I recently read articles about how social media can be toxic, and how it can make someone’s life look so wonderful when in reality it isn’t.  It inspired me to write this post, as I’m sure a lot of people look at us and think about how great this life as an expat must be.

Now let me start of by saying, yes, this life as an expat is great.  It has blessed us with many positive things: I get to stay home with my kids, we get to live in a beautiful country that many people wish they could visit, Ryan gets a LOT of vacation time, we get to travel and visit other cities and countries, and we get to experience another culture and way of life for a little while.  We have thoroughly enjoyed the food, the wine, the coffee, the pastries/breads/desserts, and the city life.   We love that we can walk everywhere, and that we have people/business owners that we pass everyday that we always stop to talk to.  We love that we are learning another language and that our daughter is bilingual.  We are so thankful for the amazing healthcare that we receive here and how much more affordable it is than in the US.  We enjoy a less stressful, less materialistic life here.  I could talk a lot about the positives.

Of course, most things in life have a negative aspect to it.  The biggest negative is being so far from family and friends.  We rarely see our family, our parents have come to visit once a year and we don’t see other family.  Trying to talk to friends can be difficult because there is a 6 hour time difference and we have young children that we try to keep on a schedule.  A lot of times we are out doing something or taking care of our kids or putting them to sleep when our friends are available to talk.  It breaks my heart that my mom and Ryan’s parents aren’t getting to see their grandchildren and experience all of their firsts and changes and holidays and birthday parties etc.  And sometimes it would be really nice to have family nearby to take the kids once in awhile so Ryan and I could have some time to ourselves.  There are times where parents just need a break and we don’t get that very often.

Because we are so far away, it is very expensive to travel back to the US.  It is also hard to take a long trip with 3 separate flights with 2 young kids.  We have decided not to make this trip until it is time for us to move home.  I have had 3 family members pass away since we have lived here and I haven’t been able to be there.  My grandmother passed away 2 weeks after Reese was born and I wasn’t able to say goodbye, to fully mourn and realize she was gone.

There is also the fact that we are foreigners.  There’s so much I could say about this and I will write a separate post about it.  But in summary, being different and speaking a different language can make a lot of things difficult and can test your patience,  confidence and morale.  There are many times we are stressed, confused, annoyed, frustrated etc because of the language barrier and the difference in cultures.

Many of us expats have a spouse who travels a lot.  This happens in the US too, but in general it can be tough on the worker and the spouse…and even the kids.  And when you throw living in a different country into the mix, it can sometimes make it that much worse.

Lastly, I have to mention the terrorism that Europe has experienced since we’ve lived here.  While awful things happen in the US too, it can be scary to live and travel in/near these areas have been affected by terrorism.  There have been times I’ve questioned whether we should move home, or if we should visit a certain city because maybe there could be a terrorist attack there.  But most times I try to think we must not live in fear and we need to live our lives.

This post isn’t meant to complain about things, but to shed some light on what the “full” expat experience is like for anyone who thinks it’s all glamorous.

But thank you God, and Michelin, for this amazing opportunity with all of its ups and downs!

Ok this post is a bit late….like the end of the summer late, but we did something life changing this summer and got an air conditioner!

Air conditioning is very rare here. Even many stores, restaurants, and doctors offices don’t have A/C….so summer here can be sticky (and smelly).  We survived our first 2 summers here without A/C, but when I saw another expat selling one, I had to snatch it up.  And according to Ryan, we are now living like rich people.  Now, this A/C is not like having central air in our home back in the US…its a big thing that we have to fill with water and stick a hose out the window.  However, none of our windows open by pushing them up, they open like doors, so when we put the hose out the window there is a large gap which we need to cover with styrofoam (which sometimes blows in and we have to fix it).  It doesn’t get too cool in here, but just enough to feel comfortable and it works better than the fans we were using.

It’s funny how you can adjust to things that aren’t what you are used to.  While we’ve had some days in the past that were about 100 degrees and very uncomfortable inside, we survived and it’s not a big deal to us anymore.  While I love the comfort of A/C in the US, I do think we overuse it.  Stores and restaurants have the A/C so high that some people need to wear a sweater.  However, I think in France they do the opposite.  In the winter the heat in the stores can be so high that I am sweating even if I take my jacket off.  Nowhere is perfect, right?

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Ahhhh…the August vacation has begun.  The month where the French take 3 weeks off, sometimes the whole month!  Usually Ryan has 3 weeks in a row of vacation, but this year Ryan has to travel to Barcelona next week so his vacation is broken up a little.  We’ve had some crazy weather this summer where some days the high is only 70 and the morning is only around 60 degrees.  Other days are 95 degrees.  Yesterday we decided to go to Lac Chambon which is about 30 minutes from our apartment.

Lac Chambon is great….there is a beach area, with a shallow kids pool behind it and a playground next to the pool.  There is also a trail around the entire lake and of course boat rentals etc.  We didn’t get to enjoy everything there as we only spent the morning at the lake but the kids had a great time in the sand and water.  There is a restaurant right near the beach area overlooking the lake and we enjoyed a nice outdoor lunch before heading home for nap time.

We’ll definitely be taking another trip to the lake when Ryan returns from tire testing in Barcelona!

Little Miss Makenna is known for her very outgoing personality, and her glasses.  For those of you who don’t know, Makenna has had glasses since she was 6 months old.  I took her to her 6 month checkup and the pediatrician noticed a speck on Makenna’s pupil and thought it could be a cataract so I took her straight to the ophthalmologist later that day.  Thankfully we found out she did not have a cataract, but a small piece of her iris is stuck to her pupil.  It is nothing to worry about and it doesn’t affect her vision, but because of that appointment we found out that she was very farsighted in her right eye.  Makenna needed glasses and at first it was very hard for Ryan and I to see our little baby wearing glasses, but we were happy that she had no serious problems and we quickly got used to seeing her with her new accessory.  Because she got them so young, they really have become a part of who Makenna is and it is odd for us to see her without them!

In France, babies are recommended to have their vision checked between 6 and 9 months.  Our pediatrician recommended a different ophthalmologist than the one we have been taking Makenna to, so we scheduled an appointment for both Makenna and Reese with the new doctor.  The interesting, and sometimes difficult, thing about these appointments in France is that patients need to buy medication at the pharmacy to dilate their eyes on their own before they go to the doctor.  This is not an easy task with a baby/toddler, but somehow after some wrestling and screaming I get the job done.  The appointment went great and we had good news for both kids: Reese’s vision is fine and Makenna needed to switch to a lower prescription!  We still don’t know how long she will need glasses for but it could be the rest of her childhood.

We went to the optician to order new lenses, and I was told that Makenna’s frames were getting too small for her and she needed new frames.  Big girl glasses.  I wasn’t quite ready for my little girl to move on from her “baby” frames….but Makenna was so excited to pick out new glasses.  She tried on all kinds of frames and had fun looking in the mirror and making faces, and she finally chose a pair that are clear with pink flowers.

Makenna loves her new glasses and she looks so grown up wearing them!