have realized the same, for some reason I have accumulated so many stuff for improving my English. Over the time I felt happy and satisfied but this real point was I had just wasted my time looking for new contents instead of studying with them what I already had.You open my eyes. Is there one book about the fenomenal situation? Which tips can you give me about this? Thanks a lot for this open-eye video 🙏🙏🙏 I really appreciate it 🙏🙏🙏
Remarkable Mac! I The proximity between Minimalism & Meditation is not so much.In fact,if we enter into Vacuum,we will realize everything is already here & we are therein.From that place,we can manifest our wishes.Thank you.
Great stuff. Loving the cameos of you at Bristol Harbour ! :)
Thanks Christopher!! Bristol Harbour is such a lovely location to film, and it stays in the shade for a few hours longer than most places haha 👌🏼 So glad you like the video mate :)
I just saw a couple of your videos about Chinese graded readers and I realised that I might actually take up Chinese one day. After the videos it didn't seem so scary anymore. And then I thought: "Why wait? Let's do it rn! Yeah, I know, that I'm currently learning German from scratch, and working on my A2 French, and studying for the C2 Cambridge Exam in English, and have a job on top of that... yeah, all true.... but I really want Chinese now! Those graded readers are so cute and fancy! But yeah... I was able to reason with myself and didn't do it.
Just like me ... I have collected so many material about language learning, spent a long time searching for the "perfect material" ... If I had spent it on actually learning the language I would be a lot better better on the languages I planned to study ... Harsh fact ...
that thumbnail is amazing
Your videos are getting better and better, xD Keep Going!
Yayy I'm very happy you're noticing the improvements! Thank you 😄
Great information. 감사합니다.
I'm so glad you liked it, 천만에요!
Haha why were your clothes so minimalist on the thumbnail😅😂 As always, very good job, Robin ! And this one was particularly clean, so continue the good work!
😂🙈 People often tell me that my thumbnails are not eye-catching enough, so I tried to create something that is both eye-catching and still honest - since the video partially aims to address the common misconception that minimalism is something "extreme". I thought this is a fun and comedic way to do it but still deliver a nice video that anyone who clicks on will find some joy and value 🥰 😇 Well, I really hope so!
Thanks so much, Yarno! I'm really glad you noticed how clean this one was! I honestly had so much fun creating this and making a thousand tiny decisions and choices with every little aspect. I can't wait to make more and one day even starting to create longer documentary pieces!
A great video! Do I really need is the question 😀
I’m so happy you liked it! 😄✨
The clips of you drinking coffee with " do I actually need this? " overlayed must have been hard for you to make. I'm so proud of you
Don’t worry, I’m sure you also noticed the part right after where I asked “or does it bring me joy?” with an expression of joy and satisfaction on my face after my sip of coffee 😉
Merci Beaucoup 😇
It is a very interesting topic... Tengo muchos recursos para aprender idiomas, es dificil decidirse pero en lo personal no tengo muchas cosas. Tener lo que te haga sentir cómodo y enfocado es lo mejor.... A veces "menos es mas " 😊 A super big hug...!
Si siii es verdad, tener lo que te haga sentir cómodo y enfocado es un sentimiento esplendido 😌🍃 Como personas que aman el aprendizaje de idiomas, creo que es natural querer coleccionar recursos. Pero ese proceso de mindfulness también es muy muy gratificante en el aprendizaje de idiomas y en la vida ❤️ A super big hug to you, too!
@@RobinMacPhersonFilms muchas gracias por compartir este proceso .. . 😁
It was a really helpful video. I always get confused with lots of resources and they hold me back from learning in fact. I will try to look at to the new resources with that viewpoint and will ask myself Do I really need it?
Thank you again ❤
Best thumbnail lmao
🤣 I'm glad you appreciate it!
You could be describing my quilting fabric pile that I keep adding to, but not getting the quilts made yet … 😳… for 4 years now. 😱
Aww I see, well hey! Maybe this could be a good time to start! 💪🏼 Or a great opportunity to give it some thought 😊
Really enjoy your content. You said you are really enjoying your textbooks. Would that be the integrated chinese ? If so what do you like about it.
What is the name of the song starting at 2:33 (chapter 2) ?? please, it is beautiful
Oh, so many ressources are good, and there are so many interesting books, and more books in a language I'm learning! The real question is in my opinion: Do I really have the time to use all that great stuff?
Well, and, okay, there are a lot of tools for language learning which I didn't like so much after I tried them for a while - but there are still much more good ressources than I'm able to use. Perhaps I'm just too slow? ;)
I didnt renew my memership for a language course online. I felt I didnt need it at the moment
since I found a free way to learn my 2nd language.
