Life Changes, Life Planning, & Leaving France
Saying goodbye to France was something that we had not considered when we moved here last year, settled in, bought furniture and appliances, and began to make friends. But recent changes in the taxation structure since the election of Francois Hollande as President of France, the bureaucratic quagmire that all of us who move to France are forced to endure, pension issues, and several other boulders in the road that frequent readers of this site will already be acquainted with, have made this a place where we no longer wish to invest our emotional energy or our money. We are moving on after 10 months here in the South of France — with regret — but the decision has now been made and we are in the process of sorting out our last few weeks here in St. Girons.
And where are we going next? Well, to be truthful, we aren’t certain! We are flinging ourselves into the arms of the angels again, waiting to see where feels right, and then trusting that our choice is a good one. Our furniture and 100-plus boxes are being picked up in 2 and 1/2 weeks and taken to England to go back into storage. But then the fun begins as we go back on the road for awhile and we look for someplace to settle down. Living out of a suitcase wore us out after a year the last time and after spending almost 9 months in Normandy, we stopped moving in St. Girons. Who knows where we will be when we send for the household goods the next time!
A quiet moment between two women visitors at MACBA, the contemporary art & design museum in Barcelona, Spain.
The next few months should be very ‘interesting’ and we’ll need to be flexible. There is an unfolding book about life in France as an expat and I’ve even written the introduction chapter — but we’ll discuss that in another article.
Right now we are making lists of things to do, notifying the utility company, and packing-packing-packing. (again!)
Stay tuned as we find our feet on shifting sands!
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14/01/2013 at 5:14 PM
14/01/2013 at 6:45 PMcarol heilbronner
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Good luck wherever you go. Sorry you have to uproot but understandable.
14/01/2013 at 8:03 PMDeborah Harmes
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Yes Carol, moving on is sad — but we will always feel that our time here in France was an extraordinary adventure. It didn’t, in the end, turn out to be our ‘forever place.’
14/01/2013 at 8:33 PMBarbara Weibel
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I feel for you. So far, I haven’t found that “perfect” place to put down roots.
14/01/2013 at 8:39 PMDeborah Harmes
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Ah Barbara, we no longer long for perfect — just perfect enough. And France’s bureaucracy meant that it wasn’t going to be a good fit for us. I think based on some of the Twitter DMs I’ve gotten in the last 2 hours that there are some expats here who think I’m quite daft to leave — but NO place in the world is a one-size-fits-all. So we stand by our decision and are leaving in a very good frame of mind with no anger or resentment.
14/01/2013 at 8:53 PMPolly
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Will you be able to stop by for a stay with us on you way? We three would so love to see you.
14/01/2013 at 9:04 PMDeborah Harmes
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I’ll be able to let you know in a couple of weeks. We’re going to be REALLY jammed up time-wise once we leave here because we have to spend a day cleaning the apartment and THEN get on the road for that 2 day drive through France. We’re thinking about taking the ferry from the other side of the northern coast and going into Dover instead of Portsmouth. Love to all three of you, and I WILL keep it in mind!
15/01/2013 at 3:23 AMDiane
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Wow, life is always a journey! We hope you & Mark enjoy being on the road again & good luck with all you do.
15/01/2013 at 5:26 AMAnthea
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Come home to Aus x
15/01/2013 at 11:52 AMDeborah Harmes
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Thanks for the good wishes, Diane. It’s both slightly mind-boggling and exciting. Just wish it wasn’t the dead of winter when we were doing this travelling because there is a LOT of snow and ice in various parts of the UK right now.
And Anthea, don’t think we haven’t considered coming back to Australia. We have — but for now, we want to give the UK a go. We really do love this side of the world and all of the culture and history that it has to offer.