Another Country

We left Texas for France in October, 2005.  My wife first thought of the idea of moving here around 2002, sending me some images from a French real estate website while I was at my computer. We were both surprised to learn how inexpensive houses were in some parts of this country. If one mentions France, I suppose most Americans think of Paris, and we all know Paris is expensive. Houses in the countryside, however, are not necessarily expensive at all. Of course, some regions are more desirable than others, generally because of the weather and, in the south, proximity to the ocean. The French economy, although still highly agricultural, is now driven by activity in the cities. Many family properties in the countryside have been sold by heirs eager to move to the cities, and the buyers of these rural properties have often been foreigners, mostly English. We are not typical at all, but we were able to accomplish our move with judicious use of the Internet. 

We live in a village called Mussy-sur-Seine. It is in southern Champagne and is 200 kilometers from Paris. We found our house on a website and contacted the agent by phone once we arrived, staying for a few weeks with some very generous friends who made it possible for us to find our bearings in a new country. We have four boys who were ages 10, 7, 5, and 3 when we got here. None spoke a word of French. My wife and I were quite concerned that the boys would have trouble learning the language, and some of our friends back in Houston even thought we were being cruel by placing our kids directly into the public school system here without adequate linguistic preparation. Bilingual education exists in Paris and other large cities, but only in private schools. All our kids are in public schools, studying the national curriculum, and are doing fine. Children are capable of so much if they are given guidance and encouragement, and our boys, although daunted a bit at first, have adapted beautifully.