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Expat Focus Recommended Website Award - France
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Expat Experiences of Life in France (submit yours here)
April Hollands
I'm April Hollands, originally from Melbourne, Australia before spending a few years in London, then flitting between the French Alps as a ski bum in winters and working two jobs in Cambridge to pay for the luxury, then finally moving to the French Alps permanently and finding work. ...
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Sion Dayson
I'm Sion Dayson, an American in Paris. I'm a writer originally from New York and North Carolina. Unlike a lot of expats here, I had never dreamed of living in Paris. I spoke Spanish, longed for warm weather, and didn't display any Francophile tendencies. So wouldn't you know it? I fell in love with the City of Light one cold, rainy November. I was in Europe for a work conference and had a layover in Paris. Three days of exploring and the city worked its magic. I couldn't shake the place. I planned a month-long holiday for the following April...
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Cynthia Caughey
I'm a 51-year old American expat living in Chambery in the French Alps. I moved here in 2008 to marry my fiance, now husband, who is a French citizen. We met when I was vacationing in Provence on a train to Avignon. After a 2.5 year long distance relationship between Chambery and Los Angeles, I moved to France at the age of 49. It was a very difficult decision since I left behind a city I loved and lived in for 26 years...
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Alan Simonds
We were over here on holiday in 2005 and drove past the end of a lane which had a sign for a building plot for sale. We looked at the land which amounted to about 1.4 acres and had a stream running along two sides. We were totally smitten and decided to buy. We settled here in France in May 2006. The main reason for coming was for a better quality of live, escaping from the pressure of work and the traffic in South East England....
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We came to France 2 years ago just looking for a better life for the family- more time, less stress. We found that. Not all ex-pats come to another country with tons of cash, dream home or the perfect job waiting. Some of us moved to find a better way of life. We do get more time now with less outside stress. Our older girls are doing really well in school and are so much happier that we can give them more time...
I have read a lot of literature with regard to the pitfalls of trying to open a Bank account in France whilst still living in the UK. That is a 'non resident' bank account. I have to say everything I have read was unfounded! Upon making the first approach to Credit Agricole, I was obviously asked for colour copies of our passports along with a utility bill of where I live in the UK, not more than three months old, no problem here I thought...
If you are choosing a school for your kids, our advice would be to chat to the Mairie. The state schools are good here, my youngest (14) is in his second year and doing ok. No knowledge of the language when we moved over a year ago, but it doesn't take long for them to learn the rudiments. The kids & the teachers have all been a great help to him...
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