Our latest articles about life in Paris

Reflections from an old timer in Paris: La Sécu

Reflections from an old timer in Paris: La Sécu The first time I took my toddler to a see a doctor in Paris many, many years ago, I received a prescription a mile long. Back in the 1980s antibiotics were given for every ailment (common sense has since prevailed) but there were other, strange sounding names such as sérum physiologique, a saline solution for squirting up the nasal passage, unpleasant but efficient for blocked-up noses, and le suppositoire for a different passage, which actually proved useful for small children, but neither of which were in common use in Britain at the time. click to listen We had just arrived from Hong Kong and hadn’t a bean. Not even the La Sécu, since to obtain a social security number one had to be working, if not born in France. But someone had told me about the PMI, Protection Maternelle et Infantile, which, at the time anyway, provided free medical care for mothers and babies. Perhaps the doctors there were just being kind by a…

Interview with Fiona Sze-Lorrain

Fiona Sze-Lorrain is a poet, literary translator and musician. She writes and translates in English, French, and Chinese and is the author of several poetry collections and most recently a novel in stories, Dear Chrysathemums, published by Scribner in 2023. Longlisted for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the novel celebrates diversity and women and features deeply compelling Asian women who reckon with the past, violence, and exile—set in Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Paris, and New York. Fiona lives in Paris and we were thrilled to welcome her in February to the Book Room, where she talked about her novel. If you missed her event, you can read the questions we asked and Fiona’s answers below: Bill & Rosa: You are a musician and a poet, you have published several collections of poems, I was wondering what was the determining factor in your decision to write a novel? Was it a character, or a story that you felt needed to be told? Fiona Sze-…

Are You Becoming French?

Are You Becoming French?The French say that foreigners can never truly “become” French - no matter what legal status is inscribed upon what identity papers they carry around in their France-based wallets (1). Nor might newly minted citizens or official residents wish to swap their own cultural markers, manners and mentalities for those of the local waiter who serves them their morning café au lait et croissant (to say nothing of totally being able to). But if you’re here long enough, your adaptation mirrors those Escher drawings where columns of black geese or fish on the left fly or swim straight across the page, migrating and mutating by imperceptible degrees, melting into and finally becoming their white counterparts on the right. To a greater or lesser degree, whether you expected to or not, one day you realize that you’re crossing to the other side. How do you know that you’ve arrived? When you (a very incomplete list): 1. sound as brilliantly amusing-funny-sarcastic-sn…

The Paris of Montana

The Paris of Montana - a Department Store It all started with a hat box we found in an antique shop in Montana. The box proudly displayed the slogan « The Paris of Montana » and of course we were intrigued. After quite a few years of researching every now and again we learned of a Dry goods store called Paris – in Montana. ‘Dry goods store’ is the collective noun for textiles and manufactured articles and can also include some non perishable grocery items such as tobacco, sugar, flour, and coffee. (A General Store which is a more common word, though similar, had all sorts of groceries, hardware and dry goods.) Dry goods were big business. Over one million people worked in the dry goods trades in the United States in the late 1800s ; there were hundreds and thousands of dry goods stores in American towns and villages. One such store was called The Paris Dry Goods store. It was in Great Falls Montana and originally established in 1894 as a partnership between two Rom…

ECU Film Festival 19-21 April, 2024

ECU Film Festival in Paris ECU Film Festival offers the European cinema-loving public much more than a full program of quality and riveting independent films. Every year, the festival provides a unique, inspiring and interactive experience that all attendees are encouraged to partake in. Whether it is workshops taught by industry professionals, in-depth discussions with “Official Selection” directors in the Q&As that follow every screening session or other various events such as networking events and parties - there is something for everyone to enjoy. ÉCU is committed to the promotion and projection of the very best European independent films. At the heart of ÉCU’s mission lies the belief in the power of independent cinema to transcend cultural boundaries and foster a deeper understanding of European narratives. ECU Film Festival's “Official Selection” films are original and represent the best quality, creativity and innovation within the independent film industry. This…

