At first, I didn’t know my mouchoir from my torchon, but shifts at Le Bar Commun improved my French, opening up a world of opportunities

I don’t know why I thought I would be like Grace Jones. The singer and model (neither of which I am) reportedly became fluent in French within three months of moving to Paris. For some hubristic reason, I assumed I’d do the same.

But in 2018, two years after arriving in Paris, I was coasting. I could get by, but I was essentially living the life of a digital nomad, speaking English with my partner at home, working remotely for a US company and socialising largely with other English-speaking migrants – something I swore I’d never do.