By request.

For those not hanging on my every post, I took a job with an enterprise software company called MrTed. MrTed makes software that helps HR track resumes, jobs, postings, and do matching. So thats the job. The company is owned by a French guy, but for tax reasons has a London based HQ. There are also various offices scattered around Europe but London seems to be primarily sales and marketing, while France is mostly development and production support. I work for an american vp and I'm hoping to move into his job when he gets around to founding the US office.

The original plan was to organize a team in Paris, then move the thing to London. Once in Paris we started looking at rents in London vs Paris and concluded that it is way cheaper to live here, the food is better, the weather marginally nicer, and the scenery on all levels is superior. Of course, there is the language barrier.

This does mean that I have a UK work permit and am working in France by the grace of the EU reciprocity arrangements. I do not have a French work permit.

For a yankee with fair command of spanish and no french at all its been a bit intimidating and often frustrating on several levels. Particularly the red tape.

Its been said that after you die if you want to find out where you ended up, see who's running the administration. If its the French, you are in Hell.

First off, you can't buy anything requiring a contract without a french bank account. Having a valid VISA card doesn't cut it with the cell phone people, nor with the landlords, nor even the banks. So after 7 weeks I, my wife, and our terrible two-ish tantrum throwing little dictator are still living in the "corporate apt". Its an apt downstairs from the office that is furnished with a crappy futon, a fold out couch, and office chairs and desks.

Its not that we aren't trying to move. But there's the bank account. To get a bank account, you need money (check), proof of employment in the form of 3 months salary statements. Proof of residence in the form of 3 months utility bills with your address on it. Proof of id (passport does suffice). Proof of legal status to even be in France.

Of course, I don't have 3 months utility bills because I don't have an apartment. You can't get an apartment without a french bank account. After numerous attempts to get this sorted out I finally went to our CEO and explained the dilemma. After a week of phone calls to the company bank, an exception was made last week and I was granted a checking account. Yee HAW. One thing down.

Apartment hunting is another thing. We have looked at several apartments and made application for most of them. Two things are holding us back here. First, it seems that all of France leaves on a 2-3 week vacation during August. This is insane as it makes the city a ghost town and the beach resorts a crowded hell for the entire month. The result for us is that there aren't many apts showing just now. The ones we have tried to get have been denied us because we are not French.

Thats partly it anyhow. It seems that the standard lease in France is for 3 years and most landlords don't think we are going to be here for 3 years. Which is probably true. The leases can be broken - with 3 months notice, which coincidentally is what employers expect you to give before switching jobs. Not a lot of job mobility here I think. To try to give the landlords some sense of security, I have also twisted the CEOs arm into providing me with a letter stating that the company is willing to fully guarantee my lease. So far it hasn't helped that much.

Cell phone - same problem, I now have the french bank account, but am unable to show 3 months utility bills and consequently have been denied a cell phone contract.

Thank god I renewed my drivers license in Denver (what's up with CA taking so long to issue those? I got one in 45 minutes in Denver). My co-architect on this deal is dutch, has had his license expire recently, and can't replace it without going through a full French roadtest which are only given in French. In fact, all documentation you provide must be translated into french before it will be accepted.

On a day to day life sort of thing, life is getting easier.

I walk around with bulging pockets stuffed with a phrase book, pocket dictionary, monthly metro pass, city and metro map, in addition to my usual wallet. I have learned to buy things and my command of the names of food items is very good. My heart no longer races when entering a shop and it seems that most shopkeepers are very patient (except perhaps during lunch rush) and will write prices down for those of us who can only count up to ten. Additionally, a number of them speak a little english.

The city services in Paris are amazing. Garbage collection is daily. Holidays, weekends, whatever. Streets are swept constantly and its a good thing because Parisians are very fond of their dogs and too proud to pick up after them. Thus, Paris is a dangerous city with soaring architecture pulling your eyes ever upwards away from the important duty of watching what you're stepping in.

OTOH the metro - capable of whisking you to any part of the city within 30 minutes, is not at all accessible to the handicapped or stroller bound. Stairs abound with elevators found only in the very largest stations and escalators only slightly more common. This has had the effect of limiting my wife's abilty to dash out and enjoy the city as we've had to ditch our SUV of a stroller in favor of one of these rapidly folding ultralights. They're cool, but don't support the baby bag and other luggage we used to stash in the stroller. Now its traveling with 4 or 5 little bags and one squirming running danger seeking bundle of joy. Its a bit much.

Sightseeing trips have been limited to walks mostly. 3 hours out is max. Daycare is something we are both craving and dreading as french child rearing is brutal by american free spirit standards. They begin training them to cope with their infernal beaurocracy from birth by demanding patience and forcing strict discipline. At least this is what we read and hear from other expat moms. OTOH there is an expat mom's group that puts people in touch with others in their area for sharing of sitting and such. But we can't really dive in until we know where our apartment will be and I've already covered how that's going.

So far its an adventure. We look forwards to parking the little one and partaking of intensive french lessons and enjoying the culture more. But for the time being, life is rather harder than we would like. C'est la vie.