u/Oilers_1811

Hey everyone,
I’ve been trying to work on my French recently, and I’m looking for a study partner who might be in a similar situation.
I recently took the TCF Canada, even though I knew I wasn’t really ready. I mainly wanted to experience the test format, see what the atmosphere was like, and understand what I need to work on. It was actually useful for realizing that I need to focus more seriously on my French.
My biggest problem right now is procrastination. When I was taking online French classes, I was pretty regular with studying. But since switching to self-study, I keep delaying things. I do study, but nowhere near as consistently or as long as I would like. my French is around A2. I can understand some French, but my listening and speaking are definitely not strong yet.
That’s why I thought having a study partner could help. We could listen to French together, practice speaking, discuss different topics, correct each other, or simply keep each other accountable. I’m honestly open to figuring out what works.
I’m in Mountain Time and usually work during the day, so I’m generally free after around 5 PM. I’m 23 and male.
I’m not looking for anything romantic just someone who genuinely wants to study French and be more consistent with it.
I don’t have huge expectations from this post, but if anyone else struggles with procrastination or has found something that helped them stay consistent with language learning, I’d also really appreciate any advice.
At the end of the day, I know nobody can study for us and we have to do the work ourselves. I just think having someone to study with might make it a little easier to stay accountable.
Feel free to comment or message me if you’re interested!

Hey everyone,
I’ve been trying to work on my French recently, and I’m looking for a study partner who might be in a similar situation.
I recently took the TCF Canada, even though I knew I wasn’t really ready. I mainly wanted to experience the test format, see what the atmosphere was like, and understand what I need to work on. It was actually useful for realizing that I need to focus more seriously on my French.
My biggest problem right now is procrastination. When I was taking online French classes, I was pretty regular with studying. But since switching to self-study, I keep delaying things. I do study, but nowhere near as consistently or as long as I would like. my French is around A2. I can understand some French, but my listening and speaking are definitely not strong yet.
That’s why I thought having a study partner could help. We could listen to French together, practice speaking, discuss different topics, correct each other, or simply keep each other accountable. I’m honestly open to figuring out what works.
I’m in Mountain Time and usually work during the day, so I’m generally free after around 5 PM. I’m 23 and male.
I’m not looking for anything romantic just someone who genuinely wants to study French and be more consistent with it.
I don’t have huge expectations from this post, but if anyone else struggles with procrastination or has found something that helped them stay consistent with language learning, I’d also really appreciate any advice.
At the end of the day, I know nobody can study for us and we have to do the work ourselves. I just think having someone to study with might make it a little easier to stay accountable.
Feel free to comment or message me if you’re interested!

I’m looking for some brutally honest and practical advice.
I met this 20F online around February/March. We talked almost every day, and over time things started becoming somewhat romantic from her side. She was genuinely sweet and kind to me, and at one point she was willing to come to my city to meet me.
At that time, though, I didn’t have romantic feelings for her. I also didn’t want to take advantage of the situation physically when I knew I wasn’t emotionally there. I was also heavily focused on my studies, and I realized that talking every day was taking up a lot of my time.
The problem is that instead of communicating this properly, I basically stopped texting her.
A few days later, she asked if everything was okay. I said yes, but I didn’t explain why I had suddenly become distant. She didn’t chase me or repeatedly message me. About a month later, she blocked me.
At the time, I was actually okay with it. I even thought that maybe she had gotten some closure by being the one to block me.
But now it’s August, and I’ve been thinking about her increasingly. I used to think about her occasionally before, but lately it’s been getting into my head a lot.
It’s not that I’m completely isolated or don’t have any interaction with women. I just keep wondering how she’s doing and whether I made a stupid decision by cutting her off without explaining myself.
I’ve talked to a friend about it, and they told me to try contacting her. The only problem is that she blocked me on Snapchat, which was the only way we communicated. I don’t have her phone number or another social media account. I happened to find what appears to be her LinkedIn profile, but that’s the only possible way I could contact her now.
I understand that she may not want anything to do with me. She could be angry, have moved on, be dating someone else, or simply not want to hear from me. I wouldn’t blame her.
I’m also aware that contacting someone through another platform after they’ve blocked you can potentially cross a boundary, which is why I’m hesitant.
What I’m struggling with is how to handle these feelings now. I don’t want to keep thinking about her for months and wondering whether I should have done something differently.
For people who have been in a similar situation:
How did you deal with wanting to reconnect with someone who had blocked you?
Is there a respectful way to apologize for disappearing without putting pressure on the other person?
Would contacting someone once through a professional platform after being blocked elsewhere generally be considered crossing a boundary?
If the better option is to leave it alone, how did you personally get closure?
I know I handled the situation poorly by disappearing instead of communicating honestly. I’m not looking for people to tell me I’m a good person. I genuinely want to understand what the healthiest and most respectful way forward is.

