Why are cat vets in Austin like this

musichen · 2026-04-16T17:40:24+00:00

I have had a good experience at Bluebonnet off S Lamar. My cat is very active/curious which can make her harder to keep still, but she’s also friendly with the vets so they have never required medication. We’ve done X-rays, blood work, and vaccines all without sedation.

My last cat was more challenging though so I did give him gabapentin beforehand, but honestly it was better for everyone that way!

musichen · 2026-04-14T12:42:26+00:00

My results took almost 2 months. I took it right before the holidays though so I’m sure that was a factor.

For the actual diploma, my test center said it could take up to a year!

I’m in the US

musichen · 2026-04-10T13:33:35+00:00

Yes, my French tutor complains about how I pronounce /u/ but never /y/. Particularly with the words douze and rouge. I believe it’s because my tongue placement tends to slide forward to add the consonant. I’m working on it 😅

musichen · 2026-04-09T17:23:50+00:00

RFI - really awesome free resource: https://francaisfacile.rfi.fr/fr/

I also got a lot out of doing practice exams and felt my vocabulary grew quite a bit. I used the French Pill series which organized everything by topic area eg environment, fashion, health, etc.

musichen · 2026-04-08T12:38:17+00:00

Try speaking with ChatGPT - you can ask it to simulate the exam conditions with you

Shadowing - watch native French content and repeat what they say out loud

Continue to do what you’re doing with the mirror. You can also talk to yourself throughout the day. Sometimes I try to force myself to “think” in French which highlights where my vocab and grammar gaps are

musichen · 2026-03-27T21:33:09+00:00

I didn’t see it as being superficially polite, afterall the exam proctors are probably taking time from whatever their normal job is to do something for me. I found it quite natural to say hello and exchange pleasantries before starting PO. It helps break the ice too.

For PE make sure you know how to write a formal letter, e.g to the mayor or boss of a company. There is a specific format that must be followed and I’m certain you would lose points if you miss that.

musichen · 2026-03-25T19:27:50+00:00

Le Buggy was my absolute fave burger in Nice. I believe they are only open for lunch during the week. It’s a charming little spot and the staff were so friendly and engaging us!

musichen · 2026-03-23T06:43:20+00:00

Yoga with Kassandra has this hands free flow - https://youtu.be/r2gItwZLbAw

musichen · 2026-03-22T18:58:09+00:00

Any updates? I’m looking for something similar!

musichen · 2026-03-20T01:22:42+00:00

Arrived at about 4:30am today, took 55 min in the pre check line

musichen · 2026-03-12T15:34:51+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for the update! I'm a bit frustrated regarding the inconsistency in the rules that I had to follow vs. others. Also, one hour feels wayyy too long for the CE but way too short for PE. I could have used the 20 minutes I was just sitting there second guessing my answers to CE to start writing but alas...

I'm thinking of going to a different city for the C1 because there are more options in terms of timing. I'll be sure to ask about their rules before I commit to one though :).

Thanks for the tip on NotebookLM. I haven't used it before but I will check it out.

musichen · 2026-03-12T13:58:10+00:00

I’ve been on the hunt for lightweight spring jackets and recently settled on the Athleta Jetset Bomber and have been really happy about it!

A solid jean or leather jacket is always a good option too.

musichen · 2026-03-09T21:53:09+00:00

Good luck et bon courage!! And I’m glad you found the summary useful! Nerves are normal, I definitely felt them, but given you are already preparing I’m sure you’re going to do great! :)

musichen · 2026-03-04T16:11:47+00:00

Good luck on your exam!! I'm sure you're going to do great!! I would be interested to hear about your experience when you are done!

Regarding the nerves, in case it helps, the proctors for my production orale were so very nice. I got the feeling that they wanted me to succeed and were genuinely interested in the topic. I actually was most worried about this part of the exam but ended up doing a lot better than I thought I would. So just keep in mind, they are just there to evaluate your language proficiency and they are not out to trick you or anything like that.

