Hurry Up & Wait

After we found ourselves back in paradise, there were a few obvious (and not so obvious) challenges to tackle.  This post serves to detail how we managed to get our cartes des sejours, cartes vitals, purchase a French home as American expats and begin the process of renovation!

Carte de Sejour
We needed to apply for our "Cartes des sejours"which would give us the official pieces of identity to remain in France without reapplying for visas for 4 years.  In order to stay in France longer than 90 days (this is the time that you are given on your visa in your passport via the French consulate back in the US) you need to go to the prefecture in your area.  For Biarritz, the prefecture is in Bayonne.  You also need to come prepared with an arsenal of documents! Birth certificates, marriage certificates, all of the business information that afforded you the visa from the French consulate, your work contract, passports and copies of them, proof of your company having paid the tax to "import" you, etc. To find out exactly what you need, go to your prefecture's website and research 'carte de sejour' to find which stack of documents fits your needs.

Our experience was pretty good.  It's a bit like waiting in line at the DMV where you take a ticket and chill in a chair, all the while special dings and beeps are happening with people popping up out of their chairs accordingly.  When our ding came, it had a BINGO feeling, except I knew we would be winning our official status! The lady at the window was nice and we spoke all in French to her (so if you don't speak a bit of French, you might want to have someone come with you who does).  We got all our boxes ticked and we were told that we would receive our notices in the post in a few weeks.

About a month went by and we finally received the envelopes in the mail, only to open them up and find out that we would need to go back to the prefecture to receive our cards in person and of course-----pay up! So, Alex went to the local tabac (where you purchase the stamps you pay for government business with) and we went the next day.  We hurried there, took our ticket, our ding came and so did our next challenge.  Everything was cool until the lady asked us for the stamps, but when she saw that the tabac gave us 545 euros of stamps mostly in 10 euros and 1 euros, she flipped. "WHO DID THIS?! WHICH TABAC?!" That was about all I could understand.  We ended up having to go across the street and trade in our small stamps for bigger stamps at another tabac to appease the carte de sejour gods.

So, back we went.....ticket, chair, DING. We signed for them, we laughed off the stamps with the lady (kind of) and collected our CDS gold! Mission accomplished.  Since Alex had completed his MBA in France (EDHEC in Nice), we only need to be residents of France for 2 years before we can apply for citizenship.....but that's a long term hurdle we don't have to think about right now : ) .

Carte Vital
Now that Alex had a French job, we could be covered under France's national healthcare and social security---so we needed to apply for a "carte vital" asap.  We took our paperwork arsenal yet again (this time with copies of our cds) and were determined this would be an open and shut case. [SIREN] wrong! The CPAM center we went to in Bayonne was super nice and the people working there were a bit younger than the prefecture and super efficient. We saw someone within 15 minutes and unfortunately, were asked for something that was not on our list of papers to bring-----apostilles on our birth certificates and marriage certificate.  What the heck is a flipping 'apostille?' I kept pointing at the seal on our documents saying "Look, they are official copies, there is no need for extra paperwork," but this didn't go anywhere.

They gave us a paper and said to contact our consulate in Bordeaux, so I thought, "Cool this will only take a week or so.' [SIREN] wrong again! Turns out, the consulate no longer processes apostilles and we had to not only reorder our birth certificates and marriage certificate from each of our states, but get them sent to the secretary of state for each to have the apostille attached. This would mean that I would have to get my Dad go to the Orange County register of deeds office to obtain my birth certificate and then mail that to the secretary of state with an envelope for them to then send to me in France (in the state of CA, only you or your biological parents can request a copy of your birth certificate and online they wanted proof of something I couldn't give).

For Alex, this process was a little more simplified. I could request a copy of his birth certificate and our marriage certificate online to be shipped to my mother in law, who would then send those to the NC secretary of state with an envelope to send to us in France. I know....ugh. But....after 2-3 weeks, we had our glorified apostilles in hand and back to the CPAM office we went. One look at our papers this time and the guy looked right at us and said, "Wow, good job," in plain English and told us to expect it to be awhile.  And so........we wait and I will update you on that when it happens.

Buying a Home
Then there was the challenge of finding a place to live.  As you might come to find in any beach community, rent is not cheap.  The majority of the places we would find to rent cost more than a mortgage and there were always so many fees and conditions with each rental agency (immoblier). We started researching the prices in the area and what it would take to buy a home.  We knew we wanted to live in the center of town (walking distance to the beach, grocery, doctors, etc) so we kept our eyes out for a house we could afford and that had potential to fix up and perhaps sell at a later time.

Now, we had lived in every type of apartment or townhome in France from 26m2 to 100m2 and we felt like if we could just find a clean and modern 1 bedroom place, it would be fine. When we told Alex's parents about what we wanted to do, they told us that they would hope it would have 2 bedrooms so that they could come and visit from time to time and offered to help out if we could find a good deal on a little bit bigger of a place.

