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Getting better, on purpose

Two long games I am playing outside of code: Dutch, and getting comfortable in front of a room.

Journeys

What I am working on

Both are slow, both are public, and both have changed how I practise everything else.

  • A quiet canal street in a Dutch city on a grey morning, bicycles along the railing.

    Since 2025

    Dutch

    From nodding along to holding a conversation. The plateaus, the practice that stuck, and what I still cannot say.

    Latest: Twenty minutes on the train,

  • A speaker at a lectern addressing a seated audience in a dim room.

    Since 2026

    Public speaking

    Starting with a five-minute lightning talk and working up. What the nerves do, and what actually helps.

    Latest: Timing the talk without watching the clock,

Entries

Written along the way

Longer pieces on why and how — the progress logs live on each journey.

1 entry

  1. , 4 min read

    Why I am learning Dutch

    Living somewhere without speaking the language is a kind of permanent visitor status. This is why I decided to stop being a visitor.

    • Dutch
    • Learning

Next

Learning something similar?

If you are working on a language or on speaking, I would like to compare notes on what is actually working.

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