Organic Success

Okay, I wouldn't say my Buy Organic site is a financial success but people are visiting it and that's making me happy. They are reading the articles and product recommendations as well as signing up for the newsletter. I am making a few sales but I don't think I'll have many more until I add more products. It's just not that easy to find organic products available online in Australia. I see most websites promoting the same products. My site needs more variety that's all.

I also need to add a lot more articles to get more visitors. It's the article pages which seem to get the most hits. I have quite a few ideas of what I can write about. In fact, looking at my to do list I have around 50 ideas for possible articles. I should probably stop writing in here and starting writing them! I enjoy researching the articles but I find the actual writing of them quite tedious and time consuming. Then I have to do keyword research to make sure they are optimised correctly so people can find them. Anyway, this is my full time job now so I should get to it.

Success with Adwords

After using AdWords for a couple of months to promote my Cheap Web Templates website, I'm finally having some success.

It took quite a while to work out how to reduce my cost per click to make it profitable but I think I've got the hang of it now. The point is to use LOTS of keywords as the cheaper ones are those which not many people are bidding on. The problem with this of course is that not many people are bidding on them for a reason. Not many people are searching using those keywords. This means that I now have only around 10 hits on my site per day from AdWords. It's not costing a lot but I'm not getting that many sales either. I'm selling around 1 web template per week.

My next plan of attack to sell more web templates is to start a blog. I thought I could post tips on how to use the templates and examples of templates in action, so to speak. Maybe I could post about different uses of the templates, all the while throwing in relevant keywords. At least with my adwords campaign I now know which keywords are best and which are only searched on occasionally. It has been very good research.

Night Walking

I went out for a walk quite late last night, around 11pm. It was very cold, like the middle of winter in fact, but I soon warmed up. The streets of Boulogne were very quiet and it was great time to be out, I almost had the streets to myself.

I saw a part of Boulogne which I had never seen before. Even now I'm not sure where I was. It's amazing how different things look at night. I discovered some nice cafes and restaurants and another organic supermarket. I'm glad I found that because the one in the centre of Boulogne is small. This place looks quite large so I'm going to head over there today to see what they have. I'm especially looking for fresh organic fruit and vegetables and I'm yet to find a place around here where I can find that.

I think I was near Bois de Boulogne as I saw a huge gate, at least 4 metres high, with trees behind it. I can't think what else that could have been. There was also a theatre which might be worth a second look. I'll definitely head over there today and I'll definitely go for a walk at that time again.

Stop Yawning

I launched a new site yesterday called Stop Yawning. It offers tips and advice for people who aren't getting enough sleep. It mentions some of the causes of sleep problems and insomnia. Some topics include:

Lose Weight - this can help as your breathing may be restricted at night and this might be affecting your sleep and may cause sleep apnea.
Quit Smoking - you might be keep awake by your 'smoker's cough'.
Baby Sleep Tips - if you get your baby to sleep it makes sense that you will sleep better too.
Reduce Stress - if stress is keeping you up all night then read these tips to become stress free.
Stop Snoring - it's pretty obvious that snoring is a major cause of lack of sleep for both the 'snorer' and their partner.
Insomnia - tips to cure insomnia.

Check out the site to see if you can improve your sleep.

Shyqo

Ferbent's cousin Shyqo died yesterday after a 3 year battle with cancer. He was only 36 years old and leaves behind his wife and 2 young children. Ferbent was very close to him and is understandably very upset. He died in hospital in Greece and the funeral will be today at 3pm. I don't know how they managed to arrange everything so quickly and why the did it so quickly (tradition or religion, I'm not sure which) but it was too quick for Ferbent. He really wanted to go to the funeral but it was impossible to get a flight on such short notice. He was going to go anyway and arrive after the funeral but now has decided against it. We will probably go to Albania in a couple of months to visit his relatives instead. He was a really nice guy, he will be missed.

Landmines and Bombs in Paris

Someone recently asked me if Paris is a dangerous city. My answer was quite simply, extremely! Paris is full of landmines and bombs from above. What I call landmines others might refer to as merde or dog merde and the bombs are merde again but this time from above, from birds.