I had a friend whom Alex and I had rented from when we first came to Biarritz and she was very knowledgable in the local real estate.  I decided to have lunch with her and pick her brain about what we should be looking for and what she thought about our goal.  She supported us completely and told me what to look out for----something that we could afford monthly payments on, that was perhaps a fixer upper, a townhome (maison de ville/ maison mitoyene) and that was priced below or around 3,000 euros/m2.  She even was able to recommend her notaire and artisan (renovations project manager). Little did I know, but I had stumbled upon this exact thing and didn't even know it.  I sent her the link as soon as I got home and she told me to make an appointment to go see it no later than tomorrow.

So we did exactly as she said, as sick as we were with colds that day and ended up making a full price offer based on the fact that there was already an offer on the house and in France, if you make an offer the other party then has the choice to make a higher offer than you or pay the full amount which would seal the deal.  We decided to not gamble over 15,000 euros and pay the full amount knowing that the process would be long enough (3 months) before we would get our keys.  We were excited and hopeful.

After a few days, we were told our offer had been accepted.  We then had to put money in escrow as a deposit in case we backed out at any point.  We went to our bank and requested a mortgage.  And so began the 3 and a half month rollercoaster of obtaining credit.  Apparently, we just happened to be purchasing a home at the height of purchasing activity in Biarritz. There were so many loans being taken out that the bank was short staffed and made some errors that cost us precious time and money (as we were renting an airbnb studio until we could close on the home). There was also a ton of paperwork that needed to be provided; much of what was required from the prefecture, plus snapshots of our American bank accounts, copies of our pay stubs for the last 3 months, etc.  We managed to hurry up and gather all of these things within a day or two, but unfortunately the bank wasn't in too much of a rush.

In short, the bank made errors on our 'demande de credit' but didn't notify us and sent us these papers again after telling us the next papers to arrive in the post would be the actual offer. So, we got to sign the demand again and as we thought it was the 'offer' waited for 11 days before signing and sending to them. In between all this lack communication and confusion, we would often have to prompt the bank into taking the next step and this is how we discovered the error. It wasn't until we scheduled the notaire appointment and the bank called to tell us they had cancelled it, did we find out we would have to not only wait for them to send the actual offer, but wait a painstaking 11 more days after to send it to Paris before going to the notaire.

So, the expected move in date of November 18 turned into December 11th. We attended the notaire appointment with our immoblier (real estate agent) and after 2 hours, we had our papers (but no keys yet). The real estate agent had to collect the keys from the other agent who had shown the home and we were able to get them after going by her office that evening. Finally, we were done and then it came time to move in and start with the sledgehammers.........

Falling out of The Tree & Climbing Back Up

It has been awhile since I have written in this blog.  Believe me, I have totally been aware of this.  You see, the reason I have waited to write is because its been rough. If you don't want to know the nitty gritty, then I'll give you a brief synopsis; we got to Biarritz, fought like hell to stay, but the funding was cut for Alex's job and by the end of 2015 we were left with no other choice than to return to the U.S with our tails between our legs so to speak.

But that is NOT where our journey ended : ) No, it is where our rollercoaster year and a half began!

We found hope in the sadness

Thanks to the network of Expats we made while in Biarritz, an opportunity surfaced.  A California expat connected us with another California expat who connected us to a French business owner of a small start-up.  About a month before we had to leave Biarritz for the states, Alex met with this business owner and discussed the possibility of expanding his business into the U.S and potentially, a return for us to France.  The owner was up for it, but wanted market research and proper due diligence done before any promises could be made.

We began to have a glimmer of hope that we might one day return to our home.

Fast forward a few months and Alex had completed the market research and began setting up and developing the business in the states.  It was slooow and we were having to rely on Alex's parents for support while we figured out what would happen, which made us feel even more down even though it would have been twice as difficult without their support.

The turning point

May comes around and we receive news from Alex's boss that he would like to visit him and come meet the first client in the U.S face to face.  We were ecstatic!  He came for a week and really helped Alex to tap into his strengths and told him his plans for him in the future which included us returning to Biarritz.  We couldn't believe it.  The needle in the haystack was found.  But first, lots of work and soul searching had to be done.

For the next year, Alex worked hard to gain clients in the U.S and expand into motorsports with the registration software.  He attended a foreign motorsports tradeshow in Germany in November and began making contacts.  However, progress was slow. So, he decided to go after the original market of marathons, triathalons, cycling events and he started gaining some traction.

Alex also did some work on himself to better prepare him for a more international role abroad.  This consisted of daily French lessons (which we ended up doing together) with our favorite Basque French teacher Kike Gorri), developing himself psychologically (to shake the bad energy from the previous job), attended a 3-day RADA course on public speaking and read multiple books on workplace culture and structuring.

