Sketchy Dudes Please Stay Home

Since none of us have classes on Friday, Thursday has become party night. It always starts with drinks and hanging out at Ashley's place after school. A beer at the bar will cost you at least 4€ so we stock up on cases of the cheap stuff from the grocery store. Ashley, You, (the tallest Chinese girl I have ever met) and I had a grand old time talking about stereotypes and cultural differences over a couple beers and when we started YouTube'ing different versions of the national anthem so we could sing along and get emotional about 'Merica, it was obvious that we were ready to head out.

First stop: The Cock and Bull. This place is your typical English pub, complete with an old British owner who seems so charming with that little accent but is actually just kind of creepy. Ashley won him over a while back and now he gives her doubles for the price of a regular drink. Maybe a double Long Island was a bit excessive but who am I to judge? Turns out Ashley's eyes were bigger than her liver and ended up giving most of it to me. I know there's some rhyme about liquor and beer that's supposed to help you not feel like death the next day but when you drink the cheapest beer you can find and Long Island Ice Teas, you're going to feel like death no matter what you do. Oh well.

In an effort to sober up a bit, it was off to Bodegon for dancing. I had been to this place before on my first night out with Ashley and it was a bit dicey, what with the random girls taking their shirts off and dancing on the bar while it was on fire, but I'll try anything twice. The music that night was really good (read: American) and the crowd was a bunch of friendly-looking students. Drunk Ashley is a friendly Ashley so we were very quickly integrating into other groups at the bar. Fun times had by all!

And then creepers came out and now, instead of having a nice time, I spent the rest of the evening trying to fight away the sleaziest characters in the place. I don't care if you have a nice place not far from here. I don't want to see it. I don't care that you make a lot of money. I don't need it. I don't care that you have a fancy leather jacket. It looks tacky. You smell like cigarettes and BO and I'm not interested. And P.S. I'm engaged so try your creepy tactics on some other poor girl. Gross.

After about half an hour, just as it was starting to become unbearable, I realized it was getting late anyway and we decided to leave. We went to gather our things but Ashley's phone and tram card were missing. Super not good. After 20 minutes of looking under tables and interrogating all the sketchy guys that had been lurking around us, we had to give up the search. You had already caught the last bus to her place and the trams back in our direction only run until 1:30. There's nothing like losing all your stuff to really ruin a mostly enjoyable evening and I felt bad about the whole situation. She later recovered her tram card from the Cock and Bull but the phone was still MIA after calling it all night and the next day.

I really want to believe that her phone just fell out somewhere, you know, because these things happen when you're drinking, but it is also entirely possible that one of those sketchy guys that was leaning all over her may have lifted it right out of her pocket. Everyone is quick to say, "Well, if you don't want your stuff stolen, don't go out drinking" but why aren't we saying "Don't steal people's stuff"? This victim-perpetrator-blame thing has been getting a lot of press lately and while I wouldn't consider myself a feminist, I really don't think it's too much to ask that if you're a guy and you see a girl in a bar who might be a bit intoxicated, maybe it shouldn't be a green light to go take advantage of her. No, I am not trying to let anyone off the hook here. If you're responsible enough to go out and have a couple of drinks, you should be responsible enough to keep track of your things. But I also don't think it's fair to blame the victim of a theft. They're not the ones breaking laws and violating people...

And even if these guys didn't take her phone, they were still hella sketchy and I just don't understand how they could possibly believe that they're smooth. If I told you I wasn't interested, walked away and told you to leave me alone, why are you still trying to talk to me? I know my French isn't perfect, but typically when someone pushes your face away from theirs, it's a sign that they don't want you to try to kiss them. Just saying! If you are a creeper, please stay home and leave me alone. Thanks!

On a lighter note but definitely in the same vein of this story, this video made me laugh pretty hard.

Watching Cat Videos on YouTube Doesn't Count as Research

Someone please tell me how it's already December. I don't understand how time can simultaneously crawl and fly but that's exactly what it feels like right now.  I have been here for a measly three weeks but November 8th feels like it was ages ago. Perhaps it's because each day here is chock-full of new excitement and adventure even when I do nothing but troll the internet. Yeah, I spent four hours looking at stuff online... FRENCH STUFF. You know, research.

