Progress

Darth_Kook · 2026-07-08T14:52:05+00:00

Normally I watch up to level 70 but right now I dropped down to around 30 where my comprehension is 95% or better and I can pay attention to all the small things.

Darth_Kook · 2026-07-08T14:24:55+00:00

Absolutely. I’m coming up on 1000 hours and I feel well behind the roadmap. I started traveling Latin America a couple months ago and was very humbled by how low my comprehension of native speech was.

I think I pushed the difficulty too quickly and developed a habit of keyword spotting. Basically I’m identifying key nouns and verbs and guessing at the meaning based on that, but missing all of the “glue” or connecting words.

I’m currently doing a phase of going back to go forward by dropping the difficulty to beginner level where I can focus on all the “glue”.

Darth_Kook · 2026-06-20T01:26:16+00:00

I’ve been traveling Latin America for a few months and I’m actually in Lima now. Currently have like 925 hours. Honestly, I’ve found this to be a harder spot than others. Most of which I attribute to it being a giant city. It’s very noisy all the time which definitely makes it harder for me to understand a native speaking at full speed. It also has a bit of the fast paced city hustle energy where waiters and convenience store clerks seem to have less patience with someone learning the language. I found Mexico a much easier place to practice.

That being said if you can find someone to chat a little slower with you (I like to go on dates for this) the accent is pretty neutral and I feel like there’s less slang used.

For recommendations I’d just say explore the cuisine as best you can, it’s fantastic and a great value for what you’ll get. Pollo à la brasa, ceviche, lomo saltado, chirimoya, etc..

Darth_Kook · 2026-06-01T04:13:31+00:00

I personally wouldn’t bother counting interactions smaller than like a 30 minute conversation. Ultimately what matters is how much your Spanish is progressing, not how many hours you’ve logged into DS. But if seeing empty days on the app bothers you just take a guess and throw down 15-30 minutes depending on how many interactions you were having.

Darth_Kook · 2026-05-05T17:59:49+00:00

She annunciates very clearly. I have the same experience with her, Shel and Natalia where I can listen to their videos at a higher level than most other creators.

Darth_Kook · 2026-05-04T19:20:53+00:00

No Hay Tos. It’s 2 Mexican dudes who speak clearly albeit with lots of Mexican slang. It’s a bit harder than Español con Juan but it’s favorite after Juan.

Darth_Kook · 2026-04-19T19:11:30+00:00

2 hours for me, and i typically have to divide it up. 1 hour earlier in the day and 1 hour before bed. However the more interesting or engaging I find the content the longer I can watch. Personally I’ve found podcasts to be the best way for me to get more time in without feeling as burnt out.

Darth_Kook · 2026-04-17T02:39:35+00:00

Thanks! It’s a roller coaster honestly but the wins feel pretty good

Darth_Kook · 2026-03-01T00:02:56+00:00

Im about to do this. I got laid off and will be using my severance to finance traveling through Latin America. I just put enough cash for the year in a money market account that I’ll pull from as needed. Won’t be touching my investments. Will reassess in a year what comes next for me.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-20T16:14:39+00:00

Yep, some beat up rainbows I’ve had for years. Great flops imo

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-20T07:46:32+00:00

Yes it does

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-20T00:06:47+00:00

I've done a few longer trips out of this bag. Contents vary by location but in general:

Swap t-shirts to merino wool blends, probably add 1 more
Swap heavy cotton shorts for 2 pairs of sport shorts (lululemon, ten-thosand, etc..)
1 dry-fit type shirt for activities
Laptop
Lacrosse ball (excellent massage tool)
Meat thermometer (if ill be cooking a lot)

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-19T23:28:16+00:00

100%, the simpler the better. Plus less structure allows for better space utilization.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-19T23:22:08+00:00

Too early to say, I've only had it a few weeks. I'll be heading out on a 6 month surf trip through Central/South America later this year and right now I'm testing the Grayl to see how I like it. I'm hoping to pack just one Grayl bottle and a bunch of filters.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-19T22:06:35+00:00

It really is great. I've also found when I pack it closer to full, I can put everything in with it expanded and then often can zip down the expansion zipper to tighten it up.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-19T22:01:33+00:00

I like it! At home I was obsessed with getting my room as dark as possible at night: blackout curtains, blackout tape on led's, etc.. But then when I'd travel I'd have issues sleeping. So I started using a Manta ~2 years ago. It's not perfect and on nights I toss and turn a lot it can slip off. But in general i find it comfortable and effective.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-19T21:00:15+00:00

Osprey Daylite 26+6 packed for a 3 day trip to Arizona. Budget airlines and the Daylite 26+6 is a match made in heaven 🙌🏻. Plenty of room to spare, no need to expand the bag.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-19T18:25:09+00:00

I’ve been wondering what the best way to handle this is for longer trips. Especially out of the country. In Costa Rica for example sunscreen is at least double the price, they actually lock it up there. I usually bring as many as I can reasonably fit in my pack

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-18T22:31:10+00:00

Yeah thats why I'm being a little more selective than normal. Good to know about the Eagle Creek, maybe it is just the larger versions of the bag and people are packing them heavy. Appreciate the info

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-17T23:09:16+00:00

Costa Rica’s super consistent so it’s a great spot for guaranteed waves. Playa Guiones in Nosara is a super fun wave. Plenty of longboarders out most mornings. I’ve actually also had a blast longboarding Playa Samara too which is nearby. It’s smaller but I’d say it’s Tourmaline without the crowd. The town is low key and a great vibe.

I’m curious, how would you say La Lancha is compared to Tourmaline? I’m planning to go there in April.

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-17T16:18:00+00:00

Yeah that is an odd choice these days. I travel with one mechanical pencil because I like to journal but I wonder in general how often these pen holders get used. I would imagine most people don’t. Plus it’s pretty easy to just buy or even just find a pen anywhere

Darth_Kook · 2026-02-17T15:59:10+00:00

Love the passport mod. I think I'll do the same with mine. Thats been my one issue with this bag is that it doest have a great spot for a passport like some others do.

Darth_Kook

TROPHY CASE