At first, speaking French felt slow and awkward—especially compared to her usual easy, expressive style in English. Nicky described feeling like she had to rehearse every sentence, translating each word in her head before saying anything aloud.
The turning point came during a trip in Paris with a rather stark and funny realisation. When she was walking through the city to meet friends she was so focused on her phone map, so anxious about getting lost that she completely missed walking past the Moulin Rouge. It's quite big!
“I realised I was so focused on getting it right, I missed what was right in front of me.”
Her friends laughed gently—and pointed out what she’d just passed.
That moment stuck with her.
“I realised I was so focused on getting it right, I missed what was right in front of me.”
That insight changed everything about how she approached French conversation from that point forward. “I stopped trying to script everything in my head,” she said. “Now I try to stay present and just respond.” For Nicky, that was the real beginning of French conversation—not just French preparation.
In Nicky's, Level 5 Monday Class we have been exploring and experimenting with different communication techniques to see how they land with the listener.
Here you can hear Nicky describing a fairground "Une Fete Foraine" in French using her fantastic storytelling skills in French. It's just one of the great pieces that Nicky has shared with the regular Monday class.
Every Monday evening, Nicky joins her regular French Room group. “It feels like a circle of friends now,” she says. The group shares laughs, lessons and the kinds of moments that naturally turns it into a friendship group.
She talks about her travels around France in her camping car, the neighbours who now drop in for coffee, and the golf club she’s joined and become part of. These aren’t just updates. They’re stories—told in French—with confidence and warmth.
Earlier in her journey, Nicky also took part in an intensive online course with The French Room. At first, it felt a bit daunting. But that feeling didn’t last.
“Ellie gently encouraged me out of my comfort zone to push me forward,” she said. “It wasn’t always easy—but it worked.”
By the end of the week, something had shifted. Her French felt more natural, and she found herself starting conversations without overthinking. The safe, supportive atmosphere gave her the push she needed—without pressure.
Now in her second year in France, Nicky’s French is no longer something she’s “working on.” It’s part of how she lives.
She speaks with neighbours, joins village events and tells her stories in French with clarity, humour, and joy.
““It’s the perfect place to be pushed—just the right amount—in a way that feels safe and supportive.”
For Nicky, learning French is no longer been about perfection. It’s all about letting go, joining in and learning to see what's happening in the moment.
Nicky comes to a live group class once a week. She uses her annual subscription to Bonjour Brilliance to hone in on areas of study that naturally come up through her conversations in France. The Learn French libraries work really well for her dip in and out study needs. She has also attended a week long online immersive course that she says really helped shift her French along to the next level.
