Seen in Singapore - helping hands for those with dementia

Alligator Kills American - Can You Fix Stupid?

Photo in Wikipedia in article on Alligator. Photo attributed to Bignuts.Alliator in zoo.

Newspapers and other media reported that a woman went towards an alligator and was killed.

Several comments from the public worldwide were about the woman being stupid.

Yes, by definition half the people are under the half way mark of human intelligence. Children under ten, or under twenty, lack experience. They lack knowledge and are more vulnerable to wildlife and accidents because of the child's size.

A second vulnerable group are the elderly with dementia.

A third vulnerable group are those who are born with or develop low intelligence through accidents.

 As legislators and health inspectors and citizens we have a duty of care towards them, and the  public and emergency services who risk their lives thrying to save the endangered.

Do you seriously think that anybody of low intelligence should be killed aligators? What if it's your relative or enighbour, or granny? What if you are funding or managing the local hospital or mortuary or insurance company.

If it costs money to keep the mentally deficient or mentally fragile confined, then we think it is kinder to leave them in the community, doing simple jobs. But they are a danger to themselves - and other who try to rescue them.

Many of these events are predictable.

As people get older, a proporiton of them develp dementia.

Allowing people to drink during the working day before 6 pm (when they should only drink safely at home, without walking or driving home). Luckily the husband and wife did not go to help her or there would have been three fatalities. They threw a rope.

Should we give everybody an annual intelligence test? Questions including, should I fondle a lion or an alligator?

Instead, or in addition, should we invest more in fences around ponds and lakes and rivers and canals and clifftops?

What are the options?

Confine those of low intellience.
1 Barrier Rope  & Rescue Ropes For Humans
Install more ropes and life belts.
Bild more fences.

2 Barriers For Animals
We have fences around fields to confine sheep and bulls. Fences in farms and in Australia go on for miles.
Have bells and other items like scarecrows to keep wildlife in the water.

3 Cull wildlife.
Move wildlife out of urban areas.

4 Ban alcohol / restrict access and times.
(Like many muslim countries and the US in the Prohibiton era.)
Ban alcohol during working hours. (We used to have fewer hours when alcohol could be served in the UK.)

A moral rule used to be no alcohol and no valueble diamond jewellery worn before 6 pm - which prevented accidents and loss of valuables in working hours.)

5 Cage communities
Build gated communities with walls to keep out wildlife.

What Has Worked
In Australia they discovered that most deaths from drowning take place not in the ocean but to small children in homes with back yard swimming pools. So they brought in legislation that all back yard pools should have high fences and lockable gates.

In Rockville, Maryland, swimming pools were reured by the local council (inluenced by their insurance requirments) to have tennis court style high fences, and two lifeguards on duty during opening hours. Putting up warning signs is good. But if the young and old of low intellence, bavado, following dares, or drunk, have access to danger, ywe need to think of prevention by a second backup system.

How You And I Can Spread Safety Messages
Currently Covid-19 is causing legislation all over the world. The public and the media are supporting safety messages on Facebook posts and bogs.

At Toastmasters International we are occasionally asked in the Table Topics session (impromptu speeches), what would you do if you were king or president or could pass any law? I shall start a new notebook, or a page in my diary, listing the changes I would like to see, and plan to give this speech at the next opportunity.

Be Prepared To Speak
I might have to wait 6 months. But the moment will come. In fact, as President of Braddell Heights Advanced, currently on line at 7 pm every Wednesday, I can give the opening speech. I now have my topic.

Come along to hear it. Next Wednesday on learncool.sg contact the president of VPE if you wish to attend. You, too, have a story to use to illustrate a point if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech or comment. Plan your quick, succint comment on alligators crocodiles, covi-19 and any safety issue

Useful Websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8293063/I-guess-wont-words-woman-killed-alligator.html#reader-comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States

About the Author
Angela Lansbury

Author

Author, Author! About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, trainer and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)

Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.

See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.

See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

LANGUAGE TEACHER/TRAINER

If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club,

Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England.

On learncool.sg

I am also a member of

Singapore Online.9-12 pm, Singapore time, Fridays. In 2019-2020 I am also a member of

Tampines Changkat Advanced. Tiarel.

