Lindie Botes

🌏 Happy New Year 2026! 🥂

새해 복 많이 받으세요 • Bonne année • Chúc mừng năm mới • Feliz año nuevo • 明けましておめでとう • Gelukkige nuwe jaar • 新年快樂 • Buon anno • Boldog új évet! I hope your 2026 is off to a beautiful start filled with love and languages. 🩷

🎥 Coming Up This Month

I’m planning to upload as much as possible! But... my face is still quite swollen from surgery, so I’m not looking fully normal just yet. 😂 Please bear with me for a few months until I recover and look less pudgy!

Expect lots of:
- Language progress: videos showing my learning methods, resources and updates
- Planning & productivity: language planners, my journal ecosystem, stationery, productivity apps
- All things language goals for 2026: my quarterly goals, how I set them up, how you can learn a new language and more.

☕️ New: Monthly Zoom Hangouts!

Exciting news—Buy Me a Coffee memberships now include monthly Zoom calls, Q&As and behind the scenes extra content. We’ll chat, share language stories and progress, and keep each other accountable.
💌 Join the gang here: www.buymeacoffee.com/lindiebotes

💙 I want to hear from you!

My theme for January is Goals, Planning, and Starting New Languages. What would you like to see this month?

Drop your video requests in the comments! 🥳✨

1 week ago | [YT] | 866

Lindie Botes

New blog post 💙 One of my most comprehensive ones yet!
All the ways I learn vocabulary in a new language [with resource recommendations!] Check it out here 🤓 lindiebotes.com/2025/12/15/how-to-learn-vocabulary…

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 106

Lindie Botes

My monthly newsletter is coming to an inbox near you tomorrow! If you haven't subscribed yet, are you living under a rock? Jk. 😀 But if you do, you'll get exclusive life outtakes, language tips, freebies (yes, a lot of them), resource and music recommendations, and insights into my language learning methods and resources 📝

Don't miss this month's newsletter! Sign up here 🩷
lindiebotes.myflodesk.com/newsletter

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 152

Lindie Botes

Had some audio issues on my last video about vocabulary, sorry! I took it down for now to fix, and will reupload later. If you see it again today or tomorrow, you're not going crazy 😂 Please give the new upload later some love too though!

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 157

Lindie Botes

Hey community! Updates, thank you's, and thank you's again:

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for first and foremost your kindness, support, prayers and comments after my surgery. The swelling has gone up and some feeling is coming back at the 4 stitches. If you want to be grossed out, watch how a Le Fort II surgery is done...i had nightmares lol 😭 I think I would have chickened out if I watched the videos before my surgery.

Then, I wanted to thank those of you who have donated to help me cover the medical costs. For transparency's sake, on PayPal, you've contributed a total of $452, and on $91 BMAC. This makes $543 or ZAR9147, which covers about 8% of the total medical bills. Please do not see this as me asking for more AT ALL, because this is MORE than enough and even more than I expected, to help me cover the costs. It helps me so incredibly much 🥺🥺

I cannot thank you enough, and I pray you will be blessed tenfold for your generosity. For those who were unable to donate, PLEASE do not apologize, as this is a completely voluntary ask and I do not expect anything at all. Your love and support in a world that is so often eager to criticize and break down is beautiful, and I know that love will come back to you. 💕✨

Have the most amazing week ahead, and I am here if you have any questions or concerns or need to see documentation, invoices, receipts or screenshots. You are appreciated and loved! 🥺 And I can only say thank you to God for first of all allowing doctors to find the right diagnosis to help me breathe, swallow and sleep better, and second of all for showing me that there is kindness in the world. May God bless you all, even just for a kind message or prayer, in return. 🩷

🥲 I could not have asked for a better, supoortive YT community and can I just tell you how much more motivated and encouraged I feel to want to make even more better content for you? 🩷 I hope I can make you guys proud in the new year. ALL MY LOVEEEE 💙💙💙

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 302

Lindie Botes

Thank you everyone for your encouraging and kind comments regarding my recent surgery, it means a lot! I feel awkward and I don't usually do this, but I thought it's worth a try. My health insurance did not pay a single cent for this surgery. 😭

I motivated it three times with letters from my doctors about how this is a necessary surgery, but they refused to cover it, stating that it was cosmetic dentistry and not for life-changing health reasons. I have a hospital plan, which proved completely useless in this case. I'm really upset because it is the most expensive thing I've ever had to 'buy' in my life, and much of my savings are depleted for this.

In South African rands, it's around R140,000. In USD it might not be much, but with the exchange rate and cost of living here, it's very challenging.

🥺 If at all you feel moved to help donate, it would mean the world. You can donate whatever you feel, even a dollar, to my PayPal at www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/966WCKB5KUY3A or donate at www.buymeacoffee.com/lindiebotes/

The costs cover plates and screws, 3 nights in hospital, anaesthesiologist, surgeon appointments, the actual surgery, physiotherapy and dietician, and hospital admission.

If you need any proof of medical documentation/insurance letters etc, I am absoutely happy to provide these!

Thank you so much 😭🩷

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 356

Lindie Botes

Did anyone take the JLPT exam recently? If so, how did it go? 🩷 先週（かな？）日本語能力試験を受けた方いますか？どうでしたか？

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 62

Lindie Botes

Hello everyone! My bilateral osteotomy surgery (4 hours long!) went well and I’m spending my third night in hospital before heading home tomorrow. I never knew my face and lips could swell up this much or be so bruised 😂

I can eat some soup and drink water through a syringe, and starting to get a little bit of feeling back on my tongue. What’s absolutely incredible is, despite the pain and swelling, I already notice an improvement in breathing! My airway is open wider as a result and I’m like “is this how normal people breathe?!” It’s wonderful!

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers; it means so much. Can’t wait to get back on YouTube next year! 💓🫶🏻

1 month ago | [YT] | 796

Lindie Botes

Update: Hi friends! On Saturday I go in for my jaw surgery 🥲 Thank you to everyone who has wished me well or shared their experiences with the same operation - it means more than you think 💕 I promised a Japanese book haul video, but I don't think I have time to film it before my op. If you see any new videos during this time, those are pre-scheduled. I will try to make the book review early next year after my recovery! Have a lovely festive season in the mean time ✨

1 month ago | [YT] | 608

Lindie Botes

Looking for Black Friday discounts on language apps? I got you. I've collated some of the best here! lindiebotes.com/2025/11/28/top-black-friday-langua… Check it out 🩷🩷

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 30