Zimbabwean American looking to get an MBA in France

Hello!
I hope everyone is keeping well and staying safe despite the COVID-19 crisis the world is facing.

My name is Chenai and I am a Zimbabwean American looking to get my master's degree in France. More specifically an MBA in the winter of 2021 or fall 2021. I am excited and curious to connect with Expat communities living in France and would like to learn about how many transition to living in France.

A bit about me:
I was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe in the Borrowdale/Chisipite area. I attended Gateway Primary School for junior school and Chisipite Senior School for High School. My family moved to the Washington D.C metro area in the United States when I was 17 years old. I went to college at the College of Wooster in Ohio and began working in New York City in 2007 when I graduated.  Because of the recession I got laid off but got a job in Philadelphia metro area in 2011 and have been living in Philadelphia since then. I have a small active dog and I take him on trails a lot.

Because I'm now 35 I am more laid back and I now prefer to live in historic village towns, with access to parks and trails, good restaurants, spacious housing, less traffic but perhaps access to a major city for jobs and entertainment. So, I am more a suburban person now than I was when I was younger living in New York City, I guess. I suspect Paris is very much like New York, which I don't mind and since some of the business schools are in that area, I am curious to learn about the suburbs of Paris (Ile de Paris that's what the area is called?)  In Philadelphia, I have been living in a neighborhood called Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill which is a historic and well-known neighborhood within the city with tree lined streets and parks and a downtown area. I hope to eventually find a similar neighborhood in France when settling down. To compare Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill if you are not familiar; It's like a much cheaper version of North West D.C. (Georgetown area) and Boerum Hill, Park Slope and Forte Greene in Brooklyn NY and perhaps like Avondale in Harare and perhaps hints of Sam Levy's Village area in Harare.

While living in Zimbabwe, I studied French all the way through A Levels and I took advanced classes in college. I would say I was at some point at an advanced level of speaking French but because I  never studied abroad and I do not practice, I've probably dropped a few levels in speaking, however, my reading and writing still seems to be good.

I would like to connect and perhaps develop a community in addition to the community developed while in school in France and I am hoping for an open pragmatic perspective of living in France that the schools will most likely not share.

I am looking at working in Management Consulting; Project/Program Management and Strategy roles after graduating and I am looking at the following MBA programs:
HEC Paris, Grenoble Ecole De Management, Rennes Business School, ISEG School of Management, EDHEC Business School.

To help decide on moving to France I am mostly looking at things like: 
1.    Assimilation of foreigners especially black people living in France.
2.    French people's level of openness to Americans and Africans/Southern Africans.
3.    The quality of life depending on the city (what you like about the city you live in and what you do not like)
4.    The most appealing cities for Expats
5.    Other foreign groups in France, their demographics and what they are like

6.    How the food is in France? I am sure it's fantastic because of course France is the home of culinary art…but are the portions varied and big like in America and is the food organic like it is in Zimbabwe? What food do you miss from Zimbabwe or the United States that they do not have in France?

7.    If you are a single female, how is life for you in France? Are there supportive communities?
8.    If you are female and black, which communities do you go to, to get your hair done? Braids etc.? especially in cities outside of Paris?
9.    The job prospects for foreigners after gaining a masters
10.    The ability to become fluent in French to have access to more jobs
11.    The reputation of some Business schools in France
12.    The opportunity to be sponsored by a company after graduating
13.    The process in becoming a permanent resident in France
14.    The Perks or Setbacks of being a French Resident/French Citizen
a.    ( I currently hold a passport for both the US and Zimbabwe…so I am not sure if it is globally allowed to hold 2 passports as I do not want to have to renounce either my Zimbabwean or American Citizenships to become French if that makes sense?..)

15.    Or just how the transition was for you when you moved. Did you experience any kind of culture shock? Was it insignificant to the benefits of living there?


Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,