Harrovians, London. HOD London.

Toastmasters International Find a Club

https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club

https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations

lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991

drink

Other posts about food, drink, restaurants and artists and museums and destinations and languages.

See later posts on pools.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Insurance, property, car, rental agreement, and other items to list when travelling overseas

Problem
Whether travelling overseas for work or pleasure, for a one month trek,or indefinitely, you need to allow a day or two to photocopy or duplicate onto a second computer or backup device all your insurances and paperwork. For example:

Supposing you are leaving the USA to work or study in the UK and have a flat in New York and a home you rent out in Florida.

You need a record of your insurance for both properties to hand so you can renew. The terms are different for occupied and empty properties.

The same applies to your travel insurance (unless it is organized by HR of the company you work for). If your insurance is organized by your company, it might not cover a skiing holiday, and will almost certainly not cover you for any country where the government says Americans should not travel, even if you are prepared to take the risk.

On the other hand, let's suppose you are travelling from the UK to the USA as we did. We extended out stay overseas and had problems with the house being empty in the UK (because tenants moved out early and we came back late.) The house was not covered whilst empty.

We could have got around this by having a neighbour or relative with a key doing what the insurance company wanted, not having a house which appeared empty. They could have been collecting the milk, mowing the lawn or paying the gardener to do so, cleaning the windows or paying the window cleaner to do so.

Family should have been just popping in every day or two, with lights on switches to go on and off, making the odd cup of tea, without actually living their full time, just going in and out regularly. 

You might prefer house sitters, if your family are too young or old to be relied upon, or the neighbours are unable or unwilling to help, because they are in wheelchairs, bed-ridden, walking with sticks and can't manage your home entrance staircase, or themselves overseas on holiday, or are developing dementia.

AA
If you hire or buy a car, or co-drive, you will want to have a breakdown service. The AA automobile association will already by familiar to those who have lived in the USA and heard of the AAA, American AA. (The AA also turned up in Singapore.)

Two other services in the UK include the RAC.

But what if you are not driving?

UK Road Tax
In the UK if you leave a car off road on a driveway or in a garage, or are away, you can save on road tax if you declare your car off road. You must do this in advance, not in arrears.

If you are sure you won't go back home, it  can be worthwhile. However, we eventually decided this wasn't not a good idea.

Family Using Your Car
Our son and father in law were using our car if theirs was off road or in the garage or somebody was nearby.

We suspected the gardener or neighbour was using the car when we found the petrol had run low. If you have relatives at home or nearby using the house, even if they have their own cars, if you take yours off the road, or insured let it go uninsured, you need to warn them that they must be sure to get  it insured for them to drive. They might also get a parking ticket.

You might ignore that, thinking it is nonsense. Of course I was not in Edinburgh. I had just flown to Thailand. Then you get fined.

"Son, this is absurd. I've been sent a parking ticket saying the car was in Edinburgh."

"Er, Mum, actually we went to Edinburgh for New Year's Eve. My car had had an accident and was off road - I didn't want to worry you. So I used yours."

So make sure the family and friends, house-sitters and others tell you when they are using your car.  And fill it up with petrol (in the USA you  would say gas). No use flying home, expecting to take a long business trip to another city, and finding the kids have emptied the tank on their jaunts assuming you would fill it up, using your time and money.

Protecting Your Car
If you have a valuable car and are leaving the house empty, which may be obvious to the postman, or  others, you might wish to move it elsewhere. One system is to pay a local garage owner to leave an employees old car on your driveway or in your garage. Your more valuable car is moved into their house or garage where it is supervised 24 hours. (You may or may not need to change your insurance if this is long-term.)

Goodbyes
Don't stand on the doorstep saying goodbye, allowing workers up and down the street, or walking past, to hear that you are leaving the house.

It is easy for thoughtless neighbours to walk up the drive shouting, "When are you leaving?" or, "Have a safe trip!" alerting the assorted workers on the property opposite to watch you loading your suitcases in the car.

On one trip, we would come back on a flight and want to use the car to pop out to the supermarket for groceries before we recovered from jetlag and had time to sit down and record that the car was back on the road.

