Finding Home Sweet Home

So you want to rent an apartment in France, do you? GIVE UP. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.

Okay, that's not true, but it's certainly no easy feat and it seems that there isn't a lot of information out there on how the whole rental process works in France. What is out there is a lot of conflicting ideas and incomplete answers. I will attempt to shed some light on the situation and hopefully you'll have an easier time of it than I have had. You should keep in mind, however, that the property owners and rental agencies vary GREATLY and you may have a completely different experience. That has been a large part of my frustration but read on and all will be explained...

Pro Tip 1: Buy yourself some time to get to know your new city by having a temporary place to live lined up before you arrive. It could be with a friend, a French family (exchange student-style) in a student residence, or at an appart-hotel. All these places will afford you some basic comforts without the cost of a full blown hotel while you figure your life out. My "studio" is really just a dorm room in the suburbs but at least I had a place to sleep and put my stuff the day I got here.

Pro Tip 2: Even with temporary housing, you have to give between one and three months' notice before you can leave. If you hate your place, let your landlords know immediately so that you can move sooner rather than later. Early lease termination is sometimes possible but not always easy so just be aware.

Throughout January and February, long stretches of my days were dedicated to trolling the internet for available apartments. I started out by just Googling "location appartement bordeaux" and finally stumbled across some useful websites where I could enter my search criteria and they populated a list of places that matched. Try these:

• Se Loger: There's a French version (which may be more complete) and an English version (which is sometimes just in French...)
• Nexity
• Century21
• Foncia
• La Forêt

By early March, I found a pretty ideal place through Century 21. It was close to tram and bus lines, right up the street from Auchan, just a few minutes from Centre Ville and the quai. I was eager to get the paperwork signed because I was hoping to have the place set up by the time Jason arrived.

NOPE.

There's no credit check in France so you have to prove you have the money to pay your rent. Here is what a typical housing application file will include in France:

• Copies of your ID (passport)
• Bank account information (RIB)
• Work contract and/or bank statements proving that you can pay the rent
• It is the law in France that you cannot rent an apartment that is more than one-third your net monthly income.
• Last three pay stubs
• Last two income tax statements
• Proof of current address in France (gas/electric/water/landline phone bill)
• Your cell phone bill is not sufficient
• Copy of previous lease agreement

Once you have gathered a small forest's worth of papers, you may also be asked to find a garant (sometimes also called a caution). It's explained very well here (in French) but the long story short is that they are a co-signer so that in the event that you don't pay your rent, the agency will come after your garant for the money. This was completely insane to me, but apparently it is normal in France. The law here is very much in favor of the renter. Landlords cannot evict you in the winter and it can take up to two years to kick you out, regardless of the season, even if you don't pay your rent during that whole period. When I learned this, it made sense why some of these apartments were available for so long. Better to take a month to find the right person than to rent to the first bum off the street who might not pay anything at all after the deposit and first month.

Sometimes all a garant has to do is sign the lease along with you, as was the case with Ashley and Guillaume. His mom rolled up and with a flick of a pen, they had a new place to live. Not so in our case, even though we were also going through Century 21. (WTF??) The agent needed the garant to provide all of the documents that we had provided. I was floored. I have been here for four months and the only people I know are my Chinese classmates and my teachers. There's no way I could ask any of them for all that stuff. Jason arrived the day after I got this news and we asked around at his job to see if anyone was willing or able to do it. Some people said it was normal for agencies to require it and they had their parents do it for them, others said it was completely outrageous. Either way, no one was volunteering. Even though we had proved we had the money for it (and then some), we still needed someone to sign with us.

Back to the drawing board.

Pro Tip 3: When you find a place you like, ask up front if they will require a garant. You may need to explain your situation and provide some documents about it, but it's better than getting your hopes up, only to be told you will be systematically denied for lack of a garant. If you absolutely need one and don't know anyone in France, you may be able to get one through a company. Check out Loca-pass and this website, which is a registry of companies that may offer you garant services if you don't know any French people. Be aware, though: We didn't qualify for these because we're too old and because Jason has a real job. Oh well.