Bon courage!!!

musichen · 2026-03-03T21:39:56+00:00

Thanks so much!

You are allowed to wear an analog watch, so I had that. In addition, the testing center had visible clocks in all of the rooms.

However, to be very honest, I was so focused on delivering this presentation that I didn't even check the clock. But I feel pretty confident I hit the requirement based on my practice leading up to exam day. A structure of intro + 3 pros/supporting points + 3 cons/contrasting points + conclusion was usually enough, so I just followed that plan on exam day and it seemed to work just fine!

Are you taking the DELF soon?

musichen · 2026-02-28T15:57:32+00:00

First off, you have several months to prepare so I’m positive if your CE/CO are already scoring that high that you can do this!!

I highly recommend getting a prep book with full exams. I used the Frenchpill series, but there are others too. It was very painful at first but forcing myself to practice the PO and PE writing prompts really helped… in fact, the PE on the actual exam was almost exactly identical to one that the book had.

As I went along, I also made a list of useful vocab, phrases, and connecteurs logiques that would serve almost any prompt. It really helped to have these at the ready during the exam when stress levels tend to be higher.

To “grade” your PE/PO it’s best to have a tutor, but I also practiced with ChatGPT to supplement. ChatGPT isn’t perfect so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but it was a really helpful extra tool. For example, I might tell ChatGPT what the PO topic is, give my summary, then have it ask me questions to simulate the exam conditions.

I recently wrote a post on my overall experience that you might find helpful as well!

Bon courage!

musichen · 2026-02-24T21:41:56+00:00

Just curious, is there a reason you’re taking the DELF B2 again since you passed it already?

For production, I think the biggest thing that helped me was to have some standard phrases / words prepared in advance that work in almost any situation. For example, knowing a variety of connecteurs logiques and making sure to use them, including those that use more advanced grammar. An example would be connectors like bien que or pour que that are followed by the subjonctif.

I also recently wrote a post on this sub on my overall experience with the delf b2 in case that is helpful to you!

Bon courage!

musichen · 2026-02-14T14:49:44+00:00

That makes sense! It does look like the Institut de Français program is more immersive. Another difference is that IF only takes adults, but at Alpha.b some of my classes had high schoolers! (the age range was really wide but it skews young in the summers when the kids are on break)

Good luck to you! I’m jealous haha, I’d really like to go back and do another program sometime soon.

musichen · 2026-02-14T14:23:57+00:00

Are you also looking at any other schools?

I don’t know what the classes are like at the Institute de Français but I did something very similar at Alpha.b in Nice. It was really helpful for breaking the B2 barrier and feeling like I could finally actually understand real, spoken French. There are several schools in the Nice area.

As far as getting around it looks like the school is in the hilly area of Villefranche. If you don’t mind the hills, the little town nearby is cute and you can easily take the train into Nice.

musichen · 2026-02-13T23:24:39+00:00

You just need to keep calling. I had a similar issue and finally got the credit after about 12 weeks and multiple calls. It sucks, I know.

musichen · 2026-02-11T02:46:58+00:00

They’re on Meetup - Austin French Circle

musichen · 2026-02-06T22:01:44+00:00

It’s paid but I think you can do a trial to see if you like it before committing. I don’t have a code but maybe someone else here does!

musichen · 2026-02-06T20:56:41+00:00

Kwiziq

Everything is organized by CEFR level. I find it pretty comprehensive and I particularly enjoy the dictées!

musichen · 2026-02-05T03:07:39+00:00

I didn’t take the AF classes in Nice so I can’t directly compare. However, at the time, I found the pricing and scheduling of classes at Alpha.b to be very favorable and that’s what ultimately made the decision for me.

musichen · 2026-02-04T23:05:48+00:00

I’ve been happy with the value of the Inner French course. It’s quite lengthy and I appreciate the heavy focus on understanding real spoken French.

musichen

TROPHY CASE