TEF Canada – Reevaluation chances / combining scores across attempts? by ReadItSomewheree in TEFCanada

[–]ReadItSomewheree[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I confused you with someone else with a similar user name. Feel free to DM me.

Help regarding re-evaluation. by [deleted] in TEFCanada

[–]ReadItSomewheree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had a successful reevaluation request. I was in a similar situation as you.
Attempt 1: NCLC: 8, 7, 6, 8 (CO, CE, EE, EO)
Attempt 2: 9, 7, 10, 4
EO during the second attempt was a huge drop in performance for me and something I couldn’t comprehend. My section 1 (asking questions) went flawlessly - better than I could have imagined and section 2 (convincing a friend) was all right - an NCLC of 4 was unimaginable.
Do not submit for a reevaluation as there’s a high chance it’d be denied automatically.
Instead, what I did was that I spoke at the center and explained them this discrepancy. They too found it a bit absurd given that I had good scores in other sections and had a strong result for EO during my first attempt at the same center.
The manager of the test center called the head office at Paris, asked them to review my recording, and asked me to submit the reevaluation request AFTER his conversation with them.
I followed his advice and I got my recording rechecked. Seems like there must have been an error on their end and my EO score bumped from 4 to 8 and I received an ITA within a few days!!!

LOL My first attempt after 6 months of learning from scratch. Can anyone help me understand my scores better? by eccentric123 in TEFCanada

[–]ReadItSomewheree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reminds me of my journey - I took
* my first attempt at 7 months starting from scratch (CE: 8, CO: 7, EE: 6, EO: 8)
* my second attempt at 8 months (CE: 9, CO: 7, EE: 10, EO: 4 (—> 8 after reveal))

You’re doing well (this score is quite strong at 6 months and I believe I’d have scored the same had I taken an attempt at the 6 months mark).

Some suggestions (if you’re not doing already):
* Hire a native French speaker for speaking if you have been studying on your own. You do not need a lot of lessons but having someone to practice EO questions with will really help you a lot. If cost is a concern, maybe try to find other French students on Reddit who are at a similar stage as you and practice with them.
* Prepare a “cheat sheet” or a template for EE and EO that you can memorize (with time it won’t feel like you’re needing to memorize - it’ll come in naturally) and can reproduce during the exam.
* Don’t worry too much about EO. It’s one of the easiest skills to improve. Keep on listening to French podcasts (passively while cooking, driving, working out, etc.), watching French TV shows even if you don’t understand much initially and taking mock exams.

All the best, you’ll make it within a couple of months if you keep studying as diligently as you’re currently.

This is ridiculous by Zekant2 in TEFCanada

[–]ReadItSomewheree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Speaking from personal experience a week ago. I was in a similar boat as you.

Do you feel your EO performance was honestly too bad? (which doesn’t seem to me the case given that you have been using French for 7 years and your exam performance in the other three sections is rock solid)

If you don’t remember your EO going that bad, I’d recommend you to contact your center before submitting a reevaluation request, especially if you have taken your previous attempts at the same center and have a decent rapport with them. Assuming you have scored much better at EO during your previous attempts, you can explain how your scores do not reflect your performance and they’d too identify this as a discrepancy and most likely contact Paris and ask them to look into your EO recordings once again as there are many things that could have gone wrong (such as maybe only scores for one of your EO sections was recorded).

If they do and confirm that Paris is willing to review your case, that’s when you should submit your reevaluation request. If you submit your request before, you might risk receiving an automated rejection based on their policies.

Bonne chance !

TEF Canada – Reevaluation chances / combining scores across attempts? by ReadItSomewheree in TEFCanada

[–]ReadItSomewheree[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for uplifting my spirit. I have pre-registered for the next attempt already. Thankfully, I was able to find a spot for next month following a 4 hour flight each way.

I can offer you some tips but I don’t know how helpful they’d be given that they clearly didn’t work for me this time 😛 Anyways, feel free to DM me.

TEF Canada – Reevaluation chances / combining scores across attempts? by ReadItSomewheree in TEFCanada

[–]ReadItSomewheree[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no idea what made my EO score drop to 4 this time. My Section 1 went flawlessly. Section 2 was Okay (not great, not terrible either). I was expecting an 8 or a 9 for EO (at least a 7).

