Thursday 19 August 2010

First concepts

Moving to a foreign country is not easy.

When I was 16 my family moved to New Zealand. It cost Dad money to fly 7 of us there, ship our things and then live frugally whilst he worked at less than ideal local jobs until he was established.

Moving to France was similar for me when I came from the Southern Hemisphere.

For the first year, everything I had to do was difficult - from getting my car washed to buying food.

Language was one cause. Associate with native French speakers of the local language. They like your accent, they don't expect you to get things right. Once you realise that you will relax when dealing with people that deliberately talk fast because they are afraid they will have to use their rusty primary school English.

Familiarity with the system is the other cause. France seems to expect that you will know what to do when you get here, but you won't know. Perhaps French people are born knowing that you have to park your car in the car wash before you put the money in, but if you are like me you won't know that. You are going to make mistakes - but you need only make them once.

Trust me - it does get easier.

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