Ikar

7 Nov - 14 Nov: I've been feeling up and down lately. I think I definitely spent less time on the computer and more time exercising or just being with my girlfriend. We also attended a wedding of her friend at the weekend. I started to exercise more in order to lower my blood pressure. I also decided to join the army reserve, meaning I'll go to an exercise a few times a year for a week or two. It felt like the right thing to do. I'll have to pass the medical checks to be accepted. I started reading a new book about lecturing/business as well and I hope to get some good insights.

Thanks for sharing the link! 🙂

I'm using the template I used the last time. 8/10/24 - 6/11/24 "L" will stand for the (last) plan/notes for this term. "T" will stand for done this term. I added "Future goals/direction" to better reflect on the things I am trying to do and to add specificity. I will copy it and stick it somewhere where I can see it to remind myself whenever I feel aimless. I will also use different colors: blue for newly added goals/habits, green for completed/successful, orange for ongoing/some progress and red for ones I haven't worked on in that period. Books/Reading articles/Learning: L: I didn't borrow any books this month, because unfortunately the library is in reconstruction. They should open it in a few weeks though. I however do think I made good progress in educating myself through chats, meetings and Reddit with other English lecturers. I feel more confident at what I do and how I do it and that's a good feeling to have. T: I went to a seminar about tech in education, met with my coursemate again and studied more about AI. Read up on my sub-reddits about finance again. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: My friend, my girlfriend and I made significant progress in the installation of the cabinets. The upper part is pretty much done and the lower cabinets are waiting to be installed. We're more than half-way through the project (including the planning - mostly done by my brother and father) and I'm very happy thanks to that. The installation of the lower cabinets will be more challenging, as we also need to deal with several pipes and the sink, but I'm confident we'll manage it. T: Got some work done on the water pipes and electricity, mostly by my father. My girlfriend and my friend noticed he treats me quite harshly and that my reactions are quite harsh too; I'm really oblivious to that, because it's just how it's always been. We usually help out one another in need, so I guess that's OK. However, I'm working on having different relationship dynamics with others. NOT: I don't want to get alienated from my family. Possible direction/goals: Work on getting the new kitchen for my grandma. Continue work on maintaining the relationships with my family. Business/English: L: I started some important projects in August, among them are: setting higher prices, contacting old students with offers for re-engagement and the website improvement project. We'll see how they go. From the numbers below, it's clear that I didn't have many language school courses during the summer. Many companies cut language school courses during the summer completely. For my financial stability over the summer, it is really better when I have my own courses, because individual people only cancel the lessons when they are on holiday (2 or 3 weeks, but not 2 or 3 whole months like companies). I even got a pay raise in one of the language schools, but the gap is just too big at this point. I can earn 20-35% more on my own even on their best paid courses. I have the CELTA certificate at home now! I also improved my financial planning by implementing new tools. I also worked on writing some of my new website and worked with my web-designer. I wrote about the teaching-philosophy change above. The good news also is that I won't need the numbers below from the next month. I now officially have only 2-3 hours of lessons for the language schools a week, meaning tracking this metric is has become redundant! It will come down to just 1 hour in November too. T: I didn't get any leads from my old students, but that's OK. I made them aware and that's what counts. The website improvement project is still ongoing, though not much work was done in the last month. Section with the split of lessons (my own/language school) deleted. Feels good! I've had this goal for the last two/three years and now it's reality. I had nearly 20 hours of lessons last week and just 1 for language schools. I'm happy 😄 NOT: I don't want to have a job that I don't enjoy. I don't want to have a job that is not well paid. Possible direction/goals: With my job position and student demand secure, I'm more able and willing to reschedule or even cancel classes in case I want to do something, mainly in the evening and for holidays. I enjoy having this option thoroughly. Keep classes at a stable 20-25 hours a week. Keep asking for reviews or recommendations from students. Look into strategies to become truly self-employed by skipping the agencies in between. - check university offers after CELTA Create a learning plan for myself. - going to CELTA Go through "lecturer academy" + CELTA materials. Networking and business events. Past projects: Questionnaire - June 2023 Fixed logos on my website for better visuals. Updated the pricing section of my website. Variable/tiered pricing (do in July/August). Got minor pay raises from language schools. - summer 2023 Did evaluations/testing of my students, if required. Attended one networking event and one marketing seminar. Introduced "phone call" classes. Update website/business profiles with "phone calls". Lecturer academy Brona. - fall 2023 Sample business contract on my website. - update the web with new ideas before July Google sheets system for students. - update it Questionnaire part 2 - January 2024 Canceled agency courses - March Taxes - April/May 60/55 minutes online transition - April/May Questionnaire part 3 - June CELTA - July 2023 Contacted old students with offers - Aug/Sep 2024 Raised prices - from Sep Website improvement project - from Aug Exercise/Movement: L: I visited the physiotherapist a month ago, but I still do the exercises from time to time, mainly the main three I got during our very first meeting. I can now also say that I exercise once a week, either running with my girlfriend or going to the workout playground with other guys. I also cycled and went for some trips. T: I started being more conscious about my health after finding out about my high blood pressure. I'm gonna get a cardiological appointment soon. I also started being more intent on exercising semi-daily and standing/walking during the lessons rather than sitting. I went to a hike or two too. NOT: I don't want to become fat. Possible direction/goals: I enjoy the fact I do not have to be "actively" dealing with this area of my life, as it's technically a part of my job. I just have to be on lookout if that was to change. Keep in shape. Blogging: L: I had another burst of inspiration some day in the late evening and managed to push out an article in about an hour and something. T: - Possible direction/goals: Find a suitable UI/web template. Set up emailing for subs. Post two articles a month. Polish links in articles. Interlink new articles with old ones. Finish articles in concepts. --- What to do if I am bored? Replacement activities for 1 hour: reading books, cleaning, washing the dishes, reading newsletters Replacement activities for 2 hours: going for a walk, work on my business, blogging --- Additional thoughts/activities: I'm now more open to working abroad now after taking the CELTA. I also met many new and interesting people and managed to meet a few older friends. My priorities for the next six weeks: Prepare for the CELTA English teaching course that starts in six weeks. - done I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. - done Reconstruct my grandma's kitchen. My hobbies are: personal finance, graphs/projections/statistics, gunnery, GIS/statistics, reading/videos about (modern) history, English, working on my business, blogging/writing, geography. This month, I did these cool activities: going to Italy, going to the shooting range with my friends, changing wheels on my car, working on my grandma's kitchen, visiting my friends, working on my relationship with my girlfriend (7 Principles), reading about finance. --- Goals/resolutions/aspirations for 2024: Main must-have plans for 2024: Prepare for (Feb-June) and successfully make (July-August) the CELTA certificate course. Finish the university in January. In case something goes horribly wrong, then in May. I've got this. Move in with my girlfriend in April. Set up the new kitchen for my grandma. Optional nice-to-have plans for 2024: Re-start my financial blog in February. Learn how to type with all ten fingers on the keyboard. Habits: Stop watching porn (again). Start getting up when my alarm rings = Put my alarm across the room. Establish flossing at least once a week. Exercise regularly. Continue: planning, walking/exercising, writing/journaling, reading, working on good life/work balance. It's a short list, but if I manage all of it, I will be happy.