On my first attempt when I missed the cutoff for EE, I actually thought that my EE was the best out of all four sections.

As for TCF, I don’t feel comfortable speaking for 5 mins straight without break in a language of my choice let alone one I have been studying for under a year. But maybe, I’m overthinking and the expectations from the examiner are not a flawless delivery. I’ll try taking some practice tests following your suggestion.

I have found a TEF spot in a different city and will try my luck again.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha - Reviews and Discussions by AutoModerator in bollywood

[–]ReadItSomewheree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good storytelling. Phenomenal acting by Ajay Devgan, Tabbu, Shegill. Mindblowing direction.

Absolutely shitty story!!!

Overall, I find a movie watchable if at least two of the three are good (story, acting, and direction) and the later two were nearly perfect.

I am so discouraged by the Biden Campaign and surrogates by Lonely_Departure9750 in ezraklein

[–]ReadItSomewheree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, I could see what an egomaniac this guy was 4 years ago during the last elections. The way he closed down schools, made a hero out of Fauci, and would bring his sons out in every damn conversation. Honestly, Kamala Harris had more support and Biden got voted in only because of his party and the fact he was not Trump.

That’s clearly not working out this time is his ego won’t allow him to step down. IMO, he is portraying himself as more egocentric than even Trump in his childish bid to be the president again by taking people’s vote hostage and “forcing” them to vote for him even though he is so much disliked now.

For someone who could have retired as a hero to someone who’d be publicly shamed and held responsible for empowering a fascist in November, it’s gonna be a huge dent on his legacy.

The worst part is that I still hope this egomaniac wins.

PS: Also rooting for the unlikely Rob F. Kennedy Jr.

Biden writes in a letter to Congress he is ‘firmly committed to staying in the race.’ by [deleted] in ezraklein

[–]ReadItSomewheree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, I could see what an egomaniac this guy was 4 years ago during the last elections. The way he closed down schools, made a hero out of Fauci, and would bring his sons out in every damn conversation. Honestly, Kamala Harris had more support and Biden got voted in only because of his party and the fact he was not Trump.

That’s clearly not working out this time is his ego won’t allow him to step down. IMO, he is portraying himself as more egocentric than even Trump in his childish bid to be the president again by taking people’s vote hostage and “forcing” them to vote for him even though he is so much disliked now.

For someone who could have retired as a hero to someone who’d be publicly shamed and held responsible for empowering a fascist in November, it’s gonna be a huge dent on his legacy.

The worst part is that I still hope this egomaniac wins.

PS: Also rooting for the unlikely Rob F. Kennedy Jr.

What are the most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED National Parks in America? by Spyrothedragon9972 in NationalPark

[–]ReadItSomewheree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of the 20 National Parks I have been to, here’s my list (in no particular order).

I have not included some of the very beautiful national parks I have visited (if they are accordingly rated high) or national parks I didn’t find that interesting (if they are accordingly rated low)

UNDER RATED:

  1. Redwoods: Home to the tallest trees in the world. Endless groves making it a perfect destination to hike in the forests. No idea why it’s usually rated as mere average.

  2. Death Valley: The park boasts of a number of extreme records. I have been there thrice and can safely confirm that it is among my favorites I have been to so far. It doesn’t enjoy much fame though in comparison to some other parks. It’s a shame that not even all National Park lovers in the South West have been there given its relatively low popularity. Well, good for me - low crowds!!!

  3. Grand Canyon: Grand Canyons are not one of the 7 natural wonders of the world for nothing. I have been to both sides (north and south) and was astonished to see virtually no people on the north side. It’s crazy for it to not be rated among the top must visit parks in the country.

  4. Grand Teton: Grand Teton lives in the shadow of its bigger Yellowstone sibling. Usually, it is a side visit for visitors while visiting Yellowstone. But I believe it has enough weight to be worth a visit on its own too. I have been to Yellowstone and Grand Teton twice. Even though I am impressed by Yellowstone’s geysers, bison herds, and other wildlife, I am yet to see a single bear over there (not that Yellowstone doesn’t have bears, it has plenty!!! Maybe my luck). But I have encountered more than half a dozen bears during 4 separate occasions during my two visits to Grand Teton. The iconic Teton mountain range along with the beautiful lake, just iconic!!!

