English Listening - Nostalgia | Listening Time: English Practice

Welcome to the Listening Time Podcast.

Hey everybody, this is Connor and you're listening to episode 116 of the Listening Time Podcast.

I hope you're all doing great.

I hope your English learning is going really well and And remember that if you're having trouble understanding native speakers, if it's really hard to understand people when they speak fast because they reduce their speech a lot and they skip sounds and things like that, then I encourage you to join my membership so you can gain access to my listening practice seminars where I help you train with these different, difficult sound patterns in English.

So if you're interested in that, make sure to click on the link in the episode description below this episode.

That's patreon.com slash listening time.

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So the links are also in the description as well.

Alright, in today's episode, we're going to talk about nostalgia.

So first of all, what is nostalgia?

Well, nostalgia is a feeling of pleasure and also a little sadness when you think about things from the past.

So I'm sure you've had this sensation before, where you think about something from your childhood or something from the past and it makes you smile and it's really fun to remember this thing.

But you get a little bit sad when you think about the fact that This time has passed and you're never going to live that experience again.

So if you've had that feeling before, then you've experienced nostalgia.

So we'll talk about that today.

And before we get started, remember that you have the transcript available in the episode description.

So click on that if you need it.

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All right, let's get started.

Are your ears ready?

You know what time it is.

It's listening time.

Okay, let's talk about nostalgia.

So first of all, why do we feel nostalgia?

What is the reason behind nostalgia?

Well, I thought of a few things.

So first of all, of course, we have a lot of memories that we really cherish.

In English, the word cherish means that you really like something, something is very important to you.

It's close to your heart, so to say.

So we have a lot of memories that we really cherish from the past good things that happened, things that were really fun or really interesting or that impacted us a lot, or things that we appreciated, anything like that.

And so, of course, one reason why we have nostalgia is is we think about these good memories and we enjoy recalling them, and we feel a little bit sad when we think about the fact that those times are over, right.

By the way, when we use the verb recall, we're saying remember.

So when you recall something, this means that you remember something.

So one reason we have nostalgia is because we have good memories of the past.

Another reason why we experience nostalgia is because we tend to appreciate things more when they're gone, once they're over.

I'm sure you've experienced this before, where you didn't really appreciate something while you had it.

But then when you lost it, or it disappeared or it went away or the time ended, then afterwards you think wow, I missed that.

I didn't realize how much I liked that, or I appreciated that we tend to appreciate things more when they're gone.

So that's another reason why we might have nostalgia, because now, when we look back on the things in the past, we appreciate them more, because now we're not experiencing them anymore.

They're gone, and so we kind of esteem them more or more highly now.

By the way, when we say that you esteem something, we're saying that you respect it or appreciate it, or something like that.

So you esteem these things more highly once they're past, once they're gone.

So that's another reason.

And one other reason why we have nostalgia is is that we tend to view the past with rose-colored glasses.

This phrase means that you look at something with an overly positive or optimistic attitude.

You're a little bit unrealistic in how you view something, You're unrealistically positive.

So we view the past with rose-colored glasses and we tend to remember all of the good things, all of the amazing memories from before.

And we often have this feeling that the past was better than the present.

I'm sure you've felt that before.

I'm sure you've talked about that with other people.

When you think back to your childhood or your earlier years and you think oh, that was a simpler time.

Things were better.

I was happier.

The world was a better place, my city was better, whatever it may be.

But we tend to overstate how good things used to be.

We view the past very positively when compared to the present.

So those are all reasons why we might have nostalgia, we might feel this sensation when we think about the past, things that occurred before, things that used to exist, etc.

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And what provokes nostalgia?

What makes us feel this?

What triggers this?

By the way, in English when we say that something triggers something else, we're saying that it causes a reaction.

If he triggered my anger...

This means that he caused my anger to appear.

So what triggers this feeling of nostalgia?

There are a lot of things, actually.

For example, if you see an old photograph, you see a picture of you and your friends or something from the past.

This might fill you with nostalgia when you think of those past days or the good times you had with your old friends.

Songs can provoke nostalgia.

When you hear a song from your childhood or a song that your parents used to listen to when you were younger things like that it can really bring up a feeling of nostalgia.

It can really make you feel that way.

I think that songs have that effect on me when I hear them.

I don't listen to much music, but when I hear a song from my childhood or a song that is kind of connected to an earlier period of my life, i can definitely feel a little bit sentimental when i hear that.

So songs are a big one even tastes and smells.

When you taste a certain food or you smell a certain food, for example, This might bring you back to your childhood.

In English, when we say that something brings you back to a certain period, this means that it kind of transports you there mentally.

It makes you think and remember those past times.

It brings you back.

So this might be something that you've experienced before, where you eat some food that you haven't had in many years, and then it immediately reminds you of the past, a time when you used to taste that taste or smell that smell, for example.

So that's another one.

Another thing that provokes nostalgia is when you return to places that you used to go to in the past.

If you go to an old park that you used to go to as a young kid, for example, that can provoke a feeling of nostalgia when you think of those days when you used to play there.

Or if you go back to your old high school or your old elementary school, this can definitely bring up feelings of nostalgia.

You think of that time in your life when you attended that school.

You remember walking around this campus when you were younger and you recall those old memories of your school days.

By the way, in English the word campus refers to the buildings and the area that belongs to a school or a university.

So going back to your old school can provoke this feeling.

And you might just feel nostalgia when you're talking with someone and they say do you remember when we used to dot dot dot?

Right.

They kind of bring up that memory.

They reference something from the past.

So that can happen during conversations that you have with people that you've known for a long time, or maybe you haven't known them very long and they just reference something that you both experienced separately.

They might talk about something, some movie or something from the past that both of you watched as kids and that can bring up this feeling as well.