What ultimately led me to finding our new apartment was the French version of Craigslist: Le Bon Coin. You can search for pretty much anything on there, including apartments. Armed with the knowledge from my failed initial attempts and a bit of urgency since sharing a twin bed is the worst thing ever, I was on the hunt again. I now knew the right questions to ask (When is the apartment available? Do you require a garant? How much is due up front?) and didn't waste time going on visits to places that weren't going to work out anyway.

Pro Tip 4: If you're anything like me, you will be tempted by big-name agencies because you will think them to be more credible. This may not be the case. Some agencies are bums and will not take care of problems in your apartment if you have them. Your colleagues may offer a friend of a friend who knows a guy who has a place to rent. Against your American judgement, this might be your best bet. They probably won't charge you an agency fee and they might treat you better because you're a friend (of a friend of a friend). YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. Ask around as much as possible to get a feel for the rental climate in your area.

Once I figured it out, it really wasn't too difficult. I saw the ad two weeks ago on a Monday and replied to it, I set up a visit for later that week, I brought my application file with me and gave it to her that day. Two days later, she called me and told me our application had been accepted. I had to go by the agency and pay the deposit last week. Today, we had our état des lieux meeting, in which you go through everything in the house and write down it's condition, and then she handed us the keys. The furniture is being dropped off on Friday and we'll be sleeping in a real bed by this weekend! We thought of furnishing the place via Le Bon Coin as well but since we don't have a car and the new apartment is on the top floor of the building, we just decided to buy everything from Ikea and have it delivered. Problem solved.

Why someone couldn't have just told me all that when I got here, I don't know, but I figured it out and I am glad it's over. I hope that this post can help other poor souls looking for a place to live in France. This website is also incredibly useful. That link is the housing page but they have all kinds of other information for anglophones, too. It is a long and arduous process but it's a pretty good feeling to be living in a place that I actually enjoy coming home to. Worth it.

Can't wait to throw a housewarming party!!

Back in the Swing of Things

After such a wonderful break, the jury was still out on my feelings about coming back to Bordeaux. Obviously, I am having a grand old time here but it was so good, maybe too good, being home. I'm glad I planned my trip so tightly that I didn't really have time to think about it. I got back to my apartment on Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning, I was back in action. There's no time to be homesick when you have work to do!

And I have certainly been keeping busy as of late. Starting last Monday, I picked up another "student." Ema is three and a half and this is her first venture into English. Her parents speak some (not nearly as well as Alexis' parents) and they are all about this Baby-langues thing. They have read all the books and been to all the meetings and they are really exited about Ema learning to speak English from a real American. I'm not really a baby-sitter in their eyes; they're even in the house most times that I work with Ema. They are in this so that their kid learns English from a native speaker, and I am happy to be of service. 

It's nice that I have Ema two days a week, instead of just one like Alexis. It's also easier to make progress with her because she wasn't traumatized by English like Alexis was with his last sitter. I know it's the Baby-langues method to speak only English and have the children repeat after you all the time but when you're working with a kid under the age of five who is just getting comfortable with their command of French, it's hard to just stroll into their lives and flip the script on them. It's frustrating for me sometimes to operate in another language and I'm an adult who willingly volunteered for this! Overall, I think things are going well with both kids and I am enjoying myself for the time being. It helps that both sets of parents are so cool. They are really nice to me and make the effort to explain to their children what a great opportunity it is to have a native English speaker come and hang out with them every week. Plus, I'm getting paid to color and sing songs and hang out with little kids for a couple hours a week. Can't beat that!