While he was busy ramping up the business in the US, I was trying my hardest to crank things up with my own business.  I ended up continuing my online counseling, building websites, working at kart races and managing social media for a karting association.  Not bad for being in an odd transition period.  In the beginning of 2017, my online counseling business really picked up after becoming a contract employee for Betterhelp.com, which really gave me the boost I needed to feel as though I was living my purpose again.

All of this effort came together in the Spring of 2017 when Alex's boss told him to pack our bags and get back to France!  There is something wild that happens when you finally hear what you have been waiting for, something bizarre. Even though we were completely excited, it was like we were in shock.  Don't get me wrong, I had been stalking the apartment rentals for some time now and had already built a list of household items to purchase once our dream finally came true, but this was REAL.  Still, my psyche tried to shelter me from further disappointment and told me to wait on the celebration we wanted so badly.

Making it REAL

We proceeded to jump onto the Atlanta Consulate website to obtain an appointment to request visas.  Clicking through the site month after month......JULY. The next available appointment was in July.  Now came time for the tornado of paperwork.  Last time we did this, it was a huge song and dance and I was dreading being face to face with the man who had brought me to tears as he tore apart my dossier (folder) and made a mess of the documents I had in order.  "Not this time," I thought.  This time, we are going to be extra ready for anything that is thrown at us.

July comes and we made the 5 hour drive to Atlanta.  We sit in the lobby waiting to be called to the window and there is the man.  This time, I tried to imagine good things and I was determined to show how much I learned since being here last.  I listened to the young man speak to him in French and I even understood what he was saying! Perhaps if I spoke to the man in French to my best ability he would see how determined we were.  Our turn.  He talks to us very stern in a business manner but in English.  He reads through Alex's work contract and papers and changes to French.  Alex responds back in French and we continued in French until the end of the appointment.  I caught him misplacing some documents and return them to him to keep and we leave.  The big stress was done!

And then we had to play the waiting game.....would it be 2 weeks? 4 weeks? Not approved? We received an email the next day informing us that our "man" would be going on vacation so our case would be picked up by someone else.  We didn't know if this was a good thing or a thing to worry about so we just continued waiting.  It came down to the weekend before we were to take off for France (bags were packed, cat travel documents filed, car sold, etc) and we heard nothing. So, we typed a gripe and asked them if we would receive our visas in time.

"Your wife's visa has not been approved."  What does that mean?! Does that mean it is processing and will eventually be approved? Does that mean it won't be approved in time? Ugh. We decided to get out for some air and be distracted in Asheville, NC.  On our way back home, I figured out how to check the status of a visa by using a backdoor url that is not published on the Atlanta Consulate website.  I'm pretty sure it works for any consulate (you just have to change the ending number in the url to find your city) so you can use this method if you are reading this waiting on your status too.  Still nothing as the status said, "In process."

At this point, I was pretty freaked out because I had been having "special screenings" at the airport for the past year and in Madrid they told me that the US government had tagged me for some reason to be searched.  Did this play a role in why my visa was taking so long?  While we binge watched a series on Netflix that night to keep our minds calm I filed for a redress number with the Department of Homeland Security in case my identity had been mistaken for someone else's.  Perhaps it had nothing to do with that, but I wanted to do what I could do.

One last check on the status before we went to bed.  It had been APPROVED! Woohoo! It would be coming the day before our flight.  Talk about a close call.  With that out of the way, we allowed ourselves to become more genuinely excited about our future.

The new beginning

Alex's parents drove us to the airport.  It was the 3rd time they had seen us off for France.  It was less emotional than the other times and they were happy that we were finally getting to do what we had been working towards for the past year and a half.  They knew they would be visiting soon and would have a vacation spot with us in the future, so there was an air of positivity that felt great.  We are so grateful to have had them during this time to lean on and encourage us to 'keep going' in achieving this dream.

No sleep for me on the plane rides, I was packed full of emotion and excitement that had been bursting at the seams to come out for quite some time.  I was a human Jack in the Box ready to spring forward and jump right in where we had left off in France.  Charlotte to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris, Paris to HOME.  It was a long journey, physically and emotionally but were were finally home in Biarritz and life never felt as good as when we landed in the beautiful green hills of Pays Basque.

How We Came to Live in Biarritz (the 1st time)

After having lived abroad in Nice, France for a year while my husband, Alex, attended EDHEC Business School for his MBA, we found ourselves on a plane headed back to the States in order to regroup and figure out our game plan for jobs and ultimately for our lives.

A weird thing happens after living abroad.  I guess it also depends on where you live, if you liked it, and so on... but really, something wonderful happened to both of us after a year of living in France. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it was a walk in the park in terms of missing our friends and family or adapting to a different culture, foods, way of living, etc; but in reality if you are open to change and have a fairly open-mind when it comes to becoming more aware of your existence, priorities, and what really matters in life I believe you would end up coming to the same conclusion we did.