So there are a lot of things that can provoke nostalgia, So I want to talk a little bit about some of the things that I look back on with nostalgia.

By the way, when we say that you look back on something, we're saying that you remember it, you recall it.

So I'm saying things that I remember with nostalgia.

So let me talk about a few of those.

One thing that makes me nostalgic is when I think about the time period when I was dating my wife.

So we were young when we dated, and that's one of the reasons why I have so much nostalgia when I think of this time.

Because it was actually quite a while ago, and we met each other when we were 19 years old.

We were pretty young and we were definitely immature and we had completely different minds than the minds that we have now.

And that kind of all plays into this nostalgia.

All of that kind of contributes to this.

I think back on those days and it's really fun to visualize, to imagine us as these two kids really dating and falling in love.

All of that that's really fun to think about.

And we were in a long distance relationship for years.

We didn't live in the same country.

And so I can remember the times when we got to see each other, when I would travel down to Mexico and stay with her family, or she and her mom would travel up to the US and stay with us.

It's really fun to think about those things that we experienced together at that young age, when we were still dating, before we had a lot of responsibility.

I think that's something that really provokes nostalgia in us.

When we remember how things were before.

We had so many different responsibilities, more stress in our lives, And I can remember that when my wife and I were dating, we always thought about the future and how exciting everything seemed.

And so all of that kind of makes me think back to that time period with nostalgia.

Another thing that I remember with nostalgia is playing basketball.

I remember the camaraderie that I had with my teammates.

The word camaraderie refers to a feeling of friendship, closeness, trust with people close to you.

So I remember that camaraderie that I had with my teammates and the competition of playing against other teams, other schools, and it made us grow closer and work harder, work well together.

I really liked that feeling, that team feeling that we had during that time.

And it was fun.

I really liked basketball.

It was my favorite sport.

I enjoyed playing it.

I enjoyed winning when we won games.

That was always really cool.

And I think the biggest thing that makes me think back on this time with nostalgia is is the times when I felt like we were in the spotlight.

This phrase means that people are paying attention to you.

You have the public's attention.

So I remember being in the spotlight when I played in basketball games for our school and and people would come watch us and cheer us on, support us.

That feeling is still very fresh in my mind.

I can still remember that.

I remember feeling really excited to play because other people were watching us and it felt like we were heroes at that time.

So that's another thing, another memory that I cherish.

Something else that I look back on with nostalgia is old cartoons.

I really liked watching these cartoons when I was a kid.

They were really entertaining.

I had a lot of fun with them.

A lot of them were really well written with really interesting stories.

And really, when I think back on old cartoons.

I think about waking up on Saturday mornings early and getting my bowl of cereal and eating it while I watched the new episodes of my favorite cartoons.

I really cherish those memories.

I remember feeling so excited when I would wake up on Saturday morning because I knew that it was cartoon and serial time.

And I'll always look back on that time with positive feelings.

So that's another thing that makes me nostalgic.

And, to be honest, one other thing that I get nostalgic about is when I think about the days before the internet was big.

Yes, of course, I really appreciate the internet.

I'm glad we have it.

I owe my career to the internet.

So, of course, I appreciate the internet.

Don't get me wrong.

In English, that phrase, don't get me wrong, means Don't misunderstand me, okay?

Don't get me wrong, I really like the internet.

I need the internet for my work, of course.

However, it's fun to look back on the days before the internet was big And to think about how simple that life seems now, right.

There was a lot less stimulation during my day, for example.

I didn't have notifications and I wasn't worried about checking things and always opening up my emails and things like that.

It felt like I didn't have so many things to worry about during my day and it felt like the world was less connected at that time.

And of course, I like the connectedness that we have now.

I like interacting with people from around the world, of course.

However, it's fun to think back to the times when, when we weren't so connected and we all kind of lived in a smaller world and things didn't seem so big, so enormous.

And I can't help but feel like Those days were a little bit less stressful, were a little bit more peaceful.

So I think about those things and I also think about the fact that before the internet was big, I used to play outside with my friends a lot.

And I have great memories of that.

I have a lot of nostalgia when I think about all those hours I spent outdoors.

I think I saw the outdoors differently when I didn't have the internet.

The outdoors represented something a little bit different.

And I saw all the fun things that I could do outdoors.

Things like fishing, building tree houses.

I remember doing that with friends.

Catching bugs, even.

I remember catching bugs and collecting them and observing them.

These are things that I probably wouldn't be doing so much if I were a kid today, because of all the stimulation that I would have from the different devices that are connected to the internet.

So again, I don't want to bash the internet.

The word bash means that you talk negatively about something.

I don't want to bash the internet, of course.

I really appreciate the internet, but I do get nostalgic when I think about the days before the internet was big.

But if you're a really young listener, you might not even remember these days.

So that's more for us who are a little bit older.

All right, why don't we stop there for today?

I hope you enjoyed this episode.

I hope you can look back and remember some great things from the past.

And that can put a smile on your face.

Remember that if you want my help understanding native speakers when they speak fast, then make sure to join my membership.

The link is in the episode description below this episode.

And you'll get my listening practice seminars there, my specialized training that will help you understand fast English more easily.

And if you're a Spanish or a Portuguese speaker, remember to check out my ebook if you want to read fiction in English.

And of course, you have the transcript available if you need it.

And also, please share this podcast with any English learners that you know.

And please give it a five-star rating and write a review.

All right.

Thank you for listening to this episode.

And I'll talk to you on the next episode of Listening Time.

[Understanding the Emotion of Nostalgia]-[English Listening - Nostalgia]

📋 Summary

The Essence of Nostalgia

Why Do We Experience Nostalgia?

Triggers of Nostalgic Feelings

Personal Reflections on the Past

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript