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Author: Ellen

French Visa Terminology

passport open with lots of entry stamps

Visa, titre de séjour, carte de séjour… What’s the difference? I often hear these terms being used interchangeably, but they’re actually different! Here’s a little guide to visas and residence permits for France.

Ellen September 4, 2020February 25, 2021 Bureaucracy No Comments Read more

How I Got the Carte de séjour “vie privée et familiale” Through Marriage

carte de séjour

I arrived in France on a long-stay visitor visa, got married to a Frenchman, and applied for the carte de séjour “vie privée et familiale” (VPF) in Paris. This residence permit provides stability, allowing me to stay in France and work.

Ellen September 1, 2020March 1, 2021 Bureaucracy 5 Comments Read more

Paris: Deconfined and Sans Touristes

a short line to wait at the entrance to the Louvre pyramid

Like most Parisians, I rushed out of my small apartment as soon as I could, ready for freedom and direct sunlight. This summer, I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors, hoping to never be subjected to lockdown again. It’s a strange new world out there, with an extreme lack of tourists, and I’ve attempted to capture a bit of this period in photos.

Ellen August 25, 2020February 27, 2021 Daily Life & Culture 2 Comments Read more

How to Apply for Health Insurance in France as an Expat

carte vitale

Those who have been following my story for a while know how tricky French bureaucracy is. Getting access to the national healthcare system is a BIG win in my book. I have a permanent numéro de sécurité sociale as well as the highly sought after green carte vitale. I’ve included all the steps for how I did it in this post.

Ellen August 9, 2020March 1, 2021 Bureaucracy 8 Comments Read more

What to Pack for a Day Trip: Essentials I Always Bring

blogger planning a trip with a map

Packing for a day trip should be easy, but forgetting one little essential can make for an uncomfortable and stressful day. Here’s my checklist of what to pack on a day trip.

Ellen July 25, 2020February 16, 2021 Travel 6 Comments Read more

Our Paris Love Story

Ellen and Jonathan outside of the Marché des Enfants Rouges entrance

This is the story of how a French teacher from the United States of America and a New Caledonian, who was working and living primarily in Tunisia at the time, met and fell in love in Paris over the course of two weeks. It wasn’t love at first sight or a fairy tale romance. But it’s our story.

Ellen July 21, 2020January 4, 2021 Love & Relationships 17 Comments Read more

Black Lives Matter. Ici Aussi.

Sign on cardboard: Black Lives Matter Ici Aussi

In this post, I would like to explore France’s taboo surrounding the topic of race and the implications that this has for talking about and acknowledging racism.

Ellen June 24, 2020February 27, 2021 Daily Life & Culture 7 Comments Read more

5 French Food Habits I’ve Embraced

eating with fork in left hand, knife in right hand

Do I talk about food a lot? And if yes, do you have a problem with that? No? Good!

Here are some French food habits I’ve picked up over the years. As always with my cultural comparison pieces, I write from my own experience and from a place of love. Enjoy!

Ellen May 23, 2020February 27, 2021 Daily Life & Culture 8 Comments Read more

Deconfinement in France: Looking Ahead to May 11

carte de France du Déconfinement

As we head towards the beginning of the deconfinement (French people literally just made this word up, and I’m following suit), I want to give you an update on the situation here in France, and specifically in Paris.

Ellen May 9, 2020February 27, 2021 Daily Life & Culture 4 Comments Read more

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Multicultural Relationships

a couple holding hands in a café drinking coffee

I think we can all agree—relationships are complicated. There are a lot of possible points of contention that could either bring you closer together or drive you apart. When you’re in a relationship with someone outside of your own culture, the divide between these topics can be augmented as a result of our unique cultural lenses.

Ellen April 25, 2020January 4, 2021 Love & Relationships 13 Comments Read more
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Selfie at Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte
Meet Ellen

Popular Posts

  • 7 Signs You’re Dating (or Married To) a Frenchman
  • Black Lives Matter. Ici Aussi.
  • Long-Stay Visa for France
  • 5 French Food Habits I’ve Embraced
  • Marrying for Papers
  • How to Open a French Bank Account
  • From French Teacher to Expat Blogger
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Have you ever taken a look at the immigration proc Have you ever taken a look at the immigration process for your home country?

Paperwork, wait times, cost... there’s a lot involved.

As much as I complain about French bureaucracy, I know I have it pretty good here. When we looked into doing it the other way—having Jonathan move to the States—the biggest shock factor was how expensive it would be.