Everyone knows about the very unpleasant little packages left behind by Parisian dogs and their nasty owners who don't clean up after them. I don't know how the French accept this as a normal part of life. How can they think it's acceptable to leave it there, ignoring the next poor sucker who comes along and steps in it. And you know people step in it, you see it all the time. It's disgusting. Paris is a great city for sightseeing but you never get to see anything because you are forced to constantly look at the ground to be sure you don't stand on a 'landmine'.

The less talked about problem is from birds. Paris is renowned for it's beautiful tree lined streets. I agree that from a distance they look beautiful but look closer you'll see a mess of bird merde under almost every tree. So you need to be careful where you walk and from what's coming from above.

Ferbent told me about an incident at his hotel the other day. A guy came in off the street asking to use the bathroom as he was unlucky enough to have a bird dropping land directly on his head. I don't know what these birds eat or how big they are but they leave quite a mess. The poor guy had to have a shower in the hotel!

Another Shower Leak

After having a shower leak a couple of weeks ago which resulted in some very upset neighbours below us, we now have another one. Naturally it's the same neighbours complaining and I had the plumber here again today. It was the same plumber as last time and he seemed thorough, he seemed to do a good job last time.

After having a good look around he said it's not the same problem as last time and it looks like the water is coming from either the neighbour next to us or above us. So we won't be having our shower ripped out and I can have as many shower as I like (hot water permitting), yay!

Speaking of hot water, is it just me or are the hot water systems in France useless? Or maybe it's just apartments in general. I don't know but every place I've rented here (which is only 3 so it's not much of a sample) has had a very small water tank which doesn't reheat very often. After 2 showers and washing the dishes that's about it for the hot water. It seems to reheat twice a day but it's not enough. I wish I knew how to change that but I can't figure it out. So it's short showers for me or cold showers.

Getting a Carte de Sejour

The last big job on my to do list is to apply for a carte de sejour. I haven't applied yet because I had to wait for Ferbent to get a job. Now that he has and he's completed the probation period I can go ahead. I've been a bit worried about it because technically I am living in the black here. I think if someone stopped and asked to see my passport I could say I arrived yesterday but there's a stamp in my passport to say otherwise. They almost never stamp passports these days but just when I didn't want one they did. It was when I flew from Ireland to Paris. It's not likely that anyone would stop me but I do see others getting stopped by police on quite a regular basis. Of course, they are usually men and of Arab origin but that's another story.

I've already asked the Prefecture what I need to do and it's the usual book of documents. I need a copy of Ferbent's passport, a copy of my passport, 2 photos of each of us, a copy of our marriage certificate (translated in French of course), proof of medical insurance (which I don't have) and a copy of his work contract. That's just for starters, I'm sure they'll come up with some other things I'll need to do later.

Once they approve it, which I'm sure they eventually will, I'll get permission to live and work in France for 10 years. Thankfully I won't have to worry about it again until then.

Connecting the Electricity in France

To get the electricity connected in France you have no choice but to call them or have someone who speaks French call them for you. My real estate agent offered to call them for me, knowing my French wasn't particularly good at that time. I thought this was so nice of him until 2 months later my electricity was disconnected because he never did it. Thanks to him I spent 3 days in the middle of winter with no electricity. Thankfully I was in Montpellier and it wasn't that cold, but still. I spoke to him a number of times after that and even though he is very friendly, he's a bit vague, a bit of a bimbo, so it's not surprising he forgot such an important thing.

So the moral of the story, if you want something done properly then do it yourself. Especially when real estate agents are involved.

Here's what you need to connect the electricity:

1. The phone number of EDF (the French electricity company). I think this is different for different regions but in Paris it's 0810 30 23 45 or try the EDF website.

2. The current reading on your electricity meter. There are usually 2 numbers.

3. The previous tenant or owner's name of the apartment/house.

4. Your RIB (your bank account number).

They will ask you about your electricity usage such as if you have a washing machine, microwave, electric heating etc, as well as the size of the apartment. They will work out roughly how much you will pay each month and this will be paid by direct debit. They will then work out the difference when they take a reading in 6 months or so.

