Ashley Abroad Travel Blog. Here, Claire shares the reasons she loves living in Strasbourg so much, including the romantic architecture and laid-back pace of life. She also shares the best way to make friends as a new expat. I initially moved from the US to Paris for the school year to au pair. By the end of that school year, I was ready to move on from Paris. Conveniently enough, my French boyfriend was starting a PhD in Strasbourg and I already knew I liked the city from visiting before, so it was an easy choice to enroll in more French language classes and move here.
On making friends: Facebook expat groups are such a lifesaver! They regularly post events and meet-ups, which can be intimidating depending on how many people go and how social you are to begin with, but I was fortunate enough to meet a really great group of girls fairly early on who have been nothing but friendly and inclusive. If you have any inclination to learn how to dance, Latin dances are some of the best ways to break the ice, practice the local language, and meet local, easygoing men and women.
On the pace of life: The pace of life in Strasbourg is pretty laid-back. It can get hectic, but I think the romantic architecture and canals really do a lot to contribute to the relaxed and pleasant city atmosphere. That being said, Strasbourg is one of the most bike-friendly cities in Europe, which essentially means that pedestrians are always at risk of being run over.
Always make sure to be aware and look both ways before crossing any street or sidewalk-seriously! On the Strasbourg expat community: Strasbourg has a huge community of expats! On living in Strasbourg as an American: Americans are pretty well-received in France in my experience, and this extends to Strasbourg.
To anyone who is wanting to learn or beginning to learn French, the best advice I can give you is also the advice I find the hardest to execute: Just do your best, and try to let the grammar and pronunciation blunders roll off your shoulders. And, more often than not nowadays, French people are fully capable of holding conversations in Englishβthey just avoid it and will rarely offer to switch on their own volition.
