| "The longer we're here, the more I like it," is one of the things that Kari has to say about living with her husband in Lyon, France. While they don't plan to make France their permanent home, they're immersing themselves in the French experience as much as they can. Becoming more fluent in the language, enjoying the baguettes, and debunking stereotypes about the people are just some of the things that Kari is doing in Lyon. |
 Kari Masson |
August 07 2006
-Where were you born?
Kentucky, USA
-In which country and city are you living now?
Lyon, France: the gastronomic center of the world and the 37th best in terms of quality of life, according to Mercer’s 2006 survey.
-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my husband.
-How long have you been living there?
We're coming up on two years.
-What is your age?
I'm 25.
-When did you come up with the idea of living in France?
I grew up overseas as my parents worked in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. After college I went back to West Africa to work with a non-profit organization in the healthcare field. One of my American teammates became my husband, and as he had already planned to attend medical school in France, we moved here a few days after the wedding.
-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
My husband's student visa was issued hassle-free out of Chicago. My visa from Atlanta was a bit more challenging, until they realized we were already married and he had already been issued a visa. That helped speed things up and we were able to get visas in time.
Work permits seem to be a nightmarish experience as my understanding is that you must be offered a permanent position by an established French company, and be able to prove that no French person qualifies for the job. I've been here two years and still do not have a work permit, but haven't looked actively as it's reputed to be such a painful process, often involving flying back to the U.S. to have your visa re-issued. 
-How do you make your living in France? Do you have any type of income generated?
Finding a job once you're in France is nearly impossible. You're much better off to come with work already set up (and required visa) rather than try to work it out once you're here. Many expats transfer here for work, generally 1-3 year contracts, and their spouses come on visitor's visas which do not allow them to work.
-Do you speak French and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
My husband and I both speak French, and that's how we keep sane. As we're here independently and not through an organization, we have forged through all the paperwork of moving, visas, school application, renting and setting up housing, and figuring out banking, taxes, etc…on our own. If we hadn't arrived speaking French, we probably would not have made it.
However, if you are with an organization I think you'd be fine learning French once you arrive. It would be challenging, but not impossible. We lived abroad through an organization before and they took care of every last detail, even car or hot water heater repairs. While it's nice to be independent and make your own plans, we do miss that stability and security of being affiliated with an organization.
As far as culture, it goes hand in hand with the language. I grew up speaking French, but it was a different dialect. So while I have the language skills, I did not arrive with the reading/writing skills or the cultural knowledge.
I felt as if I made a mistake in every interaction with people. I said the wrong word. I forgot to give the bisous (cheek kiss). I didn't remember to greet the store owner as I walked in the door. I didn't know how to fill out our tax forms according to French law. And I certainly didn't feel like looking it up on some Web site in French, or making a phone call that costs 40 cents/minute to talk to some person speaking 40 kilometer per hour French.
Being affiliated with an organization would have relieved some of these stresses, but in the end we learned by trial and error. Just remember to be polite and ask for help rather than assume things are done the same way as "back home."
-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Of course. I moved to France to follow my husband's dreams. They’ve now become mine, but I was never one of those people who dreamed of living in France. The longer we're here, the more I like it.
Ten Reasons to Love France
1. Recycling. It's the lifestyle here. Recycling pick-up is included in apartment fees. Put your glass in one container, and everything else in another. It's incredibly convenient and effective.
2. Markets. Our neighborhood market is just down the street twice weekly. You can buy fresh fruits and veggies, cheeses and meats, and local products. Plus, we have the bonus of living in an "immigrant" neighborhood, which means we also get the vendors selling ethnic specialties, like Turkish bread and harissa paste from Morocco.
3. Health insurance. Because Jonathan is a student, our health insurance is literally a fraction of what it would be in the US. The medical care has been great so far, and very convenient. We can actually see our doctor's office from the living room window.
