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Dear MyAMers,
Two years ago, My American Market opened its ―doors,‖ and the dream of bringing a slice of the States to France—and now Europe—became a reality.
Happy birthday, Clark!
To thank all of you for your continuing support and for making My American Market what it is today, we are giving away 50 Birthday Gift Bags (filled with Jelly Bellies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and more)! To receive yours, just enter the coupon code BDAY2 when placing your next order. Don’t wait! Clark will be blowing out the candle on this offer as soon as 50 gift bags have been requested.
> Get your FREE gift bag now! Have a great month,
Anne-Claire
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Newsletter #20
May 2011
In this issue: > Managing your Cur-rency Exchange Risks with Foreign Exchange Brokers
> Kid-friendly: Visiting French Farms
> DOs & DON’T’s: Hosting a dinner party in France > Immigration - Obtai-ning the Right to Live & Work in France After Assistant Contract Has Expired > Online «Traductions A s s e r m e n t é e s » > How To: Filling Out your « Déclaration des Revenus » >The Struggle to Min-gle en Français > Sweets Corner: Fruit Pizza > Play & Watch Ameri-can Sports in France
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> Managing your Currency Exchange Risks with Foreign Exchange Brokers
Fluctuations in currency rates can make a huge difference in the amount of money you end up with when buy-ing/selling property overseas, moving abroad (or coming back home), paying pensions or tuition fees, etc. Because an exchange rate can move by as much as 10% over the course of a few days, it’s extremely impor-tant - regardless of your needs, be they large or small - to find the best options to move your money safely, effi-
ciently and quickly across borders.
The difference between banks and brokers Foreign exchange brokers specialize in transferring funds internationally for clients. As this is their sole busi-ness, they focus on getting clients a rate that is as close to the interbank (most competitive/lowest) rate as pos-sible, whilst reducing or eliminating transfer fees and giving clients access to valuable products that can protect them from negative exchange rate movements in the future. Most brokers quote their exchange rates based on the live interbank rate at the time you call them, whereas many banks set their rate first thing in the morning and hold this rate for a certain amount of time. The banks have to set this rate far enough away from the interbank rate so as to cover any potential fluctuations through-out the day. The closer you get to the interbank rate the better, so if your quote is based on the live rate (as with brokers) you are more likely to achieve this. Key benefits of a foreign exchange broker Better exchange rates than the banks Regular savings of between 0.5% and 4% on the amount of your transaction Faster international payments (same-day) Possibility to fix the rate for a date in the future (Forward Contracts) Protection from negative rate moves (Currency Options) No commission and heavily reduced transfer fees Your own dedicated consultant Regular transfer system and online payments Please note that some of these products or services may not be available through all foreign exchange brokers. Choosing the right broker There are many foreign exchange brokers to choose from, but for additional peace of mind it helps to use a bro-ker that is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) or its American counterparts the SEC or FDIC. Brokers regulated by these financial entities are required to safeguard client funds by either seg-regating client money or having appropriate insurance in place to cover loss. By keeping clients’ money sepa-rate from the bank accounts they use to run their business, clients have extra protection should anything hap-pen to the company. It is always worth speaking to a broker to compare their rates against the bank and to find out what additional op-tions may be available to you for your transfers. It is advis-able to consider foreign exchange quite early on. That is, as soon as you realize you will need to make a transfer at some point in the future. For more information or any assistance using World First services, call Simon Hilton +44 207 801 3026 or 0800 783 6022 (toll free). Please quote My American Market for your preferential exchange rate.
This very instructive article is provided by World First Foreign Exchange. This London-based service is helping individuals and businesses with their foreign cur-rency transaction needs.
