With greater technology, the number of foreign relationships is skyrocketing. Many of us find ourselves traveling back and fourth between continents and revolving our days around Skype. It is one of the most challenging, most rewarding types of relationships to be in!

Thanks to t.v., applications for the K-1 Visa are on the rise. The real-life version of this process is difficult, lengthy, and costly, so do take it seriously. The key is to be patient and remain positive! If you are in a French/American couple, like myself, and are considering the K-1 Visa, here is our personal timeline:

• I-129f sent: February 18, 2014
• I-129F NOA1 received: February 24, 2014
• I-129F NOA2 received: August 7, 2014
• Date Application left the NVC: August 29, 2014
• Date Consulate Received Application: September 15, 2015
• Interview Date: October 29, 2014 approved!
• Date Visa Arrived in Mail: November 7, 2014

262 Days passed from the day we applied to the day the visa was received.

Mandetory Fees:

• Prior to U.S. Entry
• I-129F Application: $340
• Medical Exam: 250€ (around $283 depending on current exchange rate)
• After Entry into U.S.
• Marriage License Fee: $60-$80
• A.O.S (I-485, I-131, I-765, biometrics): $1070

*Be aware that you should consider the following fees as well: transportation/accommodation for Paris Embassy appointment, flight ticket to U.S., foreign driver's license, medical/driver's insurance, ceremony costs, and most importantly living expenses for at LEAST 180 days. 

Mathieu and I went through the entire application ourselves without a lawyer. Here is a site that we followed religiously which made the process easier:
http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

I hope this helps! We filed through the Texas Service Center  (trust me this was not willingly!) and our application took twice as long as my friend's who filed through the California Service Center. It all depends where the American resides, as you cannot choose one or the other. For any questions, please comment below.

Finally! Since the day I left Bordeaux I've been dying for a glass of French paradise. Yesterday, Mathieu, author of French Wine World, had us invited to Total Wine's Bordeaux Wine Tasting Event at Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. Now if there are two things I love it's a glass of Bordeaux and my toes in the sand.
Over 80 châteaux traveled from the Southwest of France to show their 2012 vintage. The event started at 2 p.m. and ended at 5 p.m., with a turnout of several hundred people. Appellations including Pauillac, Margaux, Graves/Pessac Leognan, Pomerol, St. Emilion, St. Estephe, St. Julien, Sauternes/ Barsac, Haut Medoc, and Medoc flooded the venue.
Liv Nightclub was beautifully set-up for the wine tasting, organizing the châteaux by region, and providing enough space for all of the guests and wine producers. I wish we had been able to spend more time at the end, tasting the white wines, but there was such a great atmosphere that much of the time was spent conversing. Importers, exporters, distributers, and wine-lovers traveled from all over the world to attend the Union de Grand Crus de Bordeaux event. For the first time in Miami, I was speaking more French than anything!
Although the first class grand crus such as Châteaux Margaux and Mouton Rothschild were not present, there were many second class grand crus present. Put more simply, the #1 wines of Bordeaux were not there. This does not degrade the second level what-so-ever as they are still delicious and prestigious wines. My favorite of the day was the 2012 Château Clos Fourtet.

The UCG event did not only take place in Miami this year, but also Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Denver. All cities that are heavy populated with wine-o's. It was $150/each to attend (thankfully we were invited!), but well worth the price. There was not enough time to taste all of the wines, however, it was bliss in itself to be surrounded by grand crus again! It also was pleasant to be able to take a walk on the beach before it started.
For those who wish to attend the event next year, make sure you do so ahead of time. This was a fully reserved wine-tasting at Fontainebleau. It is a fully english-speaking event, so don't be discouraged by the name! To find information on further wine events held by Total Wine or the UGC, be sure to click the links.

I've tried just about every program when it comes to learning French. Had I followed my own advice, I would have been bilingual by now! I no longer fear French, nor should you. It is complicated (just like the French), but it isn't impossible. The best way to start is by turning off your Rosetta Stone. Done? Okay good. Now follow these 8 steps and learn French as fast as humanly possible.

Alliance Française, Bordeaux 2013

P.S. if you only read the bold points you will have learned nothing!

