B2-01Post-Fight Check-in
Three months after their first real fight, Frank and Tina are having dinner at a restaurant.
CEFR B2 / 60 EPISODES
Connecting Across Differences
Negotiations, misunderstandings, and important choices. They consider other perspectives while speaking up for themselves.
Deeper conversations · English with optional Japanese translations
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B2-01
B2-02Lab Ethics Review
After an approved trial run of his puzzle study, Frank meets with the university ethics committee. Before the main study, they need to review two documents.
B2-03Sarcasm Fail
After work, Frank and Tina meet at a café. Tina tells him about a conversation with a colleague after today's meeting.
B2-04Visa Renewal
Tina is at the immigration office to renew her visa. The form changed in January, so this time she paid an agency to prepare her paperwork.
B2-05New Outfit Out
Frank waits outside their usual café with his coffee. He's wearing Tina's gift, a navy jacket, outside for the first time. Tina arrives.
B2-06Workplace Mediation
Two colleagues on Frank's team blame each other for a missed deadline. Frank has checked the email records. He meets with HR before they speak to both colleagues.
B2-07Shared Calendar
Two weeks ago, Frank and Tina set up a shared calendar to make plans together. Now they're checking it at a café.
B2-08Grant Interview
Frank is being interviewed by a grant committee. He's asking for two years of funding to study the sleep of night-shift workers.
B2-09Regrettable Post
Tina shows Frank last night's post about a team meeting. Two colleagues have responded. She's asking his advice at a café before changing it.
B2-10Apartment Dispute
Tina's neighbor has been making noise late at night for weeks. Talking to him directly hasn't worked. Today she's meeting the building manager.
B2-11Travel Values
Frank and Tina are planning a trip together. They've spent an hour trying different filters in a travel app, looking for a destination and a place to stay.
B2-12Cultural Orientation
Tina is leading a small-group orientation for international students who just arrived on campus. Her topic: the unspoken rules.
B2-13Homesick Playlist
Tina has been building a playlist. Frank texted to ask if she was okay, and she invited him over.
B2-14Contract Revision
Frank is meeting a company representative who arranges water testing for a client. The company sends samples to his lab.
B2-15Viral Video Again
A major science account has shared Frank's latest video. He and Tina are looking at it on their phones at a café.
B2-16Late Night Recall
It's late. Tina has come to pick Frank up from the lab building — the same building where they first met.
B2-17Research Presentation
Frank is presenting his puzzle study at a departmental meeting. A senior professor questions his choice of volunteers.
B2-18Consultation on Elderly Care
Frank is meeting a specialist at a care facility. He's asking about support for the aging doctor who made him.
B2-19Mutual Misreading
Yesterday, Tina offered Frank coffee. This morning, he texted her: "I think I used the wrong word yesterday." She calls him instead of texting back.
B2-20Crisis Communication
Frank's lab has announced a leak of participant email addresses. He meets the head of communications to prepare a follow-up statement.
B2-21Alone Day
Saturday morning. Frank has texted Tina to ask if they can cancel today's plans. She calls him.
B2-22Committee Vote
The lab committee is about to vote on ending access to the equipment room at ten p.m. Frank has checked the usage logs.
B2-23Mom Video Call
Tina is video-calling her mother back home. Frank has stopped by for coffee and promised to stay out of the call.
B2-24Scholarship Interview
Tina is at a graduate scholarship interview. Two panel members have her research proposal.
B2-25New Community
Tina joined a running club three weeks ago. She runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This morning, she's visiting Frank.
B2-26Volunteer Coordination
At the community center, the volunteer coordinator is going over Saturday's volunteer schedule with Frank and Tina. Three columns: check-in, children's crafts, cleanup. Not many names yet.
B2-27Boundary Talk
Frank and Tina are at a café, looking at the menus. Earlier, someone from Tina's running club asked her for Frank's phone number.
B2-28Performance Review
Tina is having her mid-year review. Her manager has the slides from Tuesday's team meeting.
B2-29Social Media Identity
Frank is visiting Tina in her room. Her social media bio says "beyond the stars." She opens a new message on her phone.
B2-30Public Apology Draft
Tina posted the winning number from the community center raffle — but she swapped two digits. Now two people think they've won Mrs. Okada's hand-knitted scarf. Tina is meeting a communications advisor to draft a correction.