Returning back to the states was eye-opening for many reasons.  For one, when you are abroad and away from everything familiar and comfortable, a bit of a psychological phenomena occurs where many things about back home trigger a sentimental nostalgia that you long for when you are away. Sometimes, however, reality sets in when you arrive and maybe you realize (as I did) that things really aren't as cool as you remembered them while you were longing for them abroad.  Case and point; perhaps you enjoyed certain foods at a certain restaurant or perhaps you placed American restaurant service on a pedestal after a night of waiting for your check to come in France.  Either way, something happens when you fall in love with a place abroad and none of these things that you once longed for can extinguish it.

Setting priorities is very important; just as important as the people/events/ideas that your priority list is composed of.  Alex and I knew that France's work/life balance would be an asset not just to our health and marriage, but to being able to enjoy a good quality of life.  No offense to the MBA's who live in NYC and work for the banks and stock markets, but you literally could not pay us enough to live that lifestyle.  Alex needed to work in a business where he was passionate about the type of work he was doing, and for him it meant the world of motorsports.

After months of reaching out to his network, Alex was able to secure a consulting position with  a motorsports consulting company from the UK.  This position would allow us the flexibility to live anywhere in the EU, so long as it had accessible flights to London.  Our dreams of returning to France, and not just "France" but BIARRITZ, the California of France, were coming true.

The next 3-4 months we struggled to obtain Visas from the French Consulate in Atlanta.  We had first tried applying for the Talents et Competences card which would be based off of our education levels (both of us have Master's degrees) and with the intent of opening our own business which would encompass Alex's consulting and my online counseling/coaching.  After a heavy interview with a consulate employee who was not too nice and weeks of waiting to hear, we got shut down.  No reason, just a refusal letter.  We immediately made another appointment and drove the 3 hours to try another way to get our Visas.  This time, I think they could see how determined we were and how much of a pain in the ass we were going to be if they didn't try to get us through.  After 3 more long weeks of waiting to hear back and multiple back and forths of the consulate losing some of our paperwork we had given them, we finally received our Long Stay Visitor Visas.

I know what you must be saying, "Visitor Visas?"  Hear me out.  Unless you have a salaried job with a contract from an employer in France, you cannot get a work permit.  The Talents et Competences card would give you working rights or if you somehow secure a Foreign Trader's Card, but these two are VERY difficult to get.  That being said, Alex travels to London to complete his work and I will be completing market research for opening our business here upon the approval of our local prefecture which may also involve having to return to the Atlanta consulate.  However, what matters is that WE ARE HERE.  We are also earning residence time which can then be applied towards the 2 years that we have before we can apply for citizenship (it's only 2 years as opposed to 5 because Alex earned his MBA in France) or at least a 10 year renewable residence.

Here are a few tips for Future Expats living in France
1.) COMMUNICATION: FREE is a cell company that sells chips with fairly cheap month-to-month plan.  This can be purchased and managed online and makes it so that you can avoid those ridiculous cell phone plan contracts with the larger companies (especially the ones who like to charge you even after you have officially cancelled your plan after leaving the country!)

2.) A PLACE TO LIVE: If you are a foreigner living in France, unless you obtain a rental by direct agreement through the owner or you purchase your own home, you are required to provide a guarantee of 1 year's worth of rent which is held by your bank or the owner of the property until you leave!  It does not matter how much you make, how solid your credit is, etc.  This is something we did not anticipate, but can be very problematic in finding and successfully leasing a place.  One way you can try to get around this other than the ideas above, would be to talk to the owner directly through the rental agency and negotiate with them (say you can pay upfront 6 months at a time, etc).

3.) BANK ACCOUNT: Opening up a bank account can take from weeks up to a month to complete.  You will need to provide multiple documents including rental agreements, electricity bills, passport copies, etc.  You may also want to think about opening an account with an international bank.  We opened an account with a French bank but discovered through our first year of living here that if you travel a lot it can get quite expensive with having to transfer monies to and from and using your card abroad can accumulate many fees.  The banking system here is also regional, so if you move you may have to change your bank to the local branch.  We are now in the process of opening an account with HSBC (I know, we aren't very fond considering the scandals that have surrounded them). However, they would allow us to transfer monies for free between international accounts, such as the UK and US, which is very valuable.

4.) MEETING PEOPLE: A large part of successfully adjusting to a new country depends on your ability to make friends and assimilate into society.  MEETUP.COM is a great site that you can join and search for english speaking (or any language for that matter) groups near you, wherever you may be in the world.  Facebook also is a good place to check out events in your area, or also to write thoughtful reviews of restaurants, bars, etc in your new neighborhood so that you can start to build rapport.

***More expat tips to follow in future posts***

Je t'aime France!