I am also "working" as an English tutor for the director of my campus, Philippe. Mireille put me in touch with him when he asked if she knew anyone who could help him get back into his study of English. In exchange for my tutoring services, he's going to sign off on an extension of my visa until October. That buys me quite a bit of time to get my next move figured out. I don't know if that means I'll be taking more classes or what but it I'm not even worried about it. I don't have to leave the country in May! Yay!  Right now, we're doing one hour-and-a-half session a week but I think we're going to try to shoot for three hours a week. He has some pretty ambitious goals for himself so we're definitely gonna need more time. Fine by me: I'm trying to get a job as an English teacher in one of the schools around here so I need the experience and he'll be a great reference.

This morning, I got to miss class to go to the immigration office (OFII). A bunch of the Chinese kids from school were there, too, but they all had afternoon class that they had to go to afterward. Suckers! I don't know why I was concerned about this visit; I had heard nothing but nice things about it from students who had already been through the process. Official government procedures always made me anxious, though. Being deported would be the worst! Fortunately, it was no big deal at all. As per the usual, everyone was really friendly, they all spoke English when I needed it, and it was quite easy. I would have worn a different outfit had I known I was going to have to strip from the waist up for my chest x-ray but other than that, it was pretty seamless. Get an x-ray, answer some general health questions with the nurse, have your x-ray examined by the doctor, more health questions, and then boom. They put a little sticker in your passport and you're good to go. Can't kick me out now! I'm official!

The only thing I am not enjoying right now is this weather. It hadn't been too bad since I got back but today is just ridiculous. It started raining in the middle of the night and it hasn't stopped since. I suppose we're down to a light mist now but this morning, on my way to OFII, it was pouring AND windy. My umbrella even flipped inside out and evoked pity and concern from all the French ladies in the street at the time. "Oh là là, la pauvre." Yeah, thanks. Lot of help your comments are doing with my jacked up umbrella in the middle of a downpour. Oh yeah, and the high today was a whopping 39 degrees. Misery!!!! Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to springtime.

I'm till trying to find a better apartment and still looking for a more serious job. I have leads on both of these things but progress is slow and time is moving fast. Ugh! But I am confident I will work it out and that's pretty exciting in and of itself. I am also still planning to try out for that rugby team on Friday (last Friday, I spent the whole day in the house catching up on my sleep!) so hopefully that will get me closer to my goal of having more French friends. It's all coming together...

Don't worry about me. I got this living in France thing under control. 

A Sense of Belonging

Anyone who says "I don't care about fitting in" is not being completely honest. I'm not trying to say that everyone is a conformist and individuality is dead; our differences make us interesting and unique. The fact of the matter, though, is that being too different would defy sociology, psychology and biology. As humans, we actually do want to be like everyone else to a certain extent. Even people who actively work to be different from the mainstream society are part of a group: they create their own subculture in which they bond over how different they are from the rest of the world while being exactly like one another. Where you fit is not important, as long as you fit somewhere.

At every major stage in my life, I have had specific structures in place to help me integrate into the existing culture: There was always an orientation or a welcome event or some sort of formal introduction to the group. As a new member, I was always warmly welcomed and inevitably, someone took my under their wing to show me the ropes. Or, in times when I arrived with a large group of people who were equally new, we started the group culture from scratch on our own. Working together to form this new group united us quickly and easily. I guess it helps that I am pretty outgoing and sociable, but I have never had to try very hard to make friends.

Until now.

There was no orientation for me at school. When I showed up, the class had already been together for several months and even though I was told I could start my classes at any time, I immediately got the impression that I was behind. I barely got out "I'm Nicole and I'm from America," before we were already on to the day's lesson. No get to know you activities, no "welcome to Bordeaux", no nothing.

Even though my residence put on a small "pot d'accueil," it was clear that I was the only foreign student in the whole place. I met a few nice people, including two people that both speak pretty decent English, but I haven't seen them since. I don't really see anyone ever around here, actually...

It certainly hasn't been easy trying to break into French culture (or Chinese culture, for that matter) but I think this past weekend was a big step in feeling like I actually belong here.

