New Year’s Resolutions for French Expatriates

   703  
New Year’s Resolutions for French Expatriates 1. In the coming year I promise to do something for myself each and every day. Whether it is getting some exercise, calling my family at home, getting a facial or a massage, I will do it because the better I feel the more likely my day will go well. 2. I will remember that my stay here is not infinite and will try to cherish every day I have in France. I will try to have a good attitude, be approachable, and most of all smile because it is really difficult for anyone to be rude to me when I am smiling at them. 3. I promise to try to learn French. I will ignore the fact I am not “good” at languages, have a bad accent, or the fact that no one seems to understand a word that comes out of my mouth, and forge on. 3a) I will speak to at least one French person a day, whether it be the butcher, baker, or taxi car driver I will attempt to speak French. I will go to my French lessons as scheduled and do my best. 4. I will forgive France for my “bad French days” (daze). When people can’t understand a thing that comes out of my mouth, when I couldn’t get home because of another blasted transportation strike, when I ordered “beer” and I got “butter”, when I had to stand in line and/or traffic for three freaking hours just to get where I was going, I will chalk it up to experience and be content to know I will have some entertaining “war stories” to tell when I get home. 5. I promise do a social activity, French or American, that will get me out of the house at least once a week. Of course, this requires being in the company of more than one person. 6. If kids are involved in the expat experience, I promise to lead the way by being “Chef” (Madame Chef?) of French Adaptation & Integration”. I will be a good example to my child(ren) in the proactive way I adapt to French life. If my children are young, I will be firm in insisting they go to school even though it is “no fun”. I will enlist the aid of everyone at my children’s school to ensure a smooth transition to school. If my children are older, I will insist nobody gets to complain for six months while the family weathers the transition. I will eat one meal with my family, and insist that everyone speak French. 7. I promise to see as much of Europe as humanly possible. As an old friend of mine (Karen Fawcett) said to me, “You may only be here once and an opportunity like this may not come along again for a long time, so take advantage of being an expat!” Don’t worry about language. I swear France is the only European country that has a “thing” about not speaking English. So pack up and go have a blast in a foreign country. (Hint: In Amsterdam, Netherlands, coffee is served in mugs, not thimbles, like in France. 8. I promise not to let my friends and relations monopolize all my spare time by coming to stay at my house while in France. At my earliest convenience I will find some clean reasonable hotels to recommend and promise to be a tour guide only as much as I want to, not as much as they demand. 9. I promise to regularly do something for my American spirit. There are plenty of Americans in France, whether it be joining a social club, church, or mother’s group, I will do something to remind myself I am an American. 10. I promise to be thankful every day that I’ve survived in France. I will remember it is the experience of a lifetime and after all, I will get used to it. Not only will I get used to it, I will in all likelihood learn to love it and want to come back to France regularly. Wherever you are this New Year, I hope you will have the best year ever. We’ll meet you here again next week. Until then, Bonne Année! Cat Dear Cat, I am a professional alcohol and drug counselor working in the USA. I would like to know how to find information about who to contact about working in this field either for a short or long-term position in Paris. I know there are several hospitals and clinics with Alcoholism units located in Paris. I also am curious as to what options are available for expats and tourists who need to be admitted for this disease. It seems I only see relocation and job sites that are mainly business or computer only. Any info on who to contact regarding health care employment could be a starting point. Thank you, MS Bobbe Hendricks Ms. Hendricks, Thank you for your correspondence. I am a bit vague on the details, so I don’t really know in which direction to tell you to go. My first question would be, do you speak French? Do you speak any other languages fluently besides French? Assuming you speak French, there is a national Alcoholism Committee under the Ministry of Health. I would assume that is a good place to start: It is called A.N.P.A. (Association Nationale de Prevention de l’Alcoolisme). While researching this story I found several other sites dealing with drug and alcohol abuse for French nationals. If you are an Anglophone, I would first try FUSAC and the American Church in Paris, which has a counseling center that deals with all kinds of problems, from marriage counseling to drug and alcohol abuse positions. I’m 99% sure that positions through the church are volunteer or low pay positions, and that they do not sponsor people coming from the States. However, they may be able to point you in the right direction for paying counselor-type career opportunities….
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • ALREADY SUBSCRIBED?
Previous Article Beginner’s French Lesson No. 2
Next Article Beginner’s French Lesson No. 45