In my day-to-day life, I have to speak a lot of German. Social settings, the gym, the cafe, restaurants, family get-togethers, and with friend groups. It’s not my native language, but I try my best to acclimate.

I’m always self-conscious, because most the people I meet are getting only a reduced version of me: the migrant version trying his best to use proper grammar, be able to tell a story or a joke without pause, or intellectually keep up with parts of the conversation.

I feel like switching back to english is a cop-out, and as if I’ve failed in my attempt to “fit in” in a European country as a Canadian abroad