1. Stop Feeling Stupid *GOLDEN RULE
Common sense? No, not at all. My friend Albina, a native Russian speaker who struggled to learn English said these exact words to me before I moved to France. I have had to repeat it to myself several times. French people WILL laugh at you, they WILL make fun of you, and they WILL think it is AWESOME that you are trying! If you can't take a little embarrassment, then you need a boost of self confidence. You are at the level of a toddler, embrace it, because when they learned English (IF they learned it at all) they were in the same position.

2. Live in France
Now you might be saying YES I would love to do that! NO, go do it. If you have no true ties to where you are (ie. husband/wife, kids, a great job) then go. Hearing the language all day, everyday is the only way you will get accustomed to how they speak. No single program, not Rosetta Stone, not the CDs you have bought for your car, nothing, will help you more. Eat, breathe, and sleep the culture. You'll realize that by living there, you will encounter several strangers to practice with, and going back to rule #1 you will have NO reason to feel stupid! You most likely won't see them again, and they will most likely be very willing to help you speak. *If you cannot live in France see rule #3

3. Take A French Class WITH FOREIGNERS
And take it several days a week. Not everyone speaks English, thus you will be forced to use all of the French that you possibly know; I mean every single french-speaking brain cell in your cranium. You will feel like there is a big wall in your conversation at first, but it gets easier. Hand signals, pictures, Google Translate, and alcohol will make it go very far. Anyone can buy a textbook and read it, but speaking is THE most important part of learning French.

But Danielle, I live in America how can I do this? Take whatever class you can, whether it be at a recreational center, a university, or a club, and try your best to stick to French and not fall into your comfort zone of conversing in English. Once you have basic skills you can use this website to practice with people from other countries http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/VoiceChat.asp

4. Make French Friends
Again, if you don't live in France the website above is perfect for doing so. However, if you are considering studying abroad then find someone. Many universities in France have students posting on bulletin boards who want to learn English. Don't be shy and go meet up with them, because they truly want to learn. Help them out and they will help you as well! If you are older and do not feel comfortable with this then find an American association in the city. Several members (who are usually bilingual) will be happy to help find you someone to meet with for coffee, or a club to join. If you are going to France to learn French, and you are only hanging out with Americans, you have just wasted your time and money. Trust me I made this mistake when I went to learn Italian in Rome, it is a huge regret!

5. READ READ READ
I need to follow this one myself (and I'm sure my boyfriend is sitting there shaking his head saying "Yep."). When he learned English he would try as hard as he could to read, and if he didn't know the word he would highlight it and look it up. Sometimes 5 pages will take you 40 minutes, but it is worth it. The nice thing is that if you go to libraries in France they will have the level that you are taking at school. It may feel dumbed down a bit, but you will be so proud when you realize that you can actually read the book.

6. Watch TV and/or Listen to the Radio
These are usually things you hear NOT to do right? Whether you are in France or America you can live stream just about anything now with the Internet. I, personally, like to watch Friends (in French of course) or Un Gars, Une Fille because they keep my attention, they speak frequently through actions, and you will laugh regardless if you understand or not. ITunes also has podcasts for you to listen to. Just 30 minutes a day to really focus on the pronunciation.

7. MASTER The "R"
I don't care how long it takes or the sweat and tears that go into it, but learn how to say that R!! It took me a year. Once I finally got it, I realized how many more French people said how well I spoke. You will hear the English, Irish, New Zealanders, Australians, and Americans continue to use the 'r,' as if they were speaking their own language. Not only does it make it difficult for the French to understand you, but it makes you look like more of an amateur than you are. If you can only say 10 sentences but you can say it perfectly, that is better than 20 sentences while butchering the language.

8.  Live With A Host Family or House An Exchange Student
So you have the opportunity to live in France; do you choose to live alone, live with Americans, or live with a French host family? DING DING DING: Host Family! Bottom line--you are forced to learn. They also WANT you to learn (my boyfriend's parents were relentless). Many language schools will set you up with an experienced, and well-liked family. If you can't live abroad, consider hosting a French exchange student in America. He or she will not only feel more comfortable in your home, but they will also feel happy that it is not only a learning experience for them, but for you as well.

