Planning our new life in France Blog

Update, one year on

It's been a year since the last blog post, and a lot has happened in the meantime. We moved to Brussels 11 months ago when Mr P. got a one year contract as an IT manager with a bank, and we have just learned that it has been extended for another year. "This is just a stepping stone to get to France" we told ourselves before we moved. But we changed my mind on that within the first two weeks (at least I did. Mr P. needed a bit of persuading). Having spent years trying to find the perfect place to live in France, we have now understood that to move countries and change your life is about being realistic. Unless you have a lot of money or you are self-employed or speak fluent French, the dream of moving can easily remain a dream. If I had a pound for every hour I've spent searching for run down farmhouses in the middle of nowhere on the internet, I'd probably be able to buy one! For us, without a lump sum to buy a house outright, and needing to work but not being fluent in French, we needed a place with an international jobmarket, and that's what we didn't find in France. For those of you who want to live the "francophone life" but need to work, and don't mind living in a city, I can recommend Brussels with all my heart. It's a place without to many airs and graces, where life is good and, for a capital, very cheap. If you are tearing your hear out about how to make your move to the continent work on a financial basis, look into it! I'm parked for the day near the radiator in a wifi cafe off Avenue Louise, a swish are of Brussels, trying to do some work. Instead, I'm listening to the buzz of customers who have come in from nearby offices to enjoy their lunchtime conversation and soup du jour. I study the neatly coiffed heads and touchingly perfect suit and tie combinations, the frequent arm movements which manage to be restrained and animated at the same time, and marvel at being here.