Kid-friendly > Visiting French Farms
A native of New Jersey, Rebecca has been in France for 13 years and lives in the cen-ter of Lille with her French husband, two Franco-American children and two bilingual cats. Still trying to understand her adopted home, she documents her misadventures of living in France and raising bilingual children in her blog Uh Oh Spahgettios. Rebecca plays with numbers for a living, for the benefit of European regions. You can contact Rebecca by email: [email protected]
Charles de Gaulle once said « How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?‖ There are in fact closer to 400 types of cheese. One of the reasons there are so many cheeses is be-cause France has historically been a largely agricultural country. According to Wikipedia, 53% of France is farm land. This makes France the leading agricultural country in the European Union. With so much farm land around, it is relatively easy to buy local and seasonal products. I’m luc-ky enough to live in the Nord Pas de Calais which is 75% farmland. Unfortunately, the local winter products tend to be bleak with potatoes and beets and leeks (oh my!). However, the summer products are glorious: fraise de phalempin, rhubarb, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini and all sorts of summer vegetables… And with so many farms around, this fresh produce is easily accessible. Bienvenue à la ferme is a network of farms all over France that you can visit, stay at and even have a birthday snack at. Their website is extremely in-formative and their search engine is very advanced and allows you to choose clear criteria. By ticking the appro-priate boxes, you can find a farm near you to buy local products or just go see and even pet the animals with your kids. You can also find information on staying overnight at farms or holiday farm vacations… In late April, open house visits are organized at participating farms. Every year, La France de Ferme en Ferme
(last weekend in April) provides information on a local network of farms which open their barn doors to visitors for 2 days (only available in 8 French regions). They provide maps as well as information about the farms and their activities. You can visit, learn about the animals and what they make, taste the products (we tasted raw cow milk last spring) and buy their goods. You can also find information about similar events on the Bienvenue à la Ferme site under the heading ―actualités,‖ where they provide information about « journée portes ouvertes ». Another good spring or summer activity for kids is picking your own fruit or vegetables, called cueillette (or self-cueillette) in French. Chapeau de Paille provides information on some u-pick farms all over France. Once you
have selected a farm, the site provides the farm’s website where you can find out what is currently available for picking as well as other practical information. You can find out some information on the Bienvenue à la Ferme website or by simply doing a search for cueillette and the name of the town you live in. With so many farms and such easy access to information about farms, it’s easy to show kids where their food co-mes from. Here in Lille, we go strawberry picking in the summer and apple picking in the fall. We have yet to glean potatoes and beets in the late fall, although I’m told it’s a very common activity… And the best part of picking your own food? Eating it! For the gourmands, here is my favorite summer recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Ingredients 1 cup white sugar / 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour / 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries / 3 cups diced rhubarb / 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour / 1 cup packed brown sugar / 1 cup butter / 1 cup rolled oats / 1 tsp ginger Directions 1/ Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 2/ In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish. 3/ Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture. 4/ Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.
Bon Appétit!
Cultural tips > Dos & DON’Ts: Hosting a Dinner Party in France…
Pierre-Antoine Dubosc is a Parisian living in Montmartre who loves to share his pas-sion for the city of Light. He has just started a company, Paris on Demand, to help tourists visiting Paris make the most of their trip: off-the-beaten-tracks addresses, trip tips, updates on the latest exhibitions and shows. You can write him here: [email protected]
Tired of hearing the French boast about their gastronomic supremacy? The time to cook your old familiar recipes has come, but if you want to impress the French, you must keep in mind a few useful tips in order to avoid a major disaster… Indeed, oven temperatures can be pretty misleading and you may have to frequently substitute ingredients. A previous MyAM newsletter article, Cooking and Oven Temperature Conversions, laid out the basic rules for cooking your recipe in almost the same conditions as back home. However, mastering the actual cooking is not enough. Even with a 100% American menu, the dinner must take place within a well-defined framework. And in the country that invented etiquette, some other considerations must be taken into account: - French tend to eat dinner later than in the US, so they may be surprised if you invite them before 8 pm. -Don’t expect the meal to be a mere formality. The French enjoy food and having dinner is an experience in it-self which may last up to 3 hours. - Even if you want your guests to experience a 100% American dinner, they will be grateful if you include some French MUSTs such as aperitif, cheese and ―digestif‖… - Don’t feel offended if your guests ask you questions about the food and the recipe. It is a good sign that usu-ally means they’re enjoying themselves and might even consider using your recipe for the next dinner they’re hosting. - Dinner is not only an occasion to eat good food and drink wine. The French have a passion for discussing, or rather debating, the latest news. If you don’t want to be left out, be sure to read the newspapers on D-Day! - Your guests may bring you gifts: if they bring you a bouquet of flowers, be sure to have a vase ready for use. Should they bring a bottle of wine, it is usually considered a nice gesture to drink it during dinner or as an aperi-tif. If you keep these rules in mind during your dinner party’s prepa-ration and execution, your night is set for success. Setting up the perfect conditions for a nice dinner will put you and your guests in the perfect mood for enjoying your American meal, which was the initial goal… One last piece of food for thought : The extra mile that might turn your dinner into a huge success is to add a French touch to your American recipe!
