At 10pm, when I finally find a position on the sofa that doesn’t cause me pain, when I finally close the email app after sending various documents to various institutions, when I finally activate my new bank’s app using instructions enclosed in three different letters — yes, it may sound strange, but at 10pm my limited brain power is craving Duolingo. I look forward to practising numbers from één to twintig, to learning colours, foods and directions. The predictable, encouraging microcosm of the Netherlands.
That evening, when I received the 5th or the 6th or the 7th how are you settling in message of the day, I felt my relaxation and sleepiness going away and the pain and tension coming back to my body. Since then, I have made sure to always be done with Duolingo before 9pm, when I chuck my phone in a drawer and don’t look at it until the morning.