Adieu

[Val50]

After 4 glorious years we are doing what we never thought would happen, and moving from France to Canada.  We are leaving behind our wonderful old french farmhouse by Utah Beach and heading for the damp lakes of Nova Scotia.  The move has been traumatic for us all, and made us realise how lucky we were living here in Normandy.  Although we moved here because my husband had a job offer, as UK citizens there were no permanent residence visa's to obtain, proof of income, medicals, inventory of goods, limit on certain products that can be taken.  Our teenage children were taken in and accepted by the local community.  Our eldest daughter has just completed 1st year at the University of Caen, and is only one of 33% to pass into 2nd year, not bad going for someone who couldn't speak a word of french 4 years ago.  Needless to say she has decided to stay here and finish her studies.  Our youngest son has had to sit an entrance exam for the school in Canada before being accepted to finish his final 2 years of the international bac.  A far cry from when we enrolled them at school here in St Lo, where they were accepted and given help to integrate into a system so foreign to them. 

I will miss so much, the wonderful, crisp,sunny days in January when the garden is full of spring flowers.  Long walks along the deserted beach in winter with the dogs.  D-day celebrations all around us in June.  Fete's and fireworks in summer.  Lazy days on the beach with friends, coming home to pick fresh veg out of the garden.  The baker calling twice weekly, not only offering fresh bread and croissant but gossip to keep me going.  French workmen renovating our house and becoming friends along the way, as they try to teach me a language my old brain struggles to cope with.  The mist rolling across the fields as autumn sets in and the leaves and hedges change colour.  Christmas and the markets.  I could go on and on and on.

For all those still wondering if they should take the plunge, do it.  For all the horror stories there are hundreds who just quietly go about their daily lives here, thankful for all they have. 

Most of all we will miss this forum, the help received when needed, the humour, even the bitchiness and negative comments. 

Enjoy what you have, stop and smell the roses why you can, who knows what tomorrow might bring.

Adieu

[Teamedup]

Come on now, four years ago we had to prove income as there were still carte de sejours.

And I had to do a full inventory of our goods french and english and their value and get it stamped by the consulate before I came here. 

 

will the canadians want the inventory in french and english too, they seem to want everything in french and english apart from in Quebec where most things remain singularly a very odd french.  

 

 

 

[Laotze]

Val - the very best of luck to you and yours. I am sure that your new life will be a fine adventure and France will still be here just across the pond! And you dont have to say good bye to this forum either. I am sure that we will want to hear how life pans out for you. Bon courage!

[Christine Animal]

It was lovely the way you wrote about all the things you appreciated here Val, I can understand you must be sad to leave.  Perhaps you will be able to return one day...

In the meantime, don't say adieu, please come back on the forum and tell us what it is like over there and how you are getting on.

All best wishes for the future, Christine.

[Lori]

I got teary reading your post Val50.  You sound like someone with a sound mind, who knows how to appreciate the simpler (yet finer) things in life.  I am sure you will find those things in Canada too.  If your daughter is staying on at university here, surely you will be back.  With all the gite/chambre d'hotes owners on this forum, surely, one of us can set you up for a nice return in the future.

Do come back to the forum and tell us how you are doing in Canada.  I'm sure we would all enjoy hearing from you.  Best of luck to you.

 

[Patf]

That sounds a very big move, but very exciting. At least you and your family will be able to use your french over there. I have two cousins there with their families and they have a busy life with all sorts of outdoor activities.One of them started off on a small farm but have sold it now . All the best . Pat.

[SaligoBay]

I will miss so much, the wonderful, crisp,sunny days in January when the garden is full of spring flowers.  Long walks along the deserted beach in winter with the dogs.  D-day celebrations all around us in June.  Fete's and fireworks in summer.  Lazy days on the beach with friends, coming home to pick fresh veg out of the garden.  The baker calling twice weekly, not only offering fresh bread and croissant but gossip to keep me going.  French workmen renovating our house and becoming friends along the way, as they try to teach me a language my old brain struggles to cope with.  The mist rolling across the fields as autumn sets in and the leaves and hedges change colour.  Christmas and the markets.  I could go on and on and on.

No, please don't!  You've listed all the things I miss!!!!  All the best in Canada, it looked very nice when we watched Jacques Cousteau last night.   A very good friend is emigrating there in a few months - they met each other on the QE2 many years ago, and after a decade of "you come here, no you come over here", he's off over there!

New adventures are cool. 

 

[Val_2]

Good luck & hope everything goes well. Don't forget your thermals. My neighbour's daughter is returning from St.Pierre et Miquelon any day,leaving a well paid job, which is a bit further north but too isolated for her with hardly any young people and freezing cold after Brittany in March.

[Val50]

[quote]Come on now, four years ago we had to prove income as there were still carte de sejours. And I had to do a full inventory of our goods french and english and their value and get it stamped by the co...[/quote]

When we arrived 4 years ago (with 2 container loads, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 children etc) nothing was checked.  We didn't have to suppply an inventory or go to the consulate etc.  We were not told there was a limit on anything we could bring here, nobody came to check our goods as they were off loaded etc.  Although my husband had a job to come to here, we did not have to prove to anyone that we had enough money to support ourselves.  Infact, within a month of his arrival, before we had the money from the sale of our previous house,  he was given a 100% mortgage by Society General, as well as a loan to carry out the immediate renovations needed on the farmhouse we bought.  When we went to St Lo to apply for our carte de sejour, I can't remember having to take anything to say we had x amount of money and could support ourselves.  Again, perhaps because he had a job here that made a difference.  We certainly did not have to have medicals to prove we were fit to reside in France.

