It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since I joined italki to learn French. I made the decision to do so because some of my closest friends are French speakers. I was already at intermediate level so I thought it might not be a bad idea to work on my fluency. Looking back, my six-month italki journey has been full of ups and downs. There were moments when I questioned myself: Am I wasting my time and hard-earned cash? Am I really learning anything? It’s hard when you work long hours and still have to set time aside for lessons, and you don’t feel like you’re improving. I was bored and disheartened. As luck would have it, just as I was about to throw in the towel, I found a teacher who has made all the difference. She has shown me that learning is fun and each lesson with her is like a voyage of discovery. Thanks to her encouragement, I’ve now started to write in my “journal intime” daily, which she has kindly offered to cast her eyes over on a regular basis. So, onwards and upwards from here. I’d like to end by sharing some of my learning tips. (1) Stories trump flashcards. A fellow learner called Mei has expressed her reservations about the usefulness of flashcards. I agree with her. This method doesn’t work for me either. I need to see the words in context, in as many examples as possible. Like Mei, I think the Olly Richards story approach is very useful. (2) It may take time to find your ideal tutor and course but don’t give up. The beauty of italki is you’re free to swap tutors and courses. Don’t be afraid to make changes. Thanks for reading this.