Category: Our members stories

Our members stories

  • Expatriation: Dream or Nightmare ?

    Expatriation: Dream or Nightmare ?

    Expatriation: Dream or Nightmare ?

    To discuss the subject of expatriation for woman we have interweaved Ezgi an expat and Ana an expat spouse, for them to tell you more about their experiences. 


    Ezgi Demiralp

    Hello, my name is Ezgi, I am from Istanbul in Turkey. I am a dreamer, an adventurer and a traveler. I have a blog about my travels so I guess I am a blogger too. I really love touching people’s lives and take part in social projects. 

    Regarding my professional life, I am an engineer. After graduating I started working in a commercial team and then moved on to Business Developer. After a couple years my company offered me a position of head of innovation project in Paris and so that’s why I am currently in Paris. 

    I am Ana, I am 40 and I am from Spain. I am in France since August 2021 because I followed my husband in his expatriation. From a personal standpoint I am a hard worker and perseverant, I love helping others. During vacations in Spain, I volunteered in a center for seniors. On the professional level I skipped out on my work in Spain to follow my husband in Paris and I am currently in an online master degree in a Spanish university. 


    Is it your first expatriation? 

    Yes, it is the first time I follow my husband on an expatriation. 

    Ezgi Demiralp

    For me too it is the fist time. It will soon be 3 years that I came to Paris. 


    Why have you accepted the expatriation? 

    Ezgi Demiralp

    There are several reasons, the first one is because I have always loved to travel and discover new countries and new cultures.

    The second reason was that the balance between private life and work life in Turkey was way more complicated than in France.

    If I had to summarize:

    • Learn a new language
    • Meet new people
    • Find common interest groups
    • Try something new and different
    • Enjoy doing it

    I agreed to follow my husband because I think this situation is a gift. It is an opportunity to live a new adventure in a new country. Learn the local way of life, it’s culture, it’s language. 


    What did your spouse and your family thought about your expatriation? 

    Ezgi Demiralp

    At the time I left Istanbul for Paris, my boyfriend was living in Dublin in Ireland. We were already living separately so there was no problem about me moving to France. My family was happy for me even if, like most families, they would have preferred me to stay close to them. 

    I realized that thanks to the distance, I see them less but each time I see them I enjoy it more because it is so rare. 

    My boyfriend has now found a job in France, so things are going well. 

    Yes, for me to the distance between me and my family was a bit difficult at first. But they understood that it was a great opportunity for me. 


    Is there anything that could have prevented your expatriation?

    I don’t think so, when my husband asked me to go live in France, I didn’t saw any objection. For me there was only positive about this project and now I have no regrets. 

    Ezgi Demiralp

    No because I have always traveled, I couldn’t see myself working in Turkey my all life. The fact of being used to traveling allowed me to adapt myself easily and to not feel lost or disorientated when I arrived in France. 

     


    Do you think expatriation is more difficult for women than for men?

    Ezgi Demiralp

    For me no, I wasn’t the case. But I think, generally speaking, it is mostly prejudices about women that are the problem.

    I share Ezgi’s opinion, inequalities are not so much between male or female expats but more of a society problem. But this problem has repercussions on the expatriation market. 


    How would you compare gender equality in France with your home country ? 

    Ezgi Demiralp

    I think the men-women equality is much better in France than in Turkey, I feel like there is less discrimination here. For example, in Turkey if your kids are sick, you are not comfortable asking for 1 or 2 days off to take care of them. While in France, it is “normal” to do that. 

    For me I don’t see much of a difference between France and Spain. I think that currently the men-women equality is pretty much the same in both countries. It can still be better but things have already evolved a lot in the last few years. 


    Ana, what advice would you give to a woman who is going to follow her spouse on an expatriation? 

    The first and the most important thing is to enjoy the experience as much as possible. Then you need to take advantage of this opportunity for your personal development. But also for your professional development in your new country. You must enjoy the culture and take part of the society activities. 

    But the most important thing for me is to understand that even if you came here as an expat spouse, you need to live your own adventure. You have to do things on your own, be independent and do what you love. 

    Ezgi, what advice would you give to a woman who wants to make her first expatriation? 

    I think that it is important to present and explain what really an expatriation is before they leave, so they will not be surprised. For example, explaining them what the cycle of life of expatriation is can be useful.

    Being an expatriate necessarily involves a lot of stress on a daily basis because you have more difficulties and things to think about than when you were in your home country. 

    I would say that expatriation is not always positive but it is normal to have some negative aspects. But they shouldn’t stop you. Nobody should be scared, this is an amazing adventure. 

    I think that finding groups of common interests and learning the local language are the keys to better integrate yourself. 


    Here you will find the individual and complete interviews:

    Ezgi: https://absolutely-french.eu/expatriate-woman/

    Ana: https://absolutely-french.eu/being-an-expatriate-spouse/

    Check out this article, it explain the cycle of life of expatriation:

    https://absolutely-french.eu/conjoint-d-expatrie/

    Absolutely French is the first French school ?? dedicated only to expat spouses.
    Our main mission is to promote double career among expatriate couples.
    With our fun, friendly and innovative French trainings, we guarantee you a better integration! ❤️

    You want to learn with us?
    You want to register an expat partner?