VOILÀ! Now get to it fellow French students :)

Three hours, one canoe, and one highly uncoordinated couple, made for one of the best days I've had in France yet. Mathieu and I decided yesterday to venture out to the Dordogne region and have an active afternoon. We rented with Canoē Raid for 30 euros from 1pm-6pm. They were extremely helpful in sending us on the less beaten path, avoiding the hundreds of tourists canoeing down the river. Money worth spent!
The Dordogne region is surrounded by gorgeous castles just about everywhere. You have the option to take various routes, however the most popular is between Cenac and Beynac in which you canoe/kayak past the châteaux. Mathieu and I witnessed the overcrowding and decided to go elsewhere, because it didn't look enjoyable.

Photo Credit: http://www.a-canoe-raid.com

Canoë Raid sent us on our way between Groléjac and Cénac, a path more surrounded by nature, and far less cramped. Here is the map to give you and idea of where we went. Along this you are able to see Château de Montfort (a medieval piece of heaven in my eyes).
I'll be honest I've never canoed in my life. This in itself, along with the fact I'm in France surrounded by gorgeous scenery, was indeed an experience. Mathieu could have killed me for the first hour though, in which I had zero idea how to keep the canoe straight. We laughed so hard when we ended up going face first into the bushes.
Back to Château de Montfort. It is BREATHTAKING! I recommend you put "Canoeing by castles," on your bucketlist, or better yet "Canoeing the Dordogne." Between this, the beautiful homes, caves, and nature in general, it's amazing. There are also mini beaches to stop at to have a picnic or restaurants to dine at. The only thing we missed (due to my stearing) was the rope swings! So do it for me please.

Family is something close to my heart. I knew coming to France that I had Mathieu's family to be there for me, but I would have never expected to find myself a part of someone else's. It wasn't until February of this year that I was so welcomed into the home of three beautiful girls and their amazing parents.
My friend Nicole shot me a Facebook message one day from a friend of a friend looking for a babysitter. By the following week I was at the door of a family of complete strangers, whom four months later had become such a big part of my life.
It was enlightening to see how they went about preserving the culture they left behind. The family is French but had spent the last 10 years living in England. The only way to keep up with English was to keep Wednesdays as "English Day." Hence the point of me being there. The youngest, Soline, is 9 and still needed help with the language, being that the other girls, Elise and Lorette are older and have had far more practice.
Soline and I did her homework together, read in English, taught each other hand games, cooked, shared stories, pretty much everything we could do in our short 6 hours a week together. What was more special than anything, is how I kept watching her grow and become closer with me each visit. I was never raised with younger siblings or cousins, so having that bond was such a great experience. I learned how to be a kid again, and I truly needed it.
Watching the parents raise these three girls was a good dose of French culture. Just as Mathieu's family does, they have healthy, cooked, sit-down lunch together with genuine conversation, no cellphones, and respect. The first day they said to me "we are fair here, everyone takes their own plate to be washed, and every one helps clean up." All I could picture is my Mom cleaning up by herself after so many meals when I was a kid.
Not only this, but reading was huge in their home. The girls had limited time on the computer and in front of the TV, so they did the next best things--play or read. Instead of sitting on Facebook for 5 hours like most of the population, they played games together. It has also been a while since I've seen girls that age excited over a new book. I loved it!

By far the one of the coolest things about these girls? They're not bilingual, nor trilingual, but they are well on their way to being multi-lingual. French and English have been accomplished, but Elise and Lorette are in the midst of learning Spanish and Chinese as well. Their parents really encourage them to be smart, independent girls. These sisters are going to rock the world and they don't even know it yet.
Not only did Elise, Lorette, and Soline become like friends, but they became like the little sisters I never had. I felt like I had a family in a city I barely knew, and I think to this day it is a big part of why I loved Bordeaux so much.

It's good to see how other cultures live. I'm so grateful to have experienced it through the eyes of an adult as well as a child. I encourage anyone to venture out of the bubble and really learn what other people in the world have to offer. I was blessed to have stumbled upon such a wonderful family. Love you guys!

If there's one thing I've learned from being in Europe, it's that Americans are awkward. I'm including myself in this statement by the way. How many times have you been to a party and went to hug someone when they went to kiss your cheek, or maybe when you went to shake their hand and they went to give you a hug? It's uncomfortable, no denying it, so let's all be like the French and greet with a kiss!
In France it is simple as this: you kiss or you shake hands. At first I felt so uncomfortable by the entire thing. Am I going to go the wrong direction? Do I actually kiss them or just make the noise? Who do I kiss and whose hand do I shake? I more or less should have been asking myself why I think so much.

