Some of you asked for a follow up on how things are going after moving (early military retiree) to France.
We are in Toulouse and we’ve explored some of our temporary neighborhood for a few days. We’re in an AirBnB until I find us a permanent rental. Speaking of…
To get a dossier facile completed, which is the French rental portfolio most landlords ask for (since they do not have the US-style credit scoring agencies here) I must translate all my documents to French. You can either pay to do this, or (like me) you can spend days doing this yourself on Canva. It’s painstaking work to reformat every dollar amount to euros and check that something hasn’t translated improperly. I’m actually taking a break from the salt mines to write this so I can be *somewhat* creative today. This is the point when reality hits and when people start to rethink their life choices. So far I’m not toe to toe with the ledge yet but my typing fingers are taking a beating.
Most French are very polite about the language barrier, but some are not. That’s just the nature of people *shrug*. Even if you start in French but try in English they may not want to switch to English, or may not be able to. It’s their country and their language, after all. I’m B1 level but of course, I do not know all the vocab words for everything, nor all the proper verbs. At the Christmas market last night, a vendor asked me in French if I wanted my pecan pie warmed up. Did I understand her? Absolutely not. Instead she popped it in the microwave and said something like, “I’m just going to warm it for her regardless” to her other vendor, and I’m thankful she did because it was so much better warm. Another customer service rockstar was the returns clerk at our closest Monoprix- he spoke really good English and made sure to help us out with buying a Christmas tree and pricing an expensive dragonfruit, all with a smile. The “Bonjour” is everything, EVERYTHING, when you enter a places or even sit down by someone in public, and “Merci pour votre patience” goes a long way with people when you’re trying to communicate but struggling, as well.
Everyone is dressed more stylishly than me, including the children and the homeless.
Another helpful tip is to DIGITALLY SCAN EVERYTHING before you leave. Scan all your paperwork, medical files, statements, records, bills, tax returns, pension certificates etc. unless you’re sure you’ll have both digital access or access to a printer/scanner when you move. I haven’t installed my VPN yet and I’m currently blocked from accessing a savings account statement online on their website (because now I have a french IP at the AirBnB) which I need for my Garantme guarantor file, which then FEEDS INTO the dossier facile, but I saved a digital copy before I left and can access that on my Google Drive. Only 9 years of military bureaucracy could have properly prepared me for dealing with this intense level of French paperwork. I am thriving.
I’m currently struggling with the laundry situation. The AirBnB has a very old, very tiny (in comparison to American) washer, and only a drying rack. No outdoor drying lines or windows with drying access (top floor, ceiling windows). I sent a silent prayer of thanks to my Depression-era grandmother who taught me how to dry clothes on a line and by a radiator, because otherwise I’d be sunk.
I’ve seen four sets of fake eyelashes, no BBL’s, no unrealistic plastic surgery/Botox treatments, and maybe 3 ladies with a full face of make up on since we landed in Paris and then flew to Toulouse. No one is contouring/wearing drag make up during the daytime. The younger girls wear more make up than we aged swamp witches. I am in my element. Just plucking my chin hairs makes me feel fully made up. I added eyebrows yesterday and immediately turned into Cindy Crawford. May do eyebrows/mascara tomorrow and become Ms. Universe, we’ll see. I really do love the lack of pressure to be “picture plastic perfect” here, though. Its a huge bonus.
So far, my daughter and I have managed Christmas shopping for each other, grocery shopping, land navigation, and getting 15k steps in every day just by walking to the places we need to get to. My body literally hurts from how out of shape I am and how much walking I have to do now that I don’t have a car. I’m so happy about it, though, since I moved here for the car-free life. I HATE driving, especially in California lol. I will adapt and overcome.
That is all for now. I did have a quintessentially French moment as I was shopping; I bought a sandwich and an Orangina and sat in a chair in the sidewalk and took my time eating it, while savoring the architecture and people-watching (pictured). Monday we may conquer the bus/public transportation, since there’s a tourism office nearby and they can explain how to buy fares. A la prochaine !
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