Here We Go Again - Day 1

Well, not really Day 1. I guess Day 1 was really that day last year when Paul said do you want to move to France because I have a job offer. Since then we have been preparing paperwork, applying for visas, packing, and, of course, going on with all the usual things we do.

So, finally after the inevitable delays, Paul flew off leaving Isabelle and me in a temporary apartment in Greenville to start his job and to begin to settle things in France. This is what we did when we moved to South Carolina and seemed to work well so we thought we would do it again. Also, it allowed us to have Isabelle change schools nearer the scheduled school vacation and change of semesters.

Unlike many of his colleagues and, I think, as a result of his particular skill set and bilingualism (and Isabelle's too - mine is still very shaky) we are not in the usual spot for expats with his company but in a small city, Chalon-sur-Saône, between Lyon and Dijon in the east of France.

Paul arrived about six weeks ago and very promptly found a wonderful apartment in Centre-Ville - our preference due to the location of Isabelle's school and that we would like to have just one car. Within a week of settling on the apartment, the container arrived with all of our furniture and in short order he also set up telephone, internet, tv, gas, water and then bought a car. And while there is still a lot of unpacking and organizing to be done, he did the hard part.

So, yesterday we arrived after tearful goodbyes in Greenville and relatively easy flights through Washington and Brussels (I am still glad we opted for Brussels over Heathrow). Paul picked us up at the airport in Lyon, we had a quick lunch and were home by 2. Our most precious cargo, Paul's requested bottle of dark rum arrived safely too but unfortunately one bottle of Diane's precious canned clams didn't make it - but we think the lid popped in flight because it didn't seem to be broken.

We looked at the apartment for a bit making a to-do list and after went for a big walk - past Isabelle's school, to the post office to pick up a registered letter and through the old town. Then back home for dinner. Isabelle nearly fell asleep at the table and right after dinner got in her jammers, brushed her teeth and went to bed - now 12 hours later she is still sleeping.

Now to start our second day with a walk to the market, a visit to Isabelle's school, a coffee with a colleague of Paul's and his wife and maybe some time unpacking and organizing some more.