Living abroad
 

Hey Sorors and sisterfriends!

Very long time no chat, but I am checking in with specific questions!

My job (consultant) is placing me with a client in Paris. I would be working there for three months.

I am beyond excited about this, but also PETRIFIED. I am one of the few who never did a semester abroad in college. I took french for nine years, but haven't spoken it in damn near a decade!

Has anyone here worked abroad (in Paris or other locations outside the US) before? How was it? Was there a lot of antipathy towards you as an American? As a black woman? Do you have any tips or insights as to how to handle yourself? Any tips on getting an IT setup- cell? laptop? Luckily I don't have to worry about finding an apartment because the company is providing one! Do they accept Visa everywhere? I don't know what I'd do without my debit card! ;)

Any input is much appreciated! If you don't want to post here, you can email me at lovelyivy at mac . com

Au Revoir!

LI84

CCed you on an email to a Frat who works for the State Department. He's studied and worked overseas before. Hope it helps!

ETA: Three months will go by soooooo quickly!

Congrats Soror!

Thanks so much!

I know it will- it's going to be difficult to be be good worker in Paris. How do you focus on the work when you just want to run outside and enjoy freakin Paris in the fall?

I have no idea how I'll be productive.

Truly wonderful.

I have visited Paris for 1 week. Had not taken French for some years. I picked up my language skill within that week. I also kept many of my French books so I could say some basics. However, in Paris EVERYONE can speak English. They may not understand the American culture--or rather care about it, but they do speak some basics.

Also there are NUMEROUS Black people there--some are native born, some are from mainly from the Continent. The difference is I am unsure if they figured out how to do our kind of hurr there... LOL. When I was there in 1997, they hadn't a clue. Now, the French may have figured it out.

And I also got the feeling the French seem to enjoy Black Americans for strange reason--think pre-Harlem renaissance. Just be your natural self and for some reason, they enjoy you presence. I don't think that has changed.

You will have A LOT of fun there. ALL kinds of things to do there.

Congrats. Sounds like a really exciting opportunity.

Wow! What a wonderful experience for you. I don't have any direct experience with traveling extensively abroad, but my husband used to have a job where he traveled internationally for work. He went to Switzerland, Germany, England and Italy. He would spend anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months in different places. One thing he said was that even if you do not speak the language well most people respect the fact that you try. You do not want to be the ugly American!

Have a great time!

Hi Lovelyivy,
Sorry to crash, but having lived in France(Paris specifically), traveled there more than half a dozen times(some with students, others alone, others being the tour guide) I thought you might like some advice. :) Though I can't answer to the being a black woman part of your post, I can definitely answer to the American/woman side of you post.

Firstly about being an American...the Parisians are pretty much rude to French and non-French alike, so don't feel like you are being singled out because you're American, let's get that straight right away. :) Do remember to try and speak French before you speak English as that will be appreciated much more than just starting off in your native language. I would highly recommend trying to get to an Alliance Francaise before you go to get back into the swing of things. While you may have taken French for 9 years in a classroom, no amount of classroom can prepare you for real world usage. If you lived in So Cal, I'd be more than happy to point you in the right direction, or give you practice myself as I'm a French teacher and have been speaking it for 27 years, however NYC has an Alliance Francaise and a pretty large French speaking community. Here is their website : http://www.fiaf.org/frenchclasses/index.htm They even have classes starting immediately in the evenings.

Cell phones are easy to get. I got one this past April while I was there from SFR (red sign, white lettering), but you can also go to an Orange store(this is France telecom's cell branch). I went to SFR because I could purchase minutes to recharge my card and not be billed since I wasn't going to be living there. I would say since you'll be there three months, this will probably be your best bet. The phone was about 60 dollars(39 Euro at the time) and I recharged the phone with 10 Euros "cards"- basically a passcode, twice. It's expensive to call the US from these phones though, so pay attention to the fees in the booklet that comes with the phone.

Internet access I don't know much about, but I'll send an email to my friends and ask them what they do, since they are both French people they would be able to answer better. I used to go to internet cafes, but this was in 97 when I was doing my study abroad.

I brought my own laptop from home and bought a big converter(not the ones from target, a more heavy duty one, I think from Fry's.) Find out from your computer manufacturer if that is possible...I wouldn't buy a comp in France, they are expensive.

