Twenty-Two Years in France

The good, the bad, the reality

I knew I wanted to live in France since I was 16 years old. I became a French citizen 16 years ago. Over the last 22 years I’ve lived in a village of 400 people in the south of France, a town of 1200 in Normandy, and have been in Paris for the last 10 years.

We didn’t move with a bucket full of money, to escape a country’s new regime or end a relationship. We weren’t trying to re-invent ourselves or stave off a mid-life crisis.

We moved because France felt real. It embodied the values of a slower pace of life, appreciation of community, food, and time spent with loved ones, with less focus on consumerism and more focus on living. Now, France is not without its problems, just like any other place in the world. But I don’t regret moving here, despite the language issues, the bureaucracy, any of it, for one second. France has a joie de vivre vibe that suits me.

Here are just a few observations I have made over the years.

1. Embracing the pace of life in a village of 400 people does wonders for your stress level

2. If you tasted a new French cheese every day for 5 years, you still wouldn’t have tasted them all

3. Patience, Patience, Patience. And did I mention Patience?

4. Always order the le croissant au beurre

5. The health system (which is not free, btw) is fabulous

6. Most coffee in cafés is bad. But hell, I go to cafés for a good croque monsieur and people watching, so who cares

7. Eat with the seasons

8. Allow (at least) 2 hours for lunch with a friend

9. It’s not all bonbons and champagne

10. Bicycles now outnumber cars in Paris, which is great! However, many of them are so aggressive I feel like I’m more likely to be run down by a cyclist long before I’ll be run over by a car

11. Moving abroad means exiting your comfort zone. Either embrace that fact, or don’t do it

12. The art of the shrug is to be perfected

13. A really good baguette…what more can I say?

14. Good eggs (along with fuel for your car or electricity) have never been, and probably will never be, inexpensive

15. It sounds cliché, but enjoy the simple things

16. Every region of France that I’ve visited so far has charmed me in its own unique way - if you come to Paris, try to jump on a train and visit another part of the country, even for a day trip. Paris does not “define” France

17. Steak-frites are overrated

18. The food markets are still one of my favorite aspects of living here

19. The hand-churned butter is life changing, especially if it’s full of crunchy sea salt crystals

20. The pharmacists are the best!

21. My experience of living in France is not the same as anyone else’s. Living in the south, then Normandy and then Paris are very, very different

22. Can we talk about le fromage? This alone is worth all the hoop jumping it took to become a citizen (I should also include le vin)

Have you moved abroad? If so, how have you found the experience? I’m always curious to hear from others!

Thank you for reading!