Shadowing Practice: My Quiet Life Alone in a Treehouse - Learn English Speaking with Video
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When I was a child my biggest dream was to live in a treehouse.
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Not just any treehouse but one with a cozy fireplace, rope bridges winding through the canopy and a tiny kitchen so I could stay there forever.
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I would often get lost in this fantasy, imagining myself tucked away in the forest,
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far from the pressures of school and the noise of other people.
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But I didn't have a garden with trees or anyone who would be willing to build it for me,
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so over time that fantasy slowly faded away and lived on quietly in my heart, until I discovered this place.
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If you're new here, I'm Jessica and I live nomadically, traveling full -time around Europe.
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Two years ago I decided to chase my dreams,
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I quit my job, sold most of my belongings and started living a slow -paced life off -grid in nature.
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Join me for this episode of Tiny Living where I reconnect with nature and grow roots in the wild.
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Good morning guys, I hope you've been doing really well.
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The mornings are growing colder by the day here in the foothills of the mountains.
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The trees are losing the leaves and autumn is quickly progressing.
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It's nearly too cold to have no morning coffee outside
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so I'm just soaking it all in as much as possible before life gets a little bit more indoorsy.
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And yeah I just love the cold air in my lungs first thing in the morning
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it's better than coffee to be honest it's been
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so nice to be back here in this treehouse camp I stayed here last summer around the summer solstice
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and it's been
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so nice to be back it's one of my favorite places in all of the ek
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if you're a subscriber you'll know
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that normally I live in my tiny van traveling full time
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but recently I've started just taking little breaks from it here and there and staying in other off grid places.
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It's just nice not to have to worry about water and electricity so much for a couple of days.
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To be fair I don't have much electricity here either
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because it's all solar powered and there hasn't been much sun but a nice break nonetheless.
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And of course I will give you a little tour of this place in a minute.
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After I leave this place I'm going to be traveling up to Scotland and then I'll spend the winter in Italy, France and Greece.
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And something I've started doing recently is just learn the basics in each language just
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so I don't completely embarrass myself in the supermarket or
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if I have to see a mechanic for example
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and it's also just nice to be able to hold a basic conversation with locals.
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So right now I'm brushing up on my French and Italian
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and learning the basics in Greek and for
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that I've been using Rosetta Stone who are my partner for today's video
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and they've made learning on the go just so much easier.
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What I really like about Rosetta Stone is how intuitive and immersive it feels.
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You look at pictures, listen to native speakers, and start understanding words through context rather than memorizing them.
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So you begin thinking in the language from your very first lesson.
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Their true accent technology also gives instant feedback on my pronunciation, which helps me sound more authentic.
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And because their lessons are only about 10 minutes long, it's really easy to fit them into my day, either on my phone or laptop.
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I've also been really loving the phrasebook feature
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which gives you quick access to useful everyday expressions which is perfect when you just need to ask for directions,
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order food or have a short chat without doing a full lesson.
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Right now you can get 60 % of Rosetta Stone's lifetime subscription either for 25 languages
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or one language of your choice by the link in the video description.
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So if you ever wanted to learn a new language to travel, connect with friends or just for fun,
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this is a great app to support your journey.
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Thank you so much again to Rosetta Stone for partnering with me on this video
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and now let's give you a little tour of this treehouse.
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Welcome to the treehouse.
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It's honestly one of the coziest places I ever stayed in
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and my dream is to build something exactly like this if I get my hands on some land one day.
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There's a pretty big bed up here with some really nice views over the hills and trees and you access it
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with this ladder and during the day you kind of move it out of the way to maximize the space in here.
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It's got a sofa here and you can also sit on the windowsill and enjoy the views over the camp.
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I've been spending a lot of time reading there
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and it's also got a wood burner to keep the place nice
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and warm and I've definitely been needing that
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because it's been very very cold here and yeah the whole place is built around this tree which is so beautiful.
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I feel so inspired.
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I've been looking at lots of pictures on how to build it and how to build the foundations and stuff.
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Yeah, I really want to recreate something like this one day.
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This is the outside area
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and to access the ground level you have to cross the road bridge and go down the stairs.
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This is the outdoor sitting area which is definitely my favorite corner of the camp.
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I drink my morning coffee here every day
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and in the warmer months you also often get birds visiting you here which is just so lovely.
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And of course there's a big fireplace with more seating around it
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which is a must -have when you're living in an outdoor camp.
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In this corner is the outdoor kitchen.