The first major thing I need to find is an apartment that Jason and I can both live in. The Residence Hippocrate is fine for just me, but we tried to fit into one dorm room bed when I was at Temple for Institute and it just didn't work. I'm a grown ass woman! I should be sleeping in a grown as woman sized bed! The trouble with finding an apartment is tri-fold in our case:

1) We'd really prefer something furnished. Since we're only here for a year or two, it would be a lot of stuff to have to buy only to turn around and sell moments later. (There is an IKEA here but still. Furnishing a whole place all at once ain't cheap.)

2) We want to live somewhere near downtown but not spend a fortune on rent and also be close to work/school. This is physically impossible because his job and my school are both located in the west and downtown is all the way east. It takes at least 50 minutes to get from downtown to Pessac and that's if you're staying right on the tram line with no transfers. Holy commute, Batman.

3) We do not have a French guarantor to tell a future landlord that we're good for the rent every month. I think this is completely unnecessary if Jason can prove that he has a job and a contract for a given amount of time but this is not how it works in France. Ugh!

I have a few leads on some places, thanks to Jason's future colleague, Steve, so I guess I have some visits to make in January.

I have also spent a lot of time looking for ways to stay in the country once my classes are done. I like Esarc Evolution just fine but as Mylène said, it won't be enough for me if I am planning to stay here for a while. It's also way too expensive to try and take classes with them for two years. I have been investigating the University of Bordeaux 3, which holds the Department of French as a Foreign Language. Apparently, lots of people from Esarc transfer there once they get their language skills up and I am hoping to do the same. It's about 1/3 the cost of a private center like Esarc and they offer not just language courses, but literature and foreign language instruction pedagogy classes, too. That sounds right up my alley. Unfortunately the website is not exactly the easiest thing to understand and I think I need to just write an email to them and get some answers.

There is also this French teaching assistantship program offered by the French government that I think would be really cool. It's a paid position and is very much in the vein of my career aspirations, but I would have to spend half the summer back in the US getting a work visa. It's also not guaranteed that I would be placed in Bordeaux since it's a national program. Even if I did get placed in this area, I could be out somewhere in the sticks and without a car, that would be pretty tough to do.

Confession: I have been planning our wedding. But it's not pathetic anymore because I'm engaged for really real now! For the moment, it's all completely hypothetical since we have no idea where we'll be or what we'll be doing a year or two from now and it's really tough to try to plan an event in a place where neither of you will be living. Between theknot.com and Pinterest and weddingawker, I have a ton of ideas about things I think would  be really awesome and fun but I haven't really consulted my other half on any of it. When I did, he had no opinions, so I guess I'll keep living the fantasy for a while longer.

I suppose blogging takes up a bit of time, as does checking Facebook to see what's happening in the world back home. I found a site where I can stream movies with French dubbing for free and I watched Mulan the other night. Watching movies you've seen a million times is actually a really good way to learn new words. I have decided to better myself in other ways since I have the time now: I want to get more flexible so I am starting a stretching routine. Promises splits in 30 days! I don't know if that's possible but I'm going to try. I had a push-up routine I was doing a long time ago and I want to get back into because no matter how strong I look, I still can't do that many push-ups for some reason. And I am reading a lot. I wish a had a Kindle or a Nook so I could have endless books at my disposal without all the bulk and hassel of getting them here. You can't buy any new books overseas due to copyright laws but I could load up on 50 or so when I'm home and that would easily last until my next visit back to the States.

All this research might have to take a back seat, though, because I am starting work next week. I meet both of my families on Tuesday so hopefully that will go well and I'll be making some cash money. I am slightly concerned about my Wednesday commute since I am supposed to make a 45 minutes trip in half an hour but we'll see. Might need to wear some running shorts under my outfit...

What I need to be looking for is Christmas gifts. Why am I so terrible at gift giving??? Looks like I know what I'm doing tomorrow! There's certainly nothing else to do around here on a Sunday except play on the internet.

