Plan B Makes A U-Turn

Number 9 of 9, this is the final issue in the series! Happy reading! If you’re just joining us, start with the first one here: https://wordsworthywriting.wordpress.com/2023/08/28/how-it-began-my-journey-to-make-my-dreams-a-reality/

About a year-and-a-half ago I’d found a house that I wanted to buy but I needed a job locally. Unfortunately, this town of 40,000 people didn’t really have any high-paying businesses. Top dollar for most people was $17-18/hour. There was no way I could get a loan living on a below-poverty-level income. I sought out the biggest property management company in the area to discuss a job that didn’t exist. I met with the owner for an hour and a half. They had some commercial properties but were mostly a residential management company and didn’t have a commercial property management division, yet. But they were planning on creating a position for it.  He’d keep me posted. After a couple months, I followed up. They were still reorganizing but he’d let me know. I never heard from him again.

Four days before I was to leave for Georgia I received an email from the owner of this company. They’d finally created the position and was I still interested? He sent me the job description then, later that same day, we had a video call for about an hour. I was very open with him about everything. At the end of the call he said he’d get an offer letter together to send to me. He also talked about helping me find an apartment, since that’s what they do, so I’d have a place to go when I landed. It was all coming together. 

I guess God spoke. He spoke loud and clear! So, with my tail tucked between my legs, I’m going back to the US, to Grants Pass, Oregon. While returning to my old life and not working for myself are less appealing than my French dream, at least it’s Oregon. It will definitely be better for both my dad and my dog, and truth be told, it’ll be a lot easier for me all around. I am looking forward to the new professional opportunities that come with the job, too. Not only will I be the commercial property management department, I will also start dabbling in leasing. Eventually, I’ll have to get my broker’s license to go full-on with leasing, but the 150-hour course plus an exam is definitely daunting! On top of that, I’ll be in charge of commercial business development, meaning, bringing on new clients and properties. They have properties from Ashland all the way to Bend, so opportunities abound. I love to learn and challenges keep boredom at bay so I’m kind of excited about it all. 

However, I’m still making a trip to Georgia first, because I already paid for my flight and accommodations, and because I want to and I can. I’ll post about that later.

So I’ll say goodbye. Au revoir to my dreams of living in France. Adieu to my dream of owning a B&B. Farewell to this house that I want so badly. Goodbye to the skeleton key, pull chain toilet and mail slot; all things I’ve always wanted in a house. And goodbye to the postman who delivers the mail on a bicycle (bonus). I don’t regret trying. I would have regretted it if I hadn’t. In fact, it’s been good. I reconnected with some friends, made new ones, and learned a lot about French bureaucracy. I still love France, but this experience made me a little disenchanted with it. 

More important than goodbye, I want to say Thank You. 

Thank you for the kindness of strangers and my friends in France who have been so supportive and helpful. I really couldn’t have gotten this far without you! 

To my friends who have called and messaged me, just to check on me and offer words of support and encouragement, thank you! You’ll never know how much those conversations mean to me. You are precious and I love you.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story. Writing helps me focus and gives me perspective, along with something to do when I’m bored. I do it for me but when others read and enjoy my written works, I’m honored! I feel truly blessed! 

To the Universe: While I don’t understand why things are happening this way, why these curves are thrown in my path, I trust in you. I’m grateful to know that there’s someone else in charge, that it doesn’t have to be all me. I’ll just keep listening to you, following my heart, and doing the best that I can. My faith in a higher power is, and always has been, what’s kept me from uglier alternatives. 

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank my partner, Scott. While we may not be a couple anymore, you’ve been my rock, my afar shoulder to cry on through all the disappointments. Despite all the changes and things going on in your own life, you’ve been there for me (and Maya), steadfast and filled with love. I am eternally grateful for you. xx

So, in the end, apparently this is not a story about how I made my dreams a reality. It’s about how it’s never too late to try because, even if it doesn’t work out, amazing experiences will be had. Now I can die without the regret of never having tried. Until that happens, the story continues. Dreams may still come true or they may not. Who knows what other twists life will bring? Something even better may come about. At the very least, I’ll have some stories to tell.

Thank you for reading. I hope you’ve enjoyed it! What did you think? I’d love to hear from you so please feel free to leave questions or comments.