Connecting the Phone, ADSL and Pay TV in France

There are many good phone and internet deals in France but I decided to get my ADSL with France Telecom (Wanadoo soon to be Orange) which is not the cheapest. I went with them for one reason only, it was easy.

My French is okay but I'm not very confident talking on the telephone so I always prefer to talk face to face with people if I can. This is why I decided to get the internet with Wanadoo.

The first thing you need is to get the phone connected. Go to the nearest France Telecom shop and they will do this for you. You'll need your passport, your RIB (your bank account details), and the previous tenant's name and that's it. There is usually a long queue at France Telecom but they are very patient and don't push you into anything.

Once you've arranged for the phone to be connected you can go ahead and connect the ADSL. You can do this at France Telecom at the same time you connect the phone or you can go to another provider. For me, it was quicker and easier to set it up with them at the same time and that's what I did.

You'll pay a deposit for the Livebox (the ADSL modem) but that is refundable when you return it. There is also a connection fee of 55 euros but I think this is waived for students. The connection will take a week or so but you should be able to receive phone calls after a couple of days, if not make them.

You can also get pay TV via the telephone line and the Livebox with either TPS (as I did) or Canal+. This is a great way to get TV as you don't need to set up a satellite dish as it comes via the ADSL. I think this is a great option if you want internet access and digital TV.

Opening a Bank Account in France

I expected it to be quite difficult to open a bank account in France as it is in the UK but I didn't have too many problems. The easiest way is to find someone at the bank who is friendly, which is easier than you might think, even in Paris.

I went to LCL and told them I had just arrived and was going to be studying French. I wasn't enrolled in a school and I was staying in a hotel. The girl at the bank told me that you have to have proof of address, such as a phone or electricity bill, to open an account. I thought she was going to send my on my way but she didn't. She opened an account using my Australian address. All I gave her was my passport, nothing else.

So I got my RIB, which is all I needed, but not any bank cards. Once I rented an apartment and got a France Telecom phone bill, I faxed a copy of the bill (la facture) with my new address details. I then received my bank/debit card and there was nothing more to do.

The whole process took about 3 months because I had to wait until I received the first phone bill (you can use an electricity bill) but I could deposit money and pay bills with the account before then, I just couldn't withdraw any money. It wasn't difficult but you have to be patient. Nothing happens quickly in this country.

Weather in Paris in May

The weather in Paris in May is generally quite cool with temperatures ranging from around 10°C in the mornings to an average maximum of 18°C during the day. May is generally the wettest month of the year and it can often be quite windy. May is still a nice time to visit Paris as it's spring and all of Paris's beautiful parks and gardens are in full bloom.

If you are looking to head to Paris before the summer rush, April might be a better time to visit as it rains significantly less but it is also much colder. April is a great time to see all the tulips and daffodils in flower. The displays really are spectacular.

How to Rent an Apartment in Paris

Here is a quick summary on how to rent an apartment in Paris.

1. If you are looking for a furnished apartment then I recommend FUSAC. It's a French/American magazine which lists apartments for rent, amongst other things. It's available from the American Church and from some cafes and internet shops. It's good because the landlords are usually used to renting to foreigners so they are more flexible.

2. If you are looking for an unfurnished apartment then I think you are best to avoid agencies, unless you have been working a while and have a good financial history, and try De Particuliers a Particuliers. It's a paper which comes out every Thursday and you generally deal directly with the landlord.

3. Get your 'dossier' organised. Here is what you'll need:

a. Proof of your income. ie. Your 3 last pay slips and bank statements. Good luck if your income is outside of France or if you have just started work and are still in the trial period.

b. Your 3 last rental receipts. Good luck if you haven't rented in France before.

c. Someone to guarantee the rent if you are unable to pay. This person has to be in France and be working with a good income. Good luck if you are foreign and you don't know anyone in France.

d. Six to 12 months rent so you can pay the deposit. Most agencies, and some landlords, won't rent to you without this. I don't know exactly how it works, because I didn't do this, but I think you make an arrangement with your bank where the money stays in your account but you aren't able to access it for 6 months. The landlord can get this money if you don't pay the rent. I think that's how it works. I don't know. Strange system if you ask me. Good luck if you don't have that kind of money lying around.

e. The RIB. This is your bank account number. This can be a problem if you haven't rented in France before as you generally need proof of address before you can open a bank account and you need a bank account to rent an apartment. The only way to overcome this is to find a bank who can be a bit flexible (I opened an account with LCL without an address) or a landlord who can be.

