6 things I miss from France

Let's be clear, I can definitely live without baguettes or croissants. I can also manage without French cheese or shutters (even if I complain about them quite a lot). Sometimes I even prefer an Irish breakfast to a French one and I've started drinking tea instead of coffee. But once and again, I feel a bit nostalgic and wish for things that I can't have here in Ireland...

1- Fruit Syrup

Grapefruit, strawberry, lemon, lime, grenadine... I still don't understand why those are not sold in Ireland. Except blackcurrant, you just can't get anything. I'm sure they would be popular with kids, and even adults (a dash of grapefruit syrup with Rosé wine is to die for, trust me).

2- French music

I'm so not up to date with what's going on in the French music scene. I could check it online, but what I actually miss is hearing some random French song on the radio (I know, that's a bit weird). I just miss the variety  and even if the quality is not always there in France, at least you have more choice. Any suggestions are appreciated ;-)

My latest discovery in French music, and yet, that's already a good few months old...

3- Affordable wine

We met an Irish couple who came back from their French holidays a few weeks ago. The highlight of their trip? Being able to bring cheap wine back to Ireland. I'm still very French when it comes to alcohol, and I'd rather drink a nice glass of wine than a pint of beer. Since Tesco has discontinued their cheap but yummy Rosé d'Anjou, I have yet to find a good replacement, because frankly, paying 10 euros for a bottle just breaks my heart.

4- Hot lunch at school

I hate having to make sandwiches for my kids everyday. The reason being I don't think it's very healthy. But there's no canteen in the school and they can't heat food either. There was an article online recently about the Green party wanting to introduce hot lunches in every school in the country.  People who commented were complaining it would be too costly, and wondered why parents would have to pay and so on. Trust me, I wouldn't mind paying 10 euros a week for my child to eat a balanced meal every day instead of a cheese and ham sandwich.

5- Affordable childcare

We are lucky in the sense that we can afford childcare. My husband and I work full time but different hours so the kids never really had to go 8 hours a day to the childminder. In France, you can have tax credits when you pay for childcare, before school and after-school care are common, and within the grounds of the school so you can drop your child at 7:30am and pick him up at 6pm (although I agree that would be a very long day, but at least the option is there). Here, I will have to use a childminder until my kids are old enough to stay home unsupervised, which is not going to happen for many years...

6- Far away friends

I usually go home once a year to see my family and the friends who still live in the area. The thing is,  I have really good friends I haven't seen for years because they live in a different part of France (or even other countries) and the hardest thing is not knowing when I'll see them again. Organising a trip is just too complicated and the other solution would be for them to come to Ireland, but I guess we all have our life and if it's complicated for me, it's the same for them... However, to all those friends (you know who you are), I would just say: "The door is open, you are welcome whenever you want!"

I've realised I can live without many things I had in France. I just have a different life and learned to adapt... What about you, what do you miss from your home country?

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Identity

I came across that article on The Journal website a few days ago and it got me thinking...

In that opinion piece, the author, a twenty-something Nigerian, explains that even if he's Irish, the Irish don't know he's Irish (hope you're following me there...). He explains he feels Irish at heart, but his origins are always a matter of discussion, in a negative way. As an example, he takes the usual question everyone asks to start a conversation "Where are you from"?, and thinks that it's an implicit form of racism that can be psychologically damaging for immigrants. 

I always get that question as well. But to be honest, I don't get offended and why should I? It is a valid question after all. Usually my accent gives it away so of course people are going to ask me where I'm from! My Mauritian husband used to be asked the same thing all the time when he worked in a hotel. In fairness, there weren't many black people in the area at the time so it was only natural Irish people were wondering where he was from. He played a lot with it. He's very good at accents, so sometimes, just for the craic, he would put on his best Dublin accent and tell them he was from Swords. The look on their face was priceless. I think Irish people in general are just curious, and I definitely don't think it's racism in disguise. Sure, Cork people get slagged by Dubliners all the time (and the opposite is true as well).