Our last day in France was very bittersweet.  I never in the world thought that I would hesitate to leave, but I did.  I am so very excited to see my family and friends back home, especially my very pregnant best friend!  It has been close to 9 months since she found out she was pregnant, and of course, it happened right as I had arrived in France.  I can't wait to see her and soon greet her son into the world. There is definitely something to be said about a best friend who does not allow distance to minimize a friendship.

While I am excited to see my family and friends, I still can't shake a feeling of having to part with something that can only be experienced for yourself.
However, here is a list of my top 10 things I will miss about France:

1)The French "privacy" of maintaining good boundaries (I.e; people not getting into your business.  Many people give the French a hard time in saying that they are too curt, but counseling is my day job and the last thing I want to do is have a session with my waitress or postman.)

2)The genuineness of French emotions

(For example; people not forcing smiles when they don't mean it, people only laughing when things are really funny, not just because it's what the other person wants).

3)The Quiet.  My God can the French enjoy the silence!  (Example; A typical flight from Nice/Paris/Biarritz were some of the most quiet flights I've ever taken.  Even in restaurants, the French use their "inside voices" instead of trying to bolster attention in a room with a loud voice/conversation.)

4)To be able to walk to everything, including the grocery, and not have to drive. (Example; I could go to the grocery under our apartment and then if I forgot something, run back down.  No big deal. No gas. No car.)

5)The shaming of the plastic bag. (For example; when you go to the grocery in France, you must pay for bags.  They encourage you to bring your own reusable bags or if you must buy, they have paper bags for purchase.)

6)The active and healthy lifestyle including the amazing healthcare.

(For example; French person are pretty slim.  Perhaps it is the diet.  Perhaps it is the fact that they walk everywhere for the most part.  Maybe it's a bit if both.  Whatever it is, it's working.  Also, French doctors have given Alex and myself great care with carry over plans fr the States. The doctors were even sympathetic to the US' problem with high cost Rx and allowed us to fill 4 months worth of meds in France to take back with us! Super cheap and we get reimbursed for most of it).

7)The amazing FOOD!

(For example; for the most part, France does not allow GMOs and therefore, their fruits and veggies are some of the tastiest stuff on Earth. When they want sweets, they go for Gold with pure cane and not high fructose corn syrup.) the pastries, the cheese.....I will miss you!!

8)The reduction of major crime/violence.

(For example; France's violent crime and sexual assault rate is far less than the US.  It's just something that has to be felt to understand, but I will miss not having to look over my shoulder when walking downtown.)

9)The wonderful sense of a work/life balance and the importance of having a real lunch break. (For Example; in the States, as a LPC or even at the high school, you were lucky to get a lunch break.  In France, most places close from 12-2pm in order to have a proper lunch and rest.  Students even come home from school to have lunch at home.)

10)I will miss all of the international friends that Alex and I made while he was attending his MBA program.  It could have been anywhere in the world, but France made it that much more special and enjoyable.  

And now to be fair.....the Top 10 things I am looking forward to doing when I get "home:"

1)Seeing my wonderful family/friends

2)Rolling around in my in-law's land and pond (Yes, I discovered that I am definitely NOT a city girl!).

3)Eat some good ol' fashioned BBQ!

4)Eat at my favorite Japanese restaurant in the world, UMI (and see the wonderful Miyazaki family).

5)Get my favorite brands back (Burt's Bees and Ole Henriksen....oh how I have missed you!)

6)Saturday Night Steak Night....sponsored by the Master Chef, Dennis Gaines (AKA Big O) and Mawmaw Winkles.

7)Having a world full of possiblilities when it comes to pursuing the next step in my career.

8)Stand Up Paddleboarding 

9)Joining some form of MMA or Muay Thai gym again

10)Being able to watch the season finale of Game of Thrones on the night it airs!

A Goodbye from Biarritz/Pays Basque

For our last month in France, we decided to get a better feel for Biarritz (the little surf town we had visited in October).  We flew from Nice to Lyon to Biarritz and even Ruckus was pretty chill about it. We had some awesome friends drive us to the airport and come wish us well (Ray, Patrick, Alexis and Tats).  We are so lucky to have met such great people.  

When we landed in Biarritz, we were reminded of the magical beauty of the place.  Our cab driver got confused over the address and Eventhough he dropped us off in the middle of town, we manage to find another who got us to our resting place.  The apartment we rented was great (and huge for what we had been used to in Nice!).  It had a rustic charm but modern appliances (and even a dryer and dishwasher!!! Omg).  

In our first days, I managed to find a relatively cheap used surfboard rather than rent a board due to the high cost.  The surf was 100 yards away and it was the most beautiful break I have ever seen/surfed.  

Alex's parents came to stay with us for 2 weeks and the sky opened up the entire time they were here.  There were only 2 days we were able to lay out on the beach, but that was ok because we were able to explore Spain and the amazing Basque region.  