Of course, we could have done the paperwork from overseas the week in advance before returning. But if you can only do so for blocks of one month, the dates may not suit you. If you are yo-yoing unpredictably back and forth, it may be simpler to not declare the car off the road, and forego the financial saving, rather than have the hassle of the changing and the risk of missing out a day and being fined.

Keeping Records
So you need to have all the numbers to hand. For an organized person, this is all obvious and simple. If you are going abroad for the first time, or are a creative time or hate paperwork, this can be a nightmare. The simple solutions include:

You might choose to keep all vital information in one box file or book which travels with you. Keep it on your laptop and print off a copy on your pinboard. Check the last week of the month for all bills regarding back home.

Vital records can be kept in a marked place on a shelf or left on the fridge door or pinboard or miniature whiteboard.

That way you can phone home and ask somebody to check the fridge door and send you a photo.

What if the only creatures left in your property are not pets but ...

Insects and Animals

Foxes run around the suburban roads and gardens of London, especially at night. This little fella with a couple of family members was in a garden in London.

I found a family member was afraid of spiders and would not go into the house alone on seeing a spiders web. After that I left a spider spray just inside the front door.

If you are renting out your property, you might want to mention pets, no pets, and wildlife. If

Pets
Make provision for pets. I think even hibernating pets should be moved to another place where they are supervised. My friends' house burned down, they claimed and apparently believed, when the weather changed and the hibernating pets woke up unexpectedly early, felt hungry, chewed the electrics and started a fire!

You can also have house-sitters and dog-sitters and dog-walkers. You need to research catteries and dog holiday places if you are planning to leave pets at home, in case your relatives or neighbours fall ill or are away on business travel or their own holiday. Check your pet insurance and leave details of the preferred vet and keep these details with you in case you get a call saying your pet is sick and what should you do.

Now, what about your own health.

Doctors and Dentists
If you have follow-up hospital appointments or dental checks, also time the home visits. An alternative is to have trusted doctors and hospitals in both countries. You may need to take copies of your latest medical checks, even x-rays, with you from one country to the next.

I had an accident overseas and the hospital in one country wanted to give me jabs, tetanus, but I could not say when was the last time I had them.Without I risked an infection. I could not have a jab before  the date the old one expired. First it was a waste of money. Second, I hate jabs. Third, because the double dose would have overloaded my system.

If you are on a doctor's register in the UK, you can book an appointment from the UK. Unfortunately for confidentiality reasons and security, they might block calls from overseas numbers which are not registered, or only allow one number.

Now, let's think about property, again.

Rented property
If you are renting out your home or another property, you should have to hand, the name of the people renting, their phone numbers, the contract so it can be renewed and updated, the amount of the deposit, which might not have increased despite a rental increase, any insurance of the property, or the insurance of their deposit.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Do you travel to escape or return? How to enjoy the old and new on holiday

"It is better to travel than to arrive." 

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Problem
Old Versus New
I once asked a friend, "Why do you travel to see new countries, places and people?"

She replied, "To find out what different countries, places and people have in common."

I was surprised. I had always thought the purpose of travel was to find new places, new kinds of people, new foods, new ways of dealing with old problems.

For example, here's a way of ordering a hamburger in the USA.

Escapism?
Whether you go to the same country every year, or always somewhere new, also reflects what you want out of travel. Is it escapism, to get away from stress? A holiday is as good as a rest.

Back to Nature and Roots
Or is it to recover, go back to nature, find your roots. If you wish to re-live memories, and you leave it to long, you may be disappointed because everything has changed.

Australian Emigrant Returns
I am thinking of an Australian who had emigrated. He longed for years to return to London. However, when he came back it was not the same London as the one he had left. He was now tuned into Australia, because that was more familiar.

Homesickness Versus Being Sick of Home
Homesickness, is another example of this. You go to a new place and everything is unfamiliar. You don't like the food, the place, the people. As soon as you see familiar food and drink, you feel better. Some people from the UK want fish and chips for lunch. They want 'a nice cup of tea'.  Others want McDonald's. Even those who are seeking new experiences, sometimes like to take a break, a coffee break, at a Starbucks.

