Often as I take the dog on her evening walk my surroundings remind me that we live in Europe! This boy from a small town on the Canadian prairies is living half way around the world on a different continent and in a different country.
I have been blessed to see, visit and experience things that as a youngster I only read about in school or saw on television. I always wanted to see all these people, places and things but accepted the inevitability that I was going to stay inside my circle of comfort and familiarity. I thought that I would likely go on a few excursions to "exotic locations," but certainly not to the extent that I have experienced them. At times it is overwhelming to realize that I am living my dream.
Very early in my teaching career I was laid-off due to massive budget cuts. My fledgling desire to seek adventure had lead me to a school in another province but when I lost my position I returned to my home town. I vividly recall an experience that charted a new direction in life. For many weeks I had been seeking a teaching position with great veracity. One evening while considering my next move I came to the realization that I had come to fork in the road. On one hand I could stay in my home town, pay my dues until I could get a full time position, buy a house and settle down. Many of my friends had followed this path and were living happy lives. On the other hand I was single, did not own a home, most of my possessions fit in/on my car and every place in the world needs teachers. After a moment of contemplation I was struck with a thought that determined the direction of my life. Staying around home was a noble decision, but would I have the regrets of not taking advantage of the world of opportunity? Would I someday say to myself "I wish I had...."? It was then I decided to broaden my approach to seeking a new job. In the worse case scenario if things would not go well I could always go back home. The converse decision would be much more difficult from the perspective of logistics and more importantly a potentially complacent life. After a global search I ended up heading off to Texas, a place I had dreamed of living.
My personality is such that I am a cautious adventurist. I am willing to step out of comfort zone, but I usually need to take my time, think it out, etc. My fearful/cautious side will try to use logical rationale to persuade myself not to do something, but my stronger daring side reminds me that if I do not take the risk I may regret not doing it for the rest of my life. This inner battle may take a while but in the end I take the plunge.
The first two years in Norway we were miserable. Upon self reflection we came to the realization that our misery was self-inflicted. We had been focused on what we perceived as the negatives of where we lived and what we missed from the US rather than focusing on the positives around us. Initially it was a challenge but we forced ourselves to get out there and do stuff. Immediately our mindset and attitude changed. The last two years in Norway were awesome!
Two pearls of wisdom I have gleaned from life are to take advantage of the opportunities you get and make the most of the situation you are in. Somewhere I came across a study of individuals with much life experience, the results showed that the greatest regret they had was not what they had done, rather what they had not done and/or wish they had done. I continue to strive to grasp opportunities and soak up my surroundings.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Learning English
Once a week I volunteer at a local organization coaching/teaching English. The clientele are adults seeking employment and wanting to improve their English language skills. Our times are spent reading newspaper articles, answering language/grammar questions, discussing similarities and differences between France, England, Canada and the United States, and having casual conversations. I thoroughly enjoy this opportunity.
I recently asked the group what they found to be most difficult about learning English. The most common responses were vocabulary and grammar/conjugation of verbs. I certainly empathize with their struggles as those are the same areas I struggle with while learning French.
Two of the most troublesome sounds are "th" and "gh." The French often pronounce "th" as "T" or "D." The challenge with "gh" is knowing which sound to make--consider the words laugh, though, through and ghost.
Although no one in the group mentioned it but from my experience living in France and Canada another letter that causes "difficulty" is the letter "h." In French the letter "h" is silent 99% of the time, especially when it is the first letter of a word. When speaking English many French speakers will keep a silent "h," but will add it in in some circumstances. A phrase I heard often listening to interviews of Quebecois hockey players on "Hockey Night in Canada" was "da Hamericans play ockey (the Americans play hockey)." I mentioned this silent "h" situation to my English group, they agreed, had a laugh, and then broke out into a discussion whether the French language authority had authorized the use of the h-sound in "les hericots."
Members of the group shared some entertaining anecdotes with regard to speaking English. One Frenchman visiting America ordered "A cup of juice without glass." The French word for "ice" is "glace" (pronounced like glass). The visitor to the US intended to ask for juice without ice. Another find young man with limited knowledge of English met an attractive English girl. Wanting to impress the lovely lass with his grasp of the English language the fine young Frenchman started singing words to English language pop songs, in this case the words to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," not the most romantic song.
My time at the Club for English lessons is a high light of my week. The best part is that our meetings are always filled with laughter. Learning is so much easier when it is fun and relaxing, and it doesn't hurt if you can laugh at yourself.
I recently asked the group what they found to be most difficult about learning English. The most common responses were vocabulary and grammar/conjugation of verbs. I certainly empathize with their struggles as those are the same areas I struggle with while learning French.
