Some months ago, at the height of the transportation strikes, several well-meaning acquaintances messaged me with concern or asked on behalf of friends who were considering travel plans whether it was indeed safe to visit Paris. These people didn’t need … Continue reading
“Well, to understand these protests, you have to understand how the French see their life and work narrative,” I told a client last week. “They go to school, get a degree or certification, work until they are 62, and then … Continue reading
The arrival of autumn last week was underlined by rain and punctuated by cold: summer is officially over in the City of Light. It was, by all accounts, one of our quietest summers in recent history, as we were bereft … Continue reading
In the last eight weeks I have received an avalanche of questions from those hoping to immigrate to France. In the past when I received a lot of questions I would collect them into a post like this and call … Continue reading
“You are?” my European friends responded, bug-eyed, to my disclosure that I was flying to America this week. They had been watching CNN or some other similar network, in which the impression was being given that the country was burning … Continue reading
I’ve spent my entire life in countries with unrestricted freedom of movement. Not only did those countries let me go where I wanted, whenever I wanted, as long as I wasn’t breaking laws, the countries were indifferent to my location … Continue reading
Two weekends ago the weather was particularly lovely and while I was out for a Sunday stroll in my neighborhood what I had already been sensing over the previous weeks became crystal clear: many Parisians were not abiding by the … Continue reading
This is the time of year when I often have to remind non-EU nationals who live in France most of the year that they need to file taxes. With all that has been going on I was particularly glad that … Continue reading
While Paris started the year in the midst of a transportation strike that the strikers by and large lost in the end, there was only a brief respite for the hospitality industry as the specter of the global panic pandemic … Continue reading
So I should confess that I’ve mostly avoided any experience of the strikes here in Paris. I flew out of Paris on December 4th for a long-planned holiday Down Under. The next day, the strikes began. I just arrived back … Continue reading