#7 – Rosie : « I feel like I’ve learnt everything in Paris »
She met her French partner back home while he was doing an internship there. Their relationship then survived the long distance for 14 months (!!!) before they decided to settle together in Paris in France.
Rosie followed an international masters course in a French Human Resources school and got hired by one of the most iconic French companies: L’Oréal.
Last year she launched a YouTube channel, Not Even French, to share her vision of France and the cultural shocks she has been facing since she lives there. This is how I got to know her and thought it would be very interesting to hear her story!
Listen to Rosie’s interview
We met at her flat in the 9th arrondissement of Paris where she usually shoots her videos.
Her balcony facing the typical Parisian rooftops was absolutely perfect for the photo shoot!
« Taking a big lunch break at work is crucial because every minute you’re investing in your colleagues will make your life easier for future work and collaboration together. »
Rosie’s guide to France and New Zealand
Top 3 places in France
- Southern Corsica
- Avignon and surrounds in Provence
- Saint-Malo (eat crêpes).
Top 3 to do in Paris
- Rooftop bars with amazing views (e.g. Le Perchoir).
- Biking along the Seine.
- Going to as many exhibitions as possible.
- Bonus: Disneyland (sorry, not sorry)
Top 3 arrondissements/suburbs of Paris
- The backstreets of Montmartre for their village feel.
- The 6th arrondissement for a bit of everything beautiful.
- Ile de la Cité because that’s where I go to reming myself how lucky I am to live here
Top 3 around Paris
- Versailles
- Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
- Fontainebleau (I have a thing for castles…).
Top 3 in your neighbourhood: the 9th arrondissement
- Pink Mamma italian restaurant.
- Bar à Bulles for an afterwork drink and nibbles in a little courtyard behind the Moulin Rouge (you can see the blades turning).
- Hardware Societé for the best brunch I’ve found in Paris (flagship was Hardware Society in Melbourne).
Top 3 cities in New Zealand
- Coromandel region: hot water beach is a must
- Abel Tasman National Park
- Fiorland National Park.
Top 3 in your home city: Wellington
- Rollerblade along Oriental Parade (with an ice cream in hand).
- Take the cable car up to get a great view over the city
- Te Papa museum: free and excellent.
Thanks Rosie!
Follow her on her excellent YouTube channel for stories, tips and insights on life in France. She’s also on Instagram and Facebook and recently launched her online store Francophiles Designs where she sells « merch and streetwear for French Culture, Language and Lifestyle addicts ».
Bonus: we also shot a video about the culture shocks I have experienced living as a French expat in Australia. Check it out below!
I enjoyed every word of your chat with Rosie. There is no doubt you are excellent when it comes to asking the right questions. I was supposed to have been taught high school French nearly 60 years ago by a Christian brother who grew up in Queensland. It was not a success. But I lived in London from 1976-78 living in NW1 with two small children. I have visited Paris two or three times over the intervening time. Like London, its allure is obvious but living in such places is a different matter especially when one moves to the next stage of life with children.
It is here that the advantages of Sydney (and Auckland) become to be appreciated. I am lucky to live in an older area of Sydney well served by public transport but with room for a car for the boring facts of life like the weekly trip to Aldi. The space and convenience of living in a remote part of the world compensate to a certain extent for the absence of access to the international advantages of living in Europe. When it comes to big-city living, with fewer disadvantages, I’d vote for Berlin.
My wife is English who, like most of your guests, came to Australia on a working adventure but in the days when there was no need for a visa and people were being paid to come. She paid her own way so as not to be obliged to stay, but she did stay for the usual reason and because she suffers from the cold. It took her decades to become an Australian citizen and probably would never have become one as she could vote anyway. But it is government policy not to renew permanent residency visas in expiring passports so if you want to be able to travel « home » occasionally, you have to become a citizen. Then you can whinge about the government like the rest of us without being called a whingeing Pom. I hope you don’t hurry to you home and do more interviews in English.