u/Borgsky

My boss recently mandated an AI language learning app for our whole team because of a new client onboarding.
Now he checks my streak every couple of days and asks if I am "on point" with my lessons.
It is awkward because I am 15 years into my career and feel like a kid getting my homework checked.
I usually do my speaking practice just to avoid the conversation during our syncs.
One thing to mention is that I'm mandated to studying during my free time just to meet this crazy request. Ask me anything.

So I was drafting a feedback note for my engineering team today and I wanted to express shock at some data we received.
I got stuck between using "astounded" and "flabbergasted."
I spent about 10 minutes looking at both words.
To my ears, flabbergasted sounds almost funny.
It feels like a character in a movie. Astounded feels heavier, like more formal.
I am working on my fluency improvement lately. I want to sound natural but still professional.
In a corporate office, which one has more "punch"? Or are they both too dramatic for an email?
I would love to hear how a native speaker would rank these on a 1 to 10 scale of intensity.
Which one would you use if a project was 2 weeks late?

We just landed a big client in Spain and my boss is obsessed with it.
To "prepare us," he bought company licenses for a language learning app for the whole office.
At first, I thought it was a nice perk, maybe something to do if I had a slow Friday.
Then, in our last meeting, he said he expects everyone to hit at least 30 minutes a day so we can "properly welcome" the client in a few months.
The problem is he didn’t give us any time during the workday to do this.
He basically expects us to do it on our commute or at home. He even mentioned he will be checking the leaderboard in the app to see who is putting in the effort.
I have a life. I have zero interest in spending my Sunday nights getting passive aggressive notifications from an app because I did not practice my conversation skills.
I am already slammed with the actual project work for this client and after all, the client perfectly understands English.
The rest of the team, mostly juniors, are acting like this is the coolest thing ever.
It makes me look like the unfun senior employee because I am the only one who seems annoyed.
Am I overreacting here? Is this just part of the modern job now, or is this a massive overreach of my personal time?
I want to be a team player, but I also don’t want to set a precedent where my personal time is treated like an extension of the office.
What do I do? Do I just play the game and leave the app running while I work on other things, or do I have a serious talk about boundaries?

I’m moving to Seville in exactly 30 days. Few days ago I have signed a contract for a job in Spain, and I’m doing a 3 month trial run to see if I can actually handle the heat and the lifestyle before
I move my entire life 1500km. My biggest concern is the English bubble.
I’ve lived in nomad hubs before where you never actually meet locals, and I want to avoid that.
The problem is my Spanish is barely A1. I can order a coffee, but a real conversation is a total wall for me right now. If this trial works, I’ll be staying long-term.
I’m stressed about the bureaucracy and getting my fluency improvement to a point where I’m not paying a translator to help me breathe.
How patient are people in Seville with beginners?
I’m looking for a survival kit of sorts. Since I’m on a 30-day countdown, should
I focus on specific phrases for landlords, or is there a better way to bridge the gap before I land?