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I've just had my official French welcome visit, 6 months after arriving. I took a language test that's qualified me for 100 hours of free French classes, had a quick run-through of various admin procedures that I've already started (like sorting out a social security number) and was given a form to give to a French doctor to attest that I don't have any contagious diseases.Enfin.
The entire thing was conducted in French with an Arabic translator, which of course makes perfect sense at an all-purpose event for immigrants from all over the world. I'll be back in the UK for the next month which caused some issues with scheduling my language and mandatory civics classes, but I just refused to sign anything until they gave me an English translation (rather than inadvertently commit myself to something whilst I'm away). After a while they found someone bilingual who not only helpfully explained everything, but who also gave me an email address to contact when I get back to arrange the courses (after the initial person told me it wasn't possible to decide later). If I can get all the courses done by the time I have to renew my visa (next April), I can instead bump up to a four-year residence permit; if not, I just get another year-long visa, during which time I'm expecting to becoming European again anyway (c'monnnnn Germany… 🇩🇪🤞), at which point the whole thing will become moot. But I'm not going to turn up my nose at free classes.
Somehow, I scored A1.1 on the reading/writing test and sub-A1 on the speaking/listening. In a similar placement test I took a month or two ago with the Institut Français I got A2.1 and I'm now taking an A2-level online course with them. After a similar amount of time in Central America, I had achieved B1/B2 in Spanish from a start of nada (as opposed to having studied French for many, many pointless years aross both primary and secondary school). Truly, this is an absolutely curséd tongue.
But, despite the dumpster-fire of a language (and the fact that the French administration insists on doing everything by snail mail, and have apparently never encountered a non-French phone number before), life in sunny Monty P is otherwise very good. My job is enjoyable, my flat is fab, my flatmates are sound, I've made some pals already and I've got a long list of associations, places and other activities to check out in the new year. The sense of convivialité here is real: from old men drinking coffees and reading newspapers in the morning to co-workers at the bar for an afterwork drink; from the rich associative life of the city (there are over 1,000 associations in Montpellier alone) to pro-human policies both locally and nationally like free public transport, mandatory workplace training allowances and generous leave; from the beautiful architecture to the wide-ranging public works currently taking place. And the bakeries; oh, the bakeries!
Beach season is over and we're heading into winter, though temperatures are still between 16–22°C and I've seen about 30 cumulative minutes of rain in the last month. Politically, the world is now headed into a much longer, much harsher winter. I've just been thorugh my third bloody election this year in which I have some stake (as a registered voter in the vital battleground state of, um, New Jersey). Between them, this year has presented me with three options for where I might want to live my life: amidst continuing miserable decline in the UK; under incoming fascism in the US; or in France, where an unexpectedly effective left-wing coalition surprised everyone and gave me one of the most uplifting moments of an otherwise grim political year.
In short, it feels like there's still potential for a future here, and the present ain't half bad either. But I think this is as good a time as any to end my tracker, as the boundary between 'I'm going on a trip' and 'this is just where I live now' has blurred to the point of crossover.
So: merci, et à bientôt!
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Time for My Foreigner Inspection 🫱🍑🫲
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And RIP in advance to his many future victims. And RIP (hopefully) to the Democratic Party: a party so shit that they somehow managed to lose to this lunatic twice!RIP 🇺🇸
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Inside the Cloister
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Untitled
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We were in the area so also checked out the village of St Guilhem le Désert, a beautiful little 1,000-year-old town and monastery built into the side of a mountain.An Extra Visit
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We had one of their wines at a wine-tasting event a few months ago and I've been obsessed ever since, but had no luck finding it. So I emailed the vineyard to ask where it's stocked and they said they only sell from their place. Luckily, it was only a 45-min drive away, so we made a day of it and have walked away with several hundred pounds worth of bottles; should tide us over until next seasonWine Tasting at Domaine de Clémentine
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This Olive Looks Like a City from the Air at Night
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Lunch Stop
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Road Trip