Saturday started with a trip back to the Capucins market. Hunter and I had some shopping to do for the dinner we were planning to make that evening. I thought it was just going to be the two of us but he rolled up with Louis and Hongli, too. The more the merrier! We even went over to the Asian market down the street to get some special items for the meal. Oh yes.

Capucins market is filled with little stands like this. 

After shopping, we walked by the Église St. Michel, on our way to a kebab place. We got sandwiches to go and took them over to the quai for a little picnic lunch. It had been so rainy and cold the last couple of days, so we planned to take full advantage of the beautiful weather. There are very few things that make me quite as happy as sunny days and hanging out with friends next to a body of water. We finished our lunch and took our time making it back to Hunter's place, stopping to play in the water of the miroir and wishing some newlyweds felicitations as they took pictures.

Église St. Michel (Not Ste. Catherine or St. Pierre as the guys thought. No one wins the bet!)

Bridge at the Porte de Bourgogne

Friends! Hunter, Hongli, and Louis

The Miroir

Hunter, Hongli and Louis all live on the top floor of this beautiful old building downtown. While I don't think I could ever go back to sharing a bathroom or kitchen with random people, it's still a pretty cool place. We had some time to kill before it was time to start making dinner so I taught Hunter and Hongli to play rummy while Louis went off to study. It took a minute for all the rules to sink in, but once they did, we had a quite a little game going. I love watching a new skill click with someone. Teaching is in my soul...

Around 5pm, it was time to start cooking. All I knew was that we were having kung pao chicken. I was not expecting the epic Asian feast Hunter was planning. We made spring rolls from scratch, seasoned eggplant and beef, some kind of carrot and potato dish, pork with bell peppers and mushrooms, and spicy tofu. I was wondering how four of us were supposed to eat all this food when Hunter informed me that we were having more guests: Hao Cheng from class and his girlfriend Xuen Xuen were coming and so was another French guy named Brian. (Yes, a French guy named Brian. Go figure.)

Noms!

I made those spring rolls!

No one's room was big enough for all of us we we dragged the tables into the hall and made ourselves a dining room. Brian brought some beers and Hao Cheng brought two bottles of wine to accompany the meal. After eating until we wanted to die (and still having tons of left overs) we sat around and played a couple funny French drinking games. We laughed and joked and we all spoke a ton of French. It was starting to get late and Hao Cheng was driving so we decided to take a little walk on the quai to get some air.

It's lovely in the daytime but seeing the quai for the first time at night was truly breathtaking. It was still fairly warm outside and the sky was clear. We watched the seagulls in the river below bobbing along happily in the current and flying back upstream for another ride. I showed off my astronomy skills by pointing out a few constellations and explaining how to tell the difference between stars and planets in the night sky. (When did I learn this stuff? I couldn't remember...) We ran and skipped and sang and took in the beautiful evening.

At 1:30am, had to bid my friends adieu and I hopped on the train to go home, smiling the whole ride back. I couldn't have drawn up a more perfect day for myself if I tried. Shopping at a farmer's market, having lunch by the river, playing cards, having a couple drinks and a great meal with people from around the globe... It doesn't get any more ideal, if you ask me. We may not be your typical group of friends that you would see hanging out around Bordeaux but somehow, it works. And I'm in it.

I fit.

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.

Thankful

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and in the spirit of the holiday, I have several things that I am thankful for that I would like to share with all of you. I ask that you please forgive the sappiness.

I am thankful for this amazing opportunity to live in Bordeaux and experience another way of life.  It's fascinating the way living in another culture can teach you so much about your own. I think that you find your truest self in times of great challenge, and this will certainly be a challenge, but it's one I am excited to take on. I am thankful for Jason being the catalyst for this whole experience. I can't imagine anyone better with whom to share the adventure. He is my partner in crime, my teammate, my lover and my best friend, and I am grateful every single day to have him in my life.