Now as for Visa, you can use it, but their cards are different(they have a little chip on them) and I had some trouble using mine as a debit card so I just withdrew money from my bank and paid in cash. Talk with your bank at home to see what might work best. Citibank used to have branches in Paris, but no longer from what I have researched. Getting a French bank account can be a pain in the butt, but it can be done. Here is a website to point you in the right direction http://www.americansinfrance.net/Mov...nk-Account.cfm

It's also good for other information as well.

As for being a woman in France, you live in NYC, so I assume you probably are pretty savvy about being a woman in a big city. I had issues with strange men following me home from the metro every now and then, random men coming up to talk with me while I was in parks, but beyond that nothing too odd...Feel free to pm me and we can email more at length.

Bon voyage!

ETA: There are also Alliance Francaise locations in France as well so you can work on your French while there, but you can always do both here and there.

Thanks so much for everyone's well wishes and information! I really don't want to be the ugly American, so I'm trying to get a good sense of what to expect now! I could not be more excited about it all. Its just huge.

And I just found out that it's not three months, it's five months to a year. So ya know, road trip folks, lol.

Soror AKA_Monet- that's what I'd heard from a few people in the past, but I wasn't sure. I plan on really trying to speak french when I'm there, so I've already started to brush up with tutorials online- all those things that I really didn't care about like compound verb tenses and whatnot look WAY more interesting now!

AOII_LB93, check your pms (well, in an hour or so). That was all really helpful! Thanks!

Congrats Soror!! It's funny that you started this thread because I have REALLY been considering the idea of moving abroad for a year to teach English in South Korea. In fact, I am almost 90% sure that I am going to do it. The economy is HORRIBLE right now, finding a job has been a thorn in my side, and I think I need the time to just get away from my so-called life.

I, too, have been concerned about the experiences of Black men and women living abroad, so I have been reading blogs and emailing them to get firsthand accounts. Here's the link to the blog of a young Black woman in Paris (currently): This Time in Seoul She has lived several places in Europe and Asia. I'm sure if you emailed her, she'd be happy to give you some tips on her experience in Paris.

Let me know when I can come and visit!! :D

I lived in (West) Germany for three years. The Germans LOVED black folks, they certainly took to me as a 5 year old child. My family and I went to Paris three weeks before we left in '85, and again, we got the same treatment. All I remember is riding the Metro and there being a lot of people who wanted to touch my hair. I've found that if you make an effort to speak their language they are quick to help you out, usually in English.

Girl, enjoy this chance to live abroad!!! Your French will come back to you in a heartbeat. I went to Spain in HS, and I can write my butt off en espanol, but speaking it took a minute to click. A minute = about two days. As you are constantly bombarded with French, it all comes back. You will be fine!!!

Just remember to check in with GC and send us lots and lots of pictures.

Bring me back a French man, too, please! :) :P

Girl if I find some nice, handsome Frenchman I am KEEPING him. :cool:

The best thing about having locs is that I have no hair worries- I have maintained my locs on my own from day one, so I can go anywhere in the world and be set.

RefinedDiva- Thanks for the link! I think you sould definitely go for it as well. I know that living abroad is something that anyone who is blessed to HAVE the opportunity to do should experience, it's just scary!

You will LOVE Paris, then. What helped me is that I said, I cannot speak French in "Francaise", then I said: Je parle Anglais... And they appreciated that more than me struggling and butchering their language... Then after a week, Parisiens started asking me in French about directions, I was shock!!! :eek:

Also, when some folks find out you are from Etais Unis, their interested is peaked. When I said I was California, they were more excited--don't know why?

And a close childhood friend moved there and lives there for years. She's fluent in 3-5 different languages. Anyhow she said it takes 2-3 months for you to express yourself in French. But overall getting around, buying food and reading signs, if you have been quizzed and did well on your infinitifs, then you should be fine within a week or so.

The other thing is when you want a salad with all tomatoes, etc. ask for "Salade compose' (can't do the accent on this computer)"... LOL. Didn't figure that one out for awhile. ;)

If he has a twin, can I get the twin, then? I'm just sayin.. :cool:

I am so excited for you, and I can't speak a lick of French!!!!!!

*we goin to Paaaris, we goin to Paaaris* lol...