British Council Overseas Postings
Whether you are on a short break, or going to work overseas for a year or more, you may go through ups and downs of liking and hating the new environment. When I worked for the British Council, we had notes to give to the expats warning them of phases they were likely to go through. First-day thrill of the new. Six-week homesickness. Six months settled. In one or two destinations which were physically and mentally challenging, I think one was Chad, more than two decades ago, the teacher had to be repatriated after six months instead of the year.

I remember going through three phases which we were warned about in the notes we gave to teachers who went to live overseas. You can go through ups and downs emotionally.

Some travellers complain all the time that it is not like home.

Delight In Difference
Others are delighted by every difference.

Small Or Large Hotels
Your circumstances and expectations of a simple life or a five-star hotel can also change your perception. Some people will be bothered by the hotel environment.  Whatever table they are given in a restaurant, they wish to switch to another one. Or they wish to sit at both, before making a choice. Or they don't mind, so long as they get to choose, not the restaurant.

Tourist in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Other people go with the flow. Everything is a 'learning experience'.

Crowds Versus Solitude
On my hiking group holiday, some of the hikers wanted to stay at a simple rustic hotel, not a huge impersonal hotel. Not only the expense. It did not fit their idea of a get away from it all back to nature holiday. (The organiser argued that to get 15 rooms for 30 people, and stay as a group in one place, we needed a large hotel.)

That brings another difference in focus. Do you go on holiday to link up with a crowd, as at a music festival or street parade? Or do you wish to sit on an empty beach, or walk a hiking trail alone?

Toilet with English and Chinese sign. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Territorialism and Toilets
I often go to a new place and feel awkward. I quickly establish my corner and feel at ease. Even going back into public toilets, depending on my mood, seeing the sign in Chinese can make me feel excited, because I am experiencing local culture, or lonely, because I am the only English speaking person for miles. But if I visit the same toilet twice, the second time I am more at ease. I know which cubicle I prefer. (I know that I wiped the handles last time and its the cleanest.)

Territorialism and Choosing Restaurant Tables
If you find that everybody says the restaurant is the same as your last visit, but you find it not as good, or even better, part of it may be your expectations.

The Soul, Essence, Image and PR for a Place
PR people try to capture the soul of a city. The city that never sleeps, is about the activity. The pearl of the Balkans, is about the architecture or scenery. The Venice of the North, is a phrase to evoke a clear visual image in the hope that if you see it you want it.

The PR is also trying to sell on familiar feelings, to make the place familiar. If you liked Venice, you will like this place.

New Destination Or Old?
You can analayse your holiday destination, your life, and your attitude to crime and punishment, dementia and death, by whether you believe everything has a soul which stays the same, and whether you like the familiar, reminders of home, or want something new.

Does grandad, or the tour guide, tell the same stories as yesterday? Do you love hearing the story again, or are you infuriated?

Continuity
I read an article debating whether a brain could be copied or transported to another body, and which would be the real you, the brain or the body? Was there a soul which could survive or move or exist outside the existence of the body and the consciousness of the brain?

Dying Overseas
What happens if you are ill or terminal overseas? It is expensive to bring the body back.

Some people say, 'If I die, just cremate me or scatter my ashes. If I am terminally ill, I'll just jump off a cliff and save you the trouble of hospital bills and visits.'

Some stay at home relatives want the body back. They insist they need a body and a burial place in order to grieve and continue a connection.

Others want to end the searching, the uncertainty, sever the connection. They want to bury the body and closure.

Do Not Resuscitate
I am against Do Not Resuscitate for two reasons. One is, whilst there is life there is hope.

 The other is from the point of view of the catatonic, if I were unable to speak, I would still enjoy seeing my family, even if they got no joy from my lack of response.

As the visitor, I wanted to keep my family alive, (my mother, father and uncle) even when they were no longer enjoying life or responding.  I preferred the security of still having them in my life. Their being alive benefitted me, although it was not benefiting them.

Continuity In People
We already have three practical questions to which people give different answers. The orginal problem is, the 90-year-old man looks at the photo of himself as a six-year-old and says, that's me. Is it the same person.

We have this problem when it comes to sentencing criminals. Some say you are forever responsible and should be punished for what you did as a child or a teenager. Others say, if too much times has passed, you are no longer the same person. Some people reform, others are serial offenders.