B2-31The Sketch
Frank has started drawing again, as he used to in the mountain village. Tina is visiting his room and notices a sketch on his desk.
B2-32Community Event
It's ten on Saturday morning. Frank and Tina are setting up a neighborhood event they're co-running. A neighbor points to an old flyer by the entrance.
B2-33Two Homes
Frank is visiting Tina in her room. Her mother has messaged to say her grandmother is sick. Tina has a notebook open, filled with travel routes and time differences.
B2-34Housing Contract
Tina's building has new owners. She meets their property manager, with her current lease and the proposed noise rules on the desk.
B2-35Explaining Without Apologizing
Frank has a backpack with sandwiches and water. Tina arrives at the park gate carrying a large cake box. Their picnic spot is at the top of the hill.
B2-36University Panel
Frank and Tina are guest speakers at a university panel on campus life. The audience is mostly first-year students, three weeks into the semester. Tina has promised to keep her answers short.
B2-37Professionally Misread
At a conference, Frank and Tina ran into Frank's colleague, Dan. On the way out, Tina brings up something Dan said.
B2-38Medical Consent
Frank has accompanied an older researcher from his lab to a knee appointment. The doctor is about to explain a procedure. The researcher has a conference trip coming up.
B2-39Mountain Village
Late evening in Frank's room. Tina has found Frank's home village on a map on her phone. He has never told her much about it.
B2-40Podcast Guest
Frank is a guest on a science podcast. His short video about why ice floats has now passed two million views.
B2-41Playlist Detour
Tina is making tea in her kitchen. She has asked Frank to play "Homes" on her laptop.
B2-42Research Ethics Hearing
A research ethics panel is questioning Tina about her study of the city's bike-share system. Her approval came through on March fifteenth, but some of her data work started earlier.
B2-43Family Pressure
Yesterday, Tina's mother sent her a job listing back home. Now they're on a video call. Frank is visible in the kitchen behind Tina, making tea.
B2-44Immigration Office
Tina has a follow-up appointment at the immigration office. Her change-of-status application is taking longer than she was told.
B2-45Star Map Reading
It's late. Frank and Tina are looking at the star map on her wall.
B2-46Reference Letter
Frank is drafting a fellowship recommendation for Leila, a junior researcher in his lab. He asks a senior colleague for advice.
B2-47Tina Explains
After running club, Tina and her friend Maya from the club sit on a park bench. The other runners have left.
B2-48Complaint Resolution
Tina's refrigerator stopped working six days ago. A technician was scheduled for Monday morning, but no one arrived. She's calling the repair company on speaker with Frank. A cooler of food sits beside them.
B2-49Frank's Choice
Frank and Tina are looking at the café menu. Tina brings up a conversation they had after a philosophy lecture years ago.
B2-50Panel Discussion
At a university panel, Frank and another researcher are discussing whether a person created by someone else can make independent choices.
B2-51Annual Report
Frank is presenting the lab's annual report to the faculty committee. They're reviewing his request to replace an old freezer.
B2-52Old Fight Revisited
The nail holding Tina's star map came loose last night. Frank has brought a new picture hook. They're checking where to hang the map.
B2-53Award Ceremony
At a small awards ceremony, Frank is presenting Dr. Chen, a senior colleague, with an award for mentoring young researchers. Tina is in the audience.
B2-54Doctor's Letter Response
Frank is drafting a reply to the doctor who created him. The doctor's letter has three pages of questions about Frank's life. Tina sits beside him.
B2-55Interview Prep
Frank has a job interview at a research institute. At home, he's practicing with Tina, who's playing the interviewer.
B2-56Reply to the Doctor
It's morning at the café. Frank is waiting for a reply from the doctor who created him, a father figure in his life. Tina helped him draft the letter.
B2-57Wedding Question
Frank and Tina, who are close friends, are at a wedding reception. They're talking beside the dessert table.
B2-58Belonging Panel — Coda
A few months after their previous university visit, Frank and Tina are back for a discussion about feeling at home in a new place. Afterward, a student asks them for advice.
B2-59Future Plans
Frank and Tina are at her table with coffee and a notebook headed "Five Years." They're discussing their goals and what they can do next month.
B2-60Stitched Together
Frank lives down the hall from his friend Tina. Tonight he knocks before coming in with black coffee for himself and a matcha latte for her. Her star map hangs above the table.