Englishwoman Joanna, a freelance writer and illustrator, divides her time between her home in the UK and Paris, France. Here she shares some of her thoughts on French attitudes and behavior and the cost of living, and gives some tips on speaking the language.	Badaude - Joanna Walsh

-Where were you born?

UK

-In which country and city are you living now?

Between the UK and Paris

-Are you living alone or with your family?

Toute seule in Paris. With family in the UK.

-How long have you been living in France?

For about one and a half years, on and off. I live between Paris, France, and Oxford, UK.

-What is your age?

37

-When did you come up with the idea of living in France?

A sudden obsession with French literature, film, food and fashion. Blame Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Gustav Flaubert, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean Renoir, Vanessa Bruno, Isabel Marant, Pierre Herme, Mavis Gallant...

Then I started writing my illustrated blog, www.badaude.typepad.com, about my life in London and Paris.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?

As I still live in the UK lots of the time, and I'm a freelance with most of my work still coming from the UK, all my business affairs remain based there.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

I think I'm covered under the EU reciprocal arrangement. Um... let's see how that holds up when I break my ankle...

-How do you make your living in France? Do you have any type of income generated?

I'm a freelance writer and illustrator, which is ideal for someone who wants to live abroad. I already worked in this way for 10 years in the UK where most of my work still comes from, but I've also always worked internationally, frequently for publishers in the US and Canada.

-Do you speak French and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

My French is getting better. Yes, it's essential to speak the language of anywhere you want to live for any length of time, not only for practical purposes, but so you can enjoy participating in life in the country you're visiting. It's not just necessary to know how to translate, but how to use the language. For instance if you go into a boulangerie in France and order a croissant without first Bonjour-Madame-ing the sales assistant, everyone will think you're incredibly brusque. It's easy to get it wrong, but learning this sort of thing is part of the pleasure of discovering where you're living.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

Paris is a city of expats; you can find English-speakers any time you like. The trick is to sometimes to avoid them. I never belived in the myth of English eccentricity before I went abroad, but sometimes I find myself feeling as if I'm failing to play by a set of unwritten rules which it is easy to break unwittingly. People usually treat you with extra consideration and allow you to be a bit odd because you're foreign. However, I usually feel most 'different' when I'm spending time with Americans, not French.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

I've started writing for The Walrus, www.walrusmagazine.com - a fantastic Canadian publication which won just about every award going in Canada last year - and I've just been asked by a British publisher to write a book about Paris.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

I don't even want to think about this. No, I do. You can still buy Studio flats in my area, 14e, for under 100,000 Euros, but these will be really small - maybe a chambre de bonne which means a maid's room where you may even share a bathroom with the flat next door. You could rent a small studio for about 800 euros per month. At the moment, I rent. See http://www.century21.fr/

-What is the cost of living in France?

Paris is expensive compared to the rest of France but, like most of the rest of the world, remains less expensive than London.

-What do you think about the French?

I'm not sure where the story about the French being rude comes from. They're usually extremely polite. But they can be incredibly, often unflatteringly, frank. Soit franche (be honest) is a common expression.

If you're a woman alone, you should expect a lot more flirting and unasked-for attention than in the UK. So far I haven't had any unpleasant encounters: a man in the Jardin du Luxembourg came up recently and told me I was beautiful. I'm not sure to what extent this is a game played more with obvious foreigners than between the French themselves with tourists and expats as 'fair game'...

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in that France?
The French have a great capacity to be serious which I admire. They think there's a correct way to do everything, which is why every small thing, from wrapping a pair of socks in a department store, to sitting down to a casual lunch, can be a beautiful experience. They are able to take pride in their metier, however humble or everyday.

This can sometimes be a big bore. They don't tend to do self-deprecation or making light of a situation like the British (although occasionally someone will suprise you). Despite their reputation for rebellion, I'm not sure the French like to break the rules: Oh la la la. Madame ce n'est pas prevu. Ce n'est pas possible. I think this might all be part of a balance. Maybe they like to have rules and they like to break them. Secretly I think they love to be shocking and love to be shocked.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about France?

If you speak French, these are the two sites I use when I'm going out. The first is restaurant reviews with - sometimes very franche - ratings from locals. The second tells you everything that's going on in Paris on any given week and maps it.

http://mmmm.free.fr/

http://www.fra.cityvox.fr/guide_paris/AccueilVille

Apart from my blog at www.badaude.typepad.com I write for these two English language travel guide sites. Gridskipper has a particularly quirky take on unusual attractions.

http://gridskipper.com/travel/paris/

http://paris.moleskinecity.com/index.php/2007/07/29/the-6e-goes-back-to-its-roots/

Lauren Elikin writes one of the cleverest Paris blogs...

http://maitresse.typepad.com/