FAQs (About France, Not Me) Part 1

Whenever I talk to someone back home, they always have a million questions about what life in France is really like. This is my first attempt at answering those questions. I think it will be very interesting to see how my responses might change when I've been here a bit longer...

"How's the weather?"

Since Bordeaux is pretty close to the Atlantic coast, the weather is quite mild. In fact, it's not really that different from the weather in Baltimore right now: Cold and rainy. It seems to rain in short bursts here and then it will be sunny for a moment, tricking you into believing you can leave the umbrella at the house. Don't be fooled. It will rain some more later. I am told it doesn't usually get cold enough for snow, and if it does, the snow doesn't stick around for very long. This is a shame in my opinion, but I guess I can just hop over to the Pyrenees or the Alps if I need a fix.

"How's the food?"

I'll tell you when I actually eat some! It's hard being a single girl in France with broke friends because you never have the chance to go out and get real authentic French cuisine. Some people like going to restaurants alone but I'm not a fan of it myself. What I do know is that many restaurants here do prix fixe menus, both for lunch and dinner. I have peeked at a couple places and it seems pretty pricey to go out for a nice meal (15€ for lunch, 35€ for dinner) but from what I've heard, it's worth it. 

I am obviously not starving to death, though: I have become a regular at the local supermarket. Jason and I got in the habit or "shopping the perimeter" at the grocery store (all the perishable items are on the outside since there is such a high turnover of products) and I do the same here. The produce is very fresh and most of it is local, which keeps costs way down. 5kg bag of potatoes for 99¢? Yes I will! Four big tomatoes for 64¢? Of course! 43¢ for a loaf of French bread? Don't mind if I do! Pretty sure that potato leek soup I made cost like than 25¢ per serving. What?!?!??

And the dairy products... First of all, milk comes in opaque plastic bottles and you don't have to refrigerate it until after opening. They have all types of puddings and yogurts, including a whole section just for different varieties of plain yogurt. I have already described the endless amounts of cheese that you can purchase and there are more types of butter than I even knew existed: partial salt, full salt, sweet, semi-sweet, high fat, low fat, medium fat... The list goes on. I usually get overwhelmed and just pick the store brand, conveniently labeled "le moins chére" (the least expensive).

Pastries! There are so many pastries! All sorts of sweet, buttery breads, stuffed or sprinkled or glazed with the most delicious things you can imagine. I'm a sucker for the standard "pain au chocolat": Basically a rectangular chocolate filled croissant. If you get the fancy kind, they have a light glaze on top that makes me cry tears of joy.

As an aside, I have been really tearing it up in the kitchen lately. That's usually Jason's territory but I guess we have been making meals together long enough that I actually know some stuff about cooking now. Some recent culinary feats include: honey balsamic glazed salmon with broccoli and rice, steamed vegetables and chicken with homemade beurre blanc sauce, mushroom/spinach/goat's cheese omelette with home fries and, my favorite so far, accidental jambalaya. I made Mexican last night and had tons of leftover rice and beans. (Cooking for one is nearly impossible!) I don't have a microwave so I have to reheat everything on the stovetop, which is kind of annoying when you hate washing dishes. I had already planned on making something with this sausage I had purchased when I suddenly realized I was splash of chicken broth away from making a tasty bayou-inspired lunch. Epic.

"How are the French people?"

Maybe people were just trying to prepare me for the worst with horror stories about how rude the French are, but I have had extremely positive experiences with them so far. If I'm running to catch the tram, someone always holds the door for me. If I catch someone's eye while walking down the street, 8 times out of 10 the person will actually speak to me instead of being suddenly fascinated with the color of their own shoelaces. Dudes let Ashely bum (multiple!) cigarettes off them, even after she tells them about her boyfriend. I feel like everyone I have encountered has been genuinely interested in helping me or at least getting me to someone who could. When I tell people I'm from the United States, they don't automatically turn their noses up and walk away from me. In fact, most people think it's pretty neat that I chose to come to France and they think it's fun to try out the corny phrases they learned in high school English class. Is this true of everyone in the country? Certainly not. I'm sure there are some people that downright hate Americans. Luckily, I haven't met them yet. I think the French think about us about as much as we think about them, which isn't really that often, and we both have positive and negative things to say about each other. Thus is the way of the world.