    Contact us!
    E-mail: contact@absolutely-french.eu
    Tel: 01 83 73 98 49
    Address: 4, rue Faraday 75017 Paris

  • Being an expatriate woman, Ezgi’s testimony  

    Being an expatriate woman, Ezgi’s testimony  

     

    Being an expatriate woman, Ezgi’s testimony  

    Ezgi Demiralp femme expatriée

    Hello, my name is Ezgi, today I will talk to you about what it’s like to be an expatriate woman.

    I am from Istanbul in Turkey. I am a dreamer, an adventurer and a traveler. I have a blog about my travels so I guess I am a blogger to. I really love touching peoples lives and take part in social projects.

    Regarding my professional life, I am an engineer. After graduating I started working in a commercial team and then moved on to Business Developer. After a couple years my company offered me a position of head of innovation project in Paris and so that’s wy I am currently in Paris.

     

    Is it your first expatriation ?

    Yes, it is my fist one. It will soon be 3 years that I came to Paris.

     

    Why have you accepted the expatriation ?

    There are several reasons, the first one is my philosophy of life “die with souvenirs”. I learned it in Tanzania during a trip there. This way of thinking helped me a lot in my personal development, and it pushed me to try expatriation.  

    Another reason that pushed me to expatriate was to travel and discover the cultural differences between my home country and France.

    Lastly, in Turkey the job market was difficult at that time and the balance between private life and work was more complicated than in France.

     

    So, to summarize in 5 points:

    • Learn a new language
    • Meet new peoples
    • Find common interest groups
    • Try something new and different
    • Have fun doing it

     

    What did your spouse and your family thought about your expatriation ?

    At the time I left Istanbul for Paris, my boyfriend was living in Dublin in Ireland. We were already living separately so there was no problem about me moving to France. My family was happy for me even if, like most families, they would have preferred that I stay close to them.

    I realized that because of the distance, I see them less but each time I see them I enjoy it more because it is so rare.

    My boyfriend has now found a job in France, so things are going well.

     

    Is there anything that could have prevented your expatriation ?

    I don’t think so because during my studies, I went to Spain as part of the ERASMUS program. For me it was a first experience abroad and it gave me the taste for travel. When I came back to Turkey I told myself I wouldn’t stay in Turkey my all life.

    When you are used to traveling, you are better at adapting yourself to a new environment. So it make expatriation a bit easier, as an example on my first day in Paris I directly took my bag and went to work just like if I was living there for already a couple months.

     

    Do you think expatriation is more difficult for women than for men ?

    No, for me at least it wasn’t the case. But I think it is more society than about the expatriation community. I think it is just a repercussion of the prejudices about women in our society.

    The main problem is that when a woman is married and has children, people think she can’t expatriate or if she does, she won’t have the time to work and take care of her family. When you are an expatriated woman, the question is always “what is your spouse doing?”, because even if mentalities are changing, people still find weird that the woman is working while her husband is not.

     

    From the companies perspective, it is easier to hire a men because his wife will adapt and will follow him more easily.

    From a human standpoint, I think that when women receive an offer for an expatriation they think too much. They wonder if they will be up to the task and if they fail what the repercussions will be on their family. Men may think less about the “risks” and tend to accept expatriation offers more easily.

     

    So for all theses reasons I think it is more difficult for a women to accept expatriation than for a men. But in my case, luckily, I didn’t face any of these problems.

     

    How would you compare gender equality in France with your country of origin ?

    In France the gender equality is much better than in Turkey. I think there is less discrimination in France. In Turkey when your kids are sick, you don’t feel comfortable asking for 1 or 2 days off to take care of them. Whereas in France companies are “more flexible” on this topic. For example, some of my colleagues don’t work on Wednesday afternoons to be able to take care of their child. Certainly in Turkey it’s getting better but in France it is already way better.

     

    What advice would you give to a new expatriate woman ?

    A crucial point is to present and explain what expatriation is to people before their departure so that they are not surprised. Like the different phases of the expatriation cycle of life:

    https://absolutely-french.eu/conjoint-d-expatrie/

    Being an expatriate necessarily involves a lot of stress on a daily basis because you have more difficulties and things to think about than when you were in your home country.

    I would say that expatriation is not always positive but it is normal to have some negative aspects, but they shouldn’t stop you. Nobody should be scared, this is an amazing adventure.

    I think that finding groups on common interests and learning the local language are the keys to better integrate yourself.

     

    Did you already speak French before coming to France ? 

    No, I was not speaking French at all. I had to do what I could with only English but now I am currently Learning French. Not speaking French is actually not that much of a problem nowadays. Most people speak English so you always find a way to communicate.

    In the past French had a reputation of people that were not speaking English and so I was hard to be a foreigner in France. But the younger generations are different, they speak English very well. I remember when I first arrived I Paris, I was going to a Boulangerie and I was speaking in French to practice. But the sellers were answering me in English to make it easier for me.

