It’s hard to believe it, but today marks 4 years since we arrived in France. In keeping with Frog Blog tradition, such a milestone warrants a special retrospective entry and this year, I’m afraid you’ve got me again to author it. So, four years down the road: where are we now?
After the bleakness of our second year anniversary, in which we were in a dire financial situation and uncertain if we would be here a year hence, last year’s was far more upbeat. The serendipitous timing of the contract that Matt landed at BCMD took the financial pressure off for us. Indeed, thanks to the generosity of Mother France, the dole money that ensued after he was laid off has only just this month run out, so up to now, we have been doing ok and have had money enough for sundry things like loft insulation, vet bills, a trip to Greece, the dreaded taxes and all the other random things that have cropped up during 2013.
Now ‘on our own again’ so to speak, we’re once again faced with the fundamental reality that we dont earn enough money to live on, and certainly not enough to save for the future. We’ve been lucky with the acquisition of some decent new clients this year who represent repeat/regular work – but we need more for Port 80 Services to become viable. Achieving that goal will be a major focus of 2014.
I think 2013 was a massive milestone for me in that it was only this year that I finally realised I was genuinely content here and that my occasional bouts of wishing I was back in the UK had ceased. Many expats out here speak about the ‘2 year itch’: once the honeymoon period is over, they start missing home and many often leave at that point. For me, I had my first moment of doubt after around 6 months and had been plagued by them off and on ever since – until this year. In fairness, this is due in no small part to the state of the UK. Its right wing government, backed by a biased media, has created a toxic atmosphere. Policies like “immigrants go home”, the crackdown on “health tourism” and on perceived benefit scroungers are sadly popular with the people, even though there are no facts to support them. The UK is now in a situation where the poor and disadvantaged are suffering the most – the inevitable result of any conservative rule. I love my home country but at the moment, I just can’t identify with what’s happening there and have no desire to return. I do of course still miss friends and family back home terribly but would rather visit the UK as a holiday destination to see them than live there permanently.
On the topic of friends, perhaps the biggest factor in my change of attitude towards la vie francaise has been the expansion of our social circle. As we’ve said on many occasions, we are very lucky to be blessed with great neighbours, both French and English, with whom we get on well – even if all of them are retired so in a very different situation to us. Alongside these, Nat & Jill, Lee & Richard and Francoise & Phillipe have all been fantastic finds. Without them, I’d find it very hard to remain at peace with our life here. At the same time, I’m aware that this is somewhat precarious: Nat & Jill are keen to move away, Francoise is desperate to return to Australia (a prospect that is beginning to look more likely) and Lee & Richard are so busy with their own social scene that we barely see them anymore.
Also, and while I don’t want this to be one of my doom and gloom entries, I am not coping well with the onset of winter. The cold and dark is one thing, but the real killer, as we’ve learned, is the isolation of a rural winter. Nothing happens out here for months at a time. It is a very jarring contrast to the summer peak when every weekend there’s at least one fete to attend. With the exception of a band practise session, I dont think I’ve seen another human being apart from Matt since our friend Kevin left a week ago. We did nothing last weekend, nothing during the week, and have another weekend of nothing looming. Knowing this will be the norm until spring returns is hard to deal with. I predict that if we choose to leave the Dordogne (as opposed to being forced to for financial reasons) it will be due to being unable to survive another winter.
Ok, enough moping. There are many great things we’ve achieved in our time out here that should get a mention. First, we should both be proud to have lasted 4 years in a foreign country, becoming self-employed for the first time in our lives and learning lots of new web skills along the way. We’ve both improved our French sufficiently to deal with anything that may crop up, and frequently have soirées at which only French is spoken all night. I’ve learnt to drive. We’ve acquired the 2 cutest and most lovable cats in the world (even if, like me, they’re a bloody pain in the arse during the winter) who are a delight to us. They turn 4 next February: that more than anything brings home to me how long we’ve been here. All these things merit celebration and wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t taken our rash plunge 4 years ago.
2014 offers a potential new milestone as well. French law states that after 5 consecutive years here, we’ll both have the right to apply for citizenship – something I’m seriously considering. The main benefit will be the ability to vote in presidential elections – but I also view it as a form of insurance. There’s little chance of the UK exiting the EU, but polls show that should the proposed referendum on the subject take place, most would vote to leave. I dont know what that would mean for the 200,000 or so Brits out here in France – but with dual citizenship, we’d be protected.
So, will we be here in Mazeroux this time next year, celebrating year 5 as we submit our applications for citizenship? In all honesty, I don’t know, but probably – and I’d certainly like to think so.