Moving to France and adapting to life in Lyon
Here is baby Alma – born today, 23 December in Marseilles. She is Cath’s great niece and she can’t wait to see her. With travel to France restrictions currently in place that is difficult to do from the UK. But once we are in France, it becomes much easier. Cath can’t wait to meet little Alma.
I hit on a great idea. Look up where Lyon is twinned with in the UK and then visit it before I leave.
So I looked it up and…..
On reflection, I’m not sure I’ve got enough time left to make the trip before we leave. Maybe later.
Je suis un observateur des oiseaux et alors je dois etudier les noms des oiseaux en francais.
Je sais quelques noms deja – le roi pecheur, l’hirondelle, la chouette – mais c’est tout.
Peut etre il faut acheter un nouveau livre sur les oiseaux de La France.
Today I got my first email as a staff member at Euronews. Although I haven’t quite started yet the restructuring announced will effect me in my new role.
The previous majority shareholder has sold up to a Portuguese investment firm.
This is all very new to me and a long way from how things worked at the BBC.
I have been reassured that the new shareholder wants to invest in Euronews’ digital operations which could make the next few months very exciting.
I know Euronews is disappointed in the way Reuters has written up the changes. For me, it reminds me that I will have a lot to learn in my new role.
Today’s news from Euronews: France is to heavily tighten entry conditions for people travelling both to and from the United Kingdom in order to limit the spread of the Omicron variant, the government said on Thursday.
Travel for tourism and business will not be allowed.
Errr, hang on. Travel for business will not be allowed? What does this mean for my pending move to Lyon. Maybe it will all be all right by the end of January. Maybe? I’d better drop Euronews a quick email.
The Duolingo podcast I have been listening to today featured a story from Lyon!! I learnt a new word – trabouler. It means to walk in a traboule – an old passageway that connects the buildings of Lyon. Out of sight from the main streets. The oldest ones date back to the fourth century and were used to give residents quick access to the river. Silk merchants then used them to transport their goods safe from thieves.
I also learn that the la Basilique de Fourvière is known locally as l’éléphant renversé – the upside down elephant.
I arranged a trip to Euronews’ London office to see some of my London-based colleagues. Before I went my son sent me this photo so I asked Euronews if this was their London base. Apparently it is not – it is a newsagent in Preston.
I met some lovely soon-to-be colleagues and it is all beginning to feel very real.
Alors, depuis quelques semaines etudiant le français, c’est le temps pour un post à la française.
J’essaye d’apprendre les leçons de français chaque jour mais j’ai trouvé que le grammaire est vraiment difficile. Il y a beaucoup de choses d’apprendre et j’ai oublié tant de vocabulaire.
J’espere que quand je vais en France je vais apprendre plus vite. Euronews a dit que ils me trouveront un prof de français.
Je vais demander à Cath de corriger mes exercices.
Now that I have a start date I need to sort out a visa. Since we left the EU I cannot just go to France and start a job as I did when I was 21 and went to work in a Paris supermarket (Franprix, Rue de l’eglise, 15th arrondisement, if you are interested). This time I need a visa.
Euronews’ international HR department talked me through the process – complete an online form and then book an appointment at the embassy – or the service that visa applications are outsourced to.
I was warned that I would need my original birth certificate, my university degree certificate, original marriage certificate – and that my wife Cath would need all of these things too. Oh yes, and we would need to get them translated into French!
Translate a birth certificate into French! Really? How much translating does that involve? Well actually – it turns out you don’t need to translate an English birth certificate. Phew. That’s one less thing.
Online forms filled in, it’s then time to book our appointment at the visa office. First available appointment is 19 January – only a week-and-a-half before I need to go! Hope I haven’t made any mistakes on those forms!
So with the deal done, there are a lot of things to think about and organise. Renting out the house, getting a visa, the actual move and of course learning French.
To that end I have reacquainted myself with Duolingo – doing as many lessons as I can each day. I discovered since I last used Duolingo they have a lot of podcasts that you can listen to.
The stories are really interesting and I have enjoyed listening to them. Le magicien des baguettes is a lovely tale.
I really hope when I get to Euronews I have beaucoup de collegues Indiens ou Tunisiens – as that seems to be a regular feature of my Duolingo lessons so far. Hopefully none of them are paresseux.
Thrown to (the) Lyon 