Riberac: Dream vs Reality

This is the sixth installment of the series about my journey to France to make my dreams come true. You can read the first one here or follow this to see past posts. https://wordsworthywriting.wordpress.com/2023/08/28/how-it-began-my-journey-to-make-my-dreams-a-reality/ 

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Riberac: Dream vs. Reality

Through my realtor I made an appointment to see the house with the sellers to try to rent it until a loan was secured. Their English was minimal and my French dismal but we made it work. To be honest, my first impressions of the house was disappointing. In preparation for the sale, the art, rugs, mirrors, etc., had been removed. In their place now were large, faded, rectangular discolorations on the wood floors and “clean spots” on the wallpaper. The wall coverings were also torn and stained in some places or peeling at the seams. The sink in the upstairs bedroom didn’t work, the bidet leaked, pretty much everything needed some sort of attention. Not major but still… a million little things. There were a lot more repairs going to be needed than I’d anticipated. It was still very livable though, and I was excited to put my touch on the house. 

We went to their Notaire’s office where a rental document was drawn up, and we went back to the house to gather information and sign, and returned to the notaire for copies. I paid the owners 150 euros for the first months’ rent. I would also be responsible for utilities. The process took three hours but I was very grateful that they did this with me because, I am sure that left to the realtors and notaires, this would have dragged on for another week, at least.

While I knew the house was on the main street of this town of 4,000 people, and that was a positive for me, I didn’t realize how busy and noisy the street was. Not just because of town traffic, but anyone from miles around, going north or south used this road. It was the main, and only, thoroughfare for all traffic. I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to open the kitchen windows because of the noise, and worried about how the guests on the street side would sleep. I was also very annoyed with all the dog poop one had to dodge on the sidewalk between my place and the center. Still, for business, the location was very good; easy to find and access, and within walking distance to everything the town had to offer.

I moved into the house with little more left behind than bedroom furniture, a table and chairs, old, chipped, and mismatched dishes, some flatware and very small glasses. Not a single pot, pan, kettle, or coffee cup. I couldn’t even make a cup of tea. Because the loan wasn’t secured yet, I didn’t want to spend much money buying necessities. It was now Wednesday and I still had two days until the farmers market where I planned to buy my produce. I spent much of the day reading, A Year in Provence (Thank you, Karen!). It’s a great book, filled with beautiful and humorous writing. From the beginning, this book which was written in 1987, reflected my house-buying experience nearly 40 years later. The French government has not evolved with the times. They love their bureaucracy and paperwork!! However, it was a nice way to get me in the French mindset although I haven’t found the culinary aspect to be the same. 

Friday, finally! I woke up early and went to the market. It was massive! It encompassed an entire city block. Not just farm fresh items but clothes and household goods, and more. But the food was mostly what I was interested in. At three euros/kilo (that’s about $1.50/lb), I could buy massive, flavorful heirloom tomatoes for a fraction of the price of tasteless ones in the US, whether at the supermarket or the farmers market. The same goes for lettuce (1 euro for a massive head), carrots, radishes, aubergines, mushrooms, fresh herbs, bread, peaches, strawberries, and amazing cheeses. Homemade, herbed goat cheese for 2.80. Best goat cheese I’ve ever had! Did I mention it’s all so flavorful?!  Local honey, while not cheap, is still only 7.50 per mason jar size vs. $12+ in the US. Some things, like olives, which were comparable at 16.50/kilo but with 20 different varieties to choose from, they’re so much tastier! I cooked massive, scrumptious meals. But as delicious as my meals may have been, they would’ve been so much more enjoyable if I had a table on the terrace and someone to share them with. The loneliness is real.

I was amazed at how busy my phone had been since I arrived. Although I’ve had WhatsApp for years, my European friends rarely called me on it. Now I was receiving calls from friends in Europe and the US. I even received an invitation to a friend’s 60th Birthday party in Vienna. There was a small group of us from our early days in Vienna that have stayed in touch for the past 35 years. Over time we’ve all scattered, to Canada, US, Germany, and France. But, Vienna is where it all started and I was excited to receive the invite, which wouldn’t have happened if I was still in the US. 

Now I had to get down to business. I had an appointment at Crédit Agricole to open a bank account, which is very important for all things in France. The meeting was unsuccessful due to the lack of documents required. Ugh! Another appointment was set for the following week. It only took two appointments but I got it done. One thing completed, just ten more to go. My head was swimming. Everything in France involves so much bureaucracy: paperwork and meetings, paperwork, effort, time. So much time! There’s still the car, visa, and mortgage loan to go before I can even get a credit card, internet, hire contractors and…and…and…! It was like a tornado of all the things I needed to get done swirling in my head. For most of it, I didn’t care if I was on the French schedule, but the loan was time-sensitive and everything was dependent upon obtaining that. I didn’t have a plan B! Every day that I don’t have a loan I’m losing money. While it’s considerably less expensive here than in the US, it’s not cheap.