    Of course, you can live in Paris without speaking French but to really fit in the local life it’s important to speak French, it allows you to take more pleasure. For a short period of time it is not necessary to learn French but if you are staying for a long time like me and like in most expatriations you definitely need to lean the local language.

     

    Bonus questions: 

    3 words to describe Paris : 

      • Diversity
      • Enjoyable
      • Crowded

     

    3 most magical places in Paris:

      • Petit Palais
      • Le musée de Montmartre
      • Shakespeare and Co (book shop)

     

    What is your favorite French word ?

      • “Dépaysé” because it represents leaving your comfort zone and it goes well with the concept of expatriation.

     

    Your favorite quote ?

      • It is not a french one but « don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits ». I think it encourages you to always do better and more, it really corresponds with my personality. 

     

     

    Discover the testimonies of other Absolus :

    • Iwona tells us about her first experience as an expatriate woman:

    https://absolutely-french.eu/first-expatriation-abroad-testimony/

    • Sur tells us about her experience as an expatriate spouse and the difficulties she had to face: 

    https://absolutely-french.eu/etre-ou-ne-pas-etre-conjoint-dexpat/

     

    Absolutely French is the first French school dedicated only to expat spouses.
    Our main mission is to promote double career among expatriate couples.
    With our fun, friendly and innovative French trainings, we guarantee you a better integration!

    You want to learn with us?
    You want to register an expat partner?

    Contact us!
    E-mail: contact@absolutely-french.eu
    Tel: 01 83 73 98 49
    Address: 4, rue Faraday 75017 Paris

  • Expat working girl : Marieneir

    Expat working girl : Marieneir

    Meet Marieneir, an inspiring expat working girl!

     

    We met Marieneir when she arrived at Absolutely French. She impressed us with her dynamism and her sweetness but also with her experience and her unique background.

    She is a real inspiring expat working girl!

    That’s why she answers our questions today as our talent of the month.

    – Hello Marieineir, can you present yourself?

    Sure, my name is Marieineir Acedevo, I’m Venezuelan. I’m a civil engineer and I used to work for oil, gas, and energy companies, more specifically as a reliability engineer. I’ve been working outside of Venezuela for the past 15 years through Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and recently Europe.

    expat working girl

    – In what country have you lived before coming to France and which one have you preferred? 

    Before moving to Paris I lived in Venezuela in Latin America, Qatar in the Middle East, Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, Mexico in Central America, and Kazakhstan in Asia.

    I think every country made me feel a certain way. It also depends on the personal and professional experiences you have in that country. 

    Professionally speaking I really enjoyed my time in Qatar because I was able to develop my career, work in different areas, I was able to travel to a lot of facilities onshore and offshore. Moreover, the working environment in Qatar is very diverse and perfect for my profession.

    Personally, I liked my time in Central America and the Caribbean because I felt closer to home. The culture is similar to mine, I could visit my family often which made it easier to find a personal balance.

    I’m looking forward to my time in France because I kind of see it as a middle ground.

    – What’s your background? Is the career you pursued the one you planned?

    Originally I wanted to be an interior designer but when I graduated from high school, that type of career didn’t exist yet in Venezuela and I couldn’t afford to study abroad.

    The closest studies I could do were architecture and civil engineering.

    I decided to pick civil engineering because it offered me a wide spectrum of opportunities. In the end, it turned out to be great since countries like Venezuela are known for having political and social issues, therefore you must be flexible and adapt yourself to the job market.

    After that, I decided to specialize in reliability engineering, since it allows you to move transversally within a company. I also have a master’s degree in business and finance as a complement to my studies.

    In addition to that, I did a couple of special training sessions to keep myself updated and studied some new languages.

     

    A Must read article : Expat Partners are Talented

     

    – How many languages do you speak?

    Four: Spanish, English, Russian, and French.

    – When and why did you move to Paris?

    I just arrived one month ago and my husband’s mission lasts 3 years. 

    There’s a special dynamic in our couple since we both have been the “expat spouse”. He followed me on my missions and that’s what I’m doing right now. Since we both have experienced that role we’re very supportive of each other. 

    – What’s the biggest cultural difference you noticed?

    The lifestyle itself. In all my assignments I’m used to cultures that wake up very early. Here the day starts later and life continues on very late. Paris is kind of a city that never sleeps.

    However I’m still observing, but I think that Paris is beauty. You can see it through the food, and the art. I love how people dress. Everyone looks so cool in their own way. I enjoy the individuality and diversity of the city. For me, Paris is a city without rules.

    expat working girl in class
    During a “Play and Learn” day with Absolutely French

    – What’s your expatriation project? 

    My immediate goal is to improve my French. My first weeks in Paris were very tough because I couldn’t communicate at all. I want to feel comfortable interacting with people, receiving phone calls, and working. 

    In parallel, I’m starting to look for a job. Even if it’s not my priority at the moment, I know that I want to go back to work eventually. 