Do I personally feel Irish at heart? The answer is "sometimes". I feel proud if Ireland wins some sports competition, if there are positive news about the country or if an Irish artist makes it worldwide. I love Ireland, the culture, the way of life, the people. I can definitely speak English and I can even manage to pull off a Dublin accent at times. I love eating a good Irish breakfast, spending time in the local pub with friends, and I work with Irish people.

But does all that make me Irish? I don't think so. Maybe I am more Irish than I think, but in my mind I will always be French (and Breton but that's a more complicated debate). I was raised in France and only came here as an adult so, even if I'm fully integrated, I will never be completely Irish. Even if I owned an Irish passport I think I would only be "nearly Irish" (Now you understand the name of the blog!). And I'm totally fine with that. 

Now, if you ask my kids, they'll probably tell you they're Irish. But that's because they're living here since they're born. And that's fine too. I just hope they won't forget they have French and Mauritian roots.

The author of the article has obviously spent most of his life in Ireland, so I can understand why he feels more Irish than Nigerian, and that's OK. I just think it's nearly impossible for someone who goes abroad as an adult to completely assimilate to his new country to the point of denying where he comes from. 

We should embrace our origins. I'm proud of being French and I'm proud of being so well integrated in Ireland. I also hope my kids will be proud to have been raised in three different cultures...even if I know they'll be Irish first!

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The hairdresser

Afraid of the hairdresser? Don't be. You'll never come out looking like that!

Judging by the amount of posts on Facebook about finding a French speaking hairdresser in Dublin, it looks like a touchy subject. Somehow, the majority of French girls seems to be afraid of getting their hair done in this country.

I used to be one of them. It wasn't really because a language barrier but more the financial aspect of the whole operation. Going to the hairdresser in Ireland is very expensive compared to France, but I've noticed in recent years a drop in prices, probably due to the recession. I used to get my hair done while on holidays in France or Mauritius and only booked an appointment in Peter Mark when it was an absolute necessity.

Having said that, I only get my hair cut about twice a year and highlights when I start freaking out about my grey hair (which sadly is happening more and more).  And I don't know if it's true (or me just not caring about my hair that much), but I've always thought Irish girls were kind of obsessed with their hair. I mean, only in Ireland can you find hair straighteners in the airport or the night-club toilets!

Although I used to avoid the hairdresser for financial reasons, I never thought of it as a daunting experience. I usually bring a picture of what I want to look like, and it never quite ends up the way I want, but neither does it in France. I've always been very trusting towards hairdressers and have no problem leaving my entire fate in their hands. I'm not saying there weren't unsuspected results sometimes, but I never left a salon crying.  

My favourite thing about the hairdresser in Ireland is the massaging chair you lie down on while having you hair washed. I even fell asleep the other day I was so comfortable. Now this is something the French salons could take note of...

If I can give any advice to all French or foreign girls who are afraid because they think their English is not good enough, just give it a go! It is part of your experience living abroad. You might feel a bit confused the first time, but one thing for sure, it will give you memories, new hairstyles ideas and definitely more vocabulary.

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7 signs that I'm only "nearly" Irish...

I enjoy a good Irish Breakfast, understand most of the slang, I thank the bus driver, and say "sorry" a hundred times a day, even when someone bumps into me.

Yet, there are still typical Irish stuff I don't do or understand...I also know I will get a bit (or a lot) of slagging for what I'm about to write, but I don't care and I will probably laugh along...

1- I've never watched the Late Late Toy show

I can see the look of horror on your face... No I've never watched it, and I suspect this is mainly because it's not part of my childhood. It doesn't bring back any memories, and frankly, Ryan Tubridy doesn't appeal to me at all. "But what about your children?", you might be screaming behind your computer screen!! They watch the repeats at the childminder and that's a win-win situation for me.

