How big are the dumbbells you lift?

I finished “How Big Are the Dumbbells You Lift?” this week! It was super hilarious and I loved it. WAAY more fun than last week’s “Bloom Into You.”

The MP3 player trick – copying the audio of a few eps to my player and listening to it at the gym, on my bike, at the grocery store – really helped me solidify the problem sentences. The first time I would watch an episode, I’d have to pause and look at subtitles constantly to figure out what was being said. But once I did know the words, listening on repeat cemented those sounds in my brain.

I think this method is actually working!

Kikis Delivery Service

Then I tackled a full-length movie. I can honestly say that several times during this film I forgot I was listening in German. My brain would “pop” back to English consciousness and then I’d get all excited that I had forgotten for a while. THAT was a super cool feeling!!

Also: great movie, obviously.

Flashcards

I am still making a few flashcards per day for new words and expressions, but I have not been doing much. Just for words that I kinda notice in a strange way and feel like I might need to write down to remember.

Verdict

I can tell this is working. Even when turning the TV news on, it feels like I can “keep up” a bit better than a month ago. It’s not even been a whole month. This might be placebo effect? We’ll find out… next!