    – What did your multiple expatriations bring you?

    It enriches you from every aspect. First, it helps you develop a lot of great qualities like empathy and open-mindedness. And it also improves your language skills. You also meet what I call family away from home. Each time I leave a country my family gets bigger. 

    It also made me closer to my husband since he’s the only thing stable in my life. 

    Overall you’re more sensitive, patient, and aware that you are just a little piece of this world.

    – What quality defines you the most?

    I would say that I’m very empathic. The other one is that I always put myself in other people’s shoes. So, I try to understand what others need, how they feel, why they feel this type of way, and what I can do to help them out. 

    Stroll, Paris, Absolus, Expat, Marieneir

    Bonus 

    ? 3 words to describe Paris:

    Beauty, freedom, and self-expression

    ? 3 magic places in Paris:

    Pont de Neuilly, the Louvres, the images you see every day in the metro: the fast life.

    ? Favorite french word:

    Mon amour

    ? Favorite quote:

    Perfect is the enemy of the good – Voltaire 

     

    Marieneir is an International Talent, as many expat partners, she is a reliability engineer, project manager with risk assesment : discover her linkedin profile here

     

    Absolutely French is the first French school ??dedicated to integrate expat spouses.

    Our main mission is to promote dual careers among expatriate couples ?

    With our fun, friendly and innovative French training courses,

    we guarantee you a successful integration!

    Want to learn with us? Enroll an expatriate spouse?

    Contact us!

     

    E-mail : contact@absolutely-french.eu

    Phone :  01 83 73 98 49

    Address : 15 rue du Colonel Moll, 75017, Paris.

     

    Also read : The expatriation of Elenice, an opportunity to learn.

  • How to obtain your Social Security number in France?

    How to obtain your Social Security number in France?

    How do you obtain your Social Security number in France?

    Do you want to work in France or do you simply want to take advantage of the French social security system?

    So start the process of applying for your social security number as soon as possible.

    It takes about 10 months to get it.

    My advice:
    — You can start working without a social security number, but it makes it harder…
    — It’s to you to make all the arrangements and if you’re lucky, your company may be able to help you
    — For further information, please visit the following website: AMELI
    — 
    You have to be patient and understand that things are like that here, it’s part of the French charm!

    To help you :

    Sécurité sociale = Sécu = CPAM = Caisse Primaire d’Assurance maladie = Assurance Maladie = Ameli (website)

     

    The different situations to obtain your social security number

    depending on your country of origin :

    The first thing to do, before making an appointment at the CPAM (primary health insurance fund)
    is to gather all the necessary documents for the file.

    Here is the list of papers to gather according to your case.

    Case 1: European Community + employee

    Required documents :

    — Complete form S1106
    — 
    A copy of your passport
    — Original birth certificate or certified copy in French (I advise you to ask for two copies directly)
    — Copy of your employment contract
    — A first payslip
    — French identity bank statement in your name
    — Proof of address (energy bill, rental contract …).

     

    What do the numbers on your carte vitale correspond to?

    social security number

    Case 2: European Community + Not Employee

    Required documents :

    — Request form S1 from your country’s social security system
    — A copy of your passport
    — Original birth certificate or certified copy in French (I advise you to ask for two copies directly)
    — French identity bank statement in your name
    — A proof of address (energy bill, rental contract …)

     

    Case 3: Residents outside Europe

    Required documents :

    — Form S1106 “Application for Health Insurance Entitlement”

    — A copy of your passport
    — Document proving regularity of residence (residence permit, visa, etc.).
    — Birth certificate extract and translation by a sworn translator (NB: you must provide an apostil on your document.)
    — Marriage certificate if necessary
    — A French identity bank statement in your name
    — An identity bank statement
    — Proof of address that proves that you have been in France for more than three months if you are not in paid employment
    — A photocopy of a pay slip or your employment contract if you are an employee

     

    Submitting of the file to the CPAM

    When you have your complete file, you must take an appointment with CPAM that corresponds to you here

    Wait your turn, someone will check that everything is fine.
    Then you must deposit your file in a mailbox (yes, yes, in a mailbox).

    From that point on, you keep your fingers crossed!

    Then you have to wait and wait.

    You will then receive a letter with your provisional registration number, which is useless ?!

    Social security is the CPAM!

     

    The grail : the carte vitale and your social security number

    And nine months later (like a pregnancy) you receive a letter at your home asking you to send your photo for the carte vitale.

    I strongly recommend that you send it by registered mail.

    A month later, always if all goes well,
    you get your carte vitale at home and that day you celebrate
    because you have your social security number, the carte vitale and you could work!!!

     

     

    Article written by Elena Manjon,
    who is an expatriate spouse and works on permanent contracts for a large French company.
    Here, she tells us about her adventures to get her Social Security number.

     

    Absolutely French is the first French school ?? dedicated only to expat spouses.
    Our main mission is to promote double career among expatriate couples.
    With our fun, friendly and innovative French trainings, we guarantee you a better integration ❤️ !