2- And I don't watch soaps either

Fair city? Eastenders? Coronation Street? Fair enough I know the names, but the last time ever I watched an entire soap episode was on a trip to England when I was 14. The drama, the never ending improbable scenarios... I just don't get it.

3- I still have an accent

But the good news is, people don't really know where I'm from anymore. They usually know I'm not Irish, but they just can't figure out which country I come from. And that's a good thing. I mean, I've tried very hard to get rid of my French accent, and it's starting to pay off. 

 

4- I don't follow GAA

But again, I don't follow sports in general. I think I know the general rules, but I'm not entirely sure... Oh, but I understand the scoring system, that's a good thing, right?

5- I don't celebrate Halloween

Just like the Late Late Toy Show, that's not part of my childhood. As a kid, I never dressed up and knocked on doors for candy. I know it's fun and all, but I just don't like fancy dress stuff, unless I'm on stage in a musical or something... Are you still screaming about the children? Well, you might have a point on this one...Eventually they'll start asking for it and I'll have to give in...

6- I still have a hard time with Irish "gastronomy"

I can't make a proper crisps sandwich, I don't eat chocolate bars with crisps and why oh why would you put mayonnaise AND butter on a roll? That's just the recipe for heart disease... And a special mention for the carvery where you'll find roasted, boiled and mashed potatoes on the same plate...Even if I love potatoes, that's just a bit too much.

7- I don't celebrate Paddy's day

Nah, just kidding on that one ;-)

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Life is peaceful here...

A friend of mine has just been offered a job. The salary is a lot better than what he's on at present, and there are a lot of perks. On paper, this sounds like the opportunity he'd be crazy to miss.

Here's the trick. The job is in England, but he really enjoys his life in Ireland. His job is interesting, he rents a little cosy house and gets along very well with his housemate, he likes the town, the people, the pub next door... In his own words "Life is peaceful here".

The truth is, I have never met any foreigner who didn't enjoy living in Ireland and all my friends who went back home have very fond memories of the country. Most of them come back for regular holidays, and a few even came back for good after an unsuccessful stint in France.

We can say what we want about Ireland: recession, high cost of living, terrible weather, but there's one thing I know. It might be down to the "Sure, it'll be grand" general attitude but life here is more relaxed. I know this is just personal experience, but I think Irish people have this ability to laugh about pretty much anything (especially themselves), they're welcoming, open-minded and less judgemental than the French.

Sure we all have our problems. Mine are mainly the high cost of childcare and the fact that we're in negative equity and can't sell our apartment. But on the whole, I think we have a better quality of life than if we were in France. 

If I won the Lotto, would I go back to France? Probably not. I miss my friends and my family more than ever and if I could, I would just go back more often to see them.

But the bottom line is, I love living here, and no amount of money will change that.

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How much information are you willing to make public?

I'm doing some recruiting at work at the moment and it must be my curious nature  but every time I receive an application, my first step after going through the CV and cover letter is to check the applicant social media profiles. 

From the guy dressed up as a Mexican, drinking straight glasses of Tequila for his Nek Nomination (yep, he obviously forgot to put the video in private), to the girl who had clearly artistic but half naked pictures of herself on Instagram, I had my fair share of surprises, and  a great laugh in the process.  

What I will say though, is that what I find about candidates is usually not taken against them and doesn't necessarily influence my decision (and I'm not the only one making it anyway!). 

I often wondered if employers looked me up on Google when I was looking for a job. Did they find my blog? Did they read it? The subject never came up in interviews so I guess will never know...

I blog in my own name and don't use a pseudonym, even when I comment on other blogs, so I have to make sure I can own up to what I write. I'm proud of my blog, I think it shows a positive (most of the time) image of myself and the country I live in. 

So the question really is "How much personal information are you willing to make public?" 

In my case, I would say I'm careful about what I publish, but most importantly, I'm not ashamed of anything I've written (for now!) and if someone doesn't like it, tough!

What do you think? How do you manage your online presence?

