Times are changing

I pretty much have to grab anytime I can these days to blog. I have had a busy first 2 weeks, my training was great and really helped to prepare me for the job I am doing now. This is my second week of 'real work' I suppose and I can honestly say I am loving it (hope this doesn't jinx it). The first week I was here I was actually the biggest stress head ever and I am still trying to give out apologies to the person who suffered the effects of this bad mood the most (you know who you are). The problem was I have never not had a plan and I have been lucky enough that things have never really not gone my way...Must be the luck of the Irish (thanks Nan!) Unfortunately this meant that I have become accustomed to not screwing up and in a way things were always fairly easy for me. In France by the way, they are not. I didn't really understand how big the move was that I was making which in turn caused me to freak out big time and question if I had even made the right decision. Furthermore I had no appartment of my own, no bank account, no french phone, no navigo...basically I couldn't do anything. I mistakenly thought France would be the same as the UK but actually it's all paperwork, paperwork and you guessed it paperwork. Nothing is straightforward, even when you think it is, it isn't.

BUT on the plus side I began to realise that freaking out wasn't helping anyone, least of all myself. Things will get done but one step at a time and in France this means more slowly than you would like. However this week I managed to get my navigo (even if I basically had to convince the guy I would find an appartment the same day), have made progress with my bank; actually I screwed up and have to send more documents but progress is positive! I have a viewing of a petit petit studio on Friday but it's in a nice area and it would mean having a place to call my own (on verra) and I seem to have got a grip on my life in general. It almost ran away from me...literally it was moving so fast I thought I might fall off the wheel and never get back on. Luckily I have an amazing set of friends here in Paris who have supported my decision and repeatedly calmed me down when I thought my head might explode. I am also very lucky that a himself is so patient because sometimes I don't know how he doesn't throw things at me.

All in all things are going well, the girls are all starting to arrive, himself is back soon after a bit of a disaster holiday in NYC, my family are sunning themselves in Tenerife (a well deserved break) and I am happy. I couldn't ask for more at the moment so keep your fingers crossed for more news from the fish across the pond.

à bientôt