I suppose most Brits, living abroad are well off, middle-class or over and, of course the famous, erasmus student.
For me, I was arriving in France on an archaeologist wage, not great.
At first I found that buying food in the supermarket was pretty cheap, but that was when the exchange rate was quite favourable. When I arrived, in 2007, I was getting around 1.5 Euros for every pound (today my money does not go as far but I am now used to Franch prices)
Unusual pricetags....
There are many annoyances in price differences between UK and French retailers etc.
To buy a pint in a French pub or bar you are now forking out around 6-7 Euros and this is more or less 5-6 pounds. Irish bars are the worst offenders, 7.50 for a Guinness. The best advice is to head out during happy hour or to stock up on some booze from the supermarket, rather like uni days.
I consider myself a bit of a gamer and film addict. This is where we can also find big differences. Buying a new dvd in France? 20Euros. New game? 70Euros. Do not get me started on BluRays.
Thankfully the internet delivers. amazon.co.uk is a lifesaver. Most new items are bought over the internet for me. Clothes are something I will never buy in France, the styles and sizes are unappealing and the lack of colour all put me off. Not to mention overinflated prices.
I run the gauntlet, with fingers crossed, hoping that my new items of clothing will fit.
Language barrier...
When I arrived in France I was not really socialising with French people and the ones that I was socialising with, all spoke English so there was never a need for speaking French. This has meant that my French has come on slowly but I can say that after 6 years it is pretty good.
I owe alot to the late Michel Thomas. His language course is the only tool that I have found useful in conquering speaking French. Although I was speaking most of my French with a German accent, I was able to ask questions and be understood, most of the time. I still find it amazing that some French waiters make out that they do not understand you. It is frustrating repeating a word like merlot, that is pronounced the same in English and French, this wine bar waiter was probably just displaying his disgust of my choice of wine.
Michel Thomas was great for speaking but not so much for listening. Ask a question, great they understood, they fire back a response at 100KM an hour and I was left scratching my head and ultimately waiting for their English response. Most French people will try to show off that they can speak English, unless you make no effort in speaking French to them. I even hear teens throwing in the odd American phrases and words with their friends.
Nowadays speaking French is something that I have to do, as the archaeology company is now French and most of the Brits ave gone back. One thing I try to avoid is speaking on the phone, especially to my French mechanic, he has a strong accent and has resorted to talking to me as if I were a chile. This suits me and somewhat cushions the blow of car repair prices.
The French administration system is another thing that is a right struggle at the start and I feel I could have a whole separate section on that, one that I will create very soon...
If anyone is reading then I am sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes. My spellchecker is American, my H key is dodger and I write whatever is coming into my mind at the time, you are really reading the first draft that has, possibly been edited after some helpful advice
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