Life in France

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LIFE IN FRANCE 

I woke up in Perpignan, France on August 31, 2022. 

Before moving to France from the United States, I sold practically everything I owned, including my car.  I was convinced it would be several years before I returned, if ever.  With one large suitcase and two carry on’s, I embarked on a new life, in a country I had never visited and a language I could barely speak or understand.  My oldest son thought I was making a crazy mistake.  Nothing or no one could have swayed me from this adventure.  My intuition was leading me to a new life.  How could I turn this opportunity down.  There was no way I could stay in America and be happy, knowing that something great awaited me in France.  

The first two weeks in this beautiful, foreign land was a bit un-nerving, mostly due to jet lag.  But I had to eat which meant I needed to get euros which meant I had to get acquainted with the area.  Without a car and not at ease with the bus routes, I got around Perpignan on foot.  I regularly imagine there is an invisible team cheering me on.  I was cautious to give full attention to my routes; the last thing I needed to be, was lost.  With the limited French I know, I asked a man on a bicycle for directions.  Assuming I understood French, he babbled on about which way to go.  He must have noticed the glazed look in my eyes as I followed his hand as he pointed; his body language and the word laba (over there) was the only thing I comprehended.  Each day I walked to different parts of the small, yet quaint city.  It is not so much the places I visit but the people I encounter along the way that turns me on.  Most people, I assume get turned on by art galleries, museums and the like.  With a brain like mine, I am more interested in the people who visit these places.  It is not that I do not appreciate art and artifacts, I just find people more interesting. 

The restaurants that entice me the most are the ones where the staff light up when I walk in.  The food does not have to be great when the interaction is superb.  The French love Americans. It is remarkable how we enjoy someone who is different, someone who has an accent, someone who is fun and someone who has an air of mystery about them.  I learn more about the French through these types of interactions than I could ever gain from a textbook.  

I am often asked - what do you miss most about America?  Communicating with those who speak my language.  Every time I hear an American accent, I call out, “are you American”; it is always a pleasant interaction.  Most of the English-speaking folks here are from Ireland or England.  While we are all human beings, those with whom we align culturally are usually whom we feel most comfortable with.  

My partner is London/Irish.  He had to educate me on the meaning of some of his words.  For instance, “I took the piss out of him”.  I thought it meant he got someone drunk, and they made a fool of themselves.  Wrong!  It means I made fun of him.  This could be in a fun way or a harsh way, depending on the person and situation.  My partner exclaims, “you may want to wear a jumper”.  What? he really means a sweater.  Also, most London/Irish folk curse more than most Americans.  I have learned a lot of new curse words.  Godda#!it Janet, for fu@*'s sake, bloody hell, and fu*!ing hell are words he uses frequently. This is normal in his culture. He misses Branson pickle, full English breakfast, fish and chips, and believe it or not an all-American hot dog.  I miss black walnuts, a good pizza (the French do not know how to make pizza) and corn bread.  

We both love France for its beauty.  Living about fifty steps from the Mediterranean Sea is not to be taken for granted.  Even though we have three flights of narrow steps to climb, it is worth it.  We proclaim, “this is good exercise”.  Our apartment is an old fisherman’s house.  Collioure is a fishing village, famous for its anchovies.  From our terrace we take in the view of the Sea and the Pyrenees mountains.  Les Alberes is what the Pyrenees mountains are called in this area.  La Corniche (route by the sea) is the route we always take driving back to Collioure from town.  The view gets our full attention as we both proclaim how lucky we are to live here.  From the salon (living room) window of our third-floor apartment, we view the people enjoying Collioure at the cafe’s below us.  Even on cool days, someone (not us) takes a swim in the sea.  

My partner has a shell of a house (after twenty years, he is bringing the old stones to life) in the Dordogne area which is about a 3 and half hour drive from Collioure.  Although for us it is a 7-hour drive because he does not like to travel the motor way.  I call the ‘motor way’ highway or interstate.  We usually take back roads through the mountains and hills that are extremely narrow, unmarked and less traveled.  It gets tricky when you have to use the bathroom.  That area is home to gracious château’s, beautiful country sides and flowing rivers.  It is much greener there, laden with walnut trees, large oaks that line the roads and various pines.  The rolling hills reminds me of my home in Virginia.  Cattle and horses are a part of the landscape.  While I love Collioure, I prefer our future home in the Dordogne.  Our dreams include a vegetable garden, chickens, dogs and walnut trees.  I would love to live in a small château on top of the mountain, looking down upon the small villages below with the old stone houses and the Dordogne River.  What is dreaming if you don’t dream big?  

If there is one thing I have learned, the friend I can trust the most is intuition.  Regardless of where I live, life is great because I know I am where I need to be, doing what I need to do.  My daily goal is balance; not swerving too far to the left or right.  To be at peace with myself.  This life is short; therefore, I strive to make the best of each day.  Believe me, there are days when I cannot wait to go to bed and start over the next.  Those undesirable emotions have a way of floating to the top.  I wish I was perfect BUT I am not.  To be perfect is to be okay with all of me - the sane, the crazy, the strong emotions of anger and the sweet feeling of inner peace.  Perhaps Nirvana is the place of self mastery.  The place within us that has no worry, fear or self doubt.  Perhaps, it is the place where self-confidence, peace and tranquility abound.  May we all find the Nirvana within.  

Wherever you find yourself today, may you KNOW you have a trusted friend called intuition within you.  May you be at peace today and if not, be okay with the turmoil.  

Lucy loves YOU