9 things that are easier after 6 years of living in france
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- Опубліковано 8 тра 2024
- Living in France for 6 years has taught me that persistence pays off. In this video, I reflect on 9 aspects of my journey that have become noticeably easier since I moved here. If you're struggling with something new and feeling overwhelmed, know that you're not alone! I hope my journey of growth and adaptation in a new country inspires you to keep pushing forward and not lose hope. Let’s dive in!
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When have you seen persistence (putting in time and effort) make things easier in your life?
Interesting! (as always).
1- It takes 2 years to become completely fluent in a foreign language (on the condition that you live in the foreign country and try to mix with the locals as much as possible).
2- When in a pharmacy about intimate problems, ask the pharmacists to talk to them "in private" ("Je peux vous parler en privé, s'il vous plaît?") and they will take you where no-one else can hear what your problem is. I always do that.
Thank you. With fluency mixing with locals is vital. I think I would have claimed fluency sooner had I been going into a job where French was spoken. Thank you for sharing this idea of asking to speak in private at the pharmacy. Great suggestion.
Congratulations on your increasing subscribers!!!!
Patricia, your insights are invaluable, and your guidance is sure to inspire many.
Ah, thank you. This means a lot to me. 🙂
9:15 This is more than a visa. It is like a French ID, except that it is delivered to a foreign resident, and it is valid for several years. How many years, I can't see because the date of delivery is not visible. All I can see is that it is valid until 2026-09-15. Congratulations. Welcome to France.
Thank you. Yes, it's my carte de séjour. This one is good for four years. 😀
Very good video and also very interesting. We’ve been here for just over three years so half your time but it’s interesting because of some of the experiences you’ve had as opposed to ours. I think we must have been lucky with regards to some of the admin stuff. In our first year we got our Carte Vitales, bought a French car and arranged insurance, set up online bank accounts and submitted our first tax return. However we are far from fluent and still find the language challenging. Whilst we do speak on the phone we actively avoid it if we can and much prefer taking our chances face to face 😂. I envy your fluency though and whilst I know I am never going to be fluent (for various reasons) I hope to continue to gain more confidence in speaking as I know that is my biggest problem. Well done on your achievements so far.
Well done on your achievements too! You tackled so much in your first year. Keep on working at French. You'll become more and more confident as you do. Best wishes and thanks for your comment.
Thanks for sharing your journey
Patricia, I can relate to the difficulty of saying no. I’ve learned that some people have a personality profile, which makes it difficult to say no. And that’s me. It’s called the peacemaker in the Enneagram personality profile. I’ve noticed that the French culture has no problem, saying an emphatic no. If I ever move to France, I will adopt this Courage to say no and not feel bad.
Yes, saying no directly in France is a thing and I think this has helped me with saying no more easily too. Thanks for your thoughts.
Another amazing video! I just got back from Paris. While there I’m seeing the layers of French culture. The thought of taking on a move is daunting and scary. Yet the idea to live in France seems wonderful. I’m keeping on tracking. If you can do it, I can do it. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, moving abroad is wonderful AND scary at the same time. But if you've got the dream in your heart do it. You are right you can do it too! Best wishes.
Once again, an interesting & informative video.
I can relate to the exhaustion of 3-4 hour meals during which I must speak French. It is draining. Also, the pharmacies. The 1st time I entered one alone in Paris, I was greeted by 4 women in white coats. I was terrified. 😀
I had to laugh when you described your first visit alone to the pharmacy😂 Thanks for sharing!
I find the saying no thing so amusing. When I first got here one of my French friends warned me that the French always say no first but to not take no for an answer! This was the absolute opposite of how I had been brought up where my mother would say no means no. So as a little wrinkle on your theme, I want to add for new people not to take no for an answer here. There are all kinds of techniques you can use to get to yes.
One is just a stand there and energetically let the problem be there is to solve. Just ask for what you want and stand there. It's kind of a funny game and you'll see that French people will like to solve your problem.and they usually do it with Grace.
Hi Patricia ! I'm into my second year here in France and am glad to hear it gets easier ! I love Cêret (it was on my vision board). I'm in Rouen (right?) but am on the hunt in the South. Maybe we can meet for coffee one day. (Once I get these taxes done !)
I'm sorry to hear about your phone plan troubles. I had an online bank account with N26 which made it easy to open an account right away with Free.
Had the same hassle opening with my brick and mortar bank though.
