I (22F) was born in Ukraine, but when I was two, my family immigrated to the US, and I grew up here. My family is from a region of Ukraine that was predominantly Russian-speaking, so Russian was the language I spoke at home.

I also attended Russian school once a week, where I learned to read and write at a basic level. However, over the years, my Russian has been getting worse. I've been losing some of my vocabulary, and I often feel like I make grammatical mistakes when speaking or writing. This is especially noticeable when I'm texting. I don't keep in touch with my Russian-speaking friends and family as much as I'd like because it takes me so long to write messages in Russian, and it can feel overwhelming.

I also feel a bit embarrassed because I don't always understand the nuances of modern Russian, especially when it comes to knowing when and how to use trendy expressions or slang appropriately.…