I don't like myself in French
After 3 years in France and roughly 6 years of acquiring the language in total, I have given up on liking myself in French.
For new readers:
Hi, I’m Michelle, a Dutch illustrator and teacher living in Paris. This substack was born out of my obsession with capturing everything in visual form. I draw to capture the world, but also to organize my own thoughts. I publish sketchpads (like this one) and long-format illustrated essays together with my husband . If you enjoy this format, please subscribe to .
Formidable! Tu as très bien exprimé la situation ma petite coccinelle (un mot français que j’aime 😘) bisous de Larkspur
It’s really interesting to have this perspective. I feel the same way in English, less spontaneous than I’d like, but it also gives me the advantage of listening more and not interrupting, which I might do more easily in my native language. Maybe we even have different personalities depending on the language we speak and how comfortable we feel. But it’s also a real privilege to experience this without feeling judged by the person in front of us