Cheers!
Jean’s advice > Immigration - Obtaining the Right to Live & Work in France after Assistant Contract has Expired
Jean Taquet is a French consultant and associate member of the Delaware State Bar As-sociation. If you'd like a personalized answer to one of your administrative/immigration is-sues, I recommend you contact Jean: Phone: (33) 01.40.38.16.11 / Email: [email protected]
QUESTION
I am an American living in the U.S.A.. Over the years I have visited and worked in France (as an assistant de lan-gue), and I am very interested in moving back soon. I just earned a master's degree in political science, speak French fluently, and very much want to move back to France (where my girlfriend resides) as either an employee or an intern. I nearly had an internship lined up in Ger-many and at the last minute it fell through because of visa problems, and I am aware that being an American ma-kes the visa issue quite tricky. As of right now I have applied to be a lecteur de langue in several universities, and am waiting to hear back. I
would love to eventually work for a humanitarian NGO based out of France, and have applied for several intern-ships and positions in these organizations but I get the impression that they are not looking to hire people from outside of the E.U.. I would greatly appreciate any advice you have. ANSWER The main issue I see here is that it seems there is some inconsistency between your long-term immigration goals and the type of immigration status that you plan on seeking in the short term. To put it differently, for right now it is "How do I obtain the right to get into France and the right to work?" and for the future it is "How do I keep the right to stay, work, and live in France?" The first one should strengthen the second one. One point illustrates this very well. The immigration status for a lecteur in France, in English - the position of tea-ching assistant - is very easy to get, but the foreigner must leave France after two years, and it is virtually impossi-ble to change this status. In my view, choosing this route would mean losing two years in your longer-term immi-gration plan. One way for you to stay in France and continue to have the right to work is to obtain a carte de séjour mention vie privée, based on your relationship with your girlfriend. Either you could marry her, or you could get PACSed and live together for at least a year, if she is French or an E.U. citizen. Then you would comply with the requirements for regularization under this status. If you choose this option, you should start preparing your request for the chan-ge of status immediately after arriving in France, since proof of living together for a long time is crucial. Then you might have a decent chance of having the right kind of file for this procedure. But assuming you are prepared to work hard pretty much from the beginning of your stay in France to secure this
change, why not put the same amount of energy right away into securing a more definitive status, so that your romantic relationship is not the only thing that enables you to stay in France with the right to work? In other words, the better alternative, in my opinion, is to prepare, while still in the U.S.A., a re-quest for a working visa. This entails drafting a per-sonal and professional plan, with goals and steps, so that once you acquire the right to live and work in France, you can carry out your professional plan and have a chance of being successful. As you can see, these are two very different proce-dures and you need to choose between them. The-re is virtually no way you can successfully change your mind once the process has been launched.
However, there might be a more "middle of the road" way to address this issue. You could first acquire the right to live in France, with a visa/carte de séjour mention visiteur, and once in France add the right to work after-ward. These are the requirements: Financial means = I believe that the minimum should be $22,000 in any type of account; if necessary, your girl-
friend can vouch for you for part or even all of it. Lodging in France = you can live with her and she vouches for you, this is very simple. Health coverage in France = the cheapest policy I know costs about $500 a year, but once you work you are covered by your job, even if you are self-employed. This requires some serious planning, since it pretty much means that you would not have the right to work for about a year and you must be able to fund your stay in France. Living with your girlfriend can lower the cost so-me. A side issue is that getting and keeping position as a salaried employee is difficult for non-European foreigners: it is a huge challenge to acquire a carte de séjour mention salarié. However, self-employed status is easy to get and fairly easy to maintain. There are two other forms of status you should not overlook, given your profile: compétences & talents and scientifique. Yes, both require a lot of work at first, but both confer the cherished right to work as a salaried em-ployee, and allow the holder to change easily to something else. Bear in mind that the compétences & talents card is valid for three years and can be renewed once, so you would have potentially six years in France before having to change your status. With all these options, make sure that you document your relationship so that it has legal validity and you have proof of living together. Indeed, you never know what lies ahead, so you should be in a position to prepare a request for a change to a carte de séjour vie privée if need be. Your question also raises a different and potentially major problem: each E.U. country has its own regulations on immigration, so if you think you can acquire the right to live in France by getting a job and immigration status in Germany or some other E.U. country, you are quite wrong. Holding an American passport grants you as much right to be in France as residency in another E.U. country would, so you would not gain anything by this. Should you submit an immigration request at the French consu-late in an E.U. country, you would be seen only as an American and face the same challenges described abo-ve. Living 500 or 600 miles away from Paris so you can be closer to your girlfriend is not close enough to do you any good. You have absolutely no reason to choose this solution. Finally, regarding your statement that French-based NGOs did not seem interested in you: if you ap-proached them with an American profile, this could alienate them. On the other hand, some French groups are now as big as multinationals, with representation all over the world. Thus, your profile might inte-rest them if you can adapt to the French way of working. I always say that looking for work or building a business in France means functio-ning the French way if you want to be successful. The sooner you can do that, the sooner you will succeed. But it is a lot easier said than done, and that is a huge understatement.
