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Introduction to A Life in France™
Essentially this course is about shifting gears. You have dreams of living in France. This course takes you from the dream stage to the doing it stage. Moreover, it connects you to the people and the knowledge that will give you a fact-based answer to that nagging little worry: “Can I (or we) really do this?’
While we absolutely welcome those dreaming of moving to France, this is not a course that peddles dreams. If the dream is the notion of riding a bike, and actually living in France is riding a bike, this learning process is the “training wheels’ option. If you want to remain in the haze of “A Year in Provence/Under the Tuscan Sun” romanticism, this course is not for you. Instead, this course is about growth, putting in the practical work of growth — growth that takes you from the dreamer to the person who actually thrives in a life in France.
A few people are born adventurers and expats. Most of us need to grow into it. This learning experience is the recipe for that growth.
Course Content
A little more about the way the main course is structured: The course is divided into two main parts.
ASSESSMENT
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- A quick primer of basic knowledge so we can ask the most useful questions. (eg: What kind of climate does France have…so we can ask you about your climate preferences)
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- Where do I belong? We ask you careful questions about five main factors that the data, the experts, and the stories from regular people all affirm are the right questions. To find out where in France you belong, you’ll consider: Climate, Transportation, Healthcare, Welcome, Costs and …”Other Stuff”. The result will be a highly tailored finalist list (no more than 5) of the French towns that best suit you.
- How do I belong? Moving to another country is not for everyone. It is not easy for anyone. Just as important as choosing the right place in France is a willingness to assess and then work hard on yourself. This includes
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- Getting as good at the French language as possible, which starts with assessing where you are now.
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- Honestly assessing your resiliency skills ( the ability to persevere, to adapt and solve problems and build support systems)
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2. ADVANCED PREPARATION FOR A LIFE IN FRANCE: Once we have completed a careful assessment and developed your finalist list for “Where do I belong?” we refine the fit between you and France.. The second part of the course is less ‘schoolwork’ and more conversation. Using a range of tools, we connect you as directly as possible to the people in the places you’ve chosen. Sometimes that is listening to stories, sometimes it’s assembling facts, and sometimes it’s a live conversation with the exact professional in the exact place you’re most excited about.
Additional background: Where does the knowledge in this course come from? The short answer is ‘real life’. The longer answer is that it comes from decades of observing and collecting stories from people who’ve already made a life in France.
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- Interviews from many people who’ve moved to French towns from other countries
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- Curated data from FB expat groups and state-of-the-art data from all the three best web sites on this topic
In addition, this course is shaped by both the author’s academic training, a long professional career in instructional design, and a career in European travel. However, the heart of the course derives from the real-life connections with many of the storytellers through our FB community, our website, our Zoom calls and private support groups and Masterminds. All those connections add up to a treasure trove of useful, encouraging stories.
At the end of the course, you may want to continue with:
THE TRY-IT-OUT-TRIP: While you can opt for the online course only, we very much hope you will join us on the Try-It-Out-Trip. This trip is a one-month experience that allows you to do a low-risk try out of this very big move. We’ll practice daily tasks, we’ll visit local French people, we’ll connect you to the relator, the notaire, the shopkeeper, the phone guy, the cheese vendor – the connections for –not a tour, not a dream — A LIFE. We assemble a month-long workshop of the experiences you need before you make the leap. The Try-it-Out-Trip won’t be a vacation. In fact, in some ways, it will be intentionally demanding. Moving abroad is demanding. After we walk together through a month of A Life in France, you will have a community of people on the same path and a rock-solid understanding of what your life in France is likely to be — the challenges and the joys. At the end, you will know, with confidence and clear-eyed experience, before you burn your bridges, IF you can do this, and IF you want to do this. You’ll also be able to take that knowledge and those skills to the other towns on your finalist list, to further narrow down your choices.
Interested in a Try-It-Out Trip?
Find my France Tribe: Interested in connecting with others — interested in moving to France with similar goals, preferences and resources