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It's really nice and sheltered so even if it's cold
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and stormy which happens a lot in Wales you can still cook it without freezing to the bone.
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It runs on gas and has a fridge, cooker and running water.
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And back here we have the hot tub which is operated with a wood fire oven.
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I haven't actually used it in my time here yet but I'm intending to do so later today.
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And these two outhouses are the hot shower which runs on gas and the separating compost toilet.
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And the two caravans in the camp are just extra accommodation if you're coming to stay here as a group.
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I actually slept in this red one last time I was here and it was just so cozy.
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Lately, I noticed a shift within myself.
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Before I started living a simpler life, I always had to find a way to keep myself busy,
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working multiple jobs and filling every gap with volunteer work, and even reading books related to work before bed and when I first woke up.
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I definitely used to define my worth through my productivity,
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and honestly, letting go of that mindset has been one of the hardest things I've ever done,
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especially when it's the narrative society repeats to us over and over.
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But the longer I spend away from civilization, the more I realize that life itself is a gift and
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that our existence holds value simply because we get to experience this beautiful planet.
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And for me there's so much meaning in the small human things, like looking after our bodies,
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eating good food and breathing in the fresh forest air.
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when you live a very outdoorsy lifestyle things rarely go as planned
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and especially during these darker months of the year you have to learn to accept
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that there's a limit to how much you can do in a day.
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The daylight becomes both your guide and your boundary
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and today I got rained off while trying to heat up the hot tub
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and had to accept that it was just not to be this time.
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Living this way has definitely taught me acceptance and adaptability and
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that maybe our days don't have to be packed with lots of tasks and activities to be meaningful.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
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Heidi and I just woke up and it's a bitterly cold
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and stormy morning and the treehouse is actually swaying a little bit from side to side
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and Heidi is not sure what to make of it
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so I think today is gonna be a fairly indoorsy day I'm about to make a fire
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because I'm freezing cold
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and I think Heidi will appreciate it as well I think winter is really coming here in the mountains
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and I'm not sure I'm ready for it
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but such is the way of things every season must come to an end
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and I think slowly but surely it's time to say goodbye to autumn. so People
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often ask me how I deal with days like this one
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when it's very cold and stormy and I'm forced to do
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so much outside anyway and the truth is that
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while those aspects can be uncomfortable they're completely offset by the beauty that comes with them.
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And living through the dark, rainy, muddy, cold days makes the warmth and the feeling of the sun on my face even sweeter.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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If you enjoyed this video make sure to leave it a thumbs up
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and if you want to see more of our adventures traveling in my tiny van
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and staying in unique off -grid places make sure to hit the subscribe button as well.
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Until next time, take good care.
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Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “My Quiet Life Alone in a Treehouse”. This video has 126 sentences and 1734 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:43. The speaker talks at a steady 126 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| outdoor adjective | /aʊtˈdɔː/ | Situated in, designed to be used in, or carried on in the open air. |
| grid noun | /ɡɹɪd/ | A rectangular array of squares or rectangles of equal size, such as in a crossword puzzle. |
| electricity noun | /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪsɪti/ | Originally, a property of amber and certain other nonconducting substances to attract lightweight material when rubbed, or the cause of this property; now… |
| autumn noun | /ˈɔtəm/ | Traditionally the third of the four seasons, when deciduous trees lose their leaves, and temperatures and daylight hours decrease; typically regarded as… |
| freeze verb | /ˈfɹiːz/ | Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature. |
| fireplace noun | /ˈfaɪɹpleɪs/ | An open hearth for holding a fire at the base of a chimney. |
| bone noun | /boʊn/ | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| adventure noun | /ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/ | A feeling of desire for new and exciting things. |
| chase verb | /t͡ʃeɪs/ | To follow at speed. |
| rarely adverb | /ˈɹɛəɹli/ | Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. |
| aspect noun | /ˈæspɛkt/ | Any specific feature, part, or element of something. |
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| lifetime noun | /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/ | The duration of the life of someone or something. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| heat up verb | To heat, to cause to become hotter. | |
| live through verb | To survive a difficult period or event |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | you've been doing · I've been using · I've been spending |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | it's been · I've started · hasn't been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | anyone who would · expressions which is · tree which is |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is built · is operated · be packed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 34 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs/, thumb /ˈθʌm/, warmth /wɔɹmθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shelter /ˈʃɛltə/, brush /bɹʌʃ/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: electricity /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪsɪti/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like lesson, outdoor, grid.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.