Crime And Punishment In The USA
The Californians have a simple, practical solution. Three strikes and you are out. On a positive note, if what looks like a murder was an accident, manslaughter, you get a second chance to be careful never to do it again. You also get a second chance. This means that if you reform, then you are a changed person.

If you don't, you are the same person. You must be punished, or prevented from committing further crimes, depending on what you think its the purpose of prison. Taking another scenario, some people say, for example, 'I am a footballer (or ballet dancer). That is my identity, my happiness. If I lost my legs, or brain, had dementia, I would not want to live.'

Dementia
Others remain the same. Love is a two way activity. Some people want to keep Granny with dementia alive, even if she does not recognize them, preserve a body in a coma, and preserve a dead body, because the one way love from the spectator to the body remains.

If you wish to go back to the original article, the link is at the end of this post.

If you are booking a holiday for yourself, be aware of whether you are looking for home comforts and repeats, or surprises.

Organizing
If you are selling a holiday, or keeping a group happy on holiday, note who likes surprises, and who needs home comforts. That way you have more chance of keeping everybody happy on holiday, including yourself.

Soothing
I remember travelling with an elderly relative by marriage who was developing dementia. After half an hour in a shopping centre, she started panicking and wanting to go back to the hotel. She needed to rehydrate, to go to the toilet, to see a familiar place, to get away from crowds of people, to sit down, to see the girl on reception who she would recognize and who would remember her, a waiter or waitress who would take the time and trouble to get the tea exactly how she liked it.

You can also conrol your own reactions and enhance your holidays. I like to go on holidays to new places and learn new things. However, one of the ways I like to include something familiar in a new destination is to learn the language. You can calm yourself and make others smile with just a couple of words. Please read my other posts, bookmark my posts on languages, and share links to your favourite posts.

Useful Websites
https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/12/what-makes-you-you.html

Author
Angela Lansbury

Why You Should Learn Languages to live longer, and how to ask for help in Czech, French, Malay, Russian, Spanish

Problem:

It takes ages to learn a new language. Doesn't everybody speak English, as a first or second language?

Answer

No they don't. Times when I found people didn't speak English:

1 Russian railway station - I lost my group switching trains.

2 France - I lost my group - they turned into a nearby restaurant.

3 Spain - we wanted hotel breakfast.

4 Czech Republic - I want to buy a museum ticket, cheaply, and leave for lunch.

5 China - I lost my coach party.

6 Singapore - we've hit a pedestrian who's bleeding in the road - need ambulance+police urgently

7 London, England Euton Station bomb scare evacuation announcements only in English - Spaniards running into station - stop!

A second reason

On several occasions, I needed to speak a foreign language because I'd lost my group. On one occasion Euston station was being evacuated, but the announcements were in English. A group of Spanish girls, laughing and talking, came down the escalator towards the station.

The sentences I needed were:
Russian
I have lost my group
They speak English.
Where is my train?
Where is the restaurant?
Can you phone for me?
Can you make an announcement that I'm lost?
Russkiy - Angliyskiy
YA poteryal svoyu gruppu
Oni govoryat po-angliyski.
Gde moy poyezd?
Gde nakhoditsya restoran?
Mozhete li vy pozvonit' mne?
Mozhete li vy sdelat' ob"yavleniye, chto ya poteryalsya?

Русский - Английский
Я потерял свою группу
Они говорят по-английски.
Где мой поезд?
Где находится ресторан?
Можете ли вы позвонить мне?
Можете ли вы сделать объявление, что я потерялся?

If all else fails, say, gruppu, Anglisky, restauran.

French
I have lost my group.
I think my friends are in a restaurant.
Where is the nearest restaurant?
Please show me the entrance.
Thank you very much.
So kind of you.

J'ai perdu ma groupe.
Je croix que mes amis sont dans un restaurant.
Ou est le restaurant le plus proche?
S'il vous plait, montrez-moi comment entrer.
Merci beaucoup.
Vous êtes très gentil.

