Coffee hour in Paris?

So, I know at least two people from here in Ann Arbor who are going to be in Paris! I was just talking to one of them about how we should have weekly outings for coffee so that everyone can get together and chat. It probably won't do any wonders for my French, but it's REALLY nice to think that I'll know a few people over there.

Avoiding my "Interrogation"

Right about now, I should be reviewing "Chapitre 12" in my textbook to prepare for an "Interrogation" tomorrow in French class. Yep, calling it a quiz just doesn't sound intimidating enough for the French ... we've got to make it sound like I'm going to face a firing squad and answer questions such as, "Where were you on the night of April 10, 2005?" Hmm, that actually sounds more appealing that reviewing the conditional tense ...

So, since I'm procrastinating as only I can do, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the real point of this blog: documenting my (I mean, our) planning and eventual move to France. (Our = me, my husband, and my 5-year-old dog.) My husband is in a doctoral program for musicology (music history, for those of you who haven't heard of it), and next year, he's off to Paris and Nice to do research toward his dissertation. Needless to say, I can't let him go by himself!

But, honestly, I'm a little bit terrified to go because it's just such a big unknown to me. I barely speak French and I'm unlikely to find employment thanks to Visa rules and EU guidelines, so I'm constantly asking myself, "What in the *&%&! are you doing??"

On the bright side, we already have an apartment in Paris waiting for us. That was a HUGE relief to get settled. It's in the 14th arrondissement, which is supposedly a good place to be. I haven't seen pictures, just read a rave review from a previous tenant. And, we're OK to bring Didge (my dog) with us -- never mind how difficult it will be to get him there!

So, we plan to be in France from roughly September 2005 to June 2006. At some point in there, we'll be in Nice, too.

If you've ever moved overseas, I hope you'll follow my rambling blog and offer suggestions as I countdown to September! If you haven't, but you just want to offer moral support, I'll take that, too.

More to come!

Amy

Still in Ann Arbor...

I thought it might be interesting to document my journey through the "moving abroad" process! My husband is doing dissertation research in Paris and Nice next year, and I'm basically going along for the ride. I have NO idea what I'm going to do or how this is going to work, so I'm going to blog my adventure as it unfolds. Your comments are very welcome, especially if you can answer a question that I have!

More to come...