Passing on things that I have learned that make being an expat easier
My new years resolution was to be better. I told this to my flatmate and said I would be a new and improved me, a new Chris. One evening when I got home from work I found this note attached to the novelty corkscrew that he had won in a pub quiz. Christopher GJ Cooley … Continue reading
I openly admit that I really like shopping online… I’m even happy to tell people that I like Amazon, even though they are a big mean ol’ monopoly that destroys indy book-stores etc, etc. I’m just well into receiving things through the post, and not having to leave my flat, and not having to walk … Continue reading
Back in Sainsburys (that is to say, back in England) I always used to go to the exotic foods section to buy black beans and KA. In short: I love exotic food sections in supermarkets. Now that I’m an expat in France there is an exotic food section featuring what I suppose must be all … Continue reading
Monday. Evening. I wasn’t working and I had no plans. My flatmate Adrien told me he was cooking and asked if I wanted some. I paced back and forth tucking into a starter of roasted chestnuts that had just come out of the oven. Adrien had been working in a small town outside of Bordeaux … Continue reading
Today I received a letter from the bank: Bear in mind that in order to get a French bank account I needed a lot of paperwork. I had to give them a photocopy of my passport, my contract of employment, previous bills, etc, etc… and in all of these documents my name is clearly … Continue reading
In my opinion FIP is as close to perfection as radio stations get, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. You can listen to it here… just scroll to the bottom of the page and écouter direct. The songs never seem to have much in common, except that they are all interesting and top quality. … Continue reading
After finding a job, I was ready to find a flat to rent. I thought it would be hard because it was almost September and the university students were returning. Also I’d been following a thread on Couchsurfing.org where a girl was finding it difficult to find a ‘colocation’ and was looking for assistance. The … Continue reading