I don't think many systems are set up for the new habit of people moving around like we are used to in the U.S. So much is based on relationships here, which is very lovely and something I cherish. Except when one is new and doesn't have them yet!
I'm glad you were lucky to have a cooperative landlord. My landlord is in England and thought it was a scam to steal his identity when the bank wanted his id! (Evidently in the UK, like the U.S., identity cards are not a thing.)
Anyway, so happy to hear how you are thriving !
Yes, it is lovely that things here are relationship based, except when you are new!😂 Indeed! I visited Rouen for the Armada last June and to finally meet my language exchange partner in person. Nice city, but definitely different from Céret. I'd love to have a coffee if I'm in town when you visit.
Congrats. If you can drive in France, you can drive everywhere.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. 😀 I've heard there are more challenging places to drive though.
@@PatriciaBrooksCourageCatalyst Let me guess, you heard it from a French 🙂
I am a former truck driver. I drove out of Denmark each Sunday evening. I have been many places in Europe. My worst city was Amsterdam, people drove as they didn't know where they were going, very stressful. In Paris, I often encountered queue. The traffic is quite fast, when rolling. The French doesn't seem to take traffic rules serious, and it can create problems. Germany and Scandinavia, people tend to follow rules and when everybody does that, the traffic flows.
How's life in France this june 2024?
Nice video. My mother is from Perpignan, I'm from Montpellier, originally and I've been living in the US since 1990. In 2021 I bought a house in the Pyrenees and I'm spending the summers there. My wife is from California and became a French citizen. We'll definitely move back there within the next 5 years or next year if the Orange Monster is back in the WH. It'll be a pleasure for me to help any US citizen who want to move there. I'm not a business and not making money with this, I'll gladly talk to you in a video call or through the messaging device you feel confortable with if anybody has questions.
Hi, Bonjour, I just wanted to know if the french car you drive is an automatic or does it have a manual stick ?
It's automatic.😀
Electric cars become automatic in France. But this is always Nice ti have a manual stick in your hand. You feel more comfident and powerful 😂
@@PatriciaBrooksCourageCatalyst Thank you !
@@rowenn1729 Oh yeah, I didn't think about electric cars
@@rowenn1729 that's what I've heard.
About the "no" thing, I don't know where it comes from, it can be because of France, we are indeed known to be more direct, but it can as well just be a feminine personality trait : regardless of country, men are also known to be more direct than women. Or even something more personal, like maybe when you were a kid you had someone shouting at you when you refused to do something, so you opted for convoluted diplomatic ways of saying no when you had to. I don't know, I'm just guessing and everybody is different. Nevertheless, I think it's an interesting topic.
It is, indeed an interesting conversation. Good point. Perhaps receiving more no's in France may have contributed to my ability to say no more easily. Maybe it seems more acceptable to say no here and I've adopted this idea for myself. 🤔Thanks for sharing.
So each year you needed to do the insurance again?
I did. But I THINK if I had gotten the Carte Vitale I might not have had to.
L'inconnu fait toujours peur...alors dans un nouveau pays il y a des inconnus partout. Que de stress pour toutes les premières fois, et même ensuite avant de se familiariser... J'ai fait Montréal à Toronto sur les énormes routes américaines à xxxx voies, croyez moi j'étais hyper stressée.... Moi habituée aux petites routes qui vous font peur et que j'adore, le gigantisme au contraire me terrifie. Et avec le temps on s'habitue. Vous avez bien avancé après bien des épreuves et bientôt tout sera si naturel que vous vous demanderez comment vous avez pu avoir peur 🙄
Ah, oui. Votre expériences au Canada sur les grandes routes est un très bon comparaison. 😅Vous avez raison, on s'habitue et ce qui nous faisait peur avant devient seconde nature. Merci d'avoir partagé votre perspective.
Patricia.... "No. Is a Complete Sentence." Learn not to mull over it because it puts unnecessary stress on you, with thinking and thinking about the situation. Did you have a problem with saying "No" in the States Also? At 70 years old, I love saying... No... (smile)
Every single north american in Europe has the weighing the produce experience 😂
I guess it's a rite of initiation. 😏
Demandez la nationalité française, vous l'aurez sans problème, vous aurez la double nationalité France USA.
Merci pour votre vote de confiance. Pour un premier pas, à la fin de cette année, je vais passer le DALF à niveau C1. 🤞🏾
@@PatriciaBrooksCourageCatalyst Super !