4. Tartiflette. An amazing comfort food made with potatoes, onions, bacon, sour cream, and lots of melted cheese.
5. Public transportation. Lyon has an amazing bus-subway-tramway system that allows us to get everywhere we need and want, for about $40 per person each month. It takes longer than driving, but it works great for us...especially since we don't have a car, or want to pay $6/gallon.
6. Flowers. Lyon and its many suburbs have earned the ranking of "ville fleurie" or flowered town. This means that they maintain certain standards of flower maintenance year-round. So every little park and grassy area is decorated with beautiful, seasonal flowers and plants.
7. Baguettes from the local boulangerie (bread store). I've yet to meet a baguette I didn't like. There are so many variations, but all are soft on the inside, incredibly crusty on the outside. I found a recipe for making my own, which turned out pretty well. I'm still going to happily hand over my 80 centimes rather than do it myself, but good to know that I can reproduce a good French baguette when we move away.
8. The history. Having spent a few years in the South, I know all about Civil War monuments and battlefields. But there's something that truly takes your breath away when you realize that the place where you live was once the capital of Gaul, part of the Roman Empire. Here's your history lesson: Lyon was founded in 43 B.C. as Lungdunum, a tribute to the Celtic divinity of Lug believed to raise the sun each morning.
9. Français. The humbling opportunity to improve our French. It's definitely a challenge, but so much easier to be going through it together.
10. Snow! While I much prefer warmer climates, I have greatly enjoyed my first experiences with real snowfalls. In our ideal world, it would be summer 350 days per year, and snow the other 15.
-Do you have other plans for the future?
Convince the prefecture to keep renewing our visas year after year so that we can stay until medical school is finished! After that we do plan to move from France. It's a great place for us as "student and wife," but after six years it will be time for a change. We’re more hot-weather, lesser-developed country kind of people.
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home?
We rent an apartment in the suburbs of Lyon. It's 104 years old and completely redone – we love it! It’s quite tiny by US standards, but our French friends tell us it's just right for two people (45 m²).
In order to rent the apartment we had to provide a massive stack of paperwork, a damage deposit the equivalent to two months rent, a reasonable agency fee, and first month’s rent. In France you also have to have a French-nationality "garant" or someone who will take financial responsibility for anything you fail to pay. If you don’t have any French friends or relatives able to take this on, some banks will sign for you if you qualify. You also have to have proof of property insurance, also available from your bank.
-What is the cost of living in France?
That’s tough for me to say. I’m the wife of a medical student, so we don’t exactly live the high life. Plus, we moved here from West Africa so our perspective is probably pretty unusual. Lyon is more expensive overall than Atlanta, where I lived in the US, but things like healthcare are incredibly inexpensive.
-What do you think about the French people?
We have made some wonderful French friends, and found the negative stereotypes of the French to be quite inaccurate. As long as you are respectful of their culture and country, they will treat you in the same way.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in France?
The positive is that it's France! Wine, cheese, and all that jazz. It is beautiful and the people are much more open than the stereotypes lead you to believe.
The negative is that it's not America. Customer service, endless cereal aisles and all that jazz. Be prepared to feel like a child. Often. Everything is at least a little bit different than you are used to, so you will need to relearn a lot of basic things like pumping gas, ATM machines, check cashing, etc…
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in France?
Having lived and adapted to life in two extremes, I was surprised to realize that several key items on my packing list seem to stay the same, no matter to where I move. Apparently, these are my essentials for moving abroad.
1. Photo album
2. Ranch dressing mix
3. Holiday decorations
4. Flavored drink powders
5. OTC meds
6. Sports sandals
7. Macaroni and cheese
8. Hobby supplies
9. Scented candles
10. A smile and a positive attitude
-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about France?
My blog: En France!
My favorite food site from France: David Lebovitz…Living the Sweet Life in Paris
Good site for moving abroad: Just Landed
Blue Book, Guide for U.S. Citizens Residing in France, from the U.S. Embassy