We visited Arcachon and La Dune du Pyla again to take the parents (who loved it!), ate at a really neat pizza place, visited a bird park, drive around the Basque Pyrenees region where we ran into sheep, cows, goats, and horses, went into the grottos of the Basque region where some of the very first men were recorded to have lived, went through San Sebastián and Bilbao, Spain, and even walked through some medieval villages and citadels.  Needless to say we also ate our way through the Basque region with some wonderful food.

One of my most favorite days was when I taught Wink how to surf!  She did absolutely wonderful and I hope I will be able to get her back out in the surf when we return to the states.

Right after Wink and Dennis left, Alex's classmates (Teru, Tats, and Patrick) drive from Nice to Biarritz to surf and have some fun.  We had some amazing times in the ocean with Teru learning how to surf and the rest of the guys surfing for the GoPro camera I mounted on my board.  At night time, the fun never stopped as the guys dance their way through the streets and we played stupid games like "would you rather."  It was the perfect send off with such special people.  

(Below is a link to a short video of some fun we had in Biarritz)

http://youtu.be/R0YCFPwE7mU

Anarchy in the UK

The weekend after my family returned to California, Alex and I traveled to London to visit his Uncles Dan and Mario.  Alex had been to London when he was very young and could barely remember any of it, but it was my first time, and I had no clue what to expect.

Our flight started off being delayed by nearly 2 hours and then when we finally reached London, we had to take the Gatwick Express into Fitzrovia.  By the time that happened, it was around 1am, but Dan was very sweet to wait on us as at the station and we got a big hug from Mario and lots of licks from Dumela the brilliant Lab upon arriving at the flat.

The next few days were filled with tours of London (the London and Tower bridges, the Tower of London, the Ee of London, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, the Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace, and my ultimate favorite....Camden!).

Dan and Mario were very good hosts and took us to some amazing places to eat.  I even branched out and tried some new food!  Wink was thoughtful and picked up the tab for some of the most wonderful Indian food I have ever eaten, right down the street from the Happy Go Lucky Funeral Parlour. 

We even stopped in to eat dinner with the Creek family, after John Creek had helped Alex compile a sponsor package when he was soliciting sponsors for Grand-Am.  They were do kind to have us in their home, cook for us, and allow us to keep them up until midnight sharing stories.

Camden was my favorite place though.  Sure, it's a little grungy, dirty, what have you, but I am blown away by the creative spirit that town has!  Not only did they have a marketplace with foods from all over the world, they had some of the best shops and art around.  I think Alex's favorite part of the trip wa the glow in the dark rave shop we found in Camden.  There are no words to describe it!

All in all, we had great fun with Fan and Mario and London followed through with surprising me, in a good way.  If it weren't for the rain, we would be tempted to live in the UK for sure.

Family, Friends, & Farewells

To kick off Spring's first warmth in Nice, my Grandmother, Carol, came to visit us. This was her first time ever traveling abroad and she had to apply for a passport in the month leading up to her trip.  Traveling outside of the US had been something that nobody had done in my family until my initial trip to France back in 2012.  My Grandmother told me that it was her father's dream to visit China after he had befriended a local owner of a Chinese restaurant.  He was determined to go, but my Great Grandfather never made it.  Even my Grandmother had dreams of going to the birthplace of our Farquharson heritage, Scotland, but did not have a passport until we invited her to France.

It was wonderful to show my Grandmother a whole new world.  We visited St. Tropez, Cannes, Eze, and Monaco.  She really enjoyed Nice life and the French culture.  Even though I could not bring her to Scotland, I think she was happy to visit a place where she never even ha dreamed of going and being surprised by what she found.

Needless to say, since my Grandmother's return, she struggles to find a croissant or pastry that can suffice (Sorry for the headache Grandpa Dan!)

After my Grandmother left to return to the States, my good friend Shannon Blankenship and her boyfriend, Cliff, came to enjoy a Spring Break in Paris and Nice.  It was completely impressive that Cliff drove all the way from Paris to Nice (an 8 hour ride after a 12-13 hour flight from the States!). What a pro.  

We quickly gave Cliff an impromptu Frenh lesson so that he could charm the locals into getting his food quickly and getting what he wants.  We made several trips.  From Monaco (drove the Grand Prix track) to Eze, to rally car racing the rental call up through the French/Italian mountains and almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.  We had a blast! The time was much too short though, and we hope to be able to have many more adventures with them both very soon.

Right after Shannon and Cliff left for Charlotte, my Stepmother, Father, and younger Brother came to visit.  I was very anxious to see them, as I had not seen them for quite some time.  They flew all the way from California, which is an additional 5 hours tacked onto the 10-13 it takes to get from Charlotte to France.  Just like the others, we took them everywhere; St Tropez, Monaco, Cannes, Eze, and hiked around Nice.  They got to experience a bike ride on the Velo Bleus on the Promenade des Anglais and many nights of amazing French cuisine.  However, I believe Kathy and Josh's favorite food was the macaroons while my father's was the sorbet.  Everyone's favorite restaurant hands down was La Rossetterie where you can order almost any type of roasted meat and side dish with an amazing dessert.