I am thankful for Baltimore City Schools giving me a hefty raise last year so that I could save up enough money to make this trip possible. I am thankful for my former students for keeping in touch and reminding me why I got into teaching in the first place. I love every one of them and I am proud to have  played a small part on their paths to adulthood. I am thankful for my fellow teachers who continue to fight the good fight and inspire young minds all over the world.

I am thankful for Mylène, my French teacher, who sees my potential before I can see it myself. She has encouraged me to look into other schools because I am already at the highest level they offer and she thinks I will be well beyond it very soon. "It's not exactly a best practice to send people away from your school, but I think you could do better for yourself. If you want to become a really good French teacher, you're going to need more than we can offer you here. Let me know if I can help." I am thankful for her recommendation for a rugby team I might like to play with in the coming season. !!!

I am thankful for Hong Li for telling the rest of our French class about the story of Thanksgiving when I lacked the words. Even if it's a bit fictitious and we later went on to murder a bunch of Native Americans, it is still nice to think that this whole day is supposed to be about lending a hand to those in need and being grateful for the generosity of others.

I am thankful for Hunter, who has been absolutely invaluable in helping me get settled here. From being my tour guide, to being the liaison between me and the other Chinese people on campus, to being my favorite Aretha Franklin impersonator, he has made me feel so at home here.

I am thankful to Ashley and Guillem for inviting me into their home last night for the closest thing to a real American Thanksgiving meal as one can muster in France. Even if our turkey was breast slices rolled up like a Ho-Ho and our cranberry sauce was made from Craisins, we ate well and had a wonderful evening. I even managed to pull off my mother's apple crumb pie FROM SRATCH. Even made my own pie crust.

I am thankful for my years in college that taught me when enough was enough so that I didn't end up like the girl in the bar last night, who was too drunk to stand up, had peed on herself, and had ripped a giant hole in her very expensive-looking black stockings. I am thankful for my friends who, unlike her friends, would have immediately rushed me home if I were even approaching that level of intoxication, so that I would not completely embarrass myself. And I don't care if it's the school's mascot, putting a panda hat on her while she slumps in a semi-conscious state on the couch is just rubbing salt in the wound.

I am thankful for Google Hangout/Skype because they have allowed me to keep in touch with my friends and family back home. In addition to our Thanksgiving gathering here in Bordeaux, I got to spend time with the Bayer family in Waynesboro and my parents in Rochester, all in the same evening. Impossible in real life, totally doable with video chat. And yes, I know it's not quite the same as actually being there, but it's definitely the next best thing.

I am thankful for Babylangues, even though they kinda upset me on Tuesday, because today they offered me a job! No specifics yet, but they are coming soon... I am thankful for Skype interviews because I can wear pajama pants and still get a job. (Don't worry, I wore a blazer on top and even did my make-up.)

Finally, I am thankful for Thanksgiving because it reminds us all to take a moment out of our lives and think about all the things we have to be thankful for. Whether you can only come up with a handful of things or you have a list as long as your arm, we all have something or someone that deserves our gratitude. And by the way, you don't have to wait until November to give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

"Sorry! It's my first day!"

My whole life was stuffed, squeezed, and smashed into four bags, every zipper tugging against itself, trying to hold back the contents within. It's humbling, really, to condense your existence into such relatively small packages, but then again, what choice do you have when you're about to get on a plane, all by yourself, and leave everything you know behind to start a new life across an ocean?

The day I left seems like years ago even though it has only been a week. I was surprised by how well I was holding up, especially because I am such a big fan of tearful goodbyes. I suppose I had used up all my tears in the previous weeks after the Harrisburg match and the subsequent impromptu pub crawl with the rugby team. Maybe it was just all the estrogen... But there I was, plane ticket in hand, on the way to airport with my parents and all I could think was "I hope that cat doesn't run away."

