In this episode, I reflect on how learning French has changed my relationship with failure, patience and progress — from trying to “optimise” language learning, to accepting that sometimes there really is no shortcut. 

Perhaps being a beginner isn’t something we should be embarrassed about. Perhaps, as adults, we actually need more opportunities to be bad at something again.

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

What happens when French lessons are no longer enough — and you decide to actually fully immerse in French environment? 🇫🇷

This summer, I spent two weeks in Lille, France, working in a stationery shop as part of my own little French immersion experiment.

And yes… I did it with my very broken French.

🎧 Come along with me on my 2-week French experiment — the mistakes, the awkward moments, the people I met, and everything this little adventure taught me.

You can also watch my My 2-Week French Experiment 🇫🇷 Reel series on Instagram to see the journey behind this episode.

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

There's a blink-and-you-miss-it shot in the film Life of Pi where the main character is reading a French novel — Albert Camus's L'Étranger (The Stranger). I couldn't stop wondering why, especially since I'd just read the book myself weeks earlier and made a whole video and podcast episode connecting it to Mbappé.

So I went looking for the answer......
You don't need to have read the book or seen the film to follow along — I walk through both.

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Audible:
🎧 30-day FREE Trial Signup: https://amzn.to/4pN0rhI
🇫🇷 French audiobook version: https://amzn.to/4yMCuLk

Kindle:
🇬🇧 English: https://amzn.to/4g01cAB
🇫🇷 French: https://amzn.to/4pFWNGc

Physical Book:
🇬🇧 English: https://amzn.to/4pvZnyK
🇫🇷 French: https://amzn.to/4aWMesl

(These are affiliate links — a small percentage supports my channel, no extra cost to you.)

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#LEtranger #Camus #LifeOfPi #FrenchCulture #FrenchLiterature #Podcast #Francophile #FrenchLearning

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

This week's Podcast connected Kylian Mbappé, a 1942 French novel, and a stereotype the French deal with constantly — being called rude when they're really just being direct. 

We go deeper into Mbappé's career-long reputation (not just one match), my own experiences with the French "rude" stereotype — including a story from my university exchange in France that still sticks with me — and the harder question underneath all of it: where's the actual line between authenticity and just being inconsiderate?

📺 Watch the original YouTube video: https://youtu.be/lp7mn4bQg2A

📚 Get a copy of L'Étranger/The Outsider here:
(This is an affiliate link — a small percentage supports the channel at no extra cost to you.)
🇬🇧 English version: https://amzn.to/4pvZnyK
🇫🇷 French version: https://amzn.to/4aWMesl

💌 Want more deep dives like this before they become a video? Join my newsletter: https://rachelwmak.com/newsletter/

#Mbappe #France #FrenchCulture #Podcast #LEtranger #Camus #Francophile

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

I had this really weird dream. Twice, two nights in a row. Nobody was chasing me, nobody was blaming me — and yet I woke up both mornings feeling completely wrecked. It took me a while to figure out why.

This episode is about the months of chaos that quietly pulled me away from my French routine, the fear I didn't even know I was carrying, and the strange, unexpected way I finally understood what my own dream was trying to tell me.

If you've ever felt like you're not doing enough, not disciplined enough, not "there" yet to start the thing you love — this one's for you.

Share it with someone who needs to hear it. And come say hi — I'd love to keep walking this growth-and-French journey with you.

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

After a month of silence, I'm back — and I have a very good reason for disappearing.

Instead of my usual self-study routine, I did something completely different: I enrolled in the Saturday Express course at Institut Français in South Kensington, London. Five full Saturdays. A real classroom. Real classmates. And a very honest wake-up call about where my French actually stands.

In this episode, I share:
✅ How I learned French from A1 to A2 as a busy adult with zero immersive environment
✅ How a random conversation with my French tutor led me to Institut Français
✅ What my first day of French school actually felt like (spoiler: very nervous)
✅ The real pros AND cons of group language learning vs. self-study
✅ What I discovered about my speaking and listening skills
✅ Whether I'd do it again — and the smarter way to approach it

🎁 FREE French Vision Board (desktop + mobile wallpaper):
Get my French Fluency Vision Board
→ https://rachelwmak.com/newsletter/

📺 Watch the full video on YouTube (includes the assessment, classroom footage & my French journal entry — can you understand it without subtitles?) https://youtu.be/BkBF5bLYBpA

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🔗 LINKS MENTIONED
- Institut Français London: https://www.institut-francais.org.uk
- Saturday Express course: https://www.institut-francais.org.uk/french-courses/saturday-express/#/
- My 30-Day French Speaking Challenge (YouTube): https://youtu.be/WjGJU9LD6mQ
- How I Learn French Without Living in France (YouTube): https://youtu.be/iROGBIXhlZc
- Free French Vision Board download: https://rachelwmak.com/newsletter/

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💬 LET'S CONNECT
I'd love to know — what's YOUR biggest challenge as a French learner right now? 
Speaking? Listening? Finding the time?

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review — it genuinely helps other 
French learners and francophiles find this podcast. Merci beaucoup! 🇫🇷

#LearnFrench #FrenchLearning #AdultLanguageLearner #InstitutFrançais 
#FrenchInLondon #Francophile #LanguageLearningJourney

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

In this episode, I reflect on a real classroom moment from my university years in Hong Kong and how learning French later helped me understand it differently. From French philosophy and education to the famous thèse, antithèse, synthèse structure, this is a story about how culture quietly shapes our voice.

It’s not about one culture being better than another — it’s about understanding why silence feels safe for some, and expression feels natural for others.

If you love French culture, are learning French, or are curious about communication, identity, and critical thinking, this episode is for you.

 🎁 Free Download:
Get my French Fluency Vision Board
→ https://rachelwmak.com/newsletter/

🎧 Recommended listening
If you haven’t yet, you might enjoy the previous episode:
Why French Culture Is So Irresistible to Me

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

In this episode, I share how I manifested my French fluency — not in a magical or unrealistic way, but through mindset shifts and real-life practices that genuinely worked for me and helped me build calm, confidence, and consistency in French.

If you’re a French learner, a francophile, or someone who feels stuck despite years of learning, I hope this video gives you encouragement and a different way of seeing your journey.

🎁 Free Download:
Get my French Fluency Vision Board
→ https://rachelwmak.com/newsletter/

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Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

This gentle language learning meditation is for anyone who feels afraid, blocked, or hesitant about speaking French.

If learning French has ever made you doubt yourself, feel behind, or feel “not good enough”, I hope this meditation helps you feel a little safer, a little softer, and a little more patient with yourself.

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🧡Support the show

Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]

Have you ever felt like you’re not “qualified enough” to do the thing you love?

In this episode, I share why I stopped waiting to be fluent, confident, or “ready” before talking about French — and how a quiet year without big milestones actually helped me grow more than expected.

This episode is about manifestation in real life, not wishful thinking.
About trusting the pause.
About becoming — before arrival.

If you love French culture, are learning French, or feel called to a future you can’t fully see yet, this episode is for you.

Support the show

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🧡Support the show

Hosted by Rachel W. Mak — creator of Rachel mais Rachelle en français

🎬 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@rachel_mais_rachelle
🌍 More reflections & updates: rachelwmak.com/podcast
💌 Say bonjour: [email protected]