For the first year after I arrived in France, every time I went to the pharmacy or doctor, they’d ask for my carte vitale. This is the health insurance card every French person has which allows them to be reimbursed … Continue reading
French Bureaucratic Adventures
“Free Money” for French Classes via FIFPL
“Nine hundred euros?” I was stunned. The admin person for a French school in Paris had just called me back and told me that was the budget I had to spend on French classes. I had spent a couple of … Continue reading
Administrative Adventures in France
“To maintain order in your bureaucratic life, you more or less have to stay home; go away for any length of time and you’re always likely to run foul of some agency or another.” – Michel Houellebecq, Submission One of … Continue reading
Change Your Address? Not So Fast!
It didn’t seem that long ago that I penned an article explaining the few steps necessary to change your address. So, as a “veteran” of the process, I thought it would be just as simple to do it again. Not … Continue reading
Métro Bureaucracy
I was standing with a number of my fellow passengers that had just disembarked at the Saint-Germain-des-Près métro station. There were a number of ticket inspectors in front of me scanning the Navigo passes or simple tickets of the passengers. … Continue reading
Changing Your Mailing Address in France
Most Americans are used to being able to go online and for the cost of $1 (USPS says this is for identity verification) and the time it takes you to fill out the necessary online form you can change your … Continue reading
Getting My French Carte Vitale and Going to the Doctor…Finally
It felt futile. I knew the French didn’t operate this way, but I was feeling worn out and was reverting to American habits. I was writing, in French, on a post-it note, the following message: “I am very happy to … Continue reading
A Trip to the Police Station
I apologize for the very long break from the blog. It was an amazing summer — my second spent working in the spectacular beauty of Switzerland (here’s one of my favorite images from that time). I kept a journal, but … Continue reading