Now, Get your « Traductions Assermentées » Online! Fast and Easy.
FRANCE is a country renowned for its paperwork, but living here can go much more smoothly if you can pro-vide the right documents with the help of an approved translator. A sworn translation is essential for important docu-ments such as birth certificates, driving licences, pro-perty documents and contracts. No matter how confi-dent you are speaking or reading the language, it is not always possible to translate documents yourself as not everyone is qualified to provide a sworn translation. This is where Karen Renel-King steps in.
A bilingual, fully-qualified translator, she is regularly called on by English-speakers who need docu-ments for their notaire, mairie, préfecture or social security office – and in many cases she can provide results within 24 hours. Whether it involves setting up a business, getting planning permission, inheri-tance matters, marrying or getting pacsed, you can be assured Karen has both the skills and experien-ce to help by providing sworn translations of all the official documents required. ―What people want in a translator is a simple, fast and efficient service, and this is exactly what I provi-de,‖ says Karen. Originally from the U.S., Karen arrived in France in 1964 and understands first-hand the struggles many English-speakers come up against. She has qualifications in translation and inter-preting from the Sorbonne in Paris, plus 26 years of experience working as a sworn translator. She has translated thousands of documents from English to French and vice-versa. Whatever your particular situation demands, this bilingual, native English speaker offers the ideal solu-tion. The quickest way to receive your translation is to scan the original and send it by email. Karen can then issue a prompt quote and get to work as soon as payment is received by secure online payment service PayPal or by check. ―Because I work online, I can provide a translation service for customers all over France,‖ said Karen. Prices typically start at €30-€35 per page for a driving licence or birth certificate. More complicated documents, such as contracts, are priced by the word. Contact Karen for a free estimate at 06 18 03 18 38 or by email: [email protected]. You can find more information on her websites: > www.certifiedfrenchtranslation.com > www.traductioncertifiee.fr
ADVERTISING
How To: Filling Out Your Déclaration des Revenus GoExpat is a professional tax services firm located in Paris, France which provides US and French tax advice. Its team of French and US Certified Public Accountants have extensive experience assessing the changing and complex issues of tax compliance of US expatria-tes and will provide you with effective year round tax planning and assurance of meeting all tax compliance responsibilities in an accurate and timely manner.
Once you etablish residency in France, you are taxed here on your world-wide income. Under French law, you are resident in France for tax purposes if you meet any one of the following four conditions: Your permanent home (habitual home for you and/or your family) is in France. You spend most of your time in France (at least 183 days during a calendar year, or even less if you spend more time in France than in any other country). Your professional activity is in France. The center of your economic or financial interest is in France. Obtaining the form French taxes are calculated on a calendar year basis. In order to comply with your French income tax reporting obligation, you must complete Form 2042 (the recapitulative form) and perhaps other forms depending on the source and type of income and expenses for the year. Please note, that the income tax declaration must be completed by the due date, which is generally May 30 thof the following year. The date could vary from one year to another. For example, for calendar year 2010, your fil-ing deadline will be May 30, 2011, unless you file on line, in which case you have until mid June. It is very important to respect the filing deadlines. There will be a penalty assessed initially at 10% (majoration) for late filing. For those who have already filed a French tax declaration and are already in the system, they should expect to receive a pre-printed (pré-remplie) tax form, with certain information filled in the form. This information will in-clude salary amounts, bank interest and dividends, etc. If the information provided in the pre-printed form is in-corrrect, you should cross out the erroneous figures and write in the correct figures. For those who will require a form and have not received a pre-printed form, you can obtain forms at your local tax office (centre des impôts) or online by referring to the following website : www.impots.gouv.fr Filing status If you got married or pacsé in 2010 and live together, then you need to complete 3 separate declarations - one
for each person for income earned up to the date of marriage and one for the post marriage period. The latter represents a joint declaration. The same applies, only in reverse order, if you got divorced in 2010. If your spouse died in 2010, then it's more complicated and you probably need the services of a notaire or ac-countant. But the overall rule is that you must fill out a déclaration for yourself from the date of death until De-
cember 31; you have six months from the date of death to cor-rectly fill out a second joint déclaration from January 1 until the date of death. If you have minor children living at home but working (up to age 25), their income is added to yours as long as you declare them as part of your tax household. (See below for a definition of foyer fiscal). Declaring your income and deductions
As a French tax resident, you are taxed on your worldwide in-come. This will include salary, pensions, interest and dividends, rental and any other income.
