Age: 26

Former Residences: Nantes, Laval, Belfort, Quebec (study abroad), Brazil (6 months study abroad)

Education Level: Engineering degree

Length of time in NYC: since February 2013

Length of time planning to stay in NYC: Permanently is a possibility, however, if an opportunity takes him elsewhere, he will follow it. If his career does not go the way he wants it to, he would leave NYC. He would also stay if he had a girlfriend waiting for him here.

Residence in NYC: formerly Alphabet City (6 months), currently Sunset Park (1.5 years so far)

Reason why he came to NYC: He wanted to travel. He especially wanted to go to the U.S. in order to practice speaking English and because he sees it as a place where you can succeed. Of all places in the U.S., NYC was at the top simply because it is NYC. He loves the culture, but also, NYC’s reputation precedes itself. He found an internship based in NYC that was hiring foreigners, specifically French developers. He was accepted and then start-up company hired him full-time. Before, he was on an internship visa and now he is on an H1B work visa.

Biggest difficulties living abroad/cultural differences:

  • His most difficult challenge living abroad is missing his family and friends.
  • From his observations, Americans seem to brag a lot and start conversations superficially, such as discussing jobs. However, in the French culture, upon first meeting, people talk about how they know one another, then politics and life. Conversation is not as deep.
  • It is impossible to make friends because everyone is busy and people generally seem more interested in making business connections as opposed to friends.

Likes about NYC:

  • The diversity of the people
  • The culture of the city – always being surrounded by people
  • NYC feels very safe. He does not feel threatened – he feels more secure in the subway, unlike in the metro of Paris.

Significant changes in life due to moving to NYC:

  • He eats out most of the time due to his heavy work schedule. As a result, he has gained weight.
  • He works a lot more than he would have expected to work back in France.

Social circle in NYC:

  • He does not seek specifically French friends, however, he has gone to French meet-ups. Though he is not looking for French friends, he admits that sometimes it is good to have someone from the same culture with whom he can identify.
  • Many of his friends are students because his girlfriend was a student.
  • His friends are a mix of Americans, foreigners, and other French people. However, he tends to have more foreigner friends because he connects with them more. As an avid traveler himself, he feels more comfortable hanging out with other people who understand his lifestyle.