Why A Year Abroad? Jeff and I have always dreamed of living abroad in France. Even in the early stages of our relationship, it was an important to us. Then life happened. We had jobs that would make it difficult to do and we had a son who was very, very sick. So we put it on the back burner. But then things began to change. Jeff got this amazing job with Fire Engine RED, where he works from home and Will got better. After two years of monitoring his health and getting permission from Jeff's boss, our dream became a reality.
Why France? Jeff and I have always loved France. We have also traveled there many times as a couple over the years. We also both studied French in school. (Thankfully, Jeff still remembers quite a bit.) France also allows us the opportunity to travel, with its close proximity to other European countries.
Why Now? We chose this school year to be gone mostly because of Edy. In Northfield, middle school is grades sixth, seventh, and eighth. We felt it was important for her to be there for sixth grade, with it being such a huge transition. We also felt that eighth grade was the year to best prepare her for high school. So seventh grade was the year for her to miss. Will will be missing fifth grade at home. While we are sad about this, we feel this experience can't be passed up.
What Will You Do? This is really a great question! For the first nine months, we will live in a small apartment in Paris. We want our kids to experience city living. Right now we live in the most amazing small town, where doors can be left unlocked, and kids can bike all around town. Paris will offer us the opportunity to see what it is like to live a different lifestyle. The kids will learn to ride public transportation and get around by unmotorized scooters. They will "attend" school with me in our apartment in the mornings, before we head off to explore in the afternoons. They will be responsible for helping to plan our outings, our trips, and even our meals, while abroad. Then, in April, we will move down to the town of Menton, on the French/Italian border, for the last three months. Hopefully, we can continue with our studies, while swimming in the Mediterranean every day.
What About Your Home? We have been fortunate enough to find the best renters while we are gone. This amazing family will look after our home, taking care of all of our possessions and responsibilities. The same can be said about our cars. We have two different families renting our cars for the year.
Where Will You Live? Believe it or not, we don't have a place rented in Paris yet. We are just starting to look. Places move so quickly over there that we didn't want to pay rent for an apartment too far in advance. Just this morning, we saw another apartment, virtually, with our amazing relocation person, Michelle. She is busy helping us find a place to stay with our July 8 arrival date!
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. We hope you come along with us on this journey. Look for posts from all four of us throughout the year!
Love,
Betsy