Although we are also moving to Canada because my husband has a job there, we have all had to have medicals (blood tests, x-rays, physical examination) at a doctor designated by the embassy, which meant travelling to Rennes or Paris.  We have had to prove we have a certain amount of money to take to Canada with us when we arrive.  We have had to go to Canada for a interview with the Nova Scotia nomination committee to prove we were who we said we were and for them to see if we were suitable, all before the embassy would even consider our application.

My daughter sent her transcripts to the university (Dalhousie) to see if she would be accepted into 2nd year there.  They wrote back asking her translate them as no-one in the university there could translate from French to English, yet one of the pre-requisites of getting permanent residence is that we be bilingual to a certain degree.  When she applied to go to University of Caen, apart from providing a copy of her bac results, nothing else was required from her.  In Canada, even with permanent residence and classed as a local student, the fees are higher than in UK (17,000 CD per year).  Apart from accommodation, she pays nothing in France. 

We have to go back to being permanent residents, with all the restrictions that entails, unlike here in France where we have been able to come and go as we please.  In fact it was only a month or so ago that we even got stopped at Cherbourg and asked to produce passports as we came through from the ferry.  As I was doing the journey weekly (working in UK as a nurse 3 days a week) I really appreciated the freedom of momevent between countries. 

I really don't want to go on, but from personal experience, having lived in many countries around the world, we know that we have yet to find a better place than France to live in. 

As I've said many times before, nowhere is perfect.  Maybe because I can trace my ancestors back to William the Conqueror (close to Falaise) living in France was, for me, like coming home.  Maybe, teamed up, your ancestors go back to the Vikings! 

[Teamedup]

I thought that Guillaume was viking stock and the normans I know are rather proud of that viking link.

 

So how did you get your carte de sejour without proof of income. My son got his three years ago, as we still had to have them then, and we had to prove that his Dad had an income and as son was still studying and dependant that was good enough.

Believe me or not, proof of being able to support yourself or being supported was always an integral part of getting a titre de sejour.

 

And yes, I had to do an inventory when I came, twenty years before you came though. So what, that was how it was then and that you have to do one for a non european country seems normal to me.

 

I'm glad your daughter has done so well. I have always said that some kids will do well here. Some kids will do well anywhere. How does that alter the fact that others won't, or will struggle. You say go quietly about your every day business and all will be marvellous. Or 'me' saying watch out, everyone says it's great, but it isn't always and you there could be problems that you wouldn't imagine that you would incur, or it might be fine, because I reiterate that I have always said that too.  My neighbours son, french lad, doubling for the second time at 15. Bright lad too, but there you go, just an every day story of french folk.

 

And yes, the Fac is free, well just about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Coco]

We got our 5 year cartes de sejours within 3 weeks of arriving in France from the prefecture at Saint Lo, without having to show proof of income.  In fact, the French lady who was helping us at the time, and who had previously worked for the hotel des impots, refused to let me take my bank statements with me, saying that my income was not their business!!  We had no problems at all.  Perhaps it's a Manche thing!

Anyway Val, very good luck in Canada - and come back online and tell us what it's like in Nova Scotia.

[Val50]

Thanks Coco - sorry we never got to meet up, always found your posts really helpful.

Will certainly let you know how it goes in Canada

Val

[Isaacsnana]

Val, I might be slightly inebriated. but why did you move to Canada?  I couldnt understand whether the job offer was when you moved to France, or Canada.  Probably just me - not understanding!!!

 

Good Luck anyway in Canada.

 

PS Have flown over it once on the way to L.A,.  I couldnt believe the number of lakes in Canada.  

[Alexis]

All those Mounties.  The wide open spaces.  Bears.

It is just an adventure.  You can always come back.

I had to take proof of income, job, contract and bank statements for my CdS.  As well as all the other proofs.  Every Department is different.  I had heard all sorts of horror stories about refusal too and I still think that I got mine because the Prefecture was in uproar with an American who wanted to open a restaurant but only use American staff.

They were all so interested in this saga, they only paid the minimum of attention to me and when she asked for the photos, I had been so sure they would say no, I hadn't got any.  Had to rush out and get them and when I got back, the American was still going on.

It was very exciting!!

I hope that you have a happy time in Canada and things turn out a lot better than your wildest dreams.

[Furry Knickers]

You are so lucky to be able to mingle with Bears in their naturist habitations! I would love to live with the Bears as their guest in their home, can you imagine what that must be like? I remember when I was a lad back in County Kildare, There was a lovely singing bear show on the telly! his name was Barnaby, and he was tought to sing by the birds he befriended in the woods in Manchester. I hope you enjoy the Bears you encounter in your new life.

[Val50]

[quote]Val, I might be slightly inebriated. but why did you move to Canada? I couldnt understand whether the job offer was when you moved to France, or Canada. Probably just me - not understanding!!! ...[/quote]

Moved to France because of a job offer - now moving to Canada because of another job offer.  Can't wait until he retires and we can stop moving because of all these job offers!