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A taste of the future

Doing nothing on holidays is easy...Doing nothing at home is scary!!

Yesterday we got a taste of what life could look like when we retire (or at least when the kids leave the house). And it wasn't pretty...

We spent a few days in France last week-end, and left the kids with my parents, where they will stay until mid-August. I was so excited at the idea for the past few months that I couldn't stop thinking about it. May and June were dragging, homework was killing me and all I wanted was peace and silence in the house.

Well, we definitely have silence now. So much so it was scary for the first few days. Habits still kick in when I hear some kids shouting outside and I wonder for half a second if they are mine, then suddenly come back to reality. They are in France, having a great time, and I'm here, wondering what to do with all this free time.

The first few days back were easy. It was mid-week, we were both working and the routine didn't change too much. Except I slept half an hour more every morning and didn't have to take care of anyone else but me. Pure bliss...

Then, Saturday came along. We hadn't planned anything (and on second thoughts we should have), so after lunch we were kind of lost. What are we doing today? Where are we going? We had no clue whatsoever. 

I started wondering what were we doing before we had kids? Why were we complaining about being so busy all the time? Then my husband reminded me we used to go out a lot, eat in nice restaurants, meeting friends who also didn't have kids. It was a different life altogether. Plus we had a lot more money to afford it all.

In the end, we went for a  20 minute walk on the beach and when we came back, we were so bored we decided to make a list of our favourite movies. We wrote them on little pieces of paper and picked two each at random. Basically we spent nearly the entire day watching movies. Oh dear...!

If this is what retirement will be like, I don't think I'll be able to cope! On the other hand, my eldest told me he didn't want to grow up and would live with us forever, so maybe we won't have to face the prospect of being bored after all...

As for today, we've decided to go on an adventure. We're taking the car and we'll just see where it takes us...because there is no way I'm staying home to watch "The wolf of Wall street" for the umpteenth time.

 

 

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Memories of Bastille Day

A good few years ago in the French embassy for Bastille Day

 

Back in Brittany, the 14th of July falls around the same time as a traditional festival taking place in my town, so we usually celebrate our local culture more than the French revolution, and this means I have celebrated Bastille Day a lot more in Ireland than in France. 

The French Embassy used to send invitations to all French residents for the yearly party. Sometimes it was in the afternoon, sometimes in the evening, but as the Ambassador changed nearly every year, the event was always different.

One thing didn't change though. There was always plenty of alcohol and French food; well, if you arrived early of course. Put a bunch of French people around wine, Camembert and baguettes and you're in for a fight...

The great thing about the Embassy party was the atmosphere. It was never the same from year to year and that was made it truly unique.

About 10 or 11 years ago, the Ambassador decided it would be a great idea to have a "Rave party" in the garden of the French residence. After all, it was one of his last days, and all I can say is that he left in style!  The atmosphere was electric, everybody was dancing to the beats of the DJ, and I have never seen so many people attending the event since. That's probably because the party went on for a good part of the night and the neighbouring embassies inevitably complained about the noise. I think it was the last year they put on a party in the evening. I wonder why...

But my fondest memory of all is the 14th of July 2007.

We had friends who worked in the consulate so  after the "official" reception we were also invited to a barbecue at one of the gendarmes house on the grounds of the French residence.

Some military from the French Navy were also invited to the reception and we got to talk quite a lot because they were from Brittany (of course!). Once all the guests were gone, we decided to make our way to the barbecue, but at the same moment, the Ambassador's wife came out.

I'm not gonna lie in saying she was a bit drunk, but anyway, she invited us inside the residence and offered a round of Champagne. Then, she sat at the piano and started playing, accompanied by all the Navy military singing French folkloric songs. After a 20 minutes "private concert", we were gently shown the door, but I will never forget that surreal experience!

Sometimes celebrating your national day outside of your birth country is far more eventful than doing it at home... What do you think?

Share your stories :-)

 

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