Czech - English
Where is the toilet?
How much is a ticket for the museum?
Any reductions?
Is there a cheaper group for several museums?
What time will it close?
Can we eat lunch here?
Can we buy a ticket, go for lunch and come back?
Toilet
ticket
museum
restaurant
thanks

Česky - anglicky
Kde je toaleta?
Kolik je vstupenka do muzea?
Jakékoli snížení?
Existuje levnější skupina pro několik muzeí?
Kdy bude čas zavírat?
Můžeme sem jíst oběd?
Můžeme si koupit jízdenku, jít na oběd a vrátit se?
Toaleta
lístek
muzeum
restaurace
Děkuji

Chinese and Malay
Phone for an ambulance.
Call the police.
I need a phone urgently.
Somebody's injured in the road.
Quick.
It's an emergency.
Does somebody speak English?

Chinese (see next post)
I have lost my coach - English speaking people.
Show me the way, please.

Malay
(Rusia is Russian) - Bahasa Inggeris (Language English ie English language)
Saya telah kehilangan kumpulan saya
Mereka bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris.
Di mana kereta saya?
Di manakah restoran?
Bolehkah anda telefon saya?
Bolehkah anda membuat pengumuman bahawa saya hilang?
>>>
Malay - from  Bahasa Inggeris
Dimanakah tandas?
Berapa tiket untuk muzium?
Mana-mana pengurangan?
Adakah terdapat kumpulan yang lebih murah untuk beberapa muzium?
Apa masa ia akan ditutup?
Bolehkah kita makan tengahari di sini?
Bolehkah kita membeli tiket, pergi makan tengah hari dan kembali?
Tandas - toilet
tiket - ticket
muzium - museum
restoran - restaurant
terima kasih - thanks

Terjemah ke Bahasa Sepanyol - Bahasa Inggeris
Anda mesti meninggalkan stesen sekarang. Ia adalah kecemasan.
Tunjukkan saya di mana.
Ikut saya.
Dengar.
Terima kasih.
cuti
kecemasan
bersembunyi
berlari
beritahu
membantu
tunggu
Ia ok
Anda boleh pergi.
....

Cina (Chinese) dan (and)  Melayu (Malay language)
Telefon untuk ambulans. (telephone ambulance)
Panggil polis. (polis is police)
Saya memerlukan telefon dengan segera.
Seseorang cedera di jalan raya.
Cepat.
Ia adalah kecemasan.
Adakah seseorang berbahasa Inggeris?

Melayu

Cina (Chinese)

Saya telah kehilangan jurulatih saya - orang berbahasa Inggeris.

Tunjukkan saya cara, sila.

Orang is person, as in orang utan. 

..............................................
Translate into Spanish - English
You must leave the station now. It's an emergency.
Show me where.
Follow me.
Listen.
Thank you.
leave
emergency
hide
run
tell
help
wait
It's ok
You can go.
......
Traducir al Español - Inglés
Debes salir de la estación ahora. Es una emergencia.
Muéstrame donde.
Sígueme.
Escucha.
Gracias.
salir
emergencia
esconder
correr
contar
ayuda
Espere
Está bien
Se puede ir.

Previous items in Spanish:
Español - inglés
He perdido mi grupo
Ellos hablan inglés.
¿Dónde está mi tren?
¿Donde está el restaurante?
¿Puedes llamar por mí?
¿Puedes hacer un anuncio de que estoy perdido?
>>>
Español - inglés
¿Donde esta el inodoro?
¿Cuánto cuesta un boleto para el museo?
Cualquier reducción?
¿Hay un grupo más barato para varios museos?
¿A qué hora se cerrará?
¿Podemos almorzar aquí?
¿Podemos comprar un boleto, ir a almorzar y regresar?
Baño - toilet
boleto - ticket
museo - museum
restaurante - restaurant
gracias - thanks

Losing your group, having an accident on the road, reacting to a bomb scare and directing others,

these are the short-term reasons for needing to speak foreign languages.

Long-term, learning languages is supposed to grow your brain and prevent it from shrinking and disintegrating.

https://www.mimicmethod.com/why-learn-second-language-everyone-speaks-english/
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/sep/04/what-happens-to-the-brain-language-learning
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24537-learn-another-language-to-delay-three-dementias/

From the website mimicmethod I found links to German songs you can use to learn English, by singing along with the German subtitles.
In short, reduce stress and live a long, healthy and happy life. I always think of the road safety motto, the life you save may be your own.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have many more posts on languages and destinations. Please share links to your favourite posts.