u/raikhyo

edit: Thanks for all the comments! After reading through everything, I'm torn between Russian, Egyptian Arabic, and Japanese. Which one do you think is the best, and why?

Hi everyone, I'd love your input. My current levels are: Spanish (native), English (C2), Romanian (C1), and Norwegian (C1), learned in that exact order. I'm not looking for a language I can breeze through. What I really want is something that unlocks a whole new world of literature and cinema for me, so I can make the most of my free time. Since I don't have an external reason to learn another language (like moving to another country) I'll learn my fifth language just for fun. Given my background, which language would you pick, and why?

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about the topic of pregnancy with IIH, and I would really love to hear from those who have already been through it. I recently came across a case of a woman who lost her vision while giving birth, and honestly, it has left me absolutely terrified.
I'm not planning on getting pregnant, since I'm only 17; I'm just curious to know what you think about this topic based on your own experiences.

For those of you who already had the diagnosis and decided to go ahead with a pregnancy:

1. What made you finally take that leap? How did you weigh the risks versus the reward?
2. Were you afraid of passing this on to your child? I know it's not directly hereditary, but I've read there might be a genetic predisposition. How did you cope with that uncertainty?
3. Did you experience any complications? (Like preeclampsia, preterm labor, or worsening of your vision/papilledema).
4. For those who had vision issues during pregnancy, how did you manage it, and what treatments worked for you?

Hi everyone,

Here I'm lucky enough that my 3 hospital admissions were completely free, and my meds (Acetazolamide+Amitriptyline) cost me less than 1 euro a month.

I know I'm privileged, but I'm genuinely curious and have a lot of respect for how your day-to-day works for those living in countries where healthcare isn't free (USA, private systems in Latin America, etc.).

I'd love to ask you straight up:

1. How much does a routine visit to your neurologist or ophthalmologist cost you? Do you always pay a fixed co-pay, or does it depend on your insurance plan?

2. What happens when you have a flare-up or need an urgent lumbar puncture? Do you get a crazy bill afterward, or does your insurance cover it all?

3. How much do you pay per month for your medication? Is it affordable, or are there months where you have to choose between groceries and your pills?

4. Has it ever happened that you had to delay a check-up or a test (like an MRI) simply because you couldn't afford it at that moment?

5. On a mental level, how do you handle the stress of knowing that every time your head hurts or your vision gets blurry, it could mean a financial hit to your household?

I know this is a very personal topic, but I think comparing realities helps us appreciate what we have and brings visibility to what others go through. I'd really love to read your experiences, the good and the bad.

Big hug to everyone🫂

I want to discover Romanian-speaking YouTubers. Who are your favorites?

me explico, es todo superficial. hice un amigo hace casi un año y, siento que apenas le conozco. no porque no le haya pedido que hablemos mas a fondo, que lo he hecho. sino porque, a el no le sale hablar. o no sé. siempre he tenido que llevar yo la conversación. ahora que he decidido callarme un rato para darle espacio y ver si el problema era yo, que no me callaba ni debajo del agua, veo que ahora directamente ni hablamos. la cosa es: me escribe, pero es solo “hola que tal” y no es capaz de decir nada mas. no sé, yo entiendo como tener buena conversación el poder hablar mas allá de que X se ha liado con Y, o que el próximo juego sale el mes que viene. yo espero dar nuestras opiniones sobre diferentes cosas, debatir, o simplemente decir tonterias sobre lo que sea juntos. pero aunque le pida hablar mas a fondo, ya no sobre temas random sino sobre el, para conocerle mas, no le sale. y no es por atacarle a el, le pongo de ejemplo ya que no es la unica amistad con la que me pasa. tal vez me acostumbré a mis antiguas amistades con las que podiamos hablar de todo y salian conversaciones de hasta debajo de las piedras. pero al final siempre un “hola que tal bueno adios” se me hace monótono y aunque lo diga, nada cambia. no es la primera persona que es así con la que hablo, y se me hace dificil encontrar a gente con una perspectiva como la mía. exagero por señalar esto? tipo tal vez me lo tomo como una gran cosa y simplemente hay gente que es así y ya, y yo encajo mas con otros perfiles, pero es que parece que ya la mayoría es así. que pensáis?

There's hardly any content in Norwegian online that isn't for kids.
What do people who don't live in Norway and have a B2 level do to keep their skills from slipping?

