Friday, October 9, 2015

A Frenglish farewell

Dear friends—if any of you are still out there—it's time for an update, long overdue, revealing my current doings and whereabouts.

I now live in France.


Oui, c'est vrai! In the town of Limoges, which looks kind of like this:



Ok, at least some parts do... But honestly, it's really quite pretty. I haven't got a permanent apartment yet, but I'm hoping to find something soon, preferably located not too far from these historic grounds.

So, what am I doing here? Short answer: sciency stuff. Research and development for Big Pharma, basically. I started this Monday and have had a most eventful week with many good laughs over inventive Frenglish/Franglais—both from me and my new French colleagues.

Sure, there has been quite a bit of frustration over lingual shortcomings as well, but only off-work—for instance during apartment hunting and grocery shopping. However, starting on Sunday I will receive online lessons and coaching in French, so I hope to rapidly improve my understanding and speaking abilities.

In the meantime, Duolingo helps me refresh my old high school skills; I'm learning how to say all the important stuff. These little nuggets will help me tremendously in daily life—at work as well as in the community.



Merci beaucoup, Duolingo!

Now over to more serious matters: to all of you who have kept your fingers crossed during these months of uncertainty, I want to thank you so very, very much for continuous support and encouragement. I have been trapped in a literal whirlwind since August, but I'm incredibly excited to finally be here.

However, I have decided to let this blog rest, indefinitely, as I start this new chapter of my life. Emerald City Reflections has been a great forum for sharing ”photos, thoughts and observations” (quote from blog head), but keeping it updated has taken time—time that I no longer might have. I need to focus on learning the language and integrating into this new culture, and it must take priority.

Thus, I thank you kindly for sharing my adventures—ups and downs—throughout these three years. The highs have been high and the lows have been low, but most importantly: I have had the adventure of a lifetime. Hopefully, I'm just getting started.

To all, my gratitude and love. Tack, alla! Be well.

3 comments:

  1. Och tusen tack till dig, som låtit oss ta del av ditt Seattle-äventyr! Det har varit fantastiskt kul att läsa dina anekdoter, roliga iakttagelser och informativa artiklar. Och att få se alla bilder förstås!

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  2. Det har varit ett underbart nöje att följa dina äventyr i Seattle! Vi hörs framöver! Kram.

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