    You want to learn with us?

    You want to register an expat partner?

    Contact us!
    E-mail: contact@absolutely-french.eu
    Tel: 01 83 73 98 49
    Address: 4, rue Faraday 75017 Paris

     

    To read :

    How to find a job abroad : expat Partner, your CV title

    5 essential apps to know when you arrive in Paris

     

  • Dawn, a twinkly expat partner from Singapore

    Dawn, a twinkly expat partner from Singapore

    Dawn, a twinkly expat partner from Singapore

    Dawn is an expat partner in France. She followed French courses with us
    and take part to our event Absolutely Talented to manage
    with the logistics coordination. Let’s discover her !

     

    expat partner in paris

    Where were you before Paris?  Where do you come from?

    I’m from Singapore, a small city-state in Asia. It is a country that is vastly different from France in many aspects.

     

    expat partner from Singapore

     

    What was your job before?

    I was a Visual Merchandising Manager in a multi-brand retail company,
    responsible for the visual presentation of boutiques from several international brands.

     

    Is it your first expatriation?

    Yes.


    Were you happy to go abroad?

    Well, instead of happy, I would say that I was looking forward to the expatriation.

    I knew that it would not be easy. I was prepared to take up the challenges in adjusting
    to a new way of life, leaving my comfort zone, and learning a new language.

    On the other hand, I also knew that this would offer me experiences that I could not have otherwise.
    At the end of the journey, I’m sure I would gain deeper insights
    to the french culture & lifestyle, memories of travel adventure, and new skills!

     

    How were your feelings when you’ve arrived in France?
    Was it difficult? What was the most difficult for you?

    Oh my.. I was home-sick starting from day one.
    Like I’ve said, Singapore is very different from France.
    There were so many things that I missed, family and food being on the top of the list.

    Cultural differences when you travel abroad 

     

    When my spouse and child started on their regular weekday schedules,
    I was suddenly left alone with lots of ‘me-time’ and nothing to do!
    To save my sanity, I started establishing a regular pattern in my daily life and joining parent group activities.

    In our first month, we encountered several problems setting up the banking and mobile SIM cards.
    While we were used to getting things done with ease back home,
    it was frustrating when everything didn’t go smoothly and the processes seemed to make things more complicated.

    On top of that, everything is in French, gosh!
    I remembered clearly how I had to use google translate whenever I was signing documents,
    reading street signs, buying groceries, ordering food, etc. Google was my ‘best friend’ then!

     

    And now? How do you feel in Paris?
    Did you start a new project? A new job?

    Right now, after a year in Paris, I am definitely much more assimilated into the lifestyle.
    Looking back, it helped especially after I took up french lessons with Absolutely French,
    and had a circle of friends who were my classmates.

    The induction in french culture and language helped me built a new life here.

     

    expat partner in Paris

     

    I’ve always been hoping to get back into the working environment again,
    but due to family commitments, I couldn’t devote myself to a full-time job.

    It was therefore an enjoyment when I became part of the Absolutely Talented team,
    where I was responsible for the logistics coordination of the event.
    I felt the energy returning in me as if I was working in the past.

    On a personal note, I am now undertaking online studies
    which hopefully will be an asset towards my next goal in life.

     

    Do you think that this expatriation have brought you new skills?
    If yes, do you think that these skills could be use in the professionnal world?

    Yes, definitely! It is essential to adjust our mindset, behaviour and habits to the environment that we are in.
    Being culturally-adaptable is a valuable soft skill that ultimately defines a person’s resilience and growth mindset.

     

    How do you see your life after? What do you want?
    Go back home? Go somewhere else?

    Most probably, it will be home sweet home, especially after the extended separation due to COVID19.
    Thereafter, I will definitely want to get back into the workforce again,
    and contribute back to society either in professional or voluntary basis.

     

    What is your favorite quote? Why?

    « At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets. »

    Well, simply because life is short and unpredictable.

     

    Something to add?

    Every choice we make has an impact on the outcome of our lives.
    I’m glad that we had chosen to come to Paris, despite facing the initial challenges and the current COVID situation.

    And I’m glad that I had chosen to take up french with Absolutely French,
    which has led to many other good things that happened to me.

     

     

    Absolutely French is the first French school ?? dedicated only to expat spouses.
    Our main mission is to promote double career among expatriate couples.
    With our fun, friendly and innovative French trainings, we guarantee you a better integration ❤️ !

    You want to learn with us?

    You want to register an expat partner?

    Contact us!
    E-mail: contact@absolutely-french.eu
    Tel: 01 83 73 98 49
    Address: 4, rue Faraday 75017 Paris

     

    Find us on :

     

     

     

    Read more : 

    Is speaking the language sufficient to integrate yourself into a new country?

    Levi : International Fashion Influencer of the year in Ghana

     

  • Hayley, a talented expat partner who gets a job in France!

    Hayley, a talented expat partner who gets a job in France!

    Hayley, a talented expat partner who gets a job in France!

     

    expat partner France

    Hayley is an expat partner we welcome, discover who she is and the talent she is! She gets a job in France!

