Tontion les gosses! I'm moving to Noumea.

Mornin' y'all,

First, thanks to all who post here, you provide great insight and advice for all who travel to NC.  Second, here's my quick story, any advice is welcome.

I'm not sure if you'd classify me as an expat or a lost pat, either way, I'm a Pat (pun intended).  Funny enough, everyone I talk to in Noumea says I have a Canadian accent. I was born in New Caledonia and lived there until 1994 when my parents decided to move to the U.S.

After finishing my J.D., my girlfriend and I (who'd been together for a couple years) moved to Chicago so we could start a law firm together.  Our firm was doing ok yet not as well as I wanted and I'd always had an itch to work abroad.  So I started looking at jobs outside the US.

To make a long story short, I got a call on June 9th about an interview in Noumea, and booked my ticket to fly out on the 14th.  My girlfriend read my emails and found out I had an interview and told me not to bother coming home.  So after 3 weeks, I flew back to the States to go prep everything for the transfer.

I don't have any visa worries (dual US / EU citizenship).  I've got a job.  The only thing I'd appreciate advice on is:

neighborhoods to look at / avoid in Noumea,
night clubs / places for mid 20s to early 30s crowds to hang out,
other good places to meet people,
a place to practice my English,
and how burdensome is the income tax (that way I can plan my budget).

I figure a lot of people probably ask this as well, though in all the posts I've scanned, I've yet to see definitive answers.  Thank you for any advice anyone can provide, and I look forward to meeting some of you.

- Patrick Maillet