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PodcastBill Hinchberger

In this Podcast Jeff Steiner talks with Bill Hinchberger. Bill lives just outside Paris and works as freelance journalist. More info about Bill can be found at www.hinchberger.com. He is also the publisher of BrazilMax - the hip guide to Brazil.

"Things I like and don't like are flip sides of the same coin."

To start Bill talks about where he lives, just outside Paris and what it's like living in France. Bill's lived in three different countries US, Brazil and France and has found France the most difficult to adapt to. He finds the bureaucracy challenging.

The interview than moves on to starting a business and what it's like playing basketball in France. He finds neither to be like in the US. Then, Bill talks about what he finds interesting where he lives. He likes literature and history and can connect to both locally. He mentions the Oulipo literary movement that uses constrained writing techniques. For example La Disparition (A Void) by Georges Perec is written without the letter e.

Next, Bill feels that because he's lived in other countries before that's been helpful. He also thinks that Americans in general are adaptable. Bill doesn't suggest living in Paris if you're single and he comments that as a single man he's been turned away from nightclubs. He's never had this problem when in a group. He says Paris isn't an easy place to be single and meet people.

Moving on, Bill finds French more difficult than either Portuguese or Spanish. Part of his problem is that when he moved to France, he had a job that didn't allow him much time to learn French. He comments that he can speak more French than he can understand, the inverse of Portuguese and Spanish at the same level.

To finish Bill mentions what he likes about France; backward view that might sound pejorative but that's the reason for all the museums, corner bakeries and why the French have preserved some of their slow food culinary traditions. Lastly Bill offers his suggestions for new comers: learn French and do your research.

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