The most common deductions for 2010 income are:
outside-the-home childcare for children under seven (50 percent of cost up to 2,300€ per child)
having school-age dependents (61€ per child for collège, 153€ for lycée, or 183€ for university)
installation of energy-saving technologies in the home (a chaudière à condensation or chaudière à basse temperature)
moving more than 200 kilometres to find work (EUR 1,500)
employing a domestic worker (frais d'emploi d'un salarié à domicile; you may deduct 50 percent of the sal-
ary up to a total of 15,000€
giving money to a charitable organisation will provide for a deduction of either 75% or 66% of amount do-
nated subject to further limitations depending on the charity
child support costs as a result of a divorce judgement
union fees
Paying your taxes Please note, that you do not pay any amount with your declaration. Once this is received by the French tax au-thorities, they will calculate your tax and send you an invoice (avis d'imposition), usually around mid to late Au-gust for the amount of taxes due. If you are a first time filer, you may get your tax bill as late as November or December of the year you filed. Once you are in the system, the French tax authorities will use the previous year's income as a basis to calcu-late the following year's taxes. For example, if 2010 was the first year you filed, you will be paying towards your 2011 French tax liability on the basis of your 2010 income. The standard payment cycle is three instalments but you can also pay your taxes all upfront or in monthly instal-ments. (See more on paying your taxes in 'A guide to taxation in France') Some useful French tax terms abattement: standard deduction avis de non-imposition: certificate of non-taxable income (you will receive this if your total income is under the taxable income threshhold) barème fiscal: tax-rate table (sets out the amount of tax for a given amount of income) un contribuable: a taxpayer un credit d'impôts: a tax credit or a reduction in tax generated by one of many tax saving schemes un expert comptable: accountant foyer fiscal: tax household (The household is calculated in portions, parts. First and second children counts as ½ part; a third child counts as a full part. So a married couple with one child is a household of 2.5 parts; a mar-ried couple with three children has four parts. Even married children and grandchildren can be added to your tax household under specific conditions.) impôts sur le revenu: income taxes (as opposed to property taxes, sales taxes, etc) impôt de solidarité sur la fortune: wealth tax (This applies to anyone whose net wealth is worth more 800,000€. The sub-ject of a reform not voted yet. prélèvements obligatoires: all social charges and sometimes this can include income taxes taken at source TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée): value-added tax or sales tax (it currently stands at 19.6% on all goods and services except those specifically exempted.) revenu à déclarer: gross income revenu imposable: taxable income after all deductions and credits are calculated revenu foncier: rental income
The Struggle to Mingle en Français American expat Jeralynn Benoit reveals the all-too-familiar frustrations of plunging into French culture tongue-tied and silenced by language barriers. You can read about Jeralynn’s adventures in her blog Vive la Différence.