    Expat partners are talents!

    Hello Hayley, You are an expat partner in France.  Where were you before Paris ?

    I lived in the Yarra Valley, just outside Melbourne in Australia.

     

    Where do you come from ?

    expat partner Melbourne

    I am Australian, born and raised.

     

    What was your job before?

    I’ve worked in Human Resources and Recruitment for over 10 years.
    The last company I worked for was a financial services firm in Melbourne.

     

    Is it your first expatriation?

    Yes, this is the first but hopefully not the last.

     

    Were you happy to go abroad?

    I had mixed feelings of excitement, sadness and curiosity.
    It was hard at first, especially because I had not lived in a big city like Paris before.
    There was sadness to leave my friends, family and the new house we had recently bought.
    But, I love travel & going on adventures so ultimately this won me over.

     

    How were your feelings when you’ve arrived in France?
    What is difficult as an expat partner ? If yes, what was the most difficult for you?

    When I first arrived there was a lot of excitement because everything was surreal.

    The first two weeks we treated like a holiday, and then eventually the normal feelings of culture shock hit.
    It was about the time when my husband went to work for the 2nd week
    that I realized I was on my own for 8 – 9 hours a day.

    After you’ve seen all the tourist traps and walked the streets to take in the city,
    you suddenly realize there is no one else to share it with.

    This was particularly difficult for me, especially coming from an environment constantly surrounded by friends and family.

    This is where Absolutely French was really important for me. I was able to connect with other people
    in a similar situation to me and it made the world of difference to my experience.

    How to be integrated in your new country?

     

    And now ? How do you feel in Paris ?

    Now, I love it here. Yes, there is still the odd challenge (like plumbing issues for example) that test me.
    But at the end of the day, I know I am not going to be here forever so I need to enjoy every moment of what I have.
    My home will always be there and I can go back whenever I like (now it may be a little tricky with Covid, but I can still go home eventually).

     

    Did you start a new project?

    I decided to go back to study and complete a new degree online, which I have been meaning to do but never had the time.

    5 millions expatriate women

    A new job?

    Yes, I am currently working for McKinsey & Company in their recruitment team.

    It is only a 6 month contract but I am confident this will lead to other opportunities.

    I’ve learnt a lot about the work culture here and gained new skills that I hope to take to my future employer.

    This job came to me via LinkedIn, so if you haven’t already and you are looking for work

    please make sure you update your LinkedIn page.

    You never know what opportunity is waiting.

     

    Do you think that this expatriation have brought you new skills as an expat partner ?

    Absolutely! There is no doubt about it.

     

    Do you think that these skills could be use in the professional world?

    As someone who works in recruitment, skills such as adaptability, flexibility
    and cultural understanding/awareness are very valuable in any workplace –
    even more so in the world we live in at the moment and I believe expats are experts in this area.

    Expat partners have had to problem solve in a different language and culture,
    not knowing exactly how the interaction will turn out but you give it a go none the less.
    You’ve also had to navigate ambiguity daily and do this all with a level head.
    You’ve also learnt that the French word for « no » may not necessarily mean « no »,
    it’s just you haven’t asked the right question to get a « yes ».

    These are all skills that you would not have necessarily gained if you didn’t take up this experience as an expat.
    So, yes. I do believe these skills could be used in a professional environment.

     

    How do you see your life after? What do you want? Go back home? Go somewhere else?

    Today, it is hard to stay exactly what life will be like after this expatriation.
    I know I will not be the same, but that is a good thing I think.
    If and when I return home, I think I’ll feel like the town is too small and I’m not ready to stop the adventure just yet.
    I’d like to live somewhere else, but with Covid-19 it’s hard to say where and what this will look like.
    We will have to wait and see.

     

    What is your favorite quote? 

    « Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain.
    Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life – facing new challenges,
    seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process,
    discovering our own unique potential. », John Amatt.

     

    Something to add?

    As hard as it may seem at first, put yourself out there to build your own community and connect with new people.
    It makes a world of difference when you have a community of like minded expats to speak with.

     

    To change how society views expat partners, Hayley is also our VP Expat Partners for Absolutely Talented

     

    Absolutely French is the first French school ?? dedicated only to expat spouses.
    Our main mission is to promote double career among expatriate couples.
    With our fun, friendly and innovative French trainings, we guarantee you a better integration ❤️ !

    You want to learn with us?

    You want to register an expat partner?

    Contact us!
    E-mail: contact@absolutely-french.eu
    Tel: 01 83 73 98 49
    Address: 4, rue Faraday 75017 Paris

     

    To read more : 

    Levi : International Fashion Influencer of the year in Ghana

    Your CV  Title to find a job

  • Levi, the International Fashion Influencer of the year

    Levi, the International Fashion Influencer of the year

    Levi : International Fashion Influencer

    of the year in Ghana

     

    fashion influencer ; king levi, levi dapper
    We have interviewed Levi, one of our Absolu.

    Levi won the International Fashion Influencer of the yearin Ghana!

