This letter was originally sent to MyA5Letter subscribers on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Read Vietnamese version here.
Ciao, dear friend 👋🏻
A week in Florence and what she reminded me about
I just came back from a week in Florence, Italy — my first time back after 11 years. And she is just as gorgeous as I remembered. (Yeah, a “she”, like “die Stadt” — “the city”, in German is a feminine noun).
The golden light on the Duomo. The wonderful art and sculptures. The tiramisu and affogato that make you close your eyes and sigh “hmmm”. And to top it all up, the sunset view from Piazzale Michelangelo.
But what made this trip completely different from any other trips I’ve made this year wasn’t the architecture or the amazing Tuscan and Italian food.
It was the chance to meet and connect with people (something I never thought I’d say as an introvert!).
Over the course of one week, I found myself chatting with tourists from the US, sharing lunch with a fellow traveler from the UK, learning about local cuisine from our Italian tour guides, and then — my favorite moments — cooking together with an Egyptian couple and picking up little words and expressions in Arabic and Italian along the way.
Somewhere between the munching and the laughing and the constant question and answer of “Where are you from?”, it hit me:
We are not different at all, despite our diverse backgrounds, ages and cultures. We are all human beings that simply love life, love traveling and love food.
This love brought us to the same destination at the same time.
And languages — the thread through it all (even when we have to communicate via English, not our mother tongues) — connect us together and open our mind and heart.
So I love it all. Travelling. Food. Languages. The combination of them makes the world such a beautiful and interconnected place 🌿.
I realize this is one of the reasons why I love learning languages and why I think languages matter. Not just for resumes or exams — but for moments like these. Moments where a shared meal becomes a shared memory, a shared experience for travellers from different parts of the world. Moments where we learn about each other’s stories and recognize us in there too, despite our different origins and countries of residence.
And also for us to find each other on the Internet at this cozy corner, because…
Somewhere between writing late into the night, filming reels on weekends, and sending these little letters into your inbox — something quietly beautiful happened.
✨ Our little corner now holds 16,000 souls on Instagram and 800 of friends in this newsletter ✨.
And when I say “souls,” I mean it. Not followers. Not numbers. People who love languages. People who fill notebooks with colorful pens. People who are working towards their (language) goals, learning a new foreign language in their free time, and choosing to grow — quietly, intentionally, one page at a time.
Like you and me.
That’s us. That’s this community. And I am so grateful to be in it with you.
💕 Thank you for being here.
📖 Finally: here’s to the last 2 weeks to pre-order German Writing & Speaking Essential Guide!
I’m coming home from Florence and going straight back to finalizing this e-book and I want to make sure you will not miss it.
Here’s what it is:
The German Writing & Speaking Essential Guide is designed for complete beginners who want to reach A2 level (fast and structured)— with guided writing/speaking templates, and clear daily study plans with useful prompts that help you go from understanding German to actually using it, confidently, in everyday life.
Already past A-Level? You can still use it as a systematic review to fill in the gaps, sharpen your writing, and finally feel confident speaking if you still haven’t.
👉 Current pre-order price: $27 USD
👉 Price goes up at launch in 2 weeks
👉 Early supporters get it first at the lowest price it will ever be
If you’ve been on the fence: this is your sign. And if you know someone who’s been dreaming of learning German — share this with them. It might be exactly what they’ve been waiting for.
Thank you for reading, as always.
Whether you’ve been here since Day One or just found your way to this cozy corner, whether you are learning German or any other languages — I’m simply glad that you’re here.
Con affetto (or with affection),
Suani 🎀