My parents, in their infinite kindness, have agreed to house our cat, Carlos, for the duration of our time in Bordeaux. Jason and I didn't really plan on having a cat, less so when we found out we really were moving to France, but I guess the universe had other plans for us all. Complete transformation to cat-ladyhood took approximately 3 days. I see your rolling eyes and hear your judgmental thoughts but just try to have a cat as awesome as Carlos and not love him to death. JUST TRY.

***

I find international airports to be strangely delightful places. I love the way all these different cultures and languages come together in this one place, destined for another. Sometimes, while sitting at my gate, I try to make up stories about where are the people are from and how we both ended up here at the same time. Claude and Pauline came to visit their daughter, Marie, who was studying in Chicago this semester. They surprised her at her downtown apartment, only to discover young Marie in bed with Rufus, her landlord... and lover!! Back to France, you tramp! I am also floored by the logistics of a place like this. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of flights that pass through this airport everyday and I find it to be nothing shy of a miracle that there aren't more lost bags, or security breeches, or mid-air collisions. Truly remarkable.

Less delightful is the actual international flight. I never know if I should try to be friendly with my seat mate. Does he want to talk to me? I don't want to be annoying. But is it better to be annoying or to be rude? I have to sit next to this person for eight hours, he's bound to form some opinion of me. Which is it going to be? Oh thank God, he's going to sleep. Pressure's off. But he's going to miss the in flight meal. Should I wake him up or just try to put his tray table down for him so that he has food waiting when he wakes up? I would want that if I fell asleep. What if he wakes up in the middle of me putting the tray table down and he thinks I'm trying to fondle him? One wrong move and I have a handful of old Frenchman balls. Oh thank God, he's awake.

Lather, rinse, repeat for eight hours.

***

Thanks to some shitty airplane coffee, I am surprisingly alert when we land in Paris. I find my bags and truck it over to the train station to purchase my tickets to Bordeaux. I wish I had swallowed my pride and gotten one of those little hand carts because now I am overheating in the boots and coat I didn't have room for in one of my four bags and I already stink from being on a plane for half a day and I'm sweating out my perm and... Finally! Trains! Okay, time to use the three years French I learned in college six years ago. I can do this.

Ticket agent: lkdfmneo;wirjhoirjnlkenf,dsmfn;oiewjro;ietrlknf, mademoiselle?
Me: Um... Je vais à Bordeaux?
Ticket agent: oiejlkjfkdlladkjc,m 10:00 ou 3:30?
Me: 10:00! Oui!
Ticket agent: oijeklnfdklajfrioewndmsncieriejr. [hands me a ticket and points to the credit card machine]
Me: [Grinning like an idiot, swipes card]
Ticket agent: cmnvm,dpirtpqpwskjsipo1. kljlkueueiwjieekjzpow [something I interpreted to mean "The train will be here soon so you better get down to the track"].
Me: D'accord. Merci! [runs away in an attempt to not miss the train]

Okay, that wasn't too bad. I rushed to the track, only to discover that there was nothing to indicate which platform I needed to be on. I went back into the station and a sign told me that I wouldn't know which track until 15 minutes before the train was supposed to leave. Ha! I got this. Train doesn't leave for another 30 minutes. I'll just hang out here. Hey! I recognize these validation machines. Glad I have traveled in France before or I could have been in real trouble. How would someone know to do this otherwise? I am so worldly!

Riding a train from Paris to Bordeaux sounds like such a romantic idea, doesn't it? Train travel to southern France! Ooh là là! Less romantic when the narrow aisles are not big enough for your giant red suitcase and you're completely blocking the whole train car and people are literally climbing over seats to get around you. "Desolée. Desolée!! Pardon. Excusez-moi, si'l vous plait." Thank you, random lady who knew I was obviously American and helped me figure out what to do with my life. "You put bag here. This my seat. It's okay." Consciousness was not my strong suit on the train and I dozed almost the whole four hours to Bordeaux. I did catch a few glimpses of the French countryside. All those pretty rounded clay roof tiles...

