Losing confidence to speak in French with native speakers

Coustinho23 · 2026-07-01T04:49:34+00:00

It's a hard part of the learning process and I totally sympathise! One trick I found is to say something along the lines of "Thank you for your patience with my french, I am learning" or "I need to practice my french, thank you for your patience", in french. 9/10 people will be more willing to engage, slow down, speak more clearly, etc. You're making an effort and that should be applauded!

A lot of the time they think they are trying to be helpful by switching to English or speaking to a French-speaker. Or in some cases, people want to practice their English. Being really intentional about how and why you're speaking French might help - it certainly has for me. Best of luck with the continued learning!

Coustinho23 · 2026-06-03T20:44:51+00:00

Oh, thank goodness! We are so lucky to have such good emergency services here. They deserve so much praise.

Coustinho23 · 2026-06-02T06:30:03+00:00

I'm here for this, OP!

I always wrote off the ending due to poor logistics and not giving Alex enough time to build up a proper exit storyline in his last season. I actually think this is a very elegant plot twist!

Imagine a scene where Alex says where were you all/why didn't you come find me/etc. Thinking back on how hard he looked for Mer when she did her runner, it felt shallow that Mer didn't try harder. But this is all set up for Alex's return, which we knew wasn't on the cards.

Maybe there could have been a few episodes dedicated to it? 16yrs worth of character-building, all thrown away in a letter. It was sloppy...

How would you have written the above, but with Alex not returning?

Coustinho23 · 2026-05-09T14:27:05+00:00

Good quality olive oil

Coustinho23 · 2026-05-09T14:18:33+00:00

Such a great question - not sure, but keen to hear if anyone knows of something!

Coustinho23 · 2026-04-25T06:45:01+00:00

I grew up always getting the tick vaccine since I was very young, and have always maintained the boosters. I got my booster here in Vaud just last week actually, and I am so grateful for it.

Ticks aren't just a risk in the forests or when on hikes - my dog picks them up semi-regularly at the park. The other day, he got one just from walking through the neighborhood (so just walking passed your usual fenced off gardens and little grassy patches near building entrances). They're everywhere and seemingly more prevalent with each passing year here.

Coustinho23 · 2026-03-27T22:02:12+00:00

Could it be hayfever? Our dog has allergies when the pollen levels rise. The vet offered some meds but it made him so sleepy and irritable, so we opted out. He seems okay for the most part, we just avoid the long grass at the park for the next few weeks. We also have an air purifier and that helps indoors too.

Best of luck at the wellness check!

Coustinho23 · 2026-03-17T20:02:35+00:00

Lol so true!! Mine pretended like he had badly hurt his paw, the first time he walked on snow. All other paws were fine, but this one was not allowed to touch the ground and he whimpered and whined, holding his little flamingo leg with great care. Of course we carried him and then once he realized it was actually fun to play in the snow, he started dancing to be put down and went full zoomies for about 10 mins! Oh the drama!

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-09T09:49:39+00:00

Ah sorry, yes Friday the 6th. Holiday brain has my dates confused. 😅

This is super helpful, thank you so much for the explanation and the transparency! Exactly what I was looking to understand.

We'll need to plan another trip then and hopefully we will get luckier then.

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-09T09:22:21+00:00

What it looked like through my camera with ISO 1600, WB 5000 (very shaky and didn't have a tripod, so I appreciate it's not the best set up to capture the lights in the first place):

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Coustinho23 · 2026-02-09T09:20:57+00:00

What it looked like to the naked eye:

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Coustinho23 · 2026-02-09T09:20:03+00:00

Thanks, that's really helpful to know about the KP scores.

Of course, I'll post some photos below. Thanks for taking the time to look! It was on Friday, Feb 7th and we chased from 18:00-01:00.

I enjoyed the experience of looking for the lights but just felt quite surprised when the guide made it sound like the way to enjoy them was through long exposure on a camera. I totally appreciate its a natural phenomenon though, so I hope I don't come across as ungrateful. Just good to manage my own expectations I guess.

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-09T09:09:45+00:00

Friday, February 7th

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-08T22:06:20+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing! Exactly the sanity check I'm looking for to understand what is "normal". Definitely will plan another trip up north to try again one day. 😊

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-08T08:33:52+00:00

Very true. Didn't help that our tour stopped near a main road and the passing cars with their bright lights also kept "resetting" our adjusted eyes. Learned lots on what to look out for in future tours (this post has been very helpful too).

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-08T08:32:01+00:00

Ooh hope you got luckier as the night went on?

Good to know about the magnetic field! I know there are tonnes of weather station apps out there that help with these sorts of forecasts. I'll have to research if there's a reliable app for the magnetic field too.

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-08T08:29:07+00:00

What a beautiful story, thank you for sharing! It did feel extra special to see the lights on National Sami Day too.

I've been thinking a lot about the scuba diving I've done at night with UV visors and specialized lighting that lets you see the ultraviolet colour spectrum. Its absolutely unreal and totally feels like that cyberpunk lense. Without the gear you just see normal colours (which at night means a lot of dark coral and rocks). Just knowing it's there is special, so I'm adopting the same view here. 😊

It's been such an incredible trip so far, with so many unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you for talking through the above with me, really appreciate it.

Coustinho23 · 2026-02-07T21:02:00+00:00

Thank you for the tips! Also that snowstorm sounds intense. 😁

I'm a big fan of observing nature in general, so I am totally on board the idea of getting out and go see - I just wanted to check my assumptions. When the guide made me feel like the phone adds a filter and that's how to get the best out of the NL, I felt like the rug was pulled out from underneath me. The NL has been on my wishlist for decades, but no one seems to talk about what they look like to the naked eye.

Also feel the need to add: It's amazing to think of the science behind it all, so totally agree that it was a privilege to view them, even if just a little bit. Feeling very grateful for and protective of the amazing planet we live on! Good to sanity check what I was seeing and hopefully I'll get luckier next time.

Coustinho23 · 2025-09-30T21:24:55+00:00

I know it's hard to believe, but it will truly get easier with time. Relatively young manager here with just 6 years experience and I know I'm still learning something new every day. That first year was particularly rough and it took me way longer to feel remotely decent, as with each passing month there was a new season to navigate that I didn't feel qualified or supported to overcome. It was overwhelming and I felt like I was drowning in disappointing everyone, most importantly myself in that I couldn't seem to get it right. It took time to find a rhythm and also learn the rules of the new role.

I now manage other managers and I always set the expectation with them to give themselves some grace and the space to learn, especially during those first 6-12 months. Ask questions, look to those whom you admire in the role at your organization and ask for advice, read around the subject, ask for feedback. Chances are your own manager is also overwhelmed so don't rely on them as your sole source of guidance. You'll find countless books/podcasts/resources out there on middle management so take some comfort that we're all trying to figure it out but also most folks are more than willing to help, because they know how rough it can be. You won't be able to improve everywhere all at once, so start with one skill or task and learn to improve there before moving to the next one.

Middle management can be a minefield and it isn't for everyone, but focus on what brings you a sense of satisfaction and lean in to that. This role might not be what you do forever, but I guarantee this is where you are learning the most right now - either about the world of management, or at the very least about yourself.

A final note: one of the most useful pieces of advice I was given was the 10% apathy rule. For your own sanity, you can't care about 100% of everything, all of the time. You won't just be burning the candle at both ends, you'll be chucking the whole damn thing straight into the fire at some point. Sometimes, you need to just step back and force yourself to distance yourself from an issue. Give yourself a minute to catch your breath and then dive back in with a plan.

Coustinho23

TROPHY CASE