I'm back...now what?

I'm sitting here in front of my computer, sipping coffee with a cat on my lap and a dog at my feet. The mountains that I can see out the window beside me are still snow-capped, but the lush greenery of Spring is creeping farther and farther up their sides. In a few weeks, the snow will be completely melted and these mountains I love so much will stand tall in shades of emerald and granite until next winter.

It feels like I never left this spot, and yet I just got back.

My trip back to Canada was a quick, yet enjoyable one. I didn't do anything besides visit with family and close friends and watch English TV while snacking on North American treats I can't find in France. I celebrated my 31st birthday with a delicious marble & fudge cake (and my name piped on the top!), and visited all my favourite stores and hangouts in my hometown.

For once, I didn't feel the dread creep over me as I waited to board the plane back in Toronto's airport. In fact, ever since I've moved to the Alps, I haven't had to stifle tears during the flight here from Canada. I suppose that means I'm finally starting to accept (and maybe even like!) my life in France, and that the quality time I get to spend with Canadian friends and family is enough to keep me going when I come back here.

But then I wonder: What is there to like here? I have Max, of course, with whom I'll be celebrating 7 years of marriage in July, my bébés, a nice place to live, beautiful scenery, and loads of cheap delicious wine and pastries. Is that enough to live a fulfilled life as an expat, though?

While in Canada, I'm reminded of how important it is to just see and spend time with family and lifelong friends. Skype and Facebook and email are great, but they cannot replace seeing your best friend's eyes light up as she looks at her new baby, or taking a walk along the pier with a great cup of takeout coffee and your Dad (or Mom, or Grandma). I miss them terribly when I'm here, but I miss Max and the comforts of my life in the Alps when I'm in Canada. And you know what? I think it will always be that way. Missing someone means that you love them, and when I can't physically be there with them, I keep them in my heart until I can be.

I'm back now, and I have no idea what the next few months will hold. I tried to gloss over discussions of unemployment while I was in Canada, because it gets annoying (and a bit embarrassing) to constantly answer the same questions (link to a great post on the subject by my friend Deidre over at decoybetty.com).

I know the people asking these questions mean well and are interested in my life, but talking about my lack of career/job/job prospects/income all the time makes me feel like more of a failure. I have a hard enough time accepting for myself that I'm a 31-year old unemployed university graduate, and I just wish I didn't have to talk about it -- like if I don't talk about it, it will go away.

That said, I know very well that a great job will not just fall into my lap. I have to get out there and make things happen. There are limits beyond my control, of course, but I have to stay positive as I think about what I could do, and what I would want to do. Whether or not there are opportunities for such jobs in my neck of the woods Alps is a whole different story, though.

I've got a 4-day job search seminar hosted by the unemployment agency to attend in a couple of weeks that might actually be helpful. I'm going to go with an open mind, and see if there are ways I can improve my résumé and cover letters. In the meantime, I've got articles to write for Dogster.com and Catster.com, a dog to walk, cats to cuddle and a husband who has more confidence in me and my abilities than I do.

I'm back in France and I think I will be ok.

A little something from my Canadian life to help ease the transition back into my French one ;)

It's all in the name

My birthday cake featuring the correct spelling on the left & today's giant fail at Starbucks in Niagara-on-the-Lake (where my name is neither foreign nor bizarre) on the right

 

(Having a great time in Canada, but missing Max & my bébés a whole lot! Back to France on Thursday.)

Départ imminent

I leave tomorrow! Yay! I feel as though this trip's really snuck up on me. It seems like only yesterday I was searching online for a good deal on tickets (and 2 weeks later cancelling Max's ticket). He's off work for 3 weeks now -- except for the one-day exam -- and so he can drive me to Lyon airport bright and early tomorrow morning. It's actually only about an hour away from our place, but there don't seem to be very many direct flights out of Lyon to Toronto. I lucked out with the one I found, though I do have to fly back into Paris and take the TGV back for my return trip.

I've travelled so frequently back and forth to Canada with the same suitcase for the past 4 years or so that the bébés get all weird when I pull it out. They always know something is up, and this time has been no exception. Pinch gets all licky (his front legs, not me) and agitated, and the cats have been extra needy and annoying. Only Noé doesn't seem to care, although I did see him curl up on top of my closed suitcase yesterday. The only upside to the fact that Max can't come with me is that he's here to take care of the pets. I don't mind taking Pinch to the doggie boot camp kennel because the woman there is so nice and good with him, but I'm not too keen on leaving the cats in the neighbours' care for more than a couple of days. Don't get me wrong: they are great with them, but my cats (and more specifically, the naked ones) need A LOT of attention and a presence at home or they go a bit nutty. The neighbours can only stop by twice a day when we ask them to look after everyone, and I appreciate their help, but I'm happier that for these 10 days I'm gone, Max will be here full-time.

