French bureaucracy is lost in translation
Have you had many tiring encounters with French bureaucracy? Susan has now learnt there's no use actually trying to comply with the regulations...
Have you had many tiring encounters with French bureaucracy? Susan has now learnt there's no use actually trying to comply with the regulations...
As I face the prospect of everyday life in the French capital, I have to wonder: what does 'happy in Paris' look like?
Nous vous présentons Angela Pepe, concierge at Le Six Hotel, Paris - Vavin. She shared her daily vie parisienne with My French Life™.
If you come to France with the romantic notion that life will be perfect, you won’t last. But if you come expecting the good and the bad, you might just never leave.
You realize that eating in France is less about the meal itself than it is about conversation, exchange, dialogue and the rich rewards that come from socialising with others. It’s almost as if the meal is a means to an end.
I’m not going to lie to you, we’ve had some pretty tough times over the past year and a half… But now, Paris and I are on good terms again… my eyes have been re-opened to all the exciting aspects of living here.
The first time I stepped in one of those foul little presents, I was with my host family, returning to the car after a lovely dinner. I was fifteen, and still a little naïve. My shiny purple Dr Marten boots were brand new, and I was utterly horrified to have soiled them.
I know that many Frenchmen are proud to call themselves French, though their displays of patriotic affection might have changed over the years.
Living with two languages ??and two cultures is like living a double life and it is a treasure for a lifetime. I was born in France and I spent half my life in Australia where I live today with my wife and three children who all enjoy being bilingual.
Some assistants, myself included, expected to understand their students better than most, given that we were in high school not too long ago. We often receive a rude awakening.