Shadowing Practice: Why I Live a Simple Life - My Story - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello my name is Sanna Vaara. I live in the far north of Finland in an old farmhouse in a small countryside village of 25 people I create photographs videos
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and music inspired by this wild Nordic nature I get to live surrounded with in this video I will share you my story of how I chose to live this simple life in the north of Finland this is
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a rather personal story and I do feel a bit scared sharing this with you but I hope so much some of you might resonate even recognize yourselves in my story and find peace inspiration or courage
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to fulfill a life that looks like you and not a life that you are expected to have
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I was living in a city in southern Finland and was studying my dream career in the university I loved the studying and did great in that but I didn't quite fit in
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the life in the city the city environment and the working places felt too much for me I felt extremely overwhelmed in very normal situations
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I started to feel unwell and get pain in the chest and the heart the doctors said it was depression and anxiety and handed me with some pills to get over it I tried to get into nature as often as
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I could since I felt that only in there I felt the pain go away but this was mostly on weekends the weeks were the toughest to bear and short periods in nature didn't balance the stress out
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during this time I traveled a lot basically I spent spent all the money I was earning to travel far away traveling was my getaway from everything from the work from the city
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life probably from my confused lost myself too I felt I was searching for something I thought at the time it was experiences new cultures and new people I thought I would find something the
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further I went I was running away from myself and from the fact that this life was not for me and no amount of traveling could satisfy me I was trying to fit myself into a shape I thought I
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was expected from me a great looking life in the city working in a good job and traveling as a hobby trying to fit myself into a life that was not for me made me physically sick
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I struggled in this life for years and just kept feeling worse eventually I had a spontaneous idea to leave my job my family and friends and move alone to a small cabin
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to far north of Finland in Lapland to a place I had never been before
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this happened in the whim of the moment and my friends and family couldn't quite figure why I was doing this I couldn't figure it myself either but went for it
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it happened so fast I didn't quite even realize it until I was alone in the North
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I quickly learned that things in the north are tough no more easy city apartment life with center heating and plowed sidewalks no more supermarkets in every corner and handymen you can
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give a call to fix everything everyday life got harder I didn't know anyone in the whole north of land and had always been quite bad at meeting new people or asking for help
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I had to learn a lot of things fast and mostly by myself in the north the summers are very short most of the year it is snowy and very dark in the heart of the
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winter the sun doesn't rise at all making winter seem like an endless night
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I didn't expect I would fall in love with the hard conditions I started to forget
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the anxiety while working physically maintaining the cabin plowing snow and spending endless hours adventuring outside in nature that was now everywhere around me
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I also didn't expect that I would get something bigger in exchange for that hardness I found a total new side of me all my life I had been told I was shy and timid and way too dramatic
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with my feelings spending a lot of time alone I realized I am just highly sensitive and suddenly the world made so much sense again situations especially in city and work life that felt
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normal to everyone else had felt overwhelming to me because I felt them so differently I saw, heard and sensed everything at the same time and life in the city was just too much for me
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and eventually made me sick
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in the vast nature of North I found my creativity
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something I had had when I was a child but thought it was a thing that belonged only to childhood
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without anyone around to give me advice judge or disapprove my ideas I found a total freedom to express myself I started to write about nature around me and my life in it in a blog I started
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I started to photograph everything I thought was beautiful around me eventually having photography exhibitions and starting my own web shop to sell prints of my photos
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I started to film these videos being a quiet person always struggling to be heard in the noisy world I had found
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my voice and a channel that I was heard in and I could get my creativity thrive
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I also found out I am not shy or timid in the north I found friends that became so close that eventually we started to call ourselves the Lapland Family we share the
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same interests and same values and had found something in the vast nature of the north in here we have to overcome the same challenges the same
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hard conditions and that brings us together
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I also found my soulmate my best friend the love of my life from here in the middle of nowhere where more reindeers live than actual human beings with him I started to feel myself again with all
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my dramatic emotions overwhelming feelings and weirdness I didn't know until I met him that there could be another soul liking this Nordic nature and its harsh arctic conditions as much as I do
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with him we bought the house of my and his dreams and are getting married next summer with him we
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share a mutual understanding to a simpler life and can finally live like we want to
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I have felt rootless my entire life I now realize with all the traveling and trying to fit in that I was searching for my roots a place and a life to belong to
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but what I didn't read realizes that roots are alive and you can grow them I thought my roots belonged to a place I was born into a life that was similar to others I am forever grateful I
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had the momentary courage to choose to take my roots with me to a new place and start to grow them here to clean the space for them since they need a simple ground to thrive in
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I have found my way back to the simplest things back to nature and back to my creativity
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I do not want to give you a false impression I still need to work I still need to do laundry go to the grocery store and put myself in situations that feel overwhelming
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and too much for me I still get anxious and stressed at times but now I have so much space
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and silence around me that they are in balance together I understand that I need all the space and time for my physical and mental health so that I can function in this world I can work
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less now I get less money but here in the middle of nowhere I have less things to consume it in
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in exchange I get more time I have time to feel all my dramatic feelings to go through the overwhelming situations in peace I have nature around that helps me to feel rooted
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and stable in all situations I have the right people around me who know me all sides of me
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and help me with my struggles because none of us can make it alone
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I chose this simple life in the north to heal myself to find myself and to feel like myself again none of it happened overnight and most of it didn't happen consciously I know that the
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phrase to listen to yourself is overused but it may be so for a good reason I don't think spontaneous ideas dreams and thoughts come from a void but from some wise voice inside of us that is
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trying to tell us what we actually need to thrive that voice might be worth listening to
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this is my story of why I chose this simple life this may not be the story of your life but I really hope this gives you ideas and inspiration to listen to
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that voice of your wise inner self that could lead you to the beginning of your story
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will engage in English speaking practice through the personal story of Sanna Vaara, who shares her transformative journey from city life to a simpler existence in the Finnish countryside. As you listen to the transcript and practice your speaking, you will enhance your understanding of emotional expression, personal growth, and the challenges of adapting to a new environment. This will not only improve your vocabulary but also enrich your ability to communicate complex feelings in English.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Overwhelmed: To feel a strong emotional or mental burden.
- Creative: The ability to use imagination or original ideas to create something.
- Roots: Metaphorically refers to your foundational sense of belonging.
- Inspiration: A feeling of enthusiasm that stimulates creative thought.
- Solitude: The state of being alone, often used positively for reflection and personal growth.
- Express myself: The ability to communicate one’s thoughts and feelings effectively.
- Sensitive: Being aware of and responsive to the feelings of others.
- Harsh conditions: Difficult or challenging environmental circumstances.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning, try using the shadowing technique while engaging with the video. Here are some tips to guide your practice:
- Start Slow: Listen to the video at a reduced speed to fully grasp the emotional tone and context before attempting to repeat it.
- Focus on Emotion: Pay attention to how Sanna expresses her feelings—this will help you understand the nuances of emotional language.
- Repeat Phrases: After watching a segment, pause and repeat key phrases out loud. This will enhance your fluency and pronunciation.
- Use Background Music: The soft music in the video may help set a reflective mood. Practicing in a calm environment can aid your focus.
- Record Yourself: Listen to your own shadowing attempts. This will help you identify areas to improve upon and track your progress.
By practicing regularly with this video, you can improve your English speaking practice and develop a deeper understanding of personal narratives, making your learning experience more engaging and effective. Remember to take your time and enjoy the process as you learn English with YouTube.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are expected · was expected · had been told |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have felt · have found |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was living · was earning · was searching |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might resonate · may be · might be |
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.