The last night my family was in town, Alex had his school's farewell dinner.  It was only then did he realize that he was really finished with his MBA and our time in France was limited.  It's amazing how the time has flown by! (Nice bra Alexis!)

In Tunisia....in a Galaxy Far Far Away!

On Alex's Dpring Break from school, we decided to take a short trip to Djerba which is a small island off the coast of Tunisia, a 2 hour flight from Nice, France. Tunisia and the small island of Djerba are famous for Star Wars having been filmed there.  It is also on the map more recently for having been the birthplace of the Arab Spring.  

The airport in Djerba is very small.  When we wet through customs, the only uncomfortable moment we had was when the customs agents smirked at us when they saw our American passports.  Outside the resort, there was clear evidence of a recen revolution. There were obvious signs of bomb blasts in the buildings having never been fixed, and a proper litter disposal was lacking to say the least.  I asked a local about the litter and he denied that Djerba had a problem and instead, blamed the litter issue on the ocean.  After inspecting several pieces of trash, all which was in Arabic, I would say that the island has a litter problem for sure.

On the resort, you would never know that the island had gone trough any recent turmoil, it was a sparkling palace.  Every staff member could speak at least 3-5 languages, which was very impressive!  Most of the staff members were from Djerba or mainland Tunisia.  The hotel was very impressive and very inexpensive.  

The first night at the hotel, Alex had been struggling with good poisoning from a new place we had tried in Nice, France and finally succumbed to the sickness.  We were able to relax that night in our room and rest up for the days to come.  The next morning, he felt much better and finally ate something.  We laid under the palapas on the beach and made plans to go horseback riding the next day.  I managed to find the island cats who seemed to have made our hotel their hang out.  That night we ate at one of the resort's restaurants and listened to some live music.

The next day we rode horses on the beach and through the sand dunes.  It was amazing and it felt good to be on a horse again!  The last time Alex or I had been on a horse was before we were teens. Our guide was really funny, spoke very good English, and kept us entertained with all his stories about his family and the island.

Midway through the ride, I had to switch horses with Alex because the horse I rode was the guide's favorite and therefore was very rebellious because he allowed him to get away with a lot more than the other horses.  His rebellion towards me consisted of taking multiple side tours to eat grass and whatever else he wanted.  When we switched, he seemed to mind Alex much better! 

The next day we enjoyed the spa at the hotel where we were able to get massages and swim in the saltwater pool and sweat everything out in the huge hammam.  Sometimes it is nice to just have everything quiet.

The day before we left, we took advantage of one last massage at the spa, more swimming, and more beach time, and Alex even worked on some school projects.  We enjoyed some local music that night, and watched the sunset from our balcony.  It was a great relaxing trip in a new foreign country.  The people were nice, intelligent, and the flight time from Nice was not bad at all.  In general, Djerba was a cool place to see and I hope that it can grow and learn green, sustainable practices.

A weekend in Paris

With break coming to an end, our last weekend before returning to school would be spent in Paris for a meeting with the Director of the Family Business Center and the EDHEC Job Fair. This weekend couldn't have come at a better time as we had recently come back from Rome and had taken other small adventures around the Nice area.  We had just taken a train to Ventimiglia, Italy a few days before with our friends from Brasil (Henrique and Gabriela) to check out the large outdoor market and have lunch.  We were ready for another adventure!

We arrived in Paris very late on Wednesday night, so we decided to go straight to our hotel in e Latin Quarter of Paris which was next to the Jardin de Luxembourg.  Little did we know, our hotel was the same building where Sigmond Freud had lived for two years.  An interesting coincidence indeed!  She. We awoke the next morning, we went for a walk around he neighborhood and ended up eating at a small cafe outside of the Pantheon.  Eventhough I really enjoy the food in Nice, I had forgotten just how wonderful the food in Paris was......Amazing!  

(EDHEC in Paris)

Alex had to leave around lunchtime to attend the EDHEC Job Fair and a meeting with the Director of the Family Business Center (FBC), from which he hoped to obtain an internship.  With Alex gone, it left me time to wander and eventually end up in front of the TV watching BBC soaps and house hunters.....don't ask me how I ended up sucked into this, it just happened ok?!

Upon his return, Alex had wonderful news.  He had not received an internship opportunity, but instead a part time job with the FBC!  He was so excited and could not wait to tell me about what he would be doing.  Alex would be tasked with detailing a competitive analysis of the market of FBCs around the world.  From his analysis, EDHEC will be able to further develop their own FBC to make it the most cutting edge and renowned.  (After returning to Nice and meeting with human resources we would discover that not only will Alex be getting paid, he will be receiving full healthcare, a pension, and even meal tickets!) Vive la France!!