I have always been a communicative person. When I lived in the US, I worked in advertising sales for 25 years. Now, suddenly, after 52 years of life, I´m settled in a country were everyone around me is speaking a language I don’t understand. I´ve always loved eavesdropping on conversations, and now I can’t understand a word. I am on the outside looking in, and what I see is like observing a Tower of Babel. It’s strange being in this situation. When you don’t understand, your sense of hearing becomes muted and other senses become more acute. Especially your sense of sight, it’s as if this sense reboots. What you can’t hear, you observe and look for other signs. You observe people’s expressions, then shake your head, smile and say, "Ah bon" or "Oui". All the time you hope that you’re agreeing with something nice, but if they gesture or speak in a gruff way, it’s an emphatic "Pardonnez-moi." I remember when I first started glancing at online French news with my husband, I’d examine the screen for clues to make sense of the segments. I think to myself, What is going on in this picture? What are they doing? Where do they seem to be? Are they speaking strongly or laughing? When I can’t figure it out I create my own story. I think, Nice outfit, who cut her hair? I wish I knew her coiffure. I wonder if she lives in Paris. And then there is the other side of the coin, like, Why would anyone pick that to wear? Boy, that outfit is a bit ris-qué for TV. That newscaster has such big ears. On occasion we have guests for dinner. Many of them speak some English, but they are French in France so they are going to speak Francais. Pourquoi pas (why not)? I try hard to listen and pick up on the conversa-tion. Ah, I recognise that word. Now what was the verb and what tense? Okay, I can comment on that. But by the time I get the words in proper order, our guests are on to another subject. So I sit mute and with a stupid smile on my face. Until the all-time excuse for escape comes into my head. I know, I’ll excuse myself and abscond to the kitchen to see about dinner.That always works well. While we are eating I chew, I smile, and sometimes I nod my head but I haven’t a clue what’s going on. Imagine how hard this is as a person who loves to communicate and who has opinions. They must think my husband married a mute! They are so wrong! There is a person behind this smile. She's intelligent. She has opinions. She's funny. By the end of the evening I am so tired from serving dinner and trying to listen and comprehend that eventually I just tune out. I am underwater hearing only the vibrations of sound, and my brain has flat-lined. Now, after six years, my vocabulary has improved. I understand more and I can get by day to day, however the art of conversation continues to be difficult. Maybe it’s because I started learning a language at a later age than most.
But I am determined to stick French and continue to cram my head with grammar, new vocabulary, and idiomatic ex-pressions. I will triumph, even if they have to bury me with a French dictionary. Ironically there is a stranger sensation: When I travel back to the US it’s like someone turned up the volume. I think to myself, My God, I understand these people. I know what they are saying, but these people are so loud! Are they really loud? Maybe we Americans tend to be lou-der. All I know is that I am no longer on the other side of the window looking in. I am among the milieu. I am among the living.
> Sweets Corner Fruit Pizza recipe
Tracy Treville is an American pastry chef living and working in France. She is the founder and baker of Tracy's Treats Gourmet Cookies & Brownies, offering fresh, homemade, gourmet cookies & brownies shipped throughout France. Visit her site at: www.GourmetCookies.fr Also be sure to check out Tracy’s Treats Gourmet Cookies & Brownies on Facebook!
Now that the weather has gotten GORGEOUS, I am so ready to get out and about and have fun. I am looking forward to having lots of friends over and having lots of picnics again. The great thing about this time of year, is the abundance of fresh fruit. Here are a few ideas for fun, easy, everybody-friendly desserts. Everybody-friendly. Not just kid-friendly but everybody-friendly. Did I just make that up? Yes, I believe I did. Fruit Pizza
Ingredients 115 g (1/2 cup) butter, softened 150 g (3/4 cup) white sugar 1 egg 155 g (1 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour 2 g (1/2 tsp) baking soda 2 g (1/4 tsp) salt 224 g (8 ounces) cream cheese 100 g (1/2 cup) white sugar 10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350º F. / 175º C. 2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan. 3. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool. 4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread on cooled crust. 5. Arrange desired fruit on top of filling, and chill. Feel free to drizzle chocolate sauce or caramel sauce on top. Add chopped, toasted pecans if you like.
Enjoy! And most of all… Have fun!
Where to Play American Sports in France?