"What's the biggest difference between the Baltimore and Bordeaux?"

Umm... that they speak French here and not English? I think a lot of the reason I am assimilating so quickly is because living here is not really that much different from living in Baltimore. It's definitely cleaner here. I remember that being hard to get used to when I lived in Baltimore, especially coming from the eco-friendly capital of the universe that is Ithaca, NY. And the public transportation is actually something that people choose to use, rather than are forced to use so it's less filled with people who hate their lives. Bordeaux is more diverse than I thought it would be. Certainly not to the degree of Baltimore, but there are lots of different shades of brown people here. I guess it's kinda weird that you can drink anywhere. When it's party time, people are drinking on the train, in the street, on the way to bar... The rest of time, you might see it, too, but people aren't getting shitfaced on the tram in the middle of the day JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN. You could, certainly, but why would you want to? And it's mostly young people, since this is pretty much a college town. You don't see old dudes knocking back 40s in the park at 2pm.

I know it was sometimes inconvenient to find a liquor store that was open on Sunday, but here, it's hard to find anything that's open on Sunday. As the rugby song says, Sunday is the Lord's day, so I suppose everyone is busy doing holy things, but it's weird that even the mall is closed on Sunday.

"What's the biggest difference between the US and France?"

People are less apologetic here. I feel like Americans are so quick to say "Sorry!!!" for everything: I'm sorry my coat brushed you knee. I'm sorry I dropped my bookmark in front of you. I'm sorry for making contact with you on the crowded bus. Unless you really slam into somebody, don't expect so much as a pardon. You live in a place where lots of other people live. It is expected that you will make physical contact with someone else. This is not worthy of regret. Save your sorries for when you're actually sorry. I think this corroborates the "French People are Rude" stereotype but I don't mind it. It makes me think of the opening monologue from the movie Crash...

I also find the French to be very straightforward. Again, this may come off as abrasive, pushy, or mean, but I find it rather refreshing. I appreciate that people aren't going to dance around, trying to be perfectly PC all the time, and instead say what they really think. Is it always going to be something I want to hear? Probably not, but I'd rather you say whatever you have to say so that we know where we both stand. And if I really don't like what you have to say, then I don't have to pretend to like you. We're not going to agree and that's okay!

French bureaucracy is every bit as obnoxious as they say it is. Just to rent an apartment, you have to have a French "guarantor" to basically co-sign on your lease in case you default on your payments. This might not be so hard for a citizen who knows plenty of French people, but it makes it extremely difficult for a foreigner trying to find independent housing for a year or two. Every transaction requires three receipts and a million signatures and all kinds of proof that you're sure you know what you're doing. Just to get in the country, Jason has to get his birth certificate translated by a member of the American Translator's Association, at a hefty price, of course. And there are so many different offices that deal with so many different things and none of them can contact any of the other offices so if you're in the wrong place, too bad, try again in three weeks. Thankfully, I haven't had too much experience with it yet but I have applied for government housing aid and a residence permit so I am sure I'm about to get wrapped in paperwork with a nice red tape ribbon on my head.

Overall, this place has been pretty good to me so far. Maybe my mind will change in a few months when all I want is a DAMN BAGUETTE I THOUGHT THIS WAS FRANCE some Sunday down the road but I'll keep you posted.

Tips for Moving to France: Visas and Packing Ideas

I know this is not the most thrilling thing to write about but, as per mission #1 of this blog, I want to explain a few things that fellow Francophones-to-be may find useful. Do keep in mind that I was a Maryland resident and the process in your state may differ slightly. Click here to find your consulate.