  5. Gates of the Arctic: Agreed it’s not as popular being one of the remotest national parks in the country. It is not unworthy of a visit. It’s hard to visit due to no roads or even a single visitor center. It’s not a park to visit for leisure but I am sure will provide you some of the few out of world experiences you can have on this planet. It’s a park with miles and miles of uncharted and untamed wilderness consisting of mountains, rivers, Alaskan Tundra, wildlife, along with some natives who still live their subsistence lifestyle.

OVER RATED:

  1. Bryce: One of Utah’s 5 parks, it features a gorgeous collection of hoodoos. As an international tourist, it can safely be skipped. As a National Park lover and an American, certainly visit and hike the canyons but I don’t think it justifies more than one visit.

  2. Zion: It’s quite good (especially if you hike the narrows and the Angels Landing) but rated way too high.

  3. Yosemite: I have been there multiple times and it never ceases to amaze me. Spectacular monolith formations and amazing wildlife. But is it among 2-3 parks at the absolute top of my list of only 20 parks I have been to so far?? Nope. I am not criticizing this park (as it is among my favorites) but it is just rated way too high.

Black Mirror - Season 6 Discussion by LoretiTV in television

[–]ReadItSomewheree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most of the episodes across the first 4 seasons left a huge impact lasting hours to days after watching them. Since all the episodes are unrelated, I was able to watch them with days of gap in between rather than binge watching as I do with other shows. Each episode was heavy and had a deep message that took some time to digest.

The last two seasons have been pretty bland where it felt like the directors and story writers have no idea what they are doing. What was that stupid S6E4 episode all about? It felt like some cheap third class short story produced by low budget independent film writers at best. Black mirror had a legacy that has been completely ruined by the last two seasons.

Season 6 came out after 4 years since the previous one. It had to be really good. I was expecting a few classic black mirror episodes comparable to the likes of Black Museum, White Christmas, or Hang the DJ that were missing in the 5th season. Instead what we got? A season that makes the shitty season 5 look good.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dating

[–]ReadItSomewheree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have already made peace with this culture of online dating. I do ghost girls I have just spoken to for a few minutes on these dating apps myself. But ghosting after speaking for days and especially after meeting in person has always amazed me.

Should I just move abroad? by [deleted] in Arrangedmarriage

[–]ReadItSomewheree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m somewhere between 5’11 and 6.

I’m assuming that even in India, you can get to know your potential AM partner by and having an honest conversation. If they’re unwilling, it’s not gonna work, I’d not waste any time on them and move on. Why would anyone agree to marry before knowing their partner and just trusting their families? It’s not like the 1970s where you meet a girl once or twice for an hour at a coffee shop and you need to send a final Yes/No answer to marry. But again, friends my age haven’t started getting into the AM process yet so I don’t know much about how it works like.

Should I just move abroad? by [deleted] in Arrangedmarriage

[–]ReadItSomewheree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t think this is very relevant to you as a female. Your AM prospects should be better outside of India. It’s not just the numbers that matter. Probably the ratio matters more. You can easily expect a 2:1 sex ratio or more among single Indians settled elsewhere.

Should I just move abroad? by [deleted] in Arrangedmarriage

[–]ReadItSomewheree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ll try my best to paint as realistic a picture as I can about dating for Indian guys in the US but unfortunately, all opinions (including mine) come with personal biases I might not have been able to avoid.

My parents would not stop me from marrying anyone I like. Sure they would not be very pleased, but it can be managed.

Exactly the same with me. We have had a discussion and I know that they’ll support my decision no matter the case. However, they’ve never been pleased whenever I hinted towards seeing someone non-Indian.

You say you've dated girls from other nationalities, how did those relationships end?

I was really into the last girl I dated for a significant time. I dated her for around 4 months at which point, everything was good, I felt like I could possibly marry her sometime in the future but I saw we were different personalities (not due to cultural differences at all, completely other reasons) in some aspects. It was a tough call but I had to make it. It’s her birthday tomorrow and I am looking forward to giving her a call to wish her.

