We don’t say “Adieu,” we say “à bientôt!”

C’est Fini!

After 2 years, 9 months and 4 days, we are finally getting to the “AND BACK” part of the #tofranceandback blog…I opened the windows to the fresh air (no screens) this morning on our fifth floor apartment, heard the church bells ringing the time, the city sounds, the movement and energy below, and thought…this is special. And change is coming!

The bureaucracy of repatriating is almost as excruciating as the expatriating. No visa issues, thankfully, because we are American citizens returning home. But the litany of issues is complex and a full-time occupation for a while! And the COVID-19 doesn’t help matters.

I did find a wonderful old tiled kitchen table yesterday that we’re going to try hauling to the apartment in the rental car on Saturday to use as a sewing table in our new house – one last treasure! Screenshot_20200723-221344_Photos

In my current mood of reflection, I think that France is a complex, beautiful country that has some of the most gorgeous terrain in the world that is packed into the size of two Colorados – majestic Alps, deep gorges, miles of coast, rolling hills, oceans, broad vistas, big cities, and provincial villages. There are historical sites from antiquity throughout the ages at every turn, sidewalk cafes, long sacred lunches, mass transportation readily available, bakeries with fresh bread every day, farm fresh produce readily available, and a sense of decorum and protocol.

Now, it’s also maddeningly slow, bureaucratic, abrupt, argumentative, narrowly-focused, difficult, antiquated, has no customer service and a complexity that is completely self-induced…as you know from my emails to you!

In a sweeping generalization, the French marvel at Americans’ ability to ‘get it done,’ chafe at our ‘get to the point’ manner (notwithstanding point #1), and they all think Los Angeles is the dream USA destination. SAY WHAT? Yes, it’s true – too much tv myth! We are, indeed, cowboys.

We have loved our French life overall (well…sometimes it’s love/hate – haha), and change is hard. We were just getting so comfortable with our language skills, our cultural adaptation, the rhythm and flow. Et voila! Time to say à bientôt! So many new relationships and friends…the goodbyes have been bittersweet.

So then, I’m off to finish dismantling our current life and prepare to jet into a new one at 204 Allegheny Run, Simpsonville, SC 29681. We’ve come a long way, baby – from Paris to Simpsonville. I hear that shoes are optional there. 🙂

What we’re looking forward to is understanding everything that everyone says (no matter how quickly they speak), speed limits that don’t change every half mile, Mexican food, and, most of all, seeing YOU!