Here is how it works for both men and women--

Men:

Close friends/family:
The thought of men kissing men automatically leads Americans to assume the person is gay. Mathieu kisses his closest guy friends on the cheek when he sees them. This shocked me every time for two years straight, because it was such a cultural thing. If they have a girlfriend with them you kiss the girlfriend as well even if you don't know her, just out of respect.

Acquaintances:
If the man you are greeting is an acquaintance you shake hands. If the woman is an acquaintance you kiss her.

Women:

This is pretty much cake for girls; the women kiss everyone hello from right to left.


Exception:
So here's when men and women shake hands-- while greeting a professional (ex. teacher, lawyer, doctor), for business meetings in the workplace, and at times when you meet an elderly person.

Another exception is the direction. In some regions of France such as Languedoc-Roussillon they go from left to right. Also, you will often find that in the north of France they kiss four times instead of two. All you really have to do is step aside and watch someone first then just go with it when it is your turn. Otherwise, just let the French person lead you.

What I find the most funny is that because I'm American several people will greet me with a hand shake no matter what. Most of them know that we hug or shake hands because of American films so they get nervous to kiss us. Imagine if they knew about the uncomfortable butts-out halfway hug, then they'd really feel nervous.

When I tell people I live in Bordeaux Lac I kind of get this sympathetic, concerned look. I might as well tell them I live in a WWII zone swamped with land mines. That trip from Bordeaux Centre to Bordeaux Lac on Tram C might as well lead me to my grave.

The Union des grands Crus de Bordeaux, basically the big leagues of wine held its first day of Les Primeurs de 2013. In normal people words it is an event debuting the new bottles of Bordeaux wine from 2013. Mathieu and his dad, Jean-Claude (super French right?), work for themselves as Vins Fins Rudelle. I came as their own personal press ;)

I'm not going to talk about the wines themselves, because I mostly just know how to drink them; however if you really want a knowledgable review of the wines this week visit Mathieu's wine blog. I'll be covering the event in itself.
Today we went to the appellations of St. Emilion and Pomerol. The two areas are gorgeous, I mean 100% worth seeing in the summer when the vineyards are in bloom and you have a convertible to cruise around in. The châteaux are gorgeous and the wine is even better, but it will definitely cost you.
Château La Dominique was the first stop. It was PACKED with people from all over the world. The 2013 vintage is too young, so you aren't exactly coming to this event to taste unbelievable wines. This is an invite-only event for business men and women to seek out the vintages they'll sell in the future. They won't even receive it for 2 years after purchase.

Château La Dominique

My passion is not wine, but eating? This is what I looked forward to. More than anything I looked forward to cheese and dessert. You have to know that at château wine tastings the food is undoubtably going to be good..and it was. The buffet consisted of just about everything I ever wanted.
We ate on a grande terrace and it was a million dollar view (ha! try 20 million). The weather was gorgeous today too so not to brag or anything but it was pretty much awesome. Thank you Union des Grands Crus for the invite.

Château Gazin

Our second stop was Château Gazin in Pomerol. It was a cute château to visit, and their wine is great, but the very few châteaux offered here were pretty bad. I'm not even a merchant and I was disappointed just about as much as Mat and Jean-Claude. So that's basically all I have to say about that hour of my life.

Château Angelus

Château Angelus was not even on our list, and we weren't on their's either. Jean-Claude, however, is like the president and just manages to get us in everywhere. So here we were back in St. Emilion tasting 20 more wines. This time, however, they were MUCH better.

I'm your average 20 something on a student budget so any sort of fun that's free is my kind of fun. It's a good idea if your here in France to look out for festivals and tastings because #1 it's a cool cultural experience, and #2 well it's cheap. Bordeaux's Fête le Chocolat in Jardin Botanique is happening this weekend and I was NOT about to miss out on a chocolate tasting.
You get to see a glimpse of the chocolate world. There were workshops for kids, demonstrations, artwork, and degustations all in three small rooms. It was much smaller than I had expected, but it was free chocolate so I wasn't complaining ya know?
The artwork all revolved around aviation. I felt like I was in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory and could take a bite out of everything around me. Unfortunately, that would would be rather frowned upon, eating someone's airplane.
Some of the vendors were extremely creative with their chocolate. This right here is lipstick. I'm not sure if you are really suppose to use it that way, but I know the second that would touch my lips, it would be the end of it.
A children's workshop was available, and it was so adorable. They were taught how to decorate the chocolate, and they got to take home their creation for Easter! I was loving their outfits, and they looked like they had a great time.
The live demonstration was also really interesting. You will be able to see how much effort the chocolatiers put into their work. The man was crafting a chocolate tree, yes, a chocolate tree. Easy eh? He was like the Jackie Chan of chocolate.
Although the whole point of this is for the vendors to sell their products, I didn't end up buying any of it. However, people were leaving with bags full of goodies. You get to vote for the best, all while donating money to charity for handicapped children (Yes of course I donated!)
Overall the Fête le Chocolat in Bordeaux is worth going to. It's yummy, it's free, and it's time to kill on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

