When I first decided to start my life in France after years of being an au pair and a student, I started to hear talk of something called a mutuelle. I had already been enjoying the benefits of seriously discounted … Continue reading
How to Get a Complémentaire Santé Solidaire (CSS)
After I successfully enrolled in France’s health insurance system and got my temporary social security number or numéro provisoire, I went to see many doctors. At the beginning of the appointment, they would look at my certificate of registration and … Continue reading
Add a Bicycode to Your Bike
Once you’ve spent a lot on a brand new electric bike (even if you got much of it subsidized) you want to protect it from theft. Unfortunately, not only is Paris a place where more than one of us have … Continue reading
How to Get a Long-Stay Visa for France Through French Lessons
While it would be nice if Americans were able to live in Europe visa-free, it’s not the case (one can dream that it will be someday, right?). If you’re from the US and want to live in a country like … Continue reading
An Expat Discussion of Study Abroad Experiences
Editor’s Note: In these articles, Molli Sébrier (MS) & Gracie Bialecki (GB) discuss their study abroad experiences, particularly in the light of later on becoming Paris residents. MS: I was never someone who imagined herself in a foreign country. But, … Continue reading
France 365
In December 2020 I took a business trip to Eindhoven to check in with the editors of Dispatches Europe, which syndicates some of our content here at TAIP. In November 2021 I took a two-week business trip to Hungary. That … Continue reading
Boulangerie Basics
I can’t speak for every foreigner, but I can describe the feeling that most Americans have the first time we enter a French boulangerie of any size or reputation. Wow. Followed closely by that feeling of awe is the complete … Continue reading
How to Get a Numéro Provisoire or How to Sign up for Assurance Maladie
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
How to Become an Auto-Entrepreneur in France
Many people dream of living and working in France, and while I was right there with you when I first got here, I know that I had a tendency to put the logistical side of everything on the back burner. … Continue reading
How Paris Quietly Became a Bike City
When I moved to Paris in 2013 one of the first things I did was obtain a Navigo card and after a couple of months of buying monthly passes manually via machines I switched to an annual pass and have … Continue reading