I managed to save up money throughout the past few years, so even though I am not in the same situation, I understand the first argument. I'm by no means rich, but if I wanted to, I wouldn't have to work for years and I can afford reasonable holidays easily as well. It gives me peace of mind and prevents me from taking bad deals just to make a penny. Plus I'm EU based, meaning generally "free" healthcare, strong social welfare and a stable job market. (Perhaps too much, because the EU seems quite stagnant, but we'll see in the future.) I don't want to sleep on getting better though, just because times are good now, the students are nice and the money is coming in, it doesn't mean it will last forever. I get the second one as well. In fact, I think having a relatively fixed schedule of lessons is good for me as well. I'll see in a few years whether I'll want to make my schedule more rigid (now I have lessons anywhere between 8 and 8, but normally only in two blocks, so I usually have a good amount of free time in the middle of the day). Plus I also take the weekends off, or it's at least left for planning my business, remembering, thinking about my students' lessons and other creative stuff. I think journaling is great too! Just writing a comment like this makes me feel like I've done some good thinking and writing. As for time wasting, I avoided some today by sorting my priorities. Working on priority 5 is better than working on priority 20 and that's what I did today 😄

How are you doing now? I hope all is well these days.

What was the issue you solved together? Thanks for the concern regarding my diet. I'm doing my best to avoid excess sodium, unhealthy fats and empty calories. I'm also even more vary of alcohol than I used to. I got a full blood and urine screening and all the values are OK, including sodium and cholesterol. My blood pressure is around 130 these days. I'm doing more exercise and I think it's starting to have an impact. I guess I should try to get a half-hour in every day though; I'm roughly at two times a week now.

