SleepSci 2025-09-10T20:51:17Z
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Rain lashed against the café window as I stared at the chalkboard menu, my throat tightening. "Un... café... s'il vous plaît?" The words stumbled out like broken cobblestones. The barista's polite smile couldn't hide his confusion - I'd accidentally ordered bathwater instead of coffee. That moment of linguistic humiliation in Le Marais became my turning point. Back at my tiny Airbnb, damp coat dripping on floorboards, I downloaded Promova with trembling fingers, desperate for anything beyond tex
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Rain lashed against Le Marais café windows as my fingers trembled around the tiny espresso cup. The waiter's impatient stare bored into me when I choked on "une autre, s'il vous plaît" - mangling the vowels like a tourist cliché. That acidic blend of shame and cold brew lingered until midnight, when desperation made me whisper French phrases into my glowing rectangle. Suddenly, a patient voice dissected my pronunciation: "Your tongue should touch the palate on 'plait', not 'play'. Try again." Th