    Discover who he is, and how  he manages his life in France
    and his Fashion Shows in Mozambique! 

     

     

     

    Hello Levi, can you tell us about your background? 

    How did you become a Fashion Influencer?

     

    Well, I’m originally from Mozambique, I’ve been travelling for a while.
    But I spent most of my life in Mozambique where I did my primary, secondary education.
    Then, I had an opportunity to go to Canada for an exchange program.
    I came back and  decided to go to University in South Africa.
    When I finished my bachelor degree, I went back to Mozambique.
    I started working for an organization, VSO so that’s why I had the chance to work for another project
    which was based in Mozambique and UK, so I was travelling a lot from Mozambique to UK.

    After all that, I decided to settle a little bit because I started my own family.

    I stayed here for few years for work.

     

    In Mozambique or in the UK?

    In Mozambique.

    When I was in the UK, I also got a chance to do a course at the University of Manchester.
    Then, I came back to Mozambique, I decided to settle a little bit.

    I changed my job, I started working for IOM (International Organization for Migration), part of the United Nation now.

    When I was working for IOM, there was something that I also loved a lot which was fashion.
    So, I started being invited for TV shows, stuff like that just because of the way
    I dress and I started doing photoshoot and so on (the beginning of fashion influencer).
    But I was still working for IOM at that time. My wife was working for Total, she also lived abroad,
    she lived in Belgium, she did University in Portugal and then came back, changed her job, she settled with Total.
    So, at that time, I started my own agency, and did few personal businesses about fashion.

     

    When did you start as a fashion influencer?

    6 or 7 years ago I think. I thought that I would just do something for fun, something that I liked, out of a normal job.

    I started doing some things for fashion.

     

    How can you call your job at that time : fashion influencer?

    At that time, you can call me just « this guy who liked to dress », and I thought it was an opportunity for me to actually help people,
    because I started to be known on TV, I even sometimes had to run from my everyday job to go to TV interviews,
    just for a quick interview. I was not yet a fashion influencer.

     

    Was it an interview about fashion?

    About fashion yes, I was just giving tips on how to dress, how to combine colors and all those things.

    There was a platform which actually grew up at that time, I decided just to give young people opportunities
    to join me, models, etc. At that time, I decided actually to walk on fashion and I did a small fashion show
    when I launched my first collection in collaboration with a local designer.

    Just some of my ideas on fashion, I’m not actually a designer!

    I work for the designer, we did the first show.

     

    When was it?

    It was in 2016. From there, the agency was just growing but just after that,
    my wife got a chance to work abroad, in Morocco.

    When we got married at that time (because we both had an experience to living abroad),
    we told ourselves, we promised ourselves, who ever get the chance
    to move abroad, someone has to sacrifice.

    I was at IOM at that time, my boss promised me that I would get a job.
    And when I went to Morocco, I tried to contact IOM Morocco,
    things didn’t work out and no one was answering me.

    It was very frustrating, but at the same time, I believe some things happen for a reason,
    and I decided to invest in my dream, in my project, in some of the things I started in Mozambique just for fun.

    I built a new platform to actually start doing things. I decided to build a fashion show
    with the idea of building the biggest fashion show in Mozambique.

    Because at that time, Mozambique only had one fashion show for the whole year and for the whole country.

     

    Oh wow if you compare with another country…

    I have another dream to have a shoe brand; it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.
    I travel a little bit and I was like « I love the fabric of Morocco, the leather, pure, original, the colors and stuff like that »,
    because my things is about colors,  happiness… When I was in Morocco, I started 2 projects,
    which was the fashion show at that time and VICIOUS shoes which was my first brand.

     

    So you started to create shoes?

    Yes!

    king levi ; fashion influencer, vicious shoes

    In Morocco, with the leather and all good stuff like that.

    So, it was like an escape because I’m someone who loves to be busy,
    I didn’t have a formal job at that time,
    my wife was the one who was working.

     

    It was a job!

    Yes, I decided to create my own job. So, I built my team in Mozambique.
    There was a time when there were three of us and now there are more than eight of us.
    With my team in Mozambique, we started in 2017, we launched the first fancy fashion show in Mozambique,
    so I had to travel a bit, Mozambique – Morocco, and now it’s been 4 years, we started in 2017 with one day of a fashion show.
    2018 we had one day. 2019  we had two days and this year we are launching our first fashion week. 

     

    fancy fashion show, King Levi, fashion influencer

    Which designers did you invite? Are they designers only from Mozambique?

    No, since 2017, we started with a great partnership with South Africa, few designers and models from South Africa.
    Then in 2018, we started to grow a little bit because besides being an entrepreneur in fashion business,
    I also work for myself as a fashion influencer. I’m a digital marketer,
    like I promote brands in different areas, watches, clothes, shoes, everything.

    Because I’ve got some of a big platform as King Dapper on Instagram.

     

    What is your name as a fashion influencer?