I think you have every right to not visit them. It's your son and your wife. Would you ever consider visiting them, had they not been your family? I got the feeling from years of your posts that rapprochement is impossible and that there are no benefits to speak of. I hope your wife's family treats you better.

I could understand why people in an active warzone or terrible dictatorship would feel like the world is ending, because a rocket or secret police might be around the corner, but even in these situations there are things to be done and improved. I'm happy you see things this way. There's little point in feeling down about things we can't influence.

I'm always in shock when realizing how many things and priorities are there to be handled and balanced. If you could (or maybe you can already, I don't know), would you cut your employment time to give yourself more time in other areas?

25 Oct - 2 Nov: My girlfriend and I went for a short trip to Italy for four days until 28 Oct. It was nice to spend time together and to see a new country after a while. We also worked on some of the exercises from the "7 Principles" book for relationship. I went to the doctor's and my blood samples and urine are OK. I'm going to visit cardiology next week just to be sure. As for my health, I went running this week and tomorrow I'm gonna change the wheels/tires tomorrow to get some lifting. My father, my friend and I did some work on grandma's kitchen again. It went fine and we got the water pipes changed/remade.

Thanks for your post! I don't worry about the birthday party too much. My two biggest friends are my friend and my girlfriend anyway. The rest is kinda "optional" - acquaintances and students. I meet quite a lot of people, but I have to admit it's not easy to make friends now. Maybe it's because I prefer quality over quantity 😄 Traumas are definitely a thing, although I feel like "trauma" is a too strong word for me to use. I mostly worry about how to best overcome these problems now; I think it's good to at least be aware of them and how they influence me. Yes, I do think being in a relationship is/has a lifestyle of its own. I think my girlfriend and I have made good work on working together as a team in a relationship, especially over the last 3 months. We both put some effort in and the relationship seems to be on the up, though I still worry a little about a few explosive problems. The book has some advice on that, so I hope to use it well. Good luck with your journey! 🙂 I remember reading "7 Habits" a few (or perhaps several) years ago, so it struck me to see it again in a very similar format in the "7 Principles" book in combination with you working on what seems to be a very similar exercise too. It sounds like a great idea to do it for your family later! I've never been big on these things (maybe because they are hard 😄 ) , but I'll write about some of the positive traits you mentioned below and what they mean to me, at least as an intellectual exercise: Honesty: I strongly prefer to be honest. I'm nearly 100% honest in my speech and I often avoid even "white lies". I squirm if I lie and avoid eye contact; I have to say I am very bad at lying. Integrity: I think my integrity was heavily compromised when gaming. I broke promises and made up excuses; not only to others but to myself as well. I effectively "lied" in my actions. I now know it's much better, but still I think I sometimes "nod away" an issue or avoid doing things (mainly at the request of others) when I feel it's not important/worth my attention. At the same time, when I truly decide for something, I can be sure I give it my 100% and take it seriously for everyone's benefit. Fairness: I generally don't like to keep scores, but I think I am fair to others and myself. Being self-employed is basically all about managing good relationships and treating others fairly and equally. I think not saying something at a certain can be a lie as well. That said, I suppose this is an area where people differ. I consider not being transparent/withholding information about e.g. fee structure a lie. Case in point: financial advisors. It's perfectly OK to have one, but I also think it's perfectly OK to know how much they are charging. Are they honest in what they are charging and how? Did they wave it off as an irrelevant concern? Did they find the numbers straight up? Investments are numbers on a paper and should be judged by their advantages and disadvantages; much like cars. It's not smart to buy the car just because the man looks nice and tells nice stories. Thanks for your comment!

