Monday, January 31, 2011

First Day of School...

Across the street from Grandpa's house -James' dad moved here from London thus the reason we chose Nice- there is an international bilingual school called the ABC School. We thought it would be a good idea to look into it for Taylor so he could start learning French without being totally lost in an all French school.  Their mode is every other hour is in English, therefore every other lesson he gets a mental break.


Well it wasn't too expensive so we enrolled him starting January 1st.  He's been there four weeks and is starting to gather a few phrases here and there and making some friends.  Nikita seems to be his favorite. :)  He still fights learning the language but this weekend we started going over simple verbs and pronouns like, I have, you have, he/she has, and I am, you are, he/she is.  He's not totally resisting but I'll have to be creative about this or find him a fun tutor to help him get off the starting block.


I hear from other mother's with children in similar situations that they worry about the child's sense of confidence.  I agree.  We went to a park early in January and T didn't want to go in.  I asked why and he said, "Because the kids all speak French."  It broke my heart because this was not the Taylor I knew.  I reminded him that he had a friend in NY who basically spoke only Spanish and hardly any English and they didn't have any problem playing together and being great friends.  He agreed and in we went.


Well, he tried with a group of kids and it wasn't super successful until eventually he found another little girl who didn't speak French either.  But, she only spoke Dutch.  Funny.  Alas, they played together for over an hour until we had to leave.  Success. 


I see that in the group situation the other kids aren't being mean, it's just they don't know how to relate to a child when they don't understand what he's saying, so it's just easier to go back to their group and ignore him/her.  But once it's only one child facing another child they always find a way to connect.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

And the Adventure Begins...Dec 1st, 2010



So James and I planned to live in Nice, France for the winter (to try it out) and then if happy, come back, pack up and move permanently after our lease in NYC ended.  After a cold and snowy winter last year I was all for a few months in the South of France.  Who would in their right mind say no to a husband whisking the family off to pastries, coffee in outdoor cafes and afternoon strolls on the beach?  It would be a financial risk since I would most likely not be able to work, but it was only three months.  So, I said bye to my agents, friends, and family, pulled Taylor out of Preschool, got the dog a Pet Passport, found a renter for our apartment, packed as minimally as I could and off we flew.


Just in time actually since major snow storms followed right behind us and have blanketed NY nonstop in feet and feet of snow!


Then December 15th-ish James comes to me and says..."I have an idea...how about you stay out here with the kids and I go back in March to pack the house.  No sense in the kids and the dog going through the flight again if they don't have to."  He really likes his curveballs!


And so the adventure truly begins...stay tuned.  :)

Friday, January 21, 2011

Opening Remarks....the Backstory

Hello folks and welcome.  James came to me about a year ago and said..."Maybe we should move to France."  You see his dad had sold his house in London and was moving to a sunnier climate.  James always has the itch to move around but I was happy in New York.  I was a commercial actress and print model and doing quite well.  Not many of us can do that and not supplement with a waiting or bar tending job. I was comfortable and scared to leave a job I loved doing and move across the world to a place where I didn't speak the language.  And the French are very particular about their language.  


But the idea was intriguing and I had always wanted to live in Europe, although I never really thought it could become a reality.  Thank you stars for sending James my way!  Finally I relented and gave in, not that it was that hard to do.  Sometimes you just have to decide that life is more important and the world is a big wonderful place that should be seen and experienced.  


So, here we are.  As of December 1st we are living in Nice, France.  And no, I still don't know the language.  Which proves very frustrating at the grocery store when I can't find the right kind of deodorant.


I decided to share my experience with anyone who wants to have a peek into my life, or to simply do a bit of a vicarious traveling.  I'll share our trips to fun villages, cities, other countries, the markets, a simple grocery store run gone bad, as well as the pressures and the fun of life as an Expat.  There will be videos, photos, and sometimes just plain text.  I have a bit of a backlog to get the story straight, so bare with me as I get the old video edited and start from the beginning.


Soon....promise.  When you get a minute come back.  Promise there will be fun things to see.
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