1. Start your planning process as soon as possible. I spent a long time trolling the internet and talking to people who had recently pulled off an international move. It seems overwhelming, but get as many opinions and as much advice as possible before you even settle on your decision. You may find that moving to France is not really a good idea for you at this particular moment and it will save you a lot of money and time if you figure that out BEFORE you go.
2. You're up for the move, eh? If you're a US citizen going to France for any longer than 3 months, you will need a visa. There are several types of visas, as explained in detail here. The type of visa you get is determined by what you plan to do while you're in France. 
• Work Visa: Unless there is someone in France who is trying to hire you or your current company has some sort of set up overseas and they are going to hook you up, you are probably NOT eligible for a work visa. You can't just roll into France and try to get a full time job if you don't have a work visa. Even if you did show up and somehow got a job (which is unlikely because you need your visa number to fill out any kind of hiring paperwork and to deposit money into a French bank account and for... anything...), you could be deported if you stay longer than three months without a visa. 
• Long Stay Visitor Visa: This is for people who are just planning to go hang out in France for a while. You know, the Ernest Hemmingway types, who have inordinate amounts of time to "find themselves." As romantic as this sounds, it DOES NOT allow you to hold any kind of job while you are in France, so unless the amount of time you have to kill is equal to the amount of money you have to throw around, this may not be your best bet. If this sounds like what you want to do, be prepared to show proof that you got it like that: bring several current copies of your bank statements.
• Student Visa: This is the route I took. It's fairly easy to acquire and it allows you to work up to 20 hours per week without getting in trouble with the immigration office.  You must apply to your school and be accepted before you can apply for your visa. Determine what you plan to study (in my case, French) and find schools that meet your needs. I also had to complete a profile on CampusFrance, which basically registers you as a student in the nation of France. There is a helpful step by step explanation of the student visa application here and more general information about studying in France here. For more information about learning French in France, click here.
• Other Types of Visas: There are other ways to get into the country and stay there but I will be completely honest and admit that I didn't look into those since they didn't pertain to me. You can get a visa by marrying a French person or being a diplomat. In these cases, check out the consulate website for more information.
3. Now that you know what visa you need, it's time to get your paperwork in order. And believe me, there is plenty of it to complete. Read the consulate website THOROUGHLY. Now read it again. Here is the list of documents I had to provide for my student visa and here is the link to the long form applications and here is the link to the immigration (OFII) forms that you also need to bring with you. The documents for the types of visas vary so make sure you're looking at the right list. Jason, for example, had to get his birth certificate translated and submit his bank routing information because he will actually be working a full time job in France. Be aware of this when putting together your documents.
• Note: The DC consulate website also said that I needed to show proof of health insurance for the duration of my stay, so, like a good little American, I went out and got some. Cost me over $500 for four months and the consulate didn't even ask about it. Now, I don't know if they just missed it or forgot to ask or what but I certainly wish I had that $500 back if they weren't really going to require it. Just a heads up.
4. Once you have assembled all the documents, make at least three copies of all of them, just in case. You should also organize everything in a binder or folder or some way that looks like you actually know what's going on. I know this may seem excessive, but they definitely look more favorably upon those who show up with their shit together.
5. Make your visa appointment. I was required to have my plane ticket already purchased to prove that I was leaving the US within 90 days of being granted a visa. It takes 2-3 weeks to process your visa so you should book your flight for more than 3 weeks after your appointment but not more than 3 months after your appointment. Don't be like me and try to make things happen in a week and a half. It worked out, thankfully, but those were the 10 most stressful days of my life.
6. Show up at the consulate. There is no visa-by-mail; you have to be there in person. Bring everything they told you to bring. Look presentable. You don't need a suit and tie or anything but maybe save the jeggings and hoodies for after your appointment. They do speak English, so don't worry if you don't know any French yet, but it doesn't hurt to greet them with a friendly Bonjour.
7. After my initial appointment, they gave me my passport back and told me I would get a letter stating if my visa had been approved or not. I had to go back to the consulate to have my actual visa put in, about 8 days later. As I said, it usually takes about two to three weeks for all your visa paperwork to be processed so don't plan on going anywhere during those two to three weeks. Also, be prepared to make another trip to the consulte. This might be annoying for someone who lives a bit farther away than I did so brace yourself for it now.
• Again, please recall that all of this information was for the process at the DC consulate. When I got my visa for Spain from the New York City consulate, I only had to appear once and they mailed my passport back to me with my visa in it. Not sure if this is a difference between France and Spain or between DC and NYC so just be ready for either option.
8. If everything was in order and you don't have a record of terrorism, your visa was probably approved. Off to France with you!

