Lessons from the New York Times

I saw this article in the New York Times and loved it. Written by the former Paris bureau chief, here are eight lessons learned from life en France:

1. Look in the Rear-View Mirror—The French are very proud of their history. Know it and respect it.



2. An Interview Is Sometimes Not an Interview—Who knew it was “common practice for journalists in France to allow their interview subjects to edit their words”?



3. The Customer is Always Wrong—Furthermore, instead of admitting a mistake, a French merchant will “get the offended party to feel the mistake was his or her own.” Something to look forward to.



4. Make Friends With a Good Butcher—Food is too important to be second-grade.



5. Kiss, but Be Careful Whom You Hug—“The French need no excuse to kiss.” For some it might be awkward… but get used to it.



6. Don’t Wear Jogging Clothes to Buy a Pound of Butter—Fashion is too important to ignore; you will be judged by what you wear. (This is going to be a particular challenge for me.)



7. Feeling Sexy Is a State of Mind, or: Buy Good Lingerie—My favorite lesson! While the author focused on how “for French women, being sexy has nothing to do with age and everything to do with attitude,” I loved the following excerpt:

   The sexiest French women seem naturally skilled in the art of moving, smiling and flirting.
   
   Chic French women prefer to peel and polish rather than paint their faces. Too much makeup, they say, makes a woman seem older, or worse, “vulgaire.” “The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion,” Yves Saint Laurent once said. “But cosmetics are easier to buy.”

   And I was shocked to learn that “French women spend close to 20 percent of their clothing budgets on lingerie.” I better stop at Victoria’s Secret before I take the leap…



8. When It Comes to Politesse, There Is No End to the Lessons—Some things will always be lost in translation. Others are a result of cultures clashing. No matter what, life in Paris is sure to be filled with many amusing — and ridiculously awkward— blunders.

99 Days of Boston To Go

…99 days left here
Pass one by
Prepare for goodbye
Just 98 days of Boston to go…

Things You’ll Need for a French Apartment

The French bureaucracy is infamous for being an overall nightmare. I experienced this the first time when I had to fight with an insurance agency because they wouldn’t give me coverage without a carte gris… but I needed a carte gris to get insurance. Or something. (There’s always the misinformation lost in translation… and inherent to rural offices.)

Turns out that renting an apartment is just as complicated. To even be considered by the landlord, you will need to give:

• Pièce d'identité: Copies of your government issued IDs (i.e. passport, driver’s license)



• Contrat de travail: Letter confirming that you are employed



• Dernières fiches de paye: Last three pay stubs



• Dernier avis d'imposition: Last tax statement



• Caution d'un tierce personne: Signed letter from a “financially responsible individual” promising to bail you out if need be, and his or her last three pay stubs to prove that he or she can afford to bail you out



• Caution bancaire française: Guarantee issued by a French Bank (There are apparently ways around this…)



• Your first born child.