176

For my book, the publishers wanted a picture of ‘an English world’, so I sat in an armchair in the corner of our lounge, and we sent them the photo. It was all casually done.

The next thing we know, they’ve turned it into an illustration—very tasteful and artistic. But you can see that it’s me.

My real ‘language world’, though, is not so much what I have around me. It’s more the habits that I’ve set up: this habit of 100-word writing, listening while I walk, adding to my foreign book collection, developing my un-learning/de-schooling course et cetera.

175

I forgot to bring along a book to read while I waited for Sachi’s class to end. For a second, I didn’t know what I could do. But then I remembered the mp3 player that I’m now in the habit of carrying.

In my own class, I brought along pdfs of a bunch of close to 100 books in Arabic. I wanted to look through and find a few that were suitable to use as ‘an ultimate resource’. However, there were technical difficulties.

Also, the idea of using Arabic to learn English may be a little beyond my students’ comprehension.

174

I found a notebook someone had lost. Then, I found a pencil. And finally, I found myself with some time on my hands. With these 3 things, I did something new.

I listened to another story—the one I next want to write up (and listen to last thing in the day). As it played, I wrote down the words and phrases that I could catch—a dictation, in other words, a running dictation, to be precise.

The idea is not to pause, but make a stab at what you can. Then you fill in the gaps with repeated listening.

173

Given that it takes from 21 to 66 days to lock in a new habit, it’s early days and a bit premature to start celebrating my new routine of listening and reading to a foreign language last thing at the end of the day. Still, I did remember Day 1.

And I made an interesting observation.

Reading over something that I’ve copied out is different to reading the printed page. I don’t mean the neatness—though there is that. The difference is that you somehow feel obliged to remember, or feel the duty to remember, words that you yourself copied.

172

I once ran 100 to 200 days in a row. And in the past I’ve kept up diaries. But this 100-day log is well on the way to outperforming them both. It’s a great keystone habit.

So I’d like to expand it. I want to kick into motion some other language habit, one at the other end of the day. How about a bedside table triple play?

I reflect on the day. I plan the morrow. And I listen to a foreign bedtime story.

For the story, I use the mp3 player together with a story that I’ve copied out.

171

I watched an old TV episode of ‘The Invaders’ with my daughter this morning. Early science fiction, it may have been, but it was filmed in territory that I recognize from a thousand Westerns. Another thing in common was the Mexican Spanish contributed by extras. It adds color, I suppose.

Although I had two years’ exposure to French at school, I would have come across at least as much Spanish in movies and TV series. I got used to it. It must have sunk in. Some subtle use of subtitles could have produced quite an educational effect, I dare say.

170

I ran into JJ today, at the new supermarket in Mosgiel. He’s moved out here from the city. I hadn’t seen him in at least 5 years, since he was my conversation assistant.

We got to talking, as you do. I told him the reason we were back from Japan—to put our daughter in school. John Son-of-John understood. He once been a principal, and at George Street Normal, the same school that Sachi now attends!

He started out there just a few years after I returned to George Street Normal.

“Let me know when you need new conversation assistants.”

169

I completed copying out a story in French with the English underneath.

I only got about 120 words per page, or 4 sheets for a 500-word story. And that took at least an hour to prepare. Nevertheless, it’s worth that time and effort.

You see, French, for me, lives at the steepest part of the acquisition sine wave. There’s lots of leverage going on. If I repeat this for several stories—a few thousand words total—and then do the practice, French will leap into German territory.

Another great outcome is that I’ve retrieved my mp3 player from mum’s place.

168

It’s all very well, to dabble in a dozen languages. For one thing, it shows that my method fills one with gumption. You lose the fear to feel it in nary a way. But there’s another thing that I wish to show others.

I wish to show real, rapid, in-depth improvement—that my method works quickly.

To some extent, I’ve done it with German. Now it’s time for me to repeat it with French. And next, Spanish.

That was my original intention, and I feel that time has cycled back to that point.

Let’s start with those 2 BookBox stories.

167

Almost exactly 100 days ago, I first mentioned Syria. That was when I ran a 7-week English class for a group of younger students from there. 

Now I’m helping to teach a Level 2 class of 13 mainly Syrian, slightly older members. They include sisters (2 took part in summer school), cousins, and husband-and-wife pairs. I’ll focus on improving their reading.

I showed them this 100-word journal the other day. I invited them to start a similar habit.

Today I plan to show them this post. I’ll also ask them to complete the questionnaire that I created the day before.