Now that you're legally allowed to move to France, it's time to think about the logistics of your move. I found this link from HSBC to be incredibly helpful in planning my trip. Some thoughts of my own:

• What are you going to do with your car? I am loaning mine to a friend while he helps me pay it off and by the time I get back to the US, I will have something to drive. I am blowing through a lot of my savings to make this trip happen so it will be much easier for me to have a car when I get back rather than trying to buy a new one when I don't have any money left. Don't forget about your insurance, too.
• What are you going to do with your cell phone? Some carries can "unlock" your phone for international use and you just need to get a new SIM card and a new plan. I would NOT recommend trying to get an international plan for an American phone if you're going away for a long time. It's insanely expensive and just not worth it. It might not even work depending on your carrier. More on French cell phone plans at another time.
• What are you going to do with your stuff? I moved out of my house and into Jason's this summer and that really helped me cut down on my property. I sold all of my IKEA furniture on Craigslist and brought only the essentials. I have a few plastic bins of stuff that I want when we come back from France and those are in storage at Jason's parents' place. You can ship things overseas if you want, but it is pretty pricey. I was lucky to find a furnished residence so I didn't have to worry about furniture. If you're moving forever, you may wish to sell what you currently have and invest in some new stuff abroad.
• Have you set up a forwarding address for your mail? My stuff is being sent to my parents.
• Who is your emergency contact in the US if everything falls apart while you're in France or you start an international incident and accidentally blow something up? Seriously. Bailing someone out of jail from across an ocean is not easy. You better have a real good friend back home...

Finally, a suggested packing list. I knew I was carrying everything I wanted to bring on my back so that really narrowed down the items I packed. I am making a trip home for the holidays, though, so I have a pile of "round two" items still at home in Baltimore.

• Clothing: I try to blend in as much as possible when I travel so people won't harass me and the easiest way to do that is to dress like the locals. The French tend to dress up a bit more than Americans so leave your collection of grungy T-shirts at home with the holy sweatpants. Allow yourself a few of these items for kicking around the house or actually working out, but if this is your standard uniform in the US, you might want to upgrade before you leave home. Clothing is a bit more expensive in France and with your other costs of moving abroad, it might be worth it to get some items before you head out. The French also wear nice shoes all the time. Running shoes are for running, not for going out. Nice sneakers (like Pumas or Air Force Ones) are passable, especially amongst the younger crowd. Bring plenty of socks and undies. Depending on where you live in France and when you move, you may need warm outwear. Collapsable/fold up hampers are really handy for when your new duds get dingy!
• Toiletries: They may not have your favorite body wash or shampoo in France. If you're really committed to a particular brand, stock up before you go. Bring a roll of toilet paper if you are moving into your own place right away. There's nothing worse than building up a full bladder after a day of traveling only to find out you have nothing to wipe your ass with. (I found out the hard way. Thank you, Kleenex pocket tissues!)
• Linens: Equally miserable if you're moving into your new home right away is not having a place to rest your head on the first night. Bring sheets (even if they are the wrong size), a blanket and a pillow. You will thank me when you're not laying your head on a pile of sweaters. Bring a set of towels (2 bath, 2 hand, 2 washcloths) so you can wash away the grime of the plane when you get in.
• Dishes/Cookware: I had planned to bring these things but they got bumped for cute shoes and I totally regret it. Even if it's just a couple crappy plastic cups and bowls, it's nice to have something to eat on that you can reuse. It was also emotionally draining to go without cookware and therefore a warm meal for 4 days (my place does not have a microwave), especially because I enjoy cooking. A pot, pan, chef's knife and cutting board go a long way. Don't forget the flatware.
• Sentimental stuff from home: I am not usually one to get homesick because I travel a lot but there is a big difference between going away for a couple weeks and moving across an ocean to live in a completely different culture. You'll want something familiar for those days when you swear to GOD you will punch a BABY if you see one more baguette in a fucking BICYCLE BASKET. I have just a few things on the walls but they have really made my apartment feel that much more like a place I can call home.
• Miscellaneous: Flashlight, plastic bags, battery powered alarm clock, a few office supplies (stapler, tape, scissors, writing utensils) headphones, a binder full of copies your important documents, a French-English dictionary/phrase book if you don't speak French, playing cards, corkscrew. This is wine country, my friend.
• DO NOT BRING ELECTRONICS if at all possible. Seriously, it is just a pain in the ass to deal with adapters and converters and all that business. Just avoid the whole problem by leaving the electronics at home. I have my laptop (for which I had to get a new power cord because the converter shorted out my old one) and my American cell phone which I use exclusively as a digital camera and I charge it via USB on my laptop. That's it. If you want something else, especially like a flat iron or a hair dryer, it's best to get them here. I don't mess around with things that could electrocute me or burn my house down.