Anyways, the latest news on my end is that in order to renew my carte de séjour as the spouse of a French citizen in the fall, I have to:
• Sign an integration contract
• Demonstrate level A1 French
• Attend 4 civics classes

Currently, I’m working on the last bullet point. One class down, three to go. Read more about the process in my latest blog post, “OFII Integration Contract & Civics Classes.” (Link in bio)
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#paris1 #citybike #parisbybike #winterinparis #movingtofrance #movingtoparis #immigrationstories #trailingspouse #frenchhusband #loveisnottourism #movingforlove #ofii #immigration #urbansider #onceuponatimeinparis #parisarchitecture #parisianstreets #sofrench #frenchculture #francophile #parismood #parisobviously #parisvibes #howtobeparisian #learnfrench #internationalcouple #lifeabroad #myexpatlife #americanexpat #américaineinfrance
When I was a kid, anytime there was a chance of sn When I was a kid, anytime there was a chance of snow, I used to turn my pajamas inside out and put a spoon under my pillow.
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I helped to secure many a snow day with this method. It even worked a time or two while I was a teacher 😉
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Tomorrow might be a Saturday but I’m still hoping for a snow day (at least in spirit) and with the projected 100% chance of snow in Paris, I think we might see one.
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I’ve never seen Paris in the snow. Have you?
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#paris4 #pontsaintlouis #ilesaintlouis #quaideseine #seineriver #laseine #winterinparis #snowinparis #chanceofsnow #urbansider #onceuponatimeinparis #snowdaytomorrow #everydayparis #dreamingofparis #takemetoparis #inlovewithparis #parisarchitecture #parisview #lifeinparis #frenchteacher #parismood #francophile #doitinparis #parisgram #parisobviously #parismaville #travelpreneur #americanexpat #americanabroad #américaineinfrance
🤫 Shhhhhhhhh ⁣ Be very quiet and don’t mak 🤫 Shhhhhhhhh
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Be very quiet and don’t make any sudden moves. I don’t want to scare the new year away! 😅
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Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! 🥂
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#villageroyal #levillageroyal #paris8 #winterinparis #happynewyear2021 #happyandhealthynewyear #newyearsameme #newyearsday2021 #artinstallation #walkingaroundparis #meetparis #livinginparis #secretparis #hiddenparis #parisstreets #lifeinparis #parisbyday #parismood #shewhowanders #visitparis #parisjetaime #liveloveparis #francophile #parisisalwaysagoodidea #exploreparis #doitinparis #americanabroad #americanexpat #lifeabroad #américaineinfrance
How long are we keeping up the Christmas lights th How long are we keeping up the Christmas lights this year? 🎄✨
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Are you one of those people that takes them down right away or leaves them up until the summer? 😂
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In Paris, many of the decorations will be taken down during the first week of January.
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#placevendome #paris1 #placevendôme #christmasinparis #parischristmas #winterinparis #christmasabroad #christmasineurope #frenchchristmas #noel2020 #merrychristmas2020 #cityoflight #christmastrees #christmasdecorations #christmaslights #parisscintille #livinginparis #myparisianlife #parisarchitecture #beautifulparis #frenchculture #lifeinparis #lavieparisienne #doitinparis #wheninparis #parisgram #traveldames #parisblogger #americanexpat #américaineinfrance
Who did it better? (swipe) ⁣ Galeries Lafayette Who did it better? (swipe)
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Galeries Lafayette or Ellen & Jonathan?
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This is a tough one, I know 😅
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Ok, so we may not have had a glorious tree like Galeries Lafayette but our celebration was big in spirit, and we have a lot to be grateful for.
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Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and happy end of the year celebrations ✨
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#christmasinparis #parischristmas #winterinparis #christmasabroad #christmas2020 #christmasinfrance #frenchchristmas #christmasineurope #noel2020 #galerieslafayette #galerieslafayettehaussmann #christmastree #merrychristmas2020 #paris9eme #paris9 #cityoflight #dreamingofparis #myparisianlife #parisobviously #beautifulparis #lifeinparis #parisarchitecture #doitinparis #wheninparis #lovesparis #lifeabroad #pariscartepostale #expatblogger #americaninparis #américaineinfrance
Tomorrow’s to-do list: - pick up la bûche de No Tomorrow’s to-do list:
- pick up la bûche de Noël from the bakery
- bake cookies because clearly there’s not enough dessert (for 2 😅)
- watch a Christmas movie
- make dinner
- open the champagne 🥂
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I hope I can get it all done!
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#christmasinparis #paris4 #parischristmas #winterinparis #seineriver #quaideseine #quaisdeseine #urbansider #cityoflight #christmasabroad #christmas2020 #noel2020 #christmasinfrance #frenchchristmas #christmasineurope #myparisdiaries #beautifulparis #parisview #parisatnight #lavieparisienne #wheninparis #wheninfrance #parismood #francophile #seemyparis #buchedenoel #livinginparis #expatblog #americaninparis #américaineinfrance
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