I work at a gas station in Canada and work night shifts. Something happened recently that I honestly don’t know how to handle.
It was around midnight, and one of my coworkers was getting ready to leave. While we were talking, an Indigenous/Native American customer came into the store. He arrived in a taxi and wanted to purchase a specific gift card that we didn’t have available.
He paid for his purchase with his card, and there was nothing unusual about the transaction.
The problem started when my coworker began speaking to him very rudely. The customer became upset and said something along the lines of, “Why are you talking to me like that? I’m the customer.”
They started arguing, and it went on for several minutes. My coworker was being unnecessarily aggressive toward him, and I was worried because I still had to work the entire night shift. I didn’t want the situation to escalate, especially since it was late at night.
So I stepped in and said something like, “I’m really sorry, sir. Let me help you. We don’t have that particular gift card right now, but we have these other options.”
Once I started speaking calmly to him, he became much calmer as well.
He told me that I was speaking to him respectfully and that my coworker didn’t know how to talk to people. He suggested that I tell my manager about my coworker’s behaviour.
Later, while he was leaving, he said something about Jesus. I initially misunderstood what he meant and responded politely. He then asked me directly whether I believed in Jesus.
I told him that I respect different religions and that I had studied in a Catholic school growing up, so I was familiar with Christianity, although I am not Christian myself.
He seemed very surprised and happy by that conversation. Then he asked me if I needed financial help.
I repeatedly told him, “No, I’m okay, sir. I don’t need anything.”
He asked where our ATM was, and I told him I was fine and didn’t need money.
He went to the ATM anyway and withdrew $400.
He came back to the counter, put the $400 down, and specifically said that the money was for me.
It was NOT for my coworker.
My coworker immediately started arguing with him again, saying that we didn’t need his money and that he shouldn’t give it to us.
The customer specifically responded that the money wasn’t for my coworker — it was for me.
Then he left.
I was honestly shocked and didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I didn’t want to assume it was a tip, and I definitely didn’t want to get myself into trouble at work.
So I immediately called my manager and explained everything that had happened. At that point, I hadn’t properly counted the money and mistakenly thought it was only $100. I told my manager what happened and asked whether I should call the police or do anything else.
My manager told me to leave the money somewhere safe at the store and said he would come in the morning so we could discuss it.
About two hours later, the same customer came back in a taxi. I saw him, and he saw me, but he immediately left again. I don’t know if he had come back for the money, was looking for my coworker, or simply changed his mind.
Now I’m really confused about what I should do.
My brother thinks that the customer clearly gave the money to me because I treated him respectfully and that I should consider it a tip/gift. But I’m worried about my job and whether accepting $400 directly from a customer could violate company policy.
I also don’t want my manager or coworker to think I was trying to hide anything, which is why I reported it immediately.
What would you do if you were in my position?
Would $400 given directly to an employee by a customer normally be considered a tip/gift? Should I simply leave it at work and let my manager decide what happens to it? Or should I do something else?
I’m not trying to take advantage of the situation. I just genuinely don’t know what the correct thing to do is, and I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
Right now, the $400 is in my bag. I could leave it in the store drawer or give it to my manager, but honestly, I don’t fully trust what would happen to it if I did that. I’m worried that my manager might not report it to the police or properly document it, and if the customer comes back looking for his money, I’m not sure my manager would actually return it to him. If the customer never comes back, I’m also worried the money could simply be kept by my manager.
That’s why I’m confused about what to do. I don’t want to secretly keep money that may not legally or professionally be mine, but I also don’t want to hand over $400 without knowing that it will be properly documented and returned to the customer if he comes back.

Hi everyone,
I’m attaching my TCF Canada results. I recently took the exam, and my main goal was to get CLB 5 in listening and speaking, but unfortunately, I didn’t achieve it.
My results were:
Listening: 203 (A2)
Reading: 281 (A2)
Writing: 4 (A2)
Speaking: 4 (A2)
To be honest, I already knew I wasn’t fully ready for CLB 5. I mainly took this first exam because I wanted to experience the actual test environment. I get nervous during exams, and I thought experiencing it once would help me understand how everything works.
Now, I really want to improve, especially my listening. This is by far my biggest problem.
I have tried listening to popular French podcasts that people often recommend, but I don’t feel like I’m improving much. I also tried doing TCF practice tests, but sometimes I feel like I’m just randomly guessing the answers because I don’t understand enough of the audio.
I also take online French classes, and my teacher recommends that I read more and more so I can become familiar with French words and sentence structures.
So, I really want to hear from people who have been in a similar situation:
How did you improve your French listening from A2 to CLB 5 or higher?
What resources did you use?
Did you listen to podcasts, YouTube, TV shows, or something else?
How did you practice listening effectively?
Did you use transcripts or subtitles?
How many hours per day/week did you study?
Did you focus on general French first or mainly TCF preparation?
How did you improve your speaking at the same time?
What mistakes did you make that you wish you had avoided?
If you were in my position, starting from A2 and needing CLB 5 in listening and speaking, what exact approach would you take?
I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has successfully made a big improvement in their listening. Please share your experience, resources, daily routine, and what actually worked for you.
Thank you so much. I really need some guidance right now. 🙏

