5 Things I Never Thought I’d Miss Living in France

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As a blogger, it’s probably not much of a surprise to anyone reading this that I spend too much of my time researching things on the internet. Whether I’m preparing to explore a new city, try out a new pizzeria or even just whip up a batch of fluffy pancakes, I’m constantly researching insider tips on the ‘net. I continually attempt and fail to remind myself that just because it’s on the internet doesn’t make it the holy grail of all truths…. right?… right!?

Of coursing moving to France was no exception and I amassed A LOT of pre-expat research. I hunted down material on the way the French live, work, dress, behave, eat, etc… you name it, I was all over it. Of course, surprises in life are the fresh strawberries on the top of angel food cake and some things you just can’t plan for. Below are the five things no amount research could have prepared me for missing when I started my adventure across the pond.

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Thailand Part 1 | Exploring Bangkok

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We booked Thailand a good 5 months before actually leaving when we found insanely cheap tickets on Air India. As an American, good deals overly excite me, but for the record, we’d fly Air India again in a heartbeat for the value for money. H.I.G.H.L.Y R.E.C.O.M.M.E.N.D. I.T.

So, I am a travel research kind of gal, so I stalked every blog I could find to create the best two week Thailand circuit for fresh first time tourists like ourselves. We ultimately decided on 3 days in Bangkok, 1 day in Pattaya exclusively to see friends, 4 days in Chaing Mai and then to finish up with 4 days in paradise on the Koh Phi Phi Islands. I was pretty proud of our itinerary and imagined us soaking up the Thai culture while we zipped around on tuk tuks and longtail boats, tucked into amazing street food and threw back bottles of local Singha beer.

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Thailand Part 0 | Honeymoon Disaster?

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Thailand took on an unexpected twist 10 days before our flight left Paris. I get this panicked call from Robin during his weekly soccer game because some overexcited teammate of his (these guys all play with the aggressiveness of pro players, but with the skills of complete beginners), had sidelined him during the game and he twisted his ankle. He’s explaining to me that he can’t put any weight on it, it’s swelled to three times it’s normal size and he’s in excruciating pain. ankleI’ll admit that my first thought sounded a bit like “you’ve got to be f*cking sh*tting me! We for sure didn’t check that travel insurance box so cancelling is really not an option. What’s the name of this Cristiano Ronaldo wannabe that ran you over?” But I managed to suppress my urge to rant and instead muttered something more along the lines of ” oh no honey, I’m so sorry. Do you want me to meet you at the emergency room?”

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Living in Paris on an Entry Level Salary

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When I moved to Paris as a student, I was broke with a capital B. I clearly was not the only student making this move with little to no income based on the rampant amount of “how to live on a student budget in Paris” articles sweeping the net. Surprisingly though, once you move from student status to young professional status, there are few articles on how to make the most of your money in the city of lights. Is it because everyone is scoring high paying entry level jobs? Or the majority of young professionals in Paris work in Mergers and Acquisitions? This isn’t London, so I have my doubts.

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30 Tips For Anyone Moving To France

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After 8 years living across the pond, my tips for new French expats seems to be never-ending. But it’s still a constant learning process and I’ll make sure to keep you updated as I continue to get wiser. For now, you’ll find my top 30 tips waiting for your reading pleasure below. I sincerely hope it saves you a wrinkle or two. I’ve certainly got more than a couple of grey hairs thanks to ING Direct.

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75002 | Daroco

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I was the lucky dinner date of one of my favorite French couples at Daroco last Friday. This high end Italian “tratorria” has not disappointed since it opened it’s doors 2 years ago. The owners actually took over what used to be Jean Paul Gaultier’s ready to wear studio next to the Palais Royal Gardens and gave it a glamorous 2 million euro makeover. If you’re looking to eat great pizza in a place currently considered à la mode, look no further than Daroco. Reservations required! Continue reading →

3 | Cuppa Tea Anyone?

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I’m not going to pretend that Pierre just disappeared from my life when we broke up. The term “ghosting” is a literal mind blower for me. I never managed to stop communicating with an ex cold turkey and I don’t have any friends that have personally accomplished that one either. If you’re one of the few special unicorns out there that have done it, serious kudos to you. It usually took me hundreds of failed girls nights out, drunken late night phone calls to said ex and some sloppy revenge kisses in bars to cut off most communication. So while Pierre was still darting in and out of my life depending on my mental state of mind and my sobriety, I was officially single in 2010. I set two personal goals for myself. Stick it out in Scotland for as long as I financially could and move to France as soon as I was accepted to the TAPIF program.

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2 | Shipped Off To Scotland

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Some of the so called plans I had in Shipped off to France Part 1 like changing majors, finishing school early, moving to Europe etc.., actually did happen, much to the astonishment of many friends and family. We all know that love can make you do absolutely bat shit crazy things, so I wasn’t even phased when I took on 24 credit hours for two semesters. This consequently meant moving to the library permanently, changing to a liquid diet of energy drinks to stay awake (Monster anyone?), and living in old sweatpants with my greasy hair hidden under a baseball cap. To be honest, sweatpants and greasy hair is kind of the uniform of college kids in the Midwest, so I probably shouldn’t consider that a consequence of the double workload.

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Part II | What I Wish I Knew Before Dating A Frenchie

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Yo! Alert! This is Part II of “What I wish I knew before dating a Frenchie.” Check out Part I here first if you are shamelessly behind schedule.

I again had the opportunity to partner up with my fabulous New Zealand Pal Rosie to make a video for Part II. Rosie has an amazing Youtube Channel, Not Even French, about her life as a Kiwi in Paris. Don’t be a fool, go see her channel after you watch the video and read the article!

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