4. Don't forget your income must be 3 times the monthly rent.

So in conclusion you'll need a lot of documents and a lot of luck if you are a foreigner looking to rent an apartment in France.

What is a Blog?

I find it interesting that Google's Blogger spell checker doesn't recognise the word blog.

They might want to do something about that.

Living in Boulogne Billancourt

Even though I say I live in Paris, I actually live in Boulogne Billancourt, just outside of Paris. I know it's not technically in Paris but I figure that I'm still on the Paris metro so apart from my post code, what's the difference?

Boulogne is a fairly middle class neighbourhood with lots of families. The centre has a new(ish) shopping centre and a lot of the area has been updated. There are plenty of new office and residential buildings being built and it looks to be an area growing in popularity.

I'm a 5 minute walk from the supermarket, cinemas, and restaurants and a 5-10 minute walk to the metro on either line 9 or line 10. Bois de Boulogne is a huge park which is a great place to walk around on the weekends and I'm not far from there either. I'm told that Bois de Boulogne is taken over by prostitutes at night but I can't verify that!

When I first moved to Paris in 1999, I lived in Boulogne Billancourt with a French family for 4 or 5 weeks. I remember at that time that I didn't like it at all and thinking it was too far from the centre of Paris. Things have improved since then but I still think it's a bit far from the attractions of Paris but actually it only takes about 20-25 minutes from my house to the Latin Quarter so it can't be that bad.

How to Hire a Car in France

Since moving to France in October last year, I've had to hire a car 4 times. Once when I moved from Paris to Oyonnax to spend a couple of weeks with Ferbent's brother, then from Oyonnax to Carnon (near Montpellier), from Carnon to Montpellier (we had a lot of suitcases, a printer, and a TV to move), and then finally, more recently, from Montpellier to Paris (and back). If you want to hire a car in France then these are my recommendations:

1. Avis is very expensive and unless you find a good special I wouldn't recommend them. The one plus is that you can get $0 excess and they have branches pretty much everywhere.
2. Hertz are little cheaper and if you book well in advance and on the internet then you can get a good deal. The good thing about them is that the price they quote is normally for $0 excess so you don't have to worry about any damage to the vehicle. This is good for me because I have a particularly bad record with hire cars.
3. Rent a Car is a good cheaper option. I rented a van through them when I moved house. It was significantly cheaper than the competition and I only booked it one day in advance and not on the internet. The staff were very friendly and I was happy with their service. The only reason I probably wouldn't go with them again is that the insurance excess was 600 euros and that was after paying a little extra for a reduction of 600 euros. I don't know if this is just for vans and trucks or it's the same for a regular car but I didn't like that. I was quite worried that I would hit something or someone would hit me.

Thankfully it is very easy to rent a car with any of these companies. All you have to do is show your driver's license (you don't need an international license), your passport, and a credit card. I recommend using a Gold Card if you have one as they provide some insurance in case of an accident if you haven't taken out the $0 excess option. I wouldn't recommend relying solely on that insurance though, as I'm not sure how comprehensive is.

Settled into Paris Life

The last month has been a bit of a nightmare. Ferbent found a job in Paris so we had to pack up everything in Montpellier and make the move north. Finding an apartment was extremely difficult and the move itself wasn't that easy either. We moved all our furniture and belongings ourselves, just the two of us, and it was difficult. One of the cupboards was extremely heavy and although we got it in the lift in Montpellier we had to take it up the stairs in Paris. Still, it's done now.

I spent the last couple of weeks sorting out things like the phone, ADSL, digital TV, electricity, the bank. Then the shower broke and flooded the apartment beneath ours. I couldn't take a shower for 3 or 4 days. That was fun.

It took about 10 days to get the ADSL working and now that is done it's back to work and back to blogging.