On October 2, 2007 my husband, Larry, age 62 and I, age 60 moved to Brou, Centre Region, Eure-et-Loir, France.  We had visited here three times before making the decision to pull up stakes in the US and settle in France.  We chose this particular area because it is very similar to where we grew up in Northern Illinois.  We are surrounded by corn, wheat, oil rape, and sunflower fields as well as lots of lakes and rivers.  However, the winters and summers are much milder here.  We like the agricultural feel of the area and the down to earth people who live here. 

We are a 15 minute drive from Chateaudun where the first chateau stands at the mouth of the Loire Valley and about 30 minutes drive from Chartres with the magnificent cathedral.  From Chartres it is a one hour and 8 minute train ride to Paris. 

Brou itself has about 100 privately owned shops in the downtown area and we also have Aldi's, SuperU, and Intermarche as well as Bricolage, Gamm-Vert, and Trov 'n Tout (a kind of general store).  The people who work in all these stores have been so warm and gracious and helpful to us especially once they realized we were here to stay.

There is a memorial to the Americans at the end of our street that says "Carrefour les Americans, liberators de Brou, 14 Aout 1944."  Every year on that date they have a service where they fly the American flag above two French flags and lay a wreath.  This year, with the help of our dear friend, Aldona (who translated for me), I was privledged to give a short thank you speech telling the people that my father, and his three brothers all served here in France, England, and Germany (in fact my Uncle Stephen was an interpreter for Patton), as well as my Grandfather who served in the States and my father-in-law who served on the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Yorktown.

I think because of the close association that this town has with the liberation by the Americans that they are very respectful of us and of our father's, uncles, etc. service and sacrifices.  Originally they asked us "Anglais?" and when we said "Non, Americans." their faces would light up and they would have great big smiles and they would say "J'adore Americans!"  And being the only ones that live in this area I guess we might be a bit of a oddity.

We now know many people and have been working on our language skills (my adopted grandfather was of French descent and we spoke French at home and I had two years of French in HS) but my husband, Larry, has never spoken another language.  However, somehow he has been able to make himself understood and we find that the more self-deprecating we are the more helpful the French are.  It's a kinda' like, "Hey!  What do we know?  We're Americans!"  :-) 

Now, having talked about all the good things I will touch on some things that can be annoying.  Paperwork and red tape is horrendous here in France and you will find yourself giving the same paperwork over and over and over again.  The French employment system floats on oceans of paperwork!  Exchanging our FL license for a French license which was supposed to be just that - an exchange - turned into a six month nightmare.  But we have them now for LIFE so that's over.  We have to renew our Titre de Sejours every year which means going back to La Prefecture and presenting the same paperwork that we've already given them three times before - not counting the originals in order to get our Visa in the first place.  <sigh>  I think it's either after 3 or 5 years that we only have to go back every 10 years so that will be a relief.

We decided to rent before buying and here it is standard to take a three year lease.  However, the renter can give a three month notice and move but the owner has to give a six month notice and then if they are selling the house the renter has first right of refusal.  We had to put down two months rent for a deposit (1,000 Euros) and have been told that we will play Hell getting it back as the French will nitpick any tiny little scratch on a window, scrape on the floor, etc.  In our case I don't believe this will happen because we not only have a list of all the defects from the owner, we also have our own list signed by them, along with digital photos of everything.  Also, we totally re-wallpapered and painted the interior of the home and spiffed it up and when the owners came to inspect it they were thrilled with all we had done.  So fingers crossed we won't have a problem if/when the time comes to move.  We would like to buy this house (because it suits all of our needs and we've bought all Art Deco furniture just for this house) but are afraid the owners think that we are "rich Americans" and will ask too much for it.  So, we are exploring other options.

My husband being a retired firefighter for the City of Orlando has also helped with acceptance because even here in France everyone loves a firefighter! 

We've learned a lot of things about the history, culture, people, foods (and how to get along without or make our own substitutes for things we can't find here) but it has really taken the two years to truly feel that we are "home."  We've never for one moment been home sick nor do we feel that we ever will be.  All of our family and friends are spread out throughout the US so if we moved close to one we would still be away from the others.  Us living here gives them the opportunity to come and visit and see another culture through our eyes.  And it also gives us a jumping off spot for traveling throughout Europe.

All in all it has been a very positive experience and one that we are so glad that we opted for.  The exchange rate can be a killer, but we feel that we will just have to roll with the punches as you would anywhere else.  So, for anyone who wants to "Live Your Dreams" come and join us in France or wherever it is that your heart leads you. 

My best to all,

Lyn McIntosh-Sherwood