Indian expat in Paris. I document what I learn — French, life in France, fitness, video making, and the pursuit of an unforgettable biryani — so you don't have to figure it out alone
It's been one month
|
It's been one month since I revived my investment in learning Dutch, and it's certainly humbling. Many of you reached out to me with one question: "Why Dutch?!" What I hear behind that question is, "How do you have the energy to learn a new language when you don't even need it?" Since I've failed at this half a dozen times, I know it sounds heroic to get into the arena again. But the most valuable thing to address at the get-go before learning a language is the 'why'. I was super efficient with my French acquisition—6x more than my Dutch—because the 'why' was super urgent. I had a debt and needed French to get a job to pay it back. That, plus I had plenty of free time before my internship began to focus on my French, and it ended up happening. With Dutch, I've taken some time to clarify the 'why', and it's a strong one (if I'm attempting it again, no shit Einstein!). But is that all you need? A good 'why' and you're sorted? I'd say so, yeah. A strong 'why' gives you the courage to find a method that works for you. That's really the objective for me with this. I want to highlight what worked for me with learning a new language as an adult with a TikTok attention span, a job, and social obligations. So, I've been at this for a month and I have a couple of things to share with you:
These techniques of learning I've applied in the past to a bunch of things, and it's given me a better self-image and the confidence to go after projects that seem hard in my life. If there's one thing you do with your free time, learn something you've always wanted to learn. What are you learning currently? Hit reply and let me know. I have my Test Civique this Friday and I'm super excited! I've worked the questions backwards and can't wait to give someone a verbal vomit—though the lady at the counter did say, "C'est des QCMs monsieur." I'll tell you about it next week. I'll also toss in the Dutch TV shows I'm watching :) Josh |
Keep Learning — it changes everything
Indian expat in Paris. I document what I learn — French, life in France, fitness, video making, and the pursuit of an unforgettable biryani — so you don't have to figure it out alone
Last weekend I sat the test civique — the French citizenship exam. And the first thing I noticed at the centre was that they let you smile on the ID photo. Small thing. But after years of stone-faced passport photos, this is refreshing. 39/40 let's goooooo I scored 39/40. The passing mark is 32, and I'm super proud of this! A lot of the credit goes to Anki. I've been using spaced repetition for years to learn things, and this was the clearest proof yet that it works. If you're preparing for...
Dear Reader, A couple of years ago, people started telling me my French was unusually good. So I started sharing what I did and it resonated. But I've been avoiding a question ever since: was that the method — or was it just me? There's only one way to find out - I'm learning Dutch. If I get to conversational fluency in a language I have zero cultural pressure to speak, no survival instinct pushing me forward, no debt to payback and no job to hunt for — then the method gets the credit. Not...
Hey there, I've hesitated to talk about this online, but here goes. Last year I hit one of those classic France curveballs: I applied to renew my work permit… and the prefecture never replied. Fast forward a few months, and I was leaving Paris with just one suitcase, unsure if I can come back to my apartment I'm paying for. Not fun — but here’s the upside: it taught me that in France, knowing the language isn't enough. As a foreigner, knowledge = power. If I’d known the system better, I...