Michael Barrett is a 26-year-old American with roots in Chicago and Washington D.C. He is currently working as Project Manager at the PR firm New BBDO Paris. He got his Masters degree in ―communication d’entreprise et management à l’international‖ at the University of Grenoble and interned at the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Lyon, France. He has also studied abroad in Angers, interned at Sciences Po Paris and taught English in Lyon. Very active within the American community of France, he is a communication consult-ant, freelance translator, and English teacher. He writes a must-read blog for expats called American Expat In France. Michael can be reached at: [email protected]
If your are looking to catch the big game on TV, there is certainly no shortage of sports bars in France, especially in Paris, But what about watching—or even better, playing— American sports? Contrary to what you might have thought, you do have options when it comes to playing and watching American football and baseball in the land of soccer and rugby. BASEBALL in France Baseball. America’s pastime. Although still quite rare in France, baseball is gaining a following among expats and French alike. Just last week I was in a Decathlon sports store and saw baseball mitts, balls and bats on sale. They may have been in the kids’ section, but this was still a pleasant surprise for me. They also seem to have quite a selection online. For the adults, The Baseball Shop in Toulouse offers the real deal: gloves, bats, jerseys, etc. for both softball and baseball. If you don’t happen to live in the Toulouse area, you can order via their website.
Having the equipment is one thing though. To really play, you need a field and a team. Surprisingly, there’s actu-ally quite an impressive baseball community in France, including a number of leagues with different skill/age lev-els. There are even several National French Teams, including the senior level. The Féderation française de baseball et softball (FFBS) website has a wealth of information regarding baseball, softball and cricket leagues including a map of where to play and a list of baseball teams in France. You can also follow French baseball news here. Alex McCardell, the President of Stade Toulousain Baseball was kind enough to speak with me about his base-ball club. His comments are below. Thanks Alex! “Stade Toulousain Baseball has existed since the mid 1980's. In 2011, we have 160 members comprising 9 teams. Not only do we have an Elite team (division 1 equivalent), we have several youth teams starting at age 6, as well a woman's softball team, several senior teams, as well as a junior team. We play within the French Base-ball Federation (FFBS) program. We are the largest baseball club in the region, and last year we won the National 2 French championship. Our Elite team, the highest level, has been competing regularly with the best clubs in France. In 2005, we finished second and qualified for the European championships. We have two players that have signed with MLB clubs, including Andy Paz who currently plays with the Elite squad as catcher. The baseball season runs from March to October. According to the level, the championship program varies. For the Elite, they are 8 teams spread out between Paris, Rouen, Montpellier, Pessac (Bordeaux), and Toulouse. In Toulouse we also collaborate regularly with the French "espoir" that develops the youth program for the French national teams. We are supported yearly by the Mayor of Toulouse and the Conseil General Haute Garonne to develop the sport and the youth program. We compete at the regional level and national. We are always re-cruiting new players to help reinforce our position. We also have sev-eral foreigners who have spent several years with the club. You can learn more about our program here.”
AMERICAN FOOTBALL in France The fun is not limited to baseball. Indeed, American football is also gaining popularity in France. Decathlon also sells American football products, albeit mostly for children.
While living in Grenoble, I had heard there was a team there, but I never got around to seeing a game. How-ever, after learning about the Féderation française de football américain (FFFA), I know I need to see a game! There are over 20,000 licensed players among 171 clubs throughout France: so many, in fact, that the site has a club search function. One of the clubs, the Mariners, was recently featured in Ouest France newspaper, and another club, the Lannion Grizzlies, has just recently joined the ranks.
FFFA also has a page dedicated to explaining the fundamentals of the game in French, which could prove
very helpful for those who are new to the game. The championship game is actually coming up soon, June 18 at Stade Charlety in Paris. And the best part is it’s a free event! Information: Stade Charlety – 99 Bd Kel-lerman – 75013 Accès: Tramway T3 / RER B / Porte de Gentilly
To raise money for the event, the FFFA is organizing a raffle with great prizes: The top prize is a trip for 2 to Miami, FL to see the Miami Hurricanes play
the Virginia Cavaliers: airfaire, 3-star hotel and game tickets are included! There are many other prizes to win: NFL Jerseys, NFL footballs, sunglas-ses, EA SPORTS Madden NFL 11 video games, DVDs and more! You can order your tickets directly on-line or by downloading this purchase order. So now you have no excuse not to participate!
GAME ON!
Editors Anne-Claire Bocage - Kristin Meunier Johnson Article contributors Jean Taquet, Tracy Treville, Pierre-Antoine Dubosc, Jeralynn Benoit,
Michael Barrett, GoExpat, Rebecca Grossberg, World First Foreign Exchange Advertisers Karen Renel-King
MyAM’s Newsletter is a monthly publication of My American Market, 56 bd Silvio Trentin, 31200 Toulouse Phone (33) 06 45 45 85 06 / Email [email protected]
www.MyAmericanMarket.com
