Quote:
Originally Posted by lovelyivy84
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 |
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.