Studying in France as Americans: Errands, Opulence, and High Temps

One sentence that sums up our month of July as American graduate students at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne would be, “It was hot!” In addition to the boiling weather, we had a busy few weeks working towards our master’s degrees – Jalen’s being in Logistics, and mine in Public Law. Keep reading for more information about our day-to-day as international students in France.

---

One the best parts of living in France is the affordable healthcare system, and we made the most of it this month by getting some dental care! It had been too long since either of us had our teeth checked, so we each booked a détartrage, or cleaning, to make sure all was well. We both left the dentist’s office with clean teeth, no cavities, and without breaking the bank thanks to our cartes Vitale.

Throughout the month, we both continued to work on the weekdays. Even though Jalen already successfully defended his rapport d’alternance, or work-study report, he’ll continue working until his contract is over at the end of August. As for me, I’m still doing my internship and writing my rapport de stage, or internship report. Considering the fact that we’ve been plugging away at this final year of our master’s degrees for ten months so far, we’re both really looking forward to being completely done soon!

July 14th is France’s national holiday, known to anglophones as Bastille Day, so we both had the day off from work! While we considered staying home and relaxing, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a day trip together. Ever since we arrived in France in 2019 to participate in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), Jalen has been itching to visit the Château de Versailles, a former royal residence just outside of Paris. Even though I’d visited in 2013 as part of my high school French exchange, I was eager to go back and experience it with Jalen! We toured the palace, stopped for lunch at an on-site brasserie, and strolled through the seemingly endless gardens. We had a great day full of art, history, nature, and fun!

We can’t post this update without mentioning the record-breaking canicule, or heat wave, that hit France mid-July. In a country where air conditioning is not the norm, temperatures over 100°F are simply unbearable. We managed to get through it with ice packs and our fan, but it was rather unpleasant – and very sweaty. Did you know that many French people believe that air conditioning causes illness, and that a drastic change in temperature when moving from the outside to the inside is to be avoided at all costs? While we recognize that the overuse of air conditioning is not environmentally-friendly, we could have used just a bit of cold air to get us through the heatwave!

We rounded out the month by trying a new-to-us restaurant in Reims called Pulcinella. It’s a small Italian spot that boasts authentic, quality ingredients and an inviting interior. I had the Margherita pizza which consisted of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. Jalen got the Diavola pizza which included tomato sauce, mozzarella, and spicy sausage. We both sipped on crisp Italian rosé while we raved about how delicious our meals were! It’s rare that we sit down at a restaurant and get table service in Reims because of our tight budget, so we really cherished our evening date.

@the_francofile Perfect night in our favorite city. 🇫🇷🥹 #untilifoundyou #americaninfrance #expat #expatlife #reims #france #frenchlife #lifeinfrance #moveabroad #liveabroad #date #datenight #couple #couplegoals #interracialcouple #interraciallove #pizza #wine ♬ Until I Found You – Stephen Sanchez

Was your month of July as hot and eventful as ours? Have any questions about our experience as Americans in France? Let us know in a comment!

---

Check out this month’s update video!

---

Check out our other monthly updates!

• September 2020
• October 2020
• November 2020
• December 2020
• January 2021
• February 2021
• March 2021
• April 2021
• May 2021
• June 2021
• July 2021
• August 2021
• September 2021
• October 2021
• November 2021
• December 2021
• January 2022
• February 2022
• March 2022
• April 2022
• May 2022
• June 2022
• August 2022
• September & October 2022

---

Watch us explore the Palace of Versailles in this vlog!

• YouTube
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• WordPress
• TikTok