Merge two strong female expat bloggers together and what do you get? A pretty good indication of the joys and struggles of living in France.

Last night at the American Library in Paris. Kristin Espinasse of the blog French Word-a-Day broke down her experience as an expat into 5 categories: Language, Style, Social Life, Late Dinners and Appliances. All of what she expressed resonated with the audience who seemed to nod and chuckle at the truths she unveiled. She received the most laughter from her grudge against French appliances which she likened to Playschool toys (i.e. a load of laundry takes at least 2.5 hours in a machine that hardly lives up to its name) and from her trailer-park upbringing. She was a great speaker and currently lives in the south of France with her husband, children and cute little puppies. Her blog was turned into the book “Words in a French Life” published by Simon & Schuster.

Catherine (or as she has primarily known as, Petite Anglaise) had a slightly different love affair with France, coming from not so far as Phoenix, but from across the pond. To quickly summarize:

“My name is Catherine Sanderson.

I dreamed about living in Paris from the moment my very first French lesson began at the age of eleven.

I’m thirty-seven now, and Paris has been my home for fourteen years.

I set up this blog in July 2004. A year later, I left my partner, Mr Frog, the father of my daughter Tadpole, for a man I met in my comments box, documenting everything here.

In 2006 I got dumped, dooced and outed, but also landed a book deal.

In 2007 I won my case for unfair dismissal at a French employment tribunal against my ex-employer.

My first book, a memoir based on events covered in the blog, was published in several languages in 2008.

My second book, a novel – ‘French Kissing’ – was published in the UK in August 2009.”

In a more reserved reading, Catherine spoke of her experience with bilingual relationships, her husbands faulty plurals (sheeps, for example), and her perpetual struggle mastering gender (un éclair vs une éclair). However I most identified with her comment that living in France adds a layer of complication to life, a challenge that she wouldn’t have if she had stayed in England where life was relatively easy, and where tasks are completed without much of a hitch or headache. Sure, the French bureaucracy is migraine-inducing, infuriating, illogical and unnecessarily painful, but we all share the same magnetic attraction to the country that keeps us here nonetheless. It’s a struggle but life is just a tiny bit more interesting because of it.

Both women are incredibly erudite writers whose stories can easily resonate with anyone who spent prolonged periods of time in France. All I know is, I’ve got lots of reading to do!