We celebrated that night by going to a restaurant that one of my clients had recommended, Le Procope.  This restaurant is one of the oldest in Paris and had frequent visitors from La Fontaine to Voltaire, Rousseau, Beaumarchais, Balzac, Hugo, Verlaine, and even the infamous Napoleon.  In the past, it was known as the spot for intellectuals, artists, and politicians (please notice how I separated intellectuals from politicians).  The food was wonderful.  Alex had a beef stew while I had a shrimp dish, of course.  The dessert was great too. Eventhough Tiramisu is Italian, my taste buds like the French version better.

The next day we had some very special events planned.  At noon we took the metro to the Cafe des Chats (Cat Cafe) where we were surrounded by cats of all kinds as we ate our lunch.  And because I am a crazy cat lady and can read cat behavior, I spotted a cat who looked to be very anxious.  I watched him from time to time wondering if he had just been dropped into this odd place.  My suspicions were confirmed when I witnessed him peeing under our table as we were up petting a kitten.  I told our waitress about the accident and she was embarrassed,but I asked her if the cat was new and she said that he had just been brought in that morning. Poor little guy!  Other than the accident, the place was a pretty neat experience.  The cats were really mellow and would sleep anywhere.  The food wasn't too bad either.  

After the Cat Cafe, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower.  We had purchased tickets online so that we would not have to stand in the long lines (I recommend this very much as they will let you in the very front of the line when you buy online).  Since we arrived early for our tour, we went to find a padlock that we could write our names and wedding date on.  Traditionally, married couples will place their lock on a certain bridge on the Seine River and there is also another bridge for lovers, but we decided that we would be a little brave and lock ours onto the Eiffel Tower since the tower itself had meaning in our relationship (Alex proposed to me on November 23, 2005 on top of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas).

The tower itself is a magnificent engineering feat.  When we rode the elevator up, we discovered that the elevator doesn't go precisely vertical.  It starts off at more of an angle, then goes vertical after the first floor.  Needless to say, it has an amazing view.  We saw for miles and it was neat to see the entirety of Paris, it was like a painting.  We decided to take the stairs back down to see the internal structure of the tower and to get a different perspective.  Going down the stairs wasn't nearly as exhausting as coming up would be!  

Seeing the big city must have been too much for my country husband.  The next day, we rented a car and drove into the countryside.  We took a very long tunnel to Versailles, visited a "horse town" which was beautiful, and drove into some very serene farmland in the middle of nowhere.  It was very nice to see this side, just outside the city limits of Paris.  We even saw a farm cat! We also came across one of the best sandwiches I had ever eaten (it had Rosemary, cheese, and lettuce).  It was a beautiful end to our quick trip to Paris.

(Versailles)

(Somewhere in between Paris and Versailles)

(Flying over the snow covered Alps, back to Nice)

A Very Special Birthday!

I have never enjoyed having my birthday on Christmas Eve.  Many people like to say things like, "Oh, I bet you get combo gifts (Christmas/birthday gifts)," or "Oh boy! You get double the presents!" But in reality, or in my own reality at least, it's not about the gifts.  It's about the people.  Usually I can't ever get all my friends together on my actual birthday because of Christmas gatherings with families and other holiday celebrations.  But this year was a little different and special.....

The day before my birthday, Alex and I were trying to get ready for our quick trip to Rome and decided to get dinner fairly early in order to get to bed early.  We went out with his classmate, Tatsuya, and had some cupcakes as a little celebration of our own (I, apparently was the only one not aware of the plans for the night).  After dinner, Alex told me that one of our friends from Ecuador, John, had something for me and we needed to go see him.  We waited outside the apartment forever waiting for our friends to let us in, but once inside, I discovered that it was a surprise birthday dinner for me!  

This was huge.  Alex has never EVER been able to surprise me since we've been together.  I think I am getting rusty in my old age!  Our friends from Ecuador and Brazil (John, Gabriella, and Henrique) had planned a dinner and made a very tasty one at that.  We even had two guests who John had met and invited that day from Mexico and Venezuela.  The food was great, the company was great, and in this foreign country the timing couldn't have been better.  We ate the birthday cake until there was no more left and we laughed and talked about world issues until midnight came and it was officially my birthday.

On top of this wonderful surprise, I also had an All-American birthday dinner at a local American 50's dinner with all of my new found friends from around the world!  We had a great time laughing and shoving our faces full of greasy hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes.  Highlight of the conversation: talking about what roosters say in different languages!  Thank you Rami for fooling us for about an hour in saying that roosters in Egypt say "babada."  These moments will remain in my heart forever, and so will the knowledge of creating things on Wikipedia for personal conversation advantage ; ) .

Thank you my friends and my sweet husband!  I will never forget my first ever surprise birthday at the oh so wonderful age of 29!