hey everybody welcome to this b1 english listening practice video you can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as i speak before we start remember to download the listening time podcast and become a member at patreon. comlisteningtime to receive my listening practice seminars sound training videos and bonus podcast episodes okay today i'm going to talk about some of my favorite memories from the past this is one of the funnest topics to talk about because we all love reminiscing about the good old days let's just jump right in the first memory i want to talk about is 6th grade camp in case you've never heard of this before in the u. s at least when i was in school we had the tradition of going on a week-long camping trip during 6th grade when i went we didn't actually camp in tents though we got divided into groups and stayed in different cabins with different camp counselors who were in charge of the cabins i had such an awesome time because we got to do a lot of outdoor activities like hiking archery and rock climbing since i'm an outdoorsy person this type of trip was right up my alley aside from the activities we had plenty of time to talk play and bond with the other kids also the food was bomb of all the memories i have of elementary school sixth grade camp is probably number one alright the next memory i want to talk about is a trip i took to hawaii when i was 13.
i've actually been to hawaii a handful of times but this trip was special because it was only the first or second time that i had ever traveled without my parents i went with a friend and his family and we stayed in a nice hotel right across from waikiki beach in honolulu at that time i thought it was the coolest thing to take a week off school go to one of the most beautiful places on earth and be without my parents i guess i didn't do anything that special on that trip but the circumstances were what made it such a great memory for me okay another memory that'll always stay with me is the first day i drove to school in my own car i was barely 16 i had just gotten my license the day before and i felt like i was on top of the world i remember having my music playlist specifically chosen for that momentous occasion getting your driver's license is a big rite of passage for young americans and it's a proud moment when you can finally drive yourself around and not have to rely on your parents to give you a ride at that time i thought my car was really cool but looking back now it wasn't all that however that doesn't make the memory any less important to me another one of my top memories is graduating from high school the ceremony itself wasn't anything special and i wasn't necessarily proud of myself or anything but i was just relieved to finally be done and not only that but at that age i had big dreams and lofty expectations for my future so i was excited to finally start that journey my life didn't end up going as i'd planned it but that doesn't matter the reason why graduating from high school was such a powerful memory for me is because i can really remember that excitement that i felt alright perhaps my favorite memory of the past is the language exchange program i did in mexico in 2013. this was the first solo experience i'd ever had in another country there wasn't anything that could have prepared me for this type of trip i went to a foreign country without being able to speak the language well and i stayed with an older couple who didn't speak any english needless to say i struggled big time during those first couple days but little by little i started to get my bearings i made friends i learned spanish and i even met my future wife even today my wife and i love going back to some of those old spots where we hung out during my exchange program as you can see i really enjoy reminiscing about the past okay that's all for today remember to download the listening time podcast and become a member at patreon.
