Being new at something is only embarrassing if you pretend you’re not.

Nobody minds a beginner. What creates the awkwardness is the gap between the competence being performed and the competence you have, because everyone can see it and now has to work around it politely. Being obviously new is an ordinary state. Being secretly new is a small ongoing strain on everybody.

Say it at the start, before anyone has to guess. It is my first time, tell me if I am doing it wrong. The relief is immediate and it usually comes with help attached, since people are far more generous with someone who has already admitted where they are.