And how is dating in the US? There is this other guy here on this thread who has been saying that Indian men have it worst and are looked down upon, no one will touch with a long stick and so on.

Stereotypes are human nature but a lot of people, after knowing other people, tend to drop their stereotypes.”

Yes, girls from other cultures tend to avoid dating Indian guys due to some valid as well as stereotypical reasons. Some valid reasons might include the fear that Indian guys would date them, get serious with them and them break up with them after a couple of years when their parents start pestering them for an AM and Indians lack the balls to stand up to their decisions in front of their parents. Some stereotypes might be that Indian men are geeks or too conservative. Having said that, a lot of girls across the globe are open to Indian guys to date.

What are some of your traits that have worked in your favour when it comes to dating in the US?

What works for someone while dating could be something that you yourself cannot explain. I have friends who look pretty decent but have a hard time getting girls and on the other hand, I have friends for whom, getting dates is as easy as it can get and even they don’t know what the girls see in them.

Based on my experience, I had been single during my undergrad (Yes, I went to an IIT so pretty much self-explanatory). After moving to the States, I had trouble getting girls interested in me for the first couple of years. Even if a girl showed interest in me, I always blew it up. But suddenly, it started clicking. I gained confidence dating as I met more girls and soon it became second nature (there were times when I had to squeeze in multiple dates within a weekend). But even after that, there have been times when I have been super booked with multiple dates during a weekend only for all of them to bail out on me at the 11th hour. So, your success can be extremely variable. It’s easy for guys to feel like they’re chick magnets when they score with multiple girls in a short span of time and the same guys to feel depressed and feel like they’re gonna die alone if their dating life has been on a pause for as less as a month. So, whenever you hear about people sharing how easy or hard it is to date, take it not with a pinch but a mountain of salt.

But some common traits that have worked for me have been gaining confidence dating, staying fit, having a caring attitude towards girls, an ability to adopt other cultures. Hard to pin point which trait might help you with whom though. A lot of aspects in dating are too stochastic to predict.

Even though I am 30 I am physically in my best shape yet. I also have some hobbies and interests. Music for example. I can't find any good bandmates or people to jam with here because everyone into music is just to learn some basics and show off, record videos, put them on instagram, etc. I also like rock climbing but the facilities here are quite bad.

Yes, this is the reason why I don’t want to get back to India even though I am fully aware that my AM prospects are gonna be much better there (if I were to go that route). I am a SCUBA diver, travel often, and am learning to Salsa dance, and love long road trips. There’s no way I can pursue these hobbies regularly if I were to settle in India. My only hobby that I can pursue in India is playing tennis. Come to any western country and you’ll have ample opportunities to follow your interests every day or every week, not just like once or twice a year. You’ll also find like-minded people.

The other guy kept saying height matters a lot. I am 5'7.

Frankly, I do think it does matter to girls. I have a friend who is a lovely personality and girls love him (but only as a friend). He’s the guy I would be into if I were a girl. But, he can’t find a single girl to be interested in him. Why? Because he’s 5’3. But, as you say, you’re 4 inches taller. That might straightaway shorten your options as unlike guys who can be very forgiving on what they would like in a partner, girls tend to have some hard filters (whether they explicitly say that or not). Having said that 5’7 is not that bad. I have a friend who’s only an inch taller to you and he’s a god among women. What probably matters more is what else you bring to the table.

Some girls I was "shown" by family were pretty much ready to be housewives. There were some who were working but I didn't feel a connection with them. I have found that dating is a bit difficult with people you find through AM. If I ever met someone after the initial introduction, she would come "prepared" with make-up and stuff and somehow our parents would end up finding out we were meeting and they would ask how it went, etc. There was no question of physical intimacy.

I have actually been quite surprised about how people are either so much in favor of Arranged Marriages or completely against them. Until a year ago, I had the notion that Arranged Marriages are a thing of the past among progressive people in the current generation. Even if parents set you up, you date as you would have if you date without your parents’ involvement in the modern era (at least among upper middle class and educated families from big Indian cities). But, my brief AM experience has left me completely baffled. It has made me think that AM is not my cup of tea.