19 Oct - 24 Oct: I attended a birthday party at the weekend. I had a good time at the beginning, bad time in the middle and good time at the end. I had a good chat with one/two of the guys at the beginning, then had to overhear a bunch of (group!) gossip about a guy who was about to come to the party. I mean, get real. It was just cringe for half of the people there too. We had a fun quiz at the end though. I felt much more comfortable when my girlfriend's sister and her boyfriend came over to visit me when I was home alone. I guess it just depends on the people. It's quite paradoxical that I often feel better on lessons with my students than with acquaintances in my off time. Even though there are of course some conventions and limits, I think I the personalities shine through over time during the lessons. My girlfriend came back on 19th from the holiday with her friend. The last two weeks, we've been working on the exercises in "7 Principles for Making Marriage Work" by Gottman. It includes writing a "Mission Statement", perhaps akin to the one @D_Cozy is working on now. I tried getting myself to work on this exercise, but it is rather hard. My girlfriend feels the same. I felt a bit ashamed of not having overarching goals and dreams 'for life'. I already have a great job/business, a great girlfriend, a great friend and a great financial cushion and a few other things. I 'just' want to expand/maintain that. At the moment, I am only (again) feeling the need to distance myself from porn once again. I don't want to force some imaginary 'nice to have' goals that I have no attachment to. I started looking after my health more too. I went to the doctor. I'm gonna get blood and urine samples, as well as an examination at cardiology. In the meanwhile, my father got me a new blood pressure monitor. I bought special tea to help me lower my blood pressure and I started doing more exercise than before. I went for a hike at the weekend, worked out on Tuesday and went for a run with a friend on Wednesday. I made a note in my calendar to start all of my online lessons standing, as I can adjust the height of my table just by pressing a button. I also visited financial Reddit for a periodical monthly update on the financial world. I also organized a shooting range visit with a few friends at the weekend.

Thanks for taking the time to write your diary. It's indeed quite insightful. I also like journaling, otherwise I wouldn't come here to write once a week for the last five years 😄 I found your profile image familiar, but I didn't know where was it from! I was once looking for nice cartoons for my students in the past and I came across Bluey. I wish it was 5 minutes long like Peppa Pig is 😄

Good conversations are hard if one feels tired and exhausted. I'm glad you managed it well. Family members (or in-laws) can sometimes be difficult, but at least we don't have to live with them 😄

Thanks for checking up on me! My father has high blood pressure as well. I wrote my doctor yesterday, as I measured my blood pressure for five days straight with similar results. I'll wait for a response from him and go for an appointment for sure.

15 Oct - 18 Oct: I had a standard week, even if a bit lonely. We called one another during the week though. I miss having my girlfriend around and doing things together, but she'll come back tomorrow 🙂 I spent just Tuesday evening with my friend and today I'm expecting my girlfriend's sister and her boyfriend to come over for a while. I also did some sport during the week and worked on some writing exercises, related to my past and my relationship with my girlfriend. The bad news is that my blood pressure is 150/80. It is probably the cause of my infrequent headaches for the last year or so, so I need to take some measures (more sport, less unhealthy food/alcohol etc.)

A few, maybe. As long as the standard format is a teacher telling kids something they can find on the internet, it doesn't have much practical relevance. The majority of the kids actually have the natural right to be bored. It might be why I never liked school, even though I am a teacher/lecturer. University was much better though, because I had an actual choice as an adult. I am sure your parents didn't know any better; but that most likely also means they don't know any better now. I also found out some things about my parents only after I had my epiphany and quit gaming. They messed up. I messed up too. I don't regret it though. I have a good life now, so really there's no point in me pointing fingers.

9 Oct - 14 Oct: My girlfriend is away for holiday with a friend for a week. I took her to the train station on Saturday. We had a call today to check up on one another. It does feel strange to be alone in the flat though. Last week we attended a pub quiz, had my girlfriend cousin's family over for a visit (with their 1-2 year old), had a photo-shoot (for my new website and a few pair photos too). I met with my friends - one quite smart IT guy, who has a smart home. My other friend and I put together a cabinet from IKEA. I also visited my family, met a colleague - English teacher. I also learned a bunch today about AI and I also attended a seminar on tech in education.