For more tips from another source, check out this blog that I found to be pretty helpful.

I hope I could offer some insight for those of you planning to make a move to France. It is a lot of work but so far, it has all been worth it. Good luck and happy travels!

Next time: My first days in France

New Beginnings

Greetings from Bordeaux! Yes, here I am. One of those Americans who moves abroad and starts a blog about the trials and tribulations of being an expat. I know it's a bit silly and super cliché but hear me out. I have several motivations for writing about my experiences: Firstly, I spent a long time preparing for this epic journey by reading blogs from other Americans who quit their normal lives for something more European and I can only hope that I may be of such service to someone else in the same position someday. Secondly, I am here by myself for at least another two months so I need something to pass the time when I am not involved in baguette-eating or wine-drinking (which is a surprisingly significant amount of time at the moment, especially for those of you who know of my love for all things bread and booze).  Finally, and probably least flattering, it is out of sheer laziness that I am chronicling my adventures so that I just don't have to repeat myself every time someone asks me what I'm up to these days. "Yes, I am living in Bordeaux now. Yes, they really do eat a ton of cheese. No, I haven't seen a lot of armpit hair but it is November so maybe it's just lurking beneath all the sweaters and scarves." Instead I can simply reply, "Things are great! You should check out my blog!" and I don't come off as the girl who is constantly bragging about her fancy new life in fancy-ass France. I'm already annoyed just thinking about me.

Bragging online is 100% acceptable, though, through the pseudo-anonymity of Internet, and I will forewarn you that it may occur from time to time.

So let's get right to it, shall we? Here's a quick recap of my life for those of you who, like me, are suckers for context and back-story.

I'm Nicole. I grew up in a small town outside of Rochester, NY with my parents and two brothers. When I was 16, I got my first taste of international travel through a four-week summer program at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. I learned more Spanish is four weeks than I had in four years of studying at my school back home and my life was forever changed. After high school, I majored in Spanish Teaching at Ithaca College, spent the spring semester of my junior year in Seville, Spain and graduated in 2007. Because of my perceived aptitude for teaching and for lack of a better option, I applied to the Teach For America program and was accepted to teach in Baltimore starting in the fall of 2007. I spent five of the most [insert any adjective here: frustrating? beautiful? terrifying? inspirational?] years of my life working at a public high school in the heart of Baltimore City, teaching Spanish to juniors who often struggled to locate Spain on a map and seniors who would profess "But I do my work!" upon receipt of a failing progress report, in spite the fact they had not completed a single assignment to date. (For the record, I love my students with all of my soul and being. The problem here is not my kids. It is a system that allows, dare I say encourages students to perform at the lowest level possible so that no one, teachers, parents, students, and administrators, don't have to work that hard. But that's another story for another day...)

While living in Baltimore, I met Jason, also known as the love of my life, and we have been together for almost three years. About a year ago, Jason mentioned that he was nearing the end of his PhD in biomedical engineering at Hopkins and he started investigating next steps. When a post-doc research position in Bordeaux came up, we decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up and began making plans to move. After a long summer or researching ways to get me into the country for a year or two, and an even longer fall of paper work and trips to the French consulte, I was granted a student visa and was scheduled to begin my studies of the French language in November.

And so here I am. Just another expat, living life, now with 100% more French!

Next time: The logistics of moving to France