Joyeux Noël! J’espère que vous passez une bonne journée avec votre famille et vos amis.
If you’ve been following my content for a while, you might remember that I spent my Christmas holiday last year 2024 in Paris.
That time gave me so much inspiration — so many moments, so many stories to share.
And then this year, I wasn’t there.
For a moment, I let that silence make me doubt myself.
I questioned whether I still had anything meaningful to say about French language or French culture — especially when I wasn’t living in France, and when my French was still very much a work in progress.
This blog post is about why I decided not to wait.
The Quiet Doubt: “Am I Qualified Enough?”
This year, I haven’t shared as much as I did before.
Not because I slowed down my French learning.
Not because I stopped loving French culture.
But because I started questioning myself.
I didn’t want to create content that felt empty. I didn’t want to talk about French culture or the French language like I was simply describing something from the outside, instead of actually living it.
Somewhere along the way, I made a lot of assumptions about myself.
I told myself that maybe people would rather listen to someone who is French talk about French culture. Or learn language learning techniques from a fully qualified French teacher.
And because I wasn’t living in France, I started believing I had nothing valuable to add.
That hesitation didn’t come from a lack of passion.
It came from caring too much — from wanting to be real, and not wanting to pretend.
When a Year Feels Like a Step Backwards
This year really felt like a step backwards to me.
I wasn’t physically in France.
I didn’t take a French exam that I thought I would.
There were no big, visible milestones — nothing that looked impressive from the outside.
So I assumed I wasn’t progressing.
But that wasn’t actually true.
Without big events happening, I suddenly had space. And for the first time in a long time, my diary wasn’t completely full.
That empty space forced me to sit with myself.
To reflect.
To listen.
To ask deeper questions.
Why am I learning French in the first place?
What does fluency actually mean to me?
What kind of life do I see myself living in ten or twenty years?
Will I live in France one day?
And how do I make my love for French culture real in my everyday life — even now?
That’s when I realised something important.
This year wasn’t a step backwards.
It was a pause — and also a different kind of progress.
A progress in understanding myself.
And in trusting myself.
Sometimes, the pause is where things finally settle. Because it makes you clearer about what you want — and who you want to become.
Redefining Progress in Learning French
For a long time, I believed progress only counted when something big was happening: travelling, immersion, exams, certificates, visible achievements.
This year taught me something different.
This was the year I truly learned how I learn.
I stopped chasing intensity — those long, exhausting study sessions that look productive but are hard to sustain. Instead, I chose sustainability.
I broke learning down into small, gentle moments:
- Listening to French for ten minutes while making breakfast
- Reading a short French blog instead of opening a grammar book
- Repeating one sentence until it felt natural
This idea of micro-learning and habit tracking was heavily inspired by Atomic Habits — something I also shared in my previous video, “Why I Stopped Aiming for Perfection in French.”
And honestly, that shift changed everything.
Real Progress I Didn’t Expect
Something unexpected happened this year.
Even though I wasn’t physically in France as much, my French actually improved more than before.
I spoke more.
I spoke more naturally.
And for the first time, both my French teacher and a French native speaker told me they understood me well when I spoke French.
That might sound small, but for me, it was huge.
In the past, even when I was in France, locals would sometimes roll their eyes and switch to English, which quietly discouraged me more than I realised.
This time was different.
And in that moment, I realised I didn’t progress because I forced myself.
I progressed because I stopped waiting to be someone else.
What Manifestation Really Means to Me
A lot of people talk about manifestation or the law of attraction these days. And I actually believe in it — deeply.
But not in a magical “just wish for it” kind of way.
For me, manifestation shows up in very ordinary moments.
Choosing to spend ten minutes with French instead of waiting for a perfect study session.
Choosing to speak even when my French isn’t perfect.
Choosing consistency over intensity.
That’s when things started to change.
Manifestation, to me, is a series of small choices made in alignment with who you believe you are becoming.
Instead of asking, “When will I be fluent?”
I started asking, “How would someone who trusts her French show up today?”
And then I did that.
Living the French Way Without Living in France
This blog, my YouTube channel, and my Podcast channel are me documenting my journey.
I’m someone from Hong Kong, now living in the UK. I didn’t grow up with French, apart from a few months of studying in France. I’m still learning. Still becoming.
But I’m choosing to pursue fluency not just to speak the language — but to live the culture.
To bring the mindset, values, and art of living into my everyday life.
And I realised something important: if I admire this culture enough, why would I wait to live in France to start living this way?
I don’t need to wait to be there to think differently.
To live more intentionally.
To slow down.
To appreciate beauty in everyday life.
French culture, to me, isn’t only a place.
It’s a way of being.
If You’re Reading This…
Maybe you’re a French learner worrying that you’re not making enough progress.
Maybe you’re a creator discouraged by how few views your last video received.
Or maybe you’re simply a dreamer who loves a particular culture and quietly hopes to live in that country one day.
What I want you to trust is this:
If you really want it, and you genuinely believe in yourself, you will eventually make it.
Hesitation doesn’t mean you’re incapable.
Most of the time, it simply means you care.
A Gentle Reminder
I don’t live in France right now.
I’m still learning.
And I’m choosing to continue anyway.
Because I don’t need to wait to live this part of my life.
You’re not behind.
You’re becoming.
If this reflection resonated with you, I also write quiet notes about language learning, becoming, and living intentionally — the kind of thoughts that don’t always fit into a video.
You’re welcome to join my email letters if you’d like to receive them.
À bientôt 🤍