I'm using the template I used the last time. 2/9/24 - 8/10/24 "L" will stand for the (last) plan/notes for this term. "T" will stand for done this term. I added "Future goals/direction" to better reflect on the things I am trying to do and to add specificity. I will copy it and stick it somewhere where I can see it to remind myself whenever I feel aimless. I will also use different colors: blue for newly added goals/habits, green for completed/successful, orange for ongoing/some progress and red for ones I haven't worked on in that period. Books/Reading articles/Learning: L: I finished the business book and did extensive work of putting it into practice. I am currently working on improving the financial management of my business. I wanted to go through the CELTA materials again, but I didn't have time. I at least met with my coursemate twice and discussed it. There were some opportunities to visit the speaker's club, however I feel the pressure to prepare and rehearse something beforehand and to be honest, I don't want to and can't find time to do that. T: I didn't borrow any books this month, because unfortunately the library is in reconstruction. They should open it in a few weeks though. I however do think I made good progress in educating myself through chats, meetings and Reddit with other English lecturers. I feel more confident at what I do and how I do it and that's a good feeling to have. Possible direction/goals: (Borrow) and read one book until the next monthly report. Family: L: I met with my family twice and with my girlfriend's family twice as well. I had two separate meeting with my brother too. I'm currently organizing, planning and mobilizing myself for more work in the grandma's kitchen. T: My friend, my girlfriend and I made significant progress in the installation of the cabinets. The upper part is pretty much done and the lower cabinets are waiting to be installed. We're more than half-way through the project (including the planning - mostly done by my brother and father) and I'm very happy thanks to that. The installation of the lower cabinets will be more challenging, as we also need to deal with several pipes and the sink, but I'm confident we'll manage it. NOT: I don't want to get alienated from my family. Possible direction/goals: Work on getting the new kitchen for my grandma. Continue work on maintaining the relationships with my family. Business/English: L: I started some important projects in August, among them are: setting higher prices, contacting old students with offers for re-engagement and the website improvement project. We'll see how they go. From the numbers below, it's clear that I didn't have many language school courses during the summer. Many companies cut language school courses during the summer completely. For my financial stability over the summer, it is really better when I have my own courses, because individual people only cancel the lessons when they are on holiday (2 or 3 weeks, but not 2 or 3 whole months like companies). I even got a pay raise in one of the language schools, but the gap is just too big at this point. I can earn 20-35% more on my own even on their best paid courses. T: I have the CELTA certificate at home now! I also improved my financial planning by implementing new tools. I also worked on writing some of my new website and worked with my web-designer. I wrote about the teaching-philosophy change above. The good news also is that I won't need the numbers below from the next month. I now officially have only 2-3 hours of lessons for the language schools a week, meaning tracking this metric is has become redundant! It will come down to just 1 hour in November too. - 20 (11) hours last week in August: Category A 81% (91); B 4% (0); C 10% (0); D 5% (9); E 0% (0). Brackets are % values from previous month/week. - I've done a bit of an analysis of my courses and categorized them based on what they provide me. I earmarked five types of courses: a) my own - well paid + generally more motivated students (as they pay the courses themselves) + more challenging b) premium - language school courses paid at a premium compared to my standard LS courses for various reasons (roughly matching the a) group) c) flexible - courses from LS that don't have a fixed schedule, meaning it's on me if I make time for them or not (though I mostly do, as can they plug the gaps or can start my day) d) challenging/fun/prospective - standard LS courses with an added quality e) neither - standard LS courses without any added quality - NOT: I don't want to have a job that I don't enjoy. I don't want to have a job that is not well paid. Possible direction/goals: With my job position and student demand secure, I'm more able and willing to reschedule or even cancel classes in case I want to do something, mainly in the evening and for holidays. I enjoy having this option thoroughly. Keep classes at a stable 20-25 hours a week. Keep asking for reviews or recommendations from students. Look into strategies to become truly self-employed by skipping the agencies in between. - check university offers after CELTA Create a learning plan for myself. - going to CELTA Go through "lecturer academy" + CELTA materials. Networking and business events. Past projects: CELTA qualification - July 2023 Questionnaire - June 2023 Fixed logos on my website for better visuals. Updated the pricing section of my website. Variable/tiered pricing (do in July/August). Got minor pay raises from language schools. - summer 2023 Did evaluations/testing of my students, if required. Attended one networking event and one marketing seminar. Introduced "phone call" classes. Update website/business profiles with "phone calls". Lecturer academy Brona. - fall 2023 Sample business contract on my website. - update the web with new ideas before July Google sheets system for students. - update it Questionnaire part 2 - January 2024 Canceled agency courses - March Taxes - April/May 60/55 minutes online transition - April/May Questionnaire part 3 - June CELTA - July Contacted old students with offers - Aug/Sep 2024 Raised prices - from Sep Website improvement project - from Aug Exercise/Movement: L: I was more active this month, going for trips with my girlfriend and cycling occasionally. I also started going to physiotherapy and visited my GP, everything seems to be OK. T: I visited the physiotherapist a month ago, but I still do the exercises from time to time, mainly the main three I got during our very first meeting. I can now also say that I exercise once a week, either running with my girlfriend or going to the workout playground with other guys. I also cycled and went for some trips. NOT: I don't want to become fat. Possible direction/goals: I enjoy the fact I do not have to be "actively" dealing with this area of my life, as it's technically a part of my job. I just have to be on lookout if that was to change. Keep in shape. Blogging: L: I had another burst of inspiration some day in the late evening and managed to push out an article in about an hour and something. T: - Possible direction/goals: Find a suitable UI/web template. Set up emailing for subs. Post two articles a month. Polish links in articles. Interlink new articles with old ones. Finish articles in concepts. --- What to do if I am bored? Replacement activities for 1 hour: reading books, cleaning, washing the dishes, reading newsletters Replacement activities for 2 hours: going for a walk, work on my business, blogging --- Additional thoughts/activities: I'm now more open to working abroad now after taking the CELTA. I also met many new and interesting people and managed to meet a few older friends. My priorities for the next six weeks: Prepare for the CELTA English teaching course that starts in six weeks. - done I want to work on the questionnaire part 3 in May/June as well. - done Reconstruct my grandma's kitchen. My hobbies are: personal finance, graphs/projections/statistics, gunnery, GIS/statistics, reading/videos about (modern) history, English, working on my business, blogging/writing, geography. This month, I did these cool activities: going for trips with my girlfriend, watching films with my girlfriend, meeting friends, going to the shooting range with my girlfriend, working on my business, starting physiotherapy, finishing the business book. --- Goals/resolutions/aspirations for 2024: Main must-have plans for 2024: Prepare for (Feb-June) and successfully make (July-August) the CELTA certificate course. Finish the university in January. In case something goes horribly wrong, then in May. I've got this. Move in with my girlfriend in April. Set up the new kitchen for my grandma. Optional nice-to-have plans for 2024: Re-start my financial blog in February. Learn how to type with all ten fingers on the keyboard. Habits: Stop watching porn (again). Start getting up when my alarm rings = Put my alarm across the room. Establish flossing at least once a week. Exercise regularly. Continue: planning, walking/exercising, writing/journaling, reading, working on good life/work balance. It's a short list, but if I manage all of it, I will be happy.

