I’ve heard of people going back home after living abroad for a while and feeling self-conscious, out of place. As if they can no longer relate to the people from their hometown. It’s isolating, I imagine, to feel disconnected from … Continue reading
expat
You Have to Make Your Life
Having to stand up for myself in a country where I’m trying to establish the rest of my life has been no easy feat. A thin layer of perspiration has formed and now permanently coats my face simply because I’m … Continue reading
My Journey to France Part 2
In case you missed Part 1, I’m sharing my unique journey from I’ll-never-live-abroad to nearly-10-years-in-France-and-counting. I’m often asked how I did it — and while several of my articles on TAIP touch on how I’ve been able to stay, I … Continue reading
My Journey to France, Part 1
I’ve lived in France on and off since 2014. I’m often asked, “How did you do it?” The short answer is a lot of determination and a refusal to take non as an answer. But, I know a lot of … Continue reading
30 Days Out: “Are You Excited About Paris Yet?”
This is part of a series of articles about the final days of preparing for moving to France and what happens when you get here, and those articles are part of a promotional series launching our new book, 29 Days … Continue reading
Reflections After More Than 7 Years in France
Sometimes it’s still hard for me to believe that I have lived abroad for so long. If you’ve read any of my other articles for The American in Paris, you know that my journey to France never involved years of … Continue reading
How to Earn Money as an Expat Student in Paris
I’ve had almost every student job imaginable since I’ve been in Paris. I’ve traded daily English lessons for my apartment and picked up a child after school while speaking exclusively in English. I’ve cleaned Airbnb properties and met guests to … 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
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
Book Club: Paris to the Moon, by Adam Gopnik
My favorite book written about Paris from the expat perspective is the series of essays written for The New Yorker by Adam Gopnik that was later compiled into a book called Paris to the Moon. As the book’s magical title promises, it … Continue reading