I arrive in Bordeaux and the hardest part of the trip so far was trying to get my bags up to the other side of the track and up the stairs to get into the main part of the station. I really thought that was going to be the end of me, but I guess you get a little dramatic when you've been traveling for 13 hours with minimal sleep. I wish I had gotten some Euros at the airport because I am supposed to take a taxi to my residence and there is no ATM in here. I looked in my wallet as if I could will some foreign currency into it but all I saw were useless American dollars. Why did I even bring these? I cursed myself. Time to speak more French.

Me: Ummm... Ou est le bancomat? [pretty sure I made that word up]
Ticket agent: ldfjljeroitjmdn retire de l'argent?
Me: Oui. Ça.
Ticket agent: oeirjkdnffoijerij Credit Mutuel a gauche kjhdkjheir Hotel.
Me: D'accord. Merci!

Okay, across the street, left of the hotel. Yes! I see it! Stupid bags, stupid train tracks, stupid curb. Got some money. Get a cab. Stupid curb, stupid train tracks, stupid bags. Taxi!

***
Is this the French version of Biggie we're listening to right now? I swear this song sounds just like Big Poppa but in French. Maybe he's not dead and he's just living in France now...

***
I make it to the residence that my school's program coordinator had set up for me. It is pretty much a hotel-shaped dorm. My "studio" has a bed, desk, closet, table, two chairs, two nightstands, a mini fridge, stovetop, kitchen sink and full bathroom.

 

 



It's about what I expected, and very dorm room-esque, but the surrounding neighborhood is not really the UNESCO cultural heritage site I had envisioned. It's clean and seems safe, but it's just so... suburban. There's no one around. Not even in the residence itself.  I thought this was a bustling college town with local sommeliers selling their wines on the streets! I'll explore tomorrow. For now, I have to get checked in.

Me: Je suis Nicole! (They were expecting me. I must have looked like an absolute mess in this moment.  Bags falling off of me, hair in a snarl, clothes wrinkled and sweat-stained...)
Residence director: Bienvenue! iojeflknfm,pomsmpwrotzmnn!
Me: Desolée. Je ne parle pas beaucoup de français.
Residence director: [shoots a concerned look to her assistant] D'accord...

Thus commences 20 straight minutes of them trying to explain things to me, such as how I need to pay my rent as soon as possible but I will need a French bank account, and here are all the keys you will need for various doors around the building, and didn't Madame Lambert explain to you about the bank account?

There are some people who make you feel like you know nothing at all. The residence director is one of them. She's very nice but I don't think she really understands how to talk to someone who doesn't speak your language very well. The assistant is a bit better but it was her first day on the job so she didn't have many answers for me. Sweet Jesus. This is going to be a disaster. Why didn't I study more?

Luckily, I was able to figure out enough that I could get to the bank. Enter: Isabelle, my savior. She is the friendly banker down the road who helped me get my account set up. This is extremely important because you can't do anything in France (get a phone, pay your rent, get a bus pass...) without a French bank account. I was doing well in French for a minute but then things started to get complicated. We didn't have a unit on "How to Open a Bank Account" in my French 101 class. It somehow came up that I spoke Spanish and she just happened to be fluent in that as well. Thank you thank you thank you Spain for giving me the gift of Spanish fluency. We completed the rest of my transactions in Spanish and everything went pretty smoothly. I have seen this woman almost everyday since I moved in because she is just the most helpful soul in the world. Everyday we start speaking in French but I get stuck and she just laughs her little laugh at me and switches to Spanish. I will show you one day, Isabelle. One day you will be proud of the progress I have made in my French skills and then we will both laugh! Ha ha ha!

Account is opened, paperwork is complete, I'll grab a pizza to go and start to make my house a home. I think this will be okay, actually. I can do this. I can and I will.

Next time: Getting settled

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