It's great that you were able to think critically about whether or not you needed those courses and made the best choice for yourself 👏🏼
Hi Robin. I have a question for you. It's off-topic for this video, so I hope you don't mind. I was watching a video of Richard Simcott today and he mentioned how nowadays when he learns languages he focuses on learning just what he needs to to get by. However, I think in the past you have said that you like to learn a language very thoroughly, which is the same as me, so I am wondering, do you attempt to learn as much as possible in a langauge so that you can converse in any situation or do you focus on the topics that you are most likely to talk about?
lol all the language learning apps at 3:30
😂 I gotta tell you... it was painful destroying my beautiful clean and simple home screen with all those apps 😭
I'm learning Icelandic. Please help me.
I have way too many languages books that I'm most likely not going to use.
I hope this short doc was good food for thought for you! 🙂
La imagen es exitante #nohomo jajajaja
The thumbnail is hilarious! Clickbait on the sex appeal you language beast!
Always a good advice ..but you drink too much cafe Robin
Thank you, I'm glad you liked the video 😊 What makes you say that I drink too much coffee? This video was filmed on multiple days, and I had no more than two small cups of coffee on any of those days, which is much less than what many people around the drink daily. Furthermore, I drink coffee for pure pleasure and enjoyment - the pleasure of ritual and preparing my coffee brings me joy and I enjoy learning about the science behind it as well as the flavour.
@@RobinMacPhersonFilms no problem Robin it’s only a joke , simply I always see you on your video with a cup go coffee , myself I like to prepare my coffee every morning for my wife and me, it’s a nice moment for both of us to start well the day , thank for your answer and sorry my English isn’t very good ..but I improve every day
Accumulating stuff is a first world problem. I live in a poor country and it depresses me when I watch this kind of videos where people have so much access to so many resources. And then they overwhelmed because they have too much. It's so upsetting. I live in a country where books are impossible to buy because they are so expensive. Everything is so limited here, I hate it. It sucks being poor. It sucks living in South America. I sucks living in Argentina, so far away from everything. Extremes are not healthy.
@@jazmine9570 😢 I'm sorry, I thought life was easier in the USA. Health care and university are "free" here. Everybody has access to them in Argentina. Sadly people here take them for granted. 😭😢 No wonder we are a poor country. I went to university and it was extremely hard (I graduated though). I went to college for a year in the USA (on a full scholarship) and it was easier. I've always obtained good marks because I worked hard. Now, I live a forced/self imposed minimalist life in Argentina, debt free, because it is an expensive country. But it upsets me that it is so hard to obtain consumer goods here. There are taxes for imports so technology is crazy expensive. We do have access to credit cards but I chose not to use them. I get anxious if I have debts. You can find used books here but they are not very cheap. Sometimes they cost almost as much as a new one. I have a small home so I borrow books from a library. I can't accumulate stuff. The few books I've ever owned I've donated to my schools.
@@jazmine9570 I didn't know that the USA had such a difficult system for paying for college. I went only for a year as an exchange student on a full scholarship but I had to work almost full time as a Spanish Teaching Assistant. (So, I guess I paid my way.) It was weird because the students called me professor! And I am not a professor. I had to teach many classes on my own and tutor students and once I filled in for a professor who had to travel abroad. It was a lot of fun but hard work. I had to study a lot before delivering a lesson. Spanish is my mother tongue but I had to study the grammar and prepare the lessons. The students were so nice!!! I've never had such well behaved students. I work as a teacher in Argentina but my students here are savages! I loved how shy everybody in the USA was. It was wonderful. I had a great experience but it was just a sort of vacation for me. I had to work and take some classes but the classes were easier than studying here in Argentina. The professors here are more strict and they give you a lot more material to read from different sources and authors. I am glad you got to find a way to go to university. I think no country is perfect. I am not happy in Argentina at the moment. Things are tough here. But the whole world is in crisis, I guess, due to the pandemic. All the same if I could, I would move to the USA. Probably I am mistaken but I think there is a better quality of life over there. I will never know though. I feel too old to move anywhere now.
@@jazmine9570 I had no idea life could be so tough in the USA. I think I have bought the idea of the land of opportunity and the land of the free. It was sold to me so well. I had similar problems to you growing up. My father was unemployed most of his adult life so money was tight at home. I did ask for scholarships even if Dad felt ashamed to ask for help. I asked for help whenever and wherever I could. Sometimes I was lucky, sometimes I wasn't. I had misconceptions about your country. Thank you for educating me.
@@jazmine9570 I'm sorry😢My dad was just as horrible as yours. He was also a violent man. Covid-19 took him last year.