Month: November 2019

Our New French Life

November 15 2019

Six months later….

It’s so hard to believe that eight months have passed since I last wrote for this blog. What started out as a sort of chronicle of realizations, thoughts and self-soothing therapy, fell by the wayside once life and our relocation kicked into high gear. So the tl:dr: shortly after my last blog entry, I got the job, we moved to FRANCE and for the past six months, I have been unpacking, settling my family in and starting a new and very challenging job in France. And what a ride it has been. An emotional roller coaster, incredibly hard on multiple fronts but I’m still glad we made the move. Job is hard, but I’m lucky I get to work from home most days, which is super important to me. Kids are adjusting in school, but having some understandable struggles. And now it’s already time to plan for next year’s school enrollment!

We live in an old farmhouse in the countryside. Which is indeed nearly as charming as it sounds. We are still the weird American family in a small, tight knit farming village. Yup and mom speaks French “funny”. It’s all good, we are starting to get the hang of things. Slowly but surely. We don’t yet know too many people. All the local kids seem to know who we are and enjoy practicing their English on us. I am able to take a Zumba class at the local Rec Center which is great but also kind of a trip. 

Work is kicking my butt, in that I’m challeneging in learning a fully new industry, lingo, and role, oh and it’s partly in another language. I do like a challenge and have indeed been getting a run for my money. 

Oh and the visitors! We had a great summer of travel, my husband and kids mostly got to do lots of cool stuff while I joined them on weekends. We did get a few weeks of family holiday, southern France with the extended family and a couple of week roadtrip in Italy and southern France. Then my parents came to visit us, the in laws were here for the kids birthdays, and my sister and her husband were just here with us a week or so ago. Weekends out of town to visit friends and family were also intermixed. Another visit to the in laws (in a warmer climate) during the kids Fall break also just happened. 

The kids school schedule looks like this: six weeks of school, two weeks of vacation. And while school is in session, it’s M/Tu 830-1630, Wednesday off (horse lessons and camp), Th/Fri 830-1630. So lucky. They did skip an academic year in coming to France though due to their fall birthdays, so that coupled with everything 100% in French has been a big challenge for them. But they are up to it. Their school is actually quite a bit easier than their highly rated charter school in AZ. So that’s a good thing and a bad thing. Good in that they were in some ways not that shocked by skipping a grade. Less good in that they are basically losing any academic advantage they had in coming here, since their current school is rather basic (hello 3 digit addition/subtraction in 5th grade?!). 

I had thought I would get in amazing shape after being here for 6 months since, as we all know, “French Women Don’t Get Fat” however can you say pastries? Bread? Oh and how am I supposed to exercise when it rains?! I’m sure I’ll will eventually join a gym and stop enjoying the pastries so much. I think my husband is making up for lost time (15 years in the US) for the time being. And I have such a ridiculous sweet tooth it’s hard for me to ignore pastries if they are good, fresh, tasty and in my home. Still waiting for the weight to drop off. When I’m in the office I have great food prepared for me, but since I’ve been mostly WFH that means I’m cooking for myself and it’s not always the healthiest. Eventually the weight will come off, maybe once the pastries are no longer a novelty…..

Oh and the construction. Mostly my husband has been busy with construction projects basically since we arrived. We placed a bunch of orders in June, August everything and everyone was closed, and only in October/November are we getting these things finally delivered/installed. You definitely cannot be in a rush here while doing home improvement projects. Oh and did I mention we have zero closets in our home?! My kitchen is the size of a postage stamp, my laundry is not in the main house, no bookshelves, no pantry and still have many boxes to unpack. Oh and the living room / dining room combination is tiny and where all the action happens (homework, eating, family movies, laundry folding). And there is some sort of a creature living in our walls/attic. Not sure if it’s a mouse or what, but it sounds big. 

Ok that should do it for today. I’ll try not to be such a stranger and write again soon.

Our New French Life

March 26 2019

Inspections, moving companies and Hiring Committee 

What a crazy past couple of months it has been since my last entry. After my January panic induced internet research rampages, I mellowed out in February and most of March and even settled into a complacent, dare I say content era. Still uncertain about the job front, but able to take concrete steps toward the actual physical move and pleased with items within my control (and serenity to accept those I cannot change….).

Getting our house ready to sell, major purging, selling and packing of items that crowded or personalized the house and getting it ready to put on the market for sale. An insane 10 day window (during which we even had out of town family staying with us) from when we decided to list the house with a traditional realtor (rather than an ibuyer, ie Zillow cash offer) to when we left the house and the listing went live. A whirlwind visit to France, a glimpse and taste of our soon to be “New French Life”, then just as quickly as we arrived on the continent, it was time to come back to our US based life. 

After 2 short weeks of open houses and keeping the house in near perfect (but still inhabited by a family!!) show ready state, we secured and accepted an offer to sell our home. As I write this entry (trying to distract myself) I have a stranger wandering through my home performing the home inspection for the buyers. We put the house on the market a good while before we needed to sell it. And since the best case scenario happened, we will actually have to rent a local house for over a month as we will hopefully close escrow while still finishing up our time in AZ. Fun times. 

In my spare time I interviewed for a real job at my current employer and through God’s grace have made it to the Hiring Committee. I should know in the next few days the fate of the next era of my life. In the meantime I’m desperately trying not to think. Not to breathe (not really). Repeatedly calendar stalking the recruiter but refraining from nudging her for an update until the allotted time has elapsed (easier said than done). 

If I get the job transfer that means our lives will be financially secure (sorta) but that I will take on a one hour each way daily commute on public transportation. Whereas today I walk downstairs to my home office. Major change. And If I don’t get the transfer, I get to enjoy the long summer with my family, get our household set up, live frugally and eventually (maybe) look for a job in the Fall, or so. Both options have their pros and cons. Neither are perfect. I am at peace with both. It is just the not knowing that is slowing driving me I.N.S.A.N.E. 

Oh and my other spare time I’ve been trying to sort out the complicated, nonsensical world of international shipping and relocation companies. I have contacted no less than 15 companies, created a detailed trix in an effort to reconcile differing and never similar quotes in an effort to compare, decipher what we need and plan for this massive relocation. All the while trying to convince my dear husband that we truly don’t need 5 cars and 2 motorcycles in France, we really don’t. 

KIds are doing fairly well but they are so over the school year. They are both doing great in French class, because that is what matters most right about now. But my son’s Mandarin teacher is a bit demanding and he can’t quite turn his homework in on time. Thankfully that grade doesn’t impact his GPA (whatever that matters in 3rd grade). My daughter pretty much refuses to go to school most mornings. Fun times. 

So we bought one way airline tickets the other day for all four of us. That was crazy. With all my international travels and extended time away from my home base, I have always had a round trip ticket. Something about it feels so final, so completely moving from the US to France. It makes perfect practical sense, but it also feels so heavy, so final. 

We decided to have my husband and daughter head over a bit earlier since the end of the school year is basically just fun times and since in France they will actually be learning and doing coursework. So they fly out mid-May (less than two months away) and my son and I stick around and fly out a couple of weeks later in early June. 

So that’s what my past few weeks/months have been like.