If you are a vegetarian, vegan, non-red-meat-eater, gluten allergic, or lactose-intolerant person living in France then good luck, it's not easy Cali livin' over here. Almost every French restaurant entrée includes the following: duck, beef, fish, or lamb. However, their heavy Arabic culture makes eating-out a little easier for us.

Güveç Poulet

Several Arabic people have migrated to Europe, especially in the last few decades. From Turkish, to Algerian they offer a wide range of dishes for vegetarians and vegans. In France you will find several restaurants and take-out places owned by the Arabs. I'm a non-red meat eater personally, and for whatever reason you will rarely find chicken on the menu in France, but find a Turkish restaurant and you are set.

Restaurant Ottoman, Bordeaux

Mathieu is a meat eating manly man, so he was somewhat reluctant to come to a restaurant like this with me. When he saw the Turkish ottoman seats from outside he said "so we're sitting on the floor?" Well no, not technically..we're sitting on ottomans.

Moussaka

Unfortunately, most French people do not understand this lifestyle of eating. Especially me, who is not a vegetarian, yet does not eat red meat. It's a very very large culture gap. They view animal products as a source of healthy food and nothing further. It is far more common in America to zone in on the health factors of meat as well as animal cruelty.

hummus!

I've been quite the busy little expat this week. Finally, after 4 days I'm plopped in front of the screen ready to deliver. So today I had my 23rd birthday party. You could call it more like 23 going on 12 because I had an ice cream party. No worries I spiked the punch..a lot.

I must have some psychic ability because on top of planning an all-girl party, it turns out that it is also International Women's Day! Holler atcha girl. It was exactly that too: 7 girls, 7 nationalities.
When I'm stressed, happy, sad, or what have you, I want Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. I have a really unhealthy obsession in which sometimes I just scroll through their Instagram and drool. So on this gorgeous 70 degree day, what better excuse is there for an ice cream shin-dig?
My friends are trying to convince me that this is my calling in life: party planning. I'm starting to think they're not far off. I don't enjoy the hours of cleaning, but I am in complete euphoria when I can organize and make things look pretty.
I was somewhat nervous that the girls wouldn't be all that excited by ice cream, because it's really not that big in Europe like it is in America. However, my friend Anne-Fleur quoted "C'est vraiment très bon, je suis trop contente."AKA-this is really good and I am so happy.
What gets me more excited than anything is watching other people be happy. Mission 100% accomplished because they all loved it.
The girls even bought me a pink polaroid camera for my birthday and also to say thank you for always having them over. It really meant a lot to me. I guess I am a good egg!
This party was suppose to be at 11pm, but since Kerri couldn't attend and the weather was too perfect, we changed it to 2pm and did half inside, and half outside. Everyone packed up the blankets, grabbed the punch bowl and we headed out front of the apartment to the lake.
Anyone who came to lay near us quickly regretted it. Drinking games went on for a solid hour and a half. I had to find things that only required actions or numbers, while still letting everyone get a solid buzz-on under the sun. It was actually very difficult to find anything outside of beer pong and flip cup. However, "Buzz" and "Thumper" worked just fine.
I cracked and invited our guy friend Mehdi, who eventually became our personal outdoor photographer. There was a girl modeling across the street so we felt the need to mimic. I did say I was 23 going on 12..Here's Mehdi's impersonation.
All in all it turned out to be a great party. After all of that sun the girls and I were wiped and came back inside for round 2. This time it wasn't ice cream, it was Domino's. You don't tip delivery boys here so we offered him Snickers.

Merci Kerri for some beautiful photos!