There are things that are very simple in France. One of my favorites is the “set it and forget it” auto-debit for most of your recurring expenses: your EDF (electricity bill), UGC pass, or your mobile phone, just to name … Continue reading
Three Years On, Part IV: Where Is Home for the Immigrant?
A few days ago I began my fourth year in Paris. I wanted to use the milestone to share some reflections on how I have changed and ongoing tips on how to make the move yourself. This is the final article in a … Continue reading
Book Club: My Life in France, by Julia Child
Julia Child is best and rightly known as the woman who brought French cooking to America in an accessible and sensible way. You may know her through her recipes and her famous TV show, but this book, My Life in … Continue reading
Three Years On, Part III: Cost of Living
Next month I begin my fourth year in Paris. I wanted to use the milestone to share some reflections on how I have changed and ongoing tips on how to make the move yourself. This is the third in a series of … Continue reading
Three Years On from Moving to France, Part II: Big Changes
Next month I begin my fourth year in Paris. I wanted to use the milestone to share some reflections on how I have changed and ongoing tips on how to make the move yourself. This is the second in a series of … Continue reading
Three Years On, Part I: Penseés for Those Planning to Move to France
Next month I begin my fourth year in Paris. I wanted to use the milestone to share some reflections on how I have changed and ongoing tips on how to make the move yourself. This is the first in a series … Continue reading
French Work Benefits Are Truly Unbelievable
We were in line to pay for our portions of the meal. It was in Grenoble and many of my native French companions had opted for raclette, the delicious and hearty mountain food of the Alps. I wanted to encounter … Continue reading
Book Club: Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell
George Orwell is perhaps best known for his seminal works 1984 and Animal Farm. One of his lesser-known works that I’ve come to appreciate is Down and Out in Paris and London. The book is an examination of working-class poverty … Continue reading
August in France
It is quiet. Wonderfully quiet. Not just in Paris but everywhere you go in France. On July 15th, after some national holiday that will go unnamed, the French decide that it’s been a solid 10.5 months of work, and that … Continue reading
Book Club: A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway
After the November attacks of last year many French begin reading this book as an act of defiance. It was left among some of the tributes at République and other places. More than one French friend told me that it was … Continue reading