To my Canadian friends & fam who read this blog -- see you very soon!!

Happiness is some warm sun on your back (or, in my case, a trip back to Canada) ☺

A week to go...

I leave for Canada a week today. I've already dusted off my suitcase, stocked up on food and supplies for the bébés and checked the long range weather forecast for my hometown (sunny and highs of 15°C). My e-ticket is printed, my train ticket has been bought and I'm ready to go! The only thing that could make this trip better was if Max were coming with me, but alas, he's staying here to take his exam on the 14th and if he passes, he'll start a year of specialized training in September. It's such a shame that he had to cancel his ticket for just one day of exams, but that's life. We are planning on going away together in September (destination TBA), so that gives us something to look forward to.

When I get back from Canada, I have to go to a 4-day intensive "job search workshop" paid for by the unemployment agency. My career counsellor was surprised last week when I told her that I've applied to many jobs but so far, have had no positive returns. She said my CV and cover letters were fine, and insisted I go to this workshop to get ideas on how and where to look for work. I'm not thrilled, but if anything, it will get me out of the house for a few days. And I suppose I could use the help because the market is tough right now (unemployment has hit record highs in France), and I honestly didn't think I'd have this much trouble finding an interesting position (or even getting an interview!). But I am enjoying all the time at home with my pets and being able to get a lot of writing done. Speaking of writing, I've added a new page under the header of my blog which lists links to my articles for Dogster/Catster, as well as any other things I've written (guest posts, interviews, etc.). I'll have a new article up on Dogster.com this Thursday, so check for the link in my new page if you want!

And now for some pics of the nudists because they are just too cute :)

Sunny Skinny Mini

This was a warm day last week. Now, it's rainy and cold and the sphynx kitties rarely come out from under the covers.

Like any good mom, I covered her up with a blanket when it got a bit cool outside.

Pretty Fly

Only one of them likes to sit like a lady...

They snuggle more and more these days which means I'm always running for the camera to capture the cute!

Mini wasn't impressed that Pinch walked into her photo shoot...

...so she shoved him out of the way.

You win some, you lose some

I didn't end up winning the expat blog contest over at expatsblog.com, but it's ok! I had a lot of fun reading the awesome comments that people left about my submission, and there will be more writing contests to enter in the future.

Thank you to everyone who "liked"/shared/tweeted/commented my entry. I appreciate your support!

To read the winning entries, click here:

http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/333/expat-life-themed-blogging-contests

Happy weekend, everyone!

So I went to the gynecologist...

...and wrote about it for an expat blog writing contest!

If you'd like to read my somewhat harrowing and entirely awkward account chez the French gynecologist (1 of 32 entries in the running), head on over here:

http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/411/tales-from-the-stirrups-mis-adventures-with-a-french-gynecologist

It IS a contest after all, so this is the part where I kindly ask you to maybe "like" my entry, leave a comment, and share/tweet it!

The expat blog website, www.expatsblog.com, is hosting fortnightly writing contests for registered bloggers on their site. The first contest called for submissions dealing with the theme of "culture shock". I found out about the writing contest just days after my most recent trip to the gynecologist, and it proved to be perfect timing! But you'll have to read (and "like"!) my entry to find out why ;)

The winners will be announced this Friday, April 26th, and there are 4 different ways for each featured story to win:

Competition details (taken directly from the website):

4 Prizes Per Contest:
- Our favourite wins $200 Amazon Gift Voucher.
- Our favourite comment wins $50 Amazon Gift Voucher (nb: the blog author -- in this case, me -- not the commenter wins the voucher!)
- Top Facebook LIKES wins $50 (Share counter is not accurate and so NOT included)
- One randomly picked winner (sweepstakes) wins $50
(One prize per author, so 4 winners every contest!)

I'd LOVE to win the judges' pick (first prize!), but if I don't, perhaps top Facebook "likes"? (I'm not sure why they aren't counting "shares" though, and I wish they were because I currently have more "shares" than "likes"!). It's all in good fun though, and you'll really enjoy reading the other hilarious accounts of culture shock from around the globe -- I know I did!

All the details on the writing contest are on the website, so for any other expat bloggers reading this, why don't you submit something for a future theme?

I hope you guys enjoy my submission and I look forward to reading your comments. I'll be sure to post the winners on my blog this Friday.

Oh, and while I have your attention, here is my latest article on Dogster.com that's just gone up (with lots of cute pics of the bébés, as usual!)

http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/cat-person-dog-person

Thanks in advance for your help, and happy reading :)

sunlight streaming through the clouds this morning

Sunny sphynxes

It's officially Spring in the Alps, and I know 2 naked ladies who are more than happy to soak up the sun!

 

(click to enlarge)