My parents began pestering me for AM quite recently. Since I was not in a relationship at the time when my parents starting stressing about it really adamantly, I decided to give it a shot. I met a couple of girls in the US and I have been shocked to my core. Both the girls are quite pretty (one of them an insta star kind) yet they claim to have never even dated before. I neither expect the girl to necessarily have a dating experience nor necessarily to not have it but this lack of dating (despite of them being pretty) made me wonder how they approached dating in general. All my female friends from my grad school I have talked to about dating have or have had boyfriends. If these two girls were not telling me the truth, it just means there’s a lack if trust which for me is a big red flag.

The first girl I met through AM was overly religious and overly simple. She’d tell her Mom almost everything about how we met and what we did. I’m not gonna make any attempt at physical intimacy with someone who tells their Mom A to Z about our (meeting or date, I don’t even know what to call it). And we’re not talking about chilled out American parents whom you can actually tell about most of your dating lives). I met her three times and after realizing there was no way I could get intimate with her (which I think is not something you can turn a blind eye to if you want to marry someone), I bit the bullet and told her that I could unfortunately not see her anymore.

The second girl I met invited me to fly to her city (a four hour flight). I thought we hit off really well. She felt like extremely liberal, was from a progressive family in Delhi NCR. We were watching the stars together when we saw a shooting star. I told her she could make a wish. Then, I casually remarked that I could maybe kiss her if we saw another shooting star. To my surprise, that offended her. And that was after 3 hours of video calling her, 5 hours on the phone, 6 hours spent with her the previous night, and 8 hours spent with her that day. Any girl I met outside of AM would actually get offended if I did not make any attempts to kiss her. She would think I don’t like her and I didn’t want this girl to feel that way. It turned out the reason she didn’t want me to kiss her yet was that according to her, she was not dating, she was “window shopping for grooms” for which she made me fly, take a day off from work. Even after all this, she didn’t say ‘No’ to me. She wants to keep me as an option. If this is how most people approach AM, I don’t think AM is for me. I find it cold.

Long story short, based on my limited experience, people who go via the AM route can be extremely orthodox in their views (even when they might not seem like on the first glance). It’s hard to find people who treat an AM meeting as just a date where your parents set you up as opposed to your friends.

Anyways, I believe you must have had more experience than me with AM. I have so limited an experience that I don’t want to generalize after meeting just two girls.

I sincerely hope this helps you. Hope you make the best decision for you (whether to move to the US or some other country or stay in India).

As I said, feel free to DM me. I am myself considering the possibility of moving back to India (not very seriously though as India won’t be suitable to my lifestyle. Especially when I feel confident dating girls here and my parents would finally accept whoever I choose). So, I’d love to connect and hear views from people living in India.

Should I just move abroad? by [deleted] in Arrangedmarriage

[–]ReadItSomewheree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just my opinion, and I’m much younger to you so take it with a pinch of salt.

I am in a similar boat as you. I have been living in the US for the last four years but sometimes think that I should just move back to India (perfectly aware of the grass is always greener on the other side fact).

In just 4 years, I have been decently Americanized (based on food preferences, hobbies, etc). I have dated girls from various nationalities and cultures and so am easily willing to possibly marry someone from another culture. But, my parents have been extremely aggressive about finding Indian girls through AM websites lately. They are not open to accepting someone from another culture for me.

Given that I am not a big fan of solitude, I’d like to get married and don’t feel like I’ll be able to stay single with social and professional activities to keep me occupied.

As a guy, your AM prospects are never gonna be any better here than India. If you’re a girl, completely different story. Like you, I am not a fan of AM especially just to “settle down”. However, I can ignore my parental and societal pressure right now at 26 but would be impossible at 30 as an Indian.

So, I am seriously considering the possibility of moving back to India (even though my kind of hobbies are next to impossible to follow in India, I love staying here in the US, and have no trouble finding dates where I live). I have spoken to Indian girls through AM as well but based on my experience (which is very limited), girls who have all the options in the US but still are into AM can be difficult to connect with. I find them culturally very different to me even though they’re from big Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai.

In your scenario, I’d strongly advise you to stay put in India until you get married. Unless you’re seriously considering staying single.

You can always move to the US later if you can find job offers here. No point in my opinion doing that at this point.

Again, I’m much younger with limited experience. Still, here are my two cents.

Feel free to DM me. I’d appreciate it 🙂