WEEGEE : AUTOPSIE DU SPECTACLE

Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson 79 rue des Archives, 75003 www.henricartierbresson.org @FondationHCB #weegee REGARDS CROISES Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck and WEEGEE : AUTOPSY of the SPECTACLE Through May 19 2024To celebrate its 20 years of existence, the Fondation HCB is sharing Regards Croisé, a small grouping of images created by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck, highlighting the couple’s common themes. These gentle, lyrical images strongly contrast the “grab and gotcha” quality of Weegee’s work in the next room, and illustrate how two completely different styles of photography, in this case of the same general genre, can be so different yet each so iconic. WEEGEE AUTOPSIE DU SPECTACLE Born into a Jewish family in Zloczow (then Austria-Hungary; now Zolochev, Ukraine) in 1899, the ten year-old Usher Fellig americanized his first name to Arthur upon immigrating to New York in 1909 with his family. Disinterested in school, he dropped out at fourtee…

Driving in France: what you need to know

Driving in France: what you need to know This article covers driving in France: paperwork, insurance, and how to obtain it. Buying a car. In case of accident. Items you are required to have in the car. If you are British, you may want to follow this link for regulations post-Brexit. DRIVER'S LICENSE: Generally speaking (because there are of course exceptions, this IS France) if you are in France for over a year and your driver's license is not European, French law requires you to have valid French driving papers for driving in France. This one year period starts on the date of your first carte de séjour. Etudiant status is one of the exceptions; as a student you can drive with your foreign license for the duration of your studies. Some US states and other countries allow an exchange of licenses, other states and countries do not and you'll be required to pass the French exam to obtain the French license. Keep in mind an exchange must be done within the one year grace …

Don’t Miss Out: A Guide to Recovery Rebate Credit for U.S. Expats

If you’re one of the many U.S. expats who are owed stimulus money, you can still claim it through Recovery Rebate Credit. As the matter of fact, 2024 is the last year to get all the stimulus checks you might have missed! It will either boost the amount of your tax refund or reduce the taxes you owe to the IRS. Either way – you win! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get the money you’re entitled to. Keep reading to find out how the credit works and what makes you eligible to qualify. WHAT IS RECOVERY REBATE CREDIT? Recovery Rebate Credit is part of the Covid-19 Economic Relief program. The credit makes it possible for those who didn’t receive Economic Impact Payments (also known as stimulus payments) to claim their missing money. So if you were eligible for stimulus payments but did not receive them (or you received a partial payment), you can claim them through Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return. HOW TO CLAIM RECOVERY REBATE CREDIT Getting your Recovery Rebate Cre…

Revealed: The Paris Olympics medals

French savoir-faire and excellence has come to the forefront again in the design and making of the 2024 Paris Olympics Medals. Design by the Maison Chaumet (where Gustave Eiffel was a client) and produced by the Paris Mint they carry lots of detail and symbolism. The cherry on the proverbial cake is a hexagonal (of course) piece of the Eiffel Tower embedded in each medal. This piece of Paris authenticity makes the medals truly unique. In keeping with its desire to strengthen the links between sport, culture and heritage, Paris 2024 has called on the expertise of French jeweller Chaumet. Founded in 1780, the LVMH group company, Premium Partner of Paris 2024. Renowned worldwide for its expertise, elegance and embodiment of French crafsmanship, Chaumet is bringing the medal into the world of high jewellery with a design based on three inspirations: the hexagon, radiance and the setting. Read more about the Chaumet Family of jewellers as well as several other entrepreneurial Fre…

English theater productions

News from Paris in the Anglo Theater world - Three new English theatre productions come to Paris Just released : Joanna Szybist, a French writer and producer has just directed and released an audio drama about a British musical in Paris. It’s called “My Lunch with Frank”. Written by Kester Lovelace it’s an intimate and above all true story of an English director in France. Great expectations, broken hopes… An intimate story about what happens when you meet your heroes... It involves the most prestigious theatre in Paris, a few high-profile media partners, some of the best French musical actors….and a posh London restaurant. The story goes like this : Frank Williams, the author of acclaimed and multi-award-winning British musicals, had always been Lester's beloved playwright and lyricist. Lester had read everything Frank had ever written; seen everything Frank had ever done. Lester believed they were meant to become friends. At least, that’s what was supposed to happen at…

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