David has always done things with a certain flair. A retired lawyer with a deep appreciation for culture, precision and conversation, he wasn’t one to dabble—he committed.

When he and his wife began spending more time at their home in Bourgogne, the desire to fully integrate wasn’t just a passing thought—it was a calling.

His wife spoke fluent French. He... managed. But managing wasn’t enough.

Each time he deferred to her in conversation—with neighbours, at wine tastings, or in the bustling village market—he felt it. A quiet tension. A need for autonomy. He longed to be part of the community, to understand the nuance in local conversations, to feel the rhythm of everyday French life happening all around him—not just through her words, but through his own.

Still, he told himself a familiar story: “At this stage in life, perhaps it’s unreasonable to expect real growth.” His inner perfectionist had reluctantly settled for “functional” fluency—useful, polite, passable. But beneath that, there was ambition. A quiet hunger for mastery.