I can’t understand what my Irish coworker says, she might think I’m just stuck up

English is not my first language and, while I speak it with an accent that generally makes people conclude that I’m a native speaker from the US, I still struggle with understanding accents I’m not used to.

That is, while an actual native speaker usually doesn’t have trouble understanding, say, an Indian person with a heavy accent or a Scottish or an Irish, I generally have to pretend I’m hard of hearing and even sometimes ask people to write things down for me.

This Irish coworker is the sweatest woman, so kind, but every time we have a lengthy conversation I understand maybe 15%. It’s so embarrassing. I’ve been getting better, I think now I’m able to grasp about 25%, but it’s so uncomfortable to think she might hate me if I tell her……

It doesn’t help that I have social anxiety and loathe confrontation, so sometimes if I’ve already asked her to repeat herself 3 times, I just say “exuse me, I have to use the rest room” and run away. I sometimes avoid her because I’m scared I won’t understand her again.

It’s kind of funny but mostly just sad and uncomfortable