I’m new to dating apps and I’m genuinely curious about the female perspective.
When you match with a guy, what makes you decide whether or not to reply? And how do you like conversations to be started?
I’ve noticed that sometimes women match with me but never send a message or reply. I’m curious why that happens. Is it because you matched by accident, lost interest, get too many messages, or something else?
I’d also like to know how women generally view dating apps and the men they meet on them. What kind of opening messages or conversations do you actually enjoy? What makes you want to keep talking to someone?
I’m not asking this to complain or criticize anyone. I’m just new to dating apps and would genuinely like to understand the female point of view and learn how to approach dating apps better.

I’m 23M and I work at a gas station/convenience store.
Today, 24 F came into the store when it was completely empty. I noticed she didn’t seem happy, so I asked if she was okay. She said I was surprisingly good at noticing that something was wrong.
She ended up opening up to me about finding out that her roommate had hooked up with her ex-boyfriend, and how hurt she was that her best friend knew but didn’t tell her for a week. We talked for about five minutes, and she also told me she recently went through a breakup in May.
We talked about random things too, including the salon next to my workplace and travel. Eventually, we introduced ourselves, shook hands, and she said she really enjoyed talking with me before leaving.
I felt like we had a genuine connection, but I don’t know if she felt the same or if she was just being friendly because she was having a difficult day.
I later found her public Instagram account. She seems very outgoing, has lots of friends, travels, and goes to parties. I’m pretty different. I only have one or two close friends, don’t really go to parties, and my previous relationships were long-distance.
Now I’m wondering if I should message her something simple like, “Hey, I hope you’re feeling better. It was really nice talking to you today.”
But I also feel like maybe I’m not her type, or that someone like her probably has lots of guys interested in her.
What do you guys think? Was there possibly a genuine connection, or was she just being friendly?
Should I message her even though I didn’t ask for her Instagram in person? Am I overthinking the fact that she seems much more outgoing than me?
I would genuinely like to get to know her, but I don’t want to make things weird or cross a boundary.

I’m 23M and I’ve noticed the exact same pattern on Hinge, Tinder, and other dating apps.
I’ll get a match or someone will like me. I’ll start the conversation, usually based on something from their profile. I’ll ask open-ended questions to keep the conversation going, but almost every time it turns into this:
Me: asks a question.
Her: answers.
Me: asks another question.
Her: short answer.
And that’s basically it.
What confuses me is that they almost never ask me anything back. It’s like I’m interviewing them instead of having a conversation. Even when they do reply, I don’t really see much excitement or curiosity. Most conversations die after a few messages.
I’m attaching a screenshot of one example because this happens so often that I feel like I must be missing something.
Am I asking boring questions? Am I coming across as too interview-like? Or is this just how dating apps are these days, where people reply if they’re only mildly interested?
I’d really appreciate honest feedback. If you were on the receiving end of this conversation, what would you think? What could I have done differently?

Hi everyone,
I’m booking a round-trip flight from Calgary to Montreal and back with WestJet. I’m traveling to Montreal for something very important, so it’s extremely important that I arrive on time and that there are no issues with my booking.
I found the flights through Skyscanner, but the cheapest options are through third-party websites like Kiwi.com, BudgetAir, Booking.com, and others. The official WestJet website is about $40–50 more expensive for the same flights.
I’m wondering if it’s worth saving the money by booking through one of these third-party websites, or if I should just book directly with WestJet for peace of mind.
Has anyone here booked WestJet flights through Kiwi, BudgetAir, Booking.com, or similar sites? If so:
Did everything go smoothly?
Were there any issues with changes, cancellations, or customer service?
If you had an important trip where timing mattered, would you book through a third party or directly with WestJet?
Is the extra $40–50 worth paying to book directly with the airline?
I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’m considering booking a Porter flight from Edmonton (YEG) to Montreal (YUL) for a short but important work trip. I’ll only be in Montreal for one day, so arriving on time is very important.
I’ve never flown Porter before, so I’m a little unsure about what to expect. Air Canada is looking a bit expensive, which is why I’m considering Porter, but I don’t know much about their reliability.
For those who have flown Porter recently:
How reliable are they compared to Air Canada or WestJet?
Have you experienced any cancellations or major delays?
If your flight was cancelled, how was the rebooking process?
Do they tend to cancel flights often, or is that not really a concern?
Would you trust Porter for a trip where being on time is important?
I’m probably overthinking it because I’ve never traveled with Porter before, but I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences and whether you’d feel comfortable booking with them for an important trip.
Thanks!