I've been sitting here for about half an hour, wondering what I am going to write. Truth is, I already wrote it all above on September 8, so there's no point in repeating myself. I however do think the situation improved since then; I do more sport, the sex life is better and the trips this month went well, including the one at the weekend. It's OK to have a shit day in a relationship every now and then. There's not much to write/think about when it goes well after all 😄

3 Oct - 6 Oct: I spent the weekend out with my girlfriend on a trip to another city. The weather was bad, but I think we managed it well and had a good time overall.

It's not just the games either. It's also the news, adverts, people with certain character traits... It's not always easy to opt out, but it's worth it, as then it's possible to use the time for something worthwhile. I had it quite similar. I had some people watch my streams on Twitch and after I quit games, I wrote with one or two of the guys on Discord. I obviously had no Steam at that point and I didn't have much incentive to be on Discord either. It all eventually fizzled out a year or two later, but I don't think it's something unusual, even if it was an "offline" connection. If there is only one attachment (let's say a common hobby) between two people, it'd be strange if those two people (acquaintances) met afterwards on purpose. I think there are more attachments between true friends than just one. One hack I found out for news and social media was to just not use their apps and access their websites through a normal mobile browser. That way I am more in control and have to think more before I go there and I'm OK with it.

I'm happy to read that you don't have Duolingo as your only way to learn the language. The key is to really have many different sources and to put in at least half an hour a day on average. I've been trying to point out to my students that Duolingo and lessons with me (normally once a week) are probably not enough to learn English (in your case French) well enough. The main benefit of it is that it's 'free' - they just pay by watching the ads. Some of my students really like it, possibly because it's quite well gamified and that works for their personality. I tried learning Russian using Duo several years ago, but I finished after a year or two, because I got bored of the app. It still throws rather out-of-context vocabulary/sentences at students, because it tries to be an app for everybody. Duo also doesn't train the thing most people actually want - to be able to understand and say something on the spot. Yes, it can help you prepare some phrases to use, but if the reaction of the other person is not simple, it's game over. And ultimately, speaking can be only improved by (surprise, surprise!) speaking 😄

Definitely. I came to the university knowing next to nobody. I didn't have many childhood friends and the guys from the army didn't live in my hometown. Being at the uni/dorm exposed me to many different people and over time I realized which relationships suit me the best. My primary friends still come from the university background, but I've met a lot of new/interesting people over the last two-three years, be it through business (business partners or students) or through hobbies. I also think students are a big part of my social life. I even meet with my former students sometimes, if I feel we connected on a more personal level during the lessons. How did it change for you after college?

27 Sep - 2 Oct: I went running twice with my girlfriend this week. I met up with a few of the guys who used to live at the dorms as well. I've been busy with learning new stuff professionally - reading and chatting with colleagues, as well as with some writing for my website. I also managed to check out some Mememan comics/videos after a long time 😄