I made the move here (to France) a little over two years ago. At first, I wasn't able to get a long-stay Visa, so I had to go back and forth every 3 months (90 days here, 90 days back in the US). But, during my first 90 days I met someone (even though I had serious doubts that I would, but I was certainly open to it), and we fell in love. I worked very hard before getting here on learning the language as best I could (starting basically from scratch at 61 years old), and working on developing an "ear" for French. On the flight over here, after having sold my house, and making this change, I started having second thoughts, thinking what would I do if I ended up not liking it, or if my language skills were so bad I wouldn't be able to communicate much, etc. I started first in Toulouse, and that was a good choice of a first place to live. It's a fantastically beautiful city, lots to do, and easy-going. Within a day or two, I let go of my worries and realised being here was definitely the right thing for me. And, there's nothing like living in the country for honing your language skills. Right away I was able to negotiate for an apartment, get a phone, etc., in French. So, thank you Alliance Française (and their zoom-call classes), and before that, using the Pimsleur method for 5 levels of French on my own. I also watched French films and series, at first with English subtitles, but after a while, changed to French subtitles, which helped enormously.
Anyway, I've also set up my own self-employment (micro-entreprise) here, and was able to get a Titre de Séjour, and even bought a house of my own in Normandy, where I live now (not a fan of hot summers). I've had personal things happen that were the most painful of my life, and the happiest, here in France, but not because of France. I've had to do many and far more complicated things in French now, and no longer need to have subtitles to watch French programming. So, even at my age it's possible to get pretty good skills in a new language, if you're motivated and apply yourself.
I'm sorry you had to go through the license de conduire process, I was fortunate in that respect in that I was able to do an exchange (Texas and France have a reciprocal agreement, apparently, my previous State, California, did not). I actually enjoyed the 4-day "formation civique" and learned a lot. It made me even more proud of this country. For the most part, I don't mind the government things you have to do. They do try to spell things out clearly online, and the people I've dealt with personally have all been quite kind and helpful. The biggest problem is just finding out sometimes the things you're supposed to do in the first place. It's hard to know where to start.
Anyway, I'm happy to be here. I do not have any desire to move back to the US, my heart is here. I think having an accepting frame of mind that things are different, can be difficult to understand, but still must be done, helps. There is no perfect country, but there are countries that may suit us better than the one in which we were born. And, I think France is that country for me. I love this country.
I agree with everything you've said here, and I too feel very suited to France, and incredibly grateful to be here. Most importantly, I totally agree with not letting age get in your way. You can make change and create new chapters at any point in life. Merci bien d'avoir partagé tes pensées ! (Thank you for sharing your thoughts!)
I made the move here (to France) a little over two years ago. At first, I wasn't able to get a long-stay Visa, so I had to go back and forth every 3 months (90 days here, 90 days back in the US). But, during my first 90 days I met someone (even though I had serious doubts that I would, but I was certainly open to it), and we fell in love. I worked very hard before getting here on learning the language as best I could (starting basically from scratch at 61 years old), and working on developing an "ear" for French. On the flight over here, after having sold my house, and making this change, I started having second thoughts, thinking what would I do if I ended up not liking it, or if my language skills were so bad I wouldn't be able to communicate much, etc. I started first in Toulouse, and that was a good choice of a first place to live. It's a fantastically beautiful city, lots to do, and easy-going. Within a day or two, I let go of my worries and realised being here was definitely the right thing for me. And, there's nothing like living in the country for honing your language skills. Right away I was able to negotiate for an apartment, get a phone, etc., in French. So, thank you Alliance Française (and their zoom-call classes), and before that, using the Pimsleur method for 5 levels of French on my own. I also watched French films and series, at first with English subtitles, but after a while, changed to French subtitles, which helped enormously.
Anyway, I've also set up my own self-employment (micro-entreprise) here, and was able to get a Titre de Séjour, and even bought a house of my own in Normandy, where I live now (not a fan of hot summers). I've had personal things happen that were the most painful of my life, and the happiest, here in France, but not because of France. I've had to do many and far more complicated things in French now, and no longer need to have subtitles to watch French programming. So, even at my age it's possible to get pretty good skills in a new language, if you're motivated and apply yourself.
I'm sorry you had to go through the license de conduire process, I was fortunate in that respect in that I was able to do an exchange (Texas and France have a reciprocal agreement, apparently, my previous State, California, did not). I actually enjoyed the 4-day "formation civique" and learned a lot. It made me even more proud of this country. For the most part, I don't mind the government things you have to do. They do try to spell things out clearly online, and the people I've dealt with personally have all been quite kind and helpful. The biggest problem is just finding out sometimes the things you're supposed to do in the first place. It's hard to know where to start.
Anyway, I'm happy to be here. I do not have any desire to move back to the US, my heart is here. I think having an accepting frame of mind that things are different, can be difficult to understand, but still must be done, helps. There is no perfect country, but there are countries that may suit us better than the one in which we were born. And, I think France is that country for me. I love this country.
I agree with everything you've said here, and I too feel very suited to France, and incredibly grateful to be here. Most importantly, I totally agree with not letting age get in your way. You can make change and create new chapters at any point in life. Merci bien d'avoir partagé tes pensées ! (Thank you for sharing your thoughts!)
Je t'en prie ! Bonne journée.
—Ron