Where I live - Quebec City
With the passage of time, a move, even a Big One becomes easier. I am starting to pick up French words on television and in restaurants. Some day, I’ll clip them out of the air and make them into collages.
Milestones: I took the bus and didn’t get lost. I wandered into a French bookstore and spotted the book “Snow White”. I successfully completed three transactions in French. One day, I won’t be able to count them.
Nothing scares me anymore. Continue Reading →
I found out recently that like grief, there are expatriate stages. They are: honeymoon, culture shock, adjustment, and enthusiasm.
Waking up to realize: oh wait, I live here. (Winter Carnival, Quebec)
“Within a month or so of arrival, the honeymoon phase ends and expatriates quickly begin to comprehend the magnitude of the barriers they face to doing their jobs. They discover that methods used successfully over their entire careers are either worthless or even destructive in another cultural environment. The result is expatriates who are severely emotionally distressed and ineffective at their jobs.”
I don’t know what happened yesterday but I think my honeymoon with Quebec ended quite swiftly and even shockingly. Sure, it’s not a developing nation and it’s not even THAT far from my hometown of Chicago. But it’s a completely different country with a different language and a winter that lasts forever. Continue Reading →
At the quickly ripening age of 30,I still believe in lucky socks. Mine are plum with a knitted texture right up the side. I wore them and the most amazing thing happened: I got two jobs in the same week.
Thank you lucky socks.
I am a writer. I talk about sentence structure and word choice the way some people gush about their kids. It’s been my passion since I was very young -at eight, I tried to write a textbook about aquatic animals. At 16 I filled notebook upon notebook with my horrific handwriting and poems about boys I “loved.” At the age of 22, I went on nearly 20 job interviews, trying to find any company that would pay for me to write. And I finally did.
I’ve since matured. Through trial and a lot of errors, I managed to make a living by doing the thing I love the most. Every day, I thank the entity I believe in at the moment (fate? the universe? the power of positive thinking?) that I’m on the winding road of the wordsmith.
I don’t want to say too much because I’m superstitious. So I’ll keep it short. Wear your lucky socks and believe in yourself. Your career, your love life, your personal life will be as good as you make it. Keep going to bat and eventually, you’ll hit the ball. It’s a simple equation.
Before you leave the country, be sure to pack a suitcase full of positivity. You’ll need it.