Hi!
I’m looking for norwegians around my age (17 soon to be 18) to text with. I study norwegian intensively every day, I already understand almost everything I read, and I'm improving fast. I just need practice producing sentences, so conversations will get smoother quickly.
In return, I can help with spanish. Hit me up if you’re interested :)

Hi!
I’m looking for norwegians around my age (17 soon to be 18) to text with. I study norwegian intensively every day, I already understand almost everything I read, and I'm improving fast. I just need practice producing sentences, so conversations will get smoother quickly.
In return, I can help with spanish. Hit me up if you’re interested :)

Hi everyone,

I’m a native Spanish speaker, and I currently speak English at C1, Romanian at a solid B2, and Norwegian at B1.

I didn’t grow up speaking Romanian, I learned it on my own at age 16 because my father’s side of the family is Romanian. It’s very important to not let my romanian skills get worse: I use it to connect with my family, and I’ve worked hard to reach a level where I can have real conversations with them.

Now, I’ve become curious about Russian, purely out of interest in the language itself, not for work or family reasons. I find it fascinating, but I’m afraid that starting Russian might interfere with my Romanian. Since both are Slavic-influenced to some degree (though Romanian is Romance), I worry about mixing up vocabulary, cases, or even just losing fluency in Romanian if I split my attention.

My question is: how real is that risk at B2 level?

If there’s a significant chance that learning Russian will make me speak Romanian worse, I’d rather drop the idea completely and learn something else.

Has anyone here been in this situation?

Thanks in advance for your honest advice.

I'm learning Norwegian and I know I still have a long way to go. But I've been using Clozemaster for a week (150 sentences/day, starting with the frequency decks) and while my reading has improved a lot, I still can't produce anything that comes to mind. I freeze.

My previous experience with languages was very old-school: copying whole grammar books by hand, doing drills, memorizing tables. It worked, but it was slow.
Now I'm trying a different approach (more input-based, more digital) and I honestly don't know if I'm doing it efficiently.

I'm torn between two paths:

1. Watching a ton of series: will that actually help me produce, or will it just make me a better listener?

2. Copying things by hand: should I go back to my old method of writing sentences down physically, or is that a waste of time with Clozemaster?

l've also seen ads for Pingo.ai, but I don't know if they're worth it or just hype.

For those who've been through this: what did you actually DO to start producing? I'm not looking for
"just consume more." I want the ugly daily routine that worked.

thanks!

My best friend, unlike me, is wealthy. He buys whatever he wants. This month is his 17th birthday, and I don't know what to get him. I feel like if I bought him a video game (something another guy would love), it wouldn't be that special to him because he buys several every month (and he has over 500). He lives in another country now, so it has to be something I can send him that won't get damaged in the mail. Any ideas?

edit:
I can't send him food from our home country because he comes here 4–5 times a year for long stays and already eats the kinds of things I would send him. I also can't go visit him right now because I just got back a week ago from a trip to his country. (Since my trip to his country was in early June and his birthday is at the end of the month, I feel like I really should give him some kind of gift, that’s why I made this post.) I like a lot of the ideas y’all have shared with me, but I’m afraid they won’t work for my friend. He’s the kind of person who never leaves the house: not to hang out with friends or pursue hobbies. All he does is play video games. With the money he has, he doesn’t go out to see the world either; every now and then he comes back to my country and visits his friends, but he doesn’t do anything else. That’s why it’s so hard to find a gift for someone who isn’t interested in reading, doesn’t play sports, and doesn’t have any hobbies. Since video games are his whole life, I was thinking of getting him something related to that, but there’s the problem: he buys several every month, so getting a new game isn’t special to him,that gesture has become as routine for him as going out to buy bread.
I was thinking of getting him a figurine from one of his favorite games. What do you think?

hei! 17F (08), fra spania. lærer norsk, gamer på PC/PS5. vi kan snakkes på discord, ikke bare for å spille, men for å bli kjent. jeg kan ikke alltid spille, men vil gjerne øve norsk og ha norske venner. send dm!

hei! 17F, fra spania. lærer norsk, gamer på PC/PS5. vi kan snakkes på discord, ikke bare for å spille, men for å bli kjent. jeg kan ikke alltid spille, men vil gjerne øve norsk og ha norske venner. send dm!