Moving to France: Year 1 vs Year 2
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
- Salut les amis ! (Hello friends!)
When I made Part 1 of this video, I was surprised at how many comments I got, and now that I've been in France for almost two years, I thought I'd come back to the topic with some updates on how my second year living in Paris has been different (and it really has!).
• What Really Happens Wh...
So this video is a deeper dive into my experience moving to a new country--it's not really a tips video, but more of just how my life in France has changed now that I've started to actually settle in after the first year. It's probably more for those who are thinking about a long-term move rather than just staying for a few months.
Living in Paris is wonderful, but expat life has its challenges. Diving into a new culture and trying to learn the systems and fit in and understand what people are saying to you ha!
I think these things would all apply no matter which country you're calling your new home, although maybe the fact that I don't really miss my old city (NYC) very much will surprise you. That surprised me!
As always, thank you so much for watching. I just love your comments! Let me know what else you'd like to know about moving to France and je vais faire de mon mieux ! (I'll do my best!).
Find me other places online for so much more!
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Très belle journée (have a beautiful day),
Karen
#LifeInFrance #MoveToFrance #ExpatLife #AmericansInParis #AmericansInFrance #MyExpatLife #FollowYourDreams #TravelDiaries
Hello, your story, style, content and videos are so interesting to me. I look forward to following your adventure in France. Greetings and best wishes to you from Southern California.
We enjoy visiting France every time to visit (and I would enjoy living there). My wife is working very hard to learn French and we hope to come for longer stays to France for her to enroll in French language school. Cheers.
Merci ! That's fantastic that she is already learning French, and I wish you all the best with your plans to move :-)
IMHO: you’re awesome, from a New Yorker/ NYC 🗽
There’s no better compliment to be had-THANK YOU, you made my whole month 😊
I felt the same way about a show! I went to see Spamalot, and I loved Monty Python. I got a lot of the references from the film, but they inserted a lot of cultural references that I absolutely did not understand. At other times, the music or other sounds made it difficult to understand what they were saying... It was a very isolating experience.
That said, being uncomfortable isn't necessarily a bad thing. We are doing something really cool - pushing our limits, learning, changing, adapting. It would definitely be more comfortable to stay where you were born and just focus on what you know.
Thank you for this. You're so right! Cheers to progress and growth :-)
Hello Karen,
I think everything we're confronted with in life is a 'process,' and best dealt with through awareness and patience. From what you've shared, I think you're doing a great job adjusting to your new life in France. Assimilating into a new culture, particularly as an adult, will probably take more time than you'd like. Sounds like you're being too hard on yourself. Curious if you've studied France's history? It may help when getting to know and understand the French people and their culture better.
So beautifully said, thank you for these thoughts. As to French culture, yes, I'm very lucky. Not only did I get to do the OFII resident training which involves quite a bit of history, I also have the world's best French husband who is so passionate about French history and culture and he is teaching me so much, and I'm starting a university course this September. It really is fascinating! Encore merci ! :-)
Wonderful, je vous en pris!
👍
It seems to be extremely difficult to make close friends with French people unless you have known them all your life. Private life remains private. Relationships that develop between other nationalities through work or leisure activities develop much less rapidly with French people. Formality and politesse often remain between people who have known each other for decades, in my experience. (Not that being polite is wrong).
This is what I've heard too, but I'm going slow and we'll see. I've found a few very sweet and lovely people and I'm working on it :-) Thank you for taking the time to write such a great comment!
Hello! I love your videos. Like you, I’m married to a French man & we’ve always lived in the US; married for 40 years. We are now talking about retiring to France, largely because his much older sister might need our help. I’ve been going back & forth for decades, but I’m thinking about transitioning there. It can’t be easy. If I may ask, why was your long- stay visa rejected the 1st time, given that you are married to a French guy?
Hi and thanks for writing! Retiring in France sounds lovely. I'm glad you asked about the visa. In my case, I got a list of documents required from the prefecture. One of the things I needed was two recent proofs that we lived together (phone bill, energy bill, lease, etc). So I brought two proofs but when I got to my pre-scheduled appointment (which was difficult to schedule) the official said that in fact I needed two proofs from two different companies but also in two different months. This info was not on the list of requirements, which I showed them but they rejected me anyway. I had two different proofs but in the same month. I offered to show him another month's bill right there and he said no, it had to be printed. But he wouldn't print it and he wouldn't let me print it and come right back. This set back my visa by at least a month as I had to wait for another appointment. It's just a good reminder to bring extra docs whenever you'll be seeing the French administration :-) But there are other reasons they could reject you as well--like if you didn't take required French classes or participate in the OFII trainings...hope this is helpful and bonne continuation !