    King Dapper, King Levi Dapper, because the way I dress.
    With that I added partnership around the world, with Nigeria.
    We started pushing Nigeria designers and this year, we are bigger
    because we have applications from all around the world, Brazil, the US, we’ve got France,
    we’ve got Ghana, we’ve got Algeria, we’ve got Kenya, we’ve got South Africa,
    we’ve got Mozambique, it’s bigger this year.

    I started doing funny like loving fashion, just doing things that I love, taking pictures, posting, promoting brands,
    giving tips about fashion and today I’m working with more a lot of brands across the world
    from jewelry, to watches to suits. I’ve been working with different brands and promoting them.

    So you started with one event and then it’s growing up quickly.

    Yes, it’s grown up quickly.

     

    And how did you manage with your life
    abroad and your project in Mozambique?

     

    It’s wasn’t easy because I had to find ways of working.
    I have found someone who was based in Mozambique which is my main guy.
    When I’m not in Mozambique, I do most of my work online. I have to travel a lot sometimes
    so in one year maybe I go to Mozambique 4 times, so that’s a bit of hard work.


    But I gain, I’m doing something that I actually love and that has a huge impact on the country.
    For me it’s important because with this work we have given employment for more than 80 young people.
    Designers, models, makeup artists, photographers, it’s like a huge industry. So, this is a platform we are building.
    We don’t just want to stay on organizing events because in Mozambique we don’t have a fashion school.
    We want to build the first fashion school in Mozambique.

     

    Very interesting, very good to do that.

     

    What’s the name of the fashion show you do?

    Fancy Fashion Week now.

    Fancy Fashion Week. When will be the next one?

    It will be in August. It’s going to be in Maputo.

     

    So, after, you want to create a school, a fashion school, and after that?

     

    Then after that, it’s all about creating opportunity to young people in Mozambique and extend the work.
    We need designers in big platform like Paris fashion week and stuff like that but before that,
    we need to train people, they need formation they need education, we need to walk
    on the quality of what we are doing in Mozambique.

    So that’s why we have all this project going on.
    In December 2019, I travelled with 2 designers and 3 models to South Africa
    for a Fashion show, because part of our project is also to expose local designers Internationally.


    Did you think about doing a fashion show, in another country?

    Yes, I was actually invited to do an event here, in France
    and we were supposed to do it now in April but there are few changes.
    But we believe that later in the year, we might do one here.

    It’s a local designer but she is from Nigeria and she is based in France.
    We also invited few designers from Africa to come here.

     

    It’s good, I want to come to your event!

    Please do!

     

    Can you tell us what it has been like to be an expat spouse in your professional life?
    Did you develop skills 
    that you think are important for your work?

     

    Yes I did. It was very challenging, frustrating at time, but I earned to develop all this project and being abroad.
    I use all the resources I have to start such a big project which creates amazing skills.
    For example communication, in different areas, like distance communication,
    local communication, the language, and all those things create amazing skills.
    Strategy, planning, organization and all those things are just different.

    My education actually is community development, there was social studies, that’s why I work for VSO
    and IOM but my career just had another turn and this turn had just created amazing skills. 

     

    You are, I think adaptable to every culture, different cultures.

     

    Yes I’m able to adjust myself to different cultures.
    I can live in and not only survive but live, learn and adapt and grow from this experience.
    Take those skills back to where I’m from because it’s really important for me not using
    just this opportunity as well to grow myself but as well grow other people.

    Even when I talk to people now, when I share my ideas,
    they are actually learning and feel that this guy has built himself with different skills.
    So, after an experience, I change the way to talk to my people concerning
    how I train my own employees, the pressure that I put.

    Because in the background we have a different type of perform, it just really helps other people not only me.

     

    For sure, good.

    What is your favorite quote?       

    It depends.

    There is one quote that I really like and It’s very philosophical.

    « Shame on me for changing, shame on you for staying the same »

    This quote’s from a song from an American singer, her name is Jhene Aiko.
    Her music is very kind calm, kind reflective, a lot of poetry in her music.
    I really love this quote. It’s just a reflection of accepting change
    but it’s as well respecting those who ever decide to stay the same.

    Yes, everybody choses.

    Because sometimes you judge people, we think that we change
    and then we don’t respect the fact that some people are just well in their own comfort zone.

    Yes, exactly, everybody is different.

     

    A final word for the end?

    I had a lot of experiences in moving around, in terms of language development.

    For the moment, I joined Absolutely French, I found that there is a lot of Human sides attachment,
    human development, human understanding, there are different ways of training people,
    but making them understand and immersing a culture and changing their perspectives,
    I think that in a short time, you are able to do so much, that you don’t imagine, what you do it’s very special.

     

    Absolutely French is the first French school ?? dedicated only to expat spouses.
    Our main mission is to promote double career among expatriate couples.

    With our fun, friendly and innovative French trainings, we guarantee you a better integration! ❤️

    You want to learn with us?
    You want to register an expat partner?

    Contact us!
    E-mail: contact@absolutely-french.eu
    Tel: 01 83 73 98 49
    Address: 4, rue Faraday 75017 Paris

     

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