Two of the most troublesome sounds are "th" and "gh." The French often pronounce "th" as "T" or "D." The challenge with "gh" is knowing which sound to make--consider the words laugh, though, through and ghost.
Although no one in the group mentioned it but from my experience living in France and Canada another letter that causes "difficulty" is the letter "h." In French the letter "h" is silent 99% of the time, especially when it is the first letter of a word. When speaking English many French speakers will keep a silent "h," but will add it in in some circumstances. A phrase I heard often listening to interviews of Quebecois hockey players on "Hockey Night in Canada" was "da Hamericans play ockey (the Americans play hockey)." I mentioned this silent "h" situation to my English group, they agreed, had a laugh, and then broke out into a discussion whether the French language authority had authorized the use of the h-sound in "les hericots."
Members of the group shared some entertaining anecdotes with regard to speaking English. One Frenchman visiting America ordered "A cup of juice without glass." The French word for "ice" is "glace" (pronounced like glass). The visitor to the US intended to ask for juice without ice. Another find young man with limited knowledge of English met an attractive English girl. Wanting to impress the lovely lass with his grasp of the English language the fine young Frenchman started singing words to English language pop songs, in this case the words to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," not the most romantic song.
My time at the Club for English lessons is a high light of my week. The best part is that our meetings are always filled with laughter. Learning is so much easier when it is fun and relaxing, and it doesn't hurt if you can laugh at yourself.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Jack-in-the-Box
When you crank the handle of a Jack-in-a-Box you know the clown is going to pop out, but you don't know when or to what extent. Moving overseas is like this classic toy, you know there will be surprises but you don't know what and/or when.
As part of our preparation for our expat assignment to Norway we attended cultural training classes to help prepare us for the adventure we were about to embark on. Most of the surprises we experienced when we arrived were easily assimilated. The greatest shock I experienced was the sticker variety. At the time of our move most items in Norway costed three to five times the price as similar products in the US. I felt guilty buying food, it was difficult justifying paying those high prices. I started to ration the food I ate. A slight annoying hunger became a constant companion. The ferry to Denmark had a buffet, it wasn't very good but I could finally eat my fill. After a month a half I had lost 15 lbs. (6.8 kg). My wife set me straight and told me to eat and not worry about the price. It was tough but I did get back to heating healthy portions.
Costs in Norway may have been higher but food was not a place to cut back. After some time we did come to accept what was a normal price for Norway was now normal for us. My experiences resulted in the knowledge of where, when and how to get a good deal and in some cases a better deal than in the US.
On a related note I have noticed that their is a high correlation between cost of living and salaries. i.e. if the cost of living is high salaries tend to be generous, a low cost of living equates lower salaries.
As part of our preparation for our expat assignment to Norway we attended cultural training classes to help prepare us for the adventure we were about to embark on. Most of the surprises we experienced when we arrived were easily assimilated. The greatest shock I experienced was the sticker variety. At the time of our move most items in Norway costed three to five times the price as similar products in the US. I felt guilty buying food, it was difficult justifying paying those high prices. I started to ration the food I ate. A slight annoying hunger became a constant companion. The ferry to Denmark had a buffet, it wasn't very good but I could finally eat my fill. After a month a half I had lost 15 lbs. (6.8 kg). My wife set me straight and told me to eat and not worry about the price. It was tough but I did get back to heating healthy portions.
Costs in Norway may have been higher but food was not a place to cut back. After some time we did come to accept what was a normal price for Norway was now normal for us. My experiences resulted in the knowledge of where, when and how to get a good deal and in some cases a better deal than in the US.
On a related note I have noticed that their is a high correlation between cost of living and salaries. i.e. if the cost of living is high salaries tend to be generous, a low cost of living equates lower salaries.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Simply The Best?
One benefit of our expat situation has been the opportunity to travel. We have been asked what was/is our favorite place to visit, favorite food and best hotel; the subject of many family discussions.
We have enjoyed all of our vacations but to pinpoint a favorite location is difficult. Each destination was special and unique. One must consider the purpose of the vacation, is it to get some sun, take in museums and historical attractions, scenery, get in as many attractions as possible, relax, etc. There are several vacations that stick out in my mind as top vacations, not necessarily for tourist value but rather the overall experience and frame of mind that they left us in (e.g. the relaxation of a vacation may outweigh the attractions we had). I can, however, provide recommendations if you have a specific purpose or intention.
After a few vacations hotels are just hotels. What makes a good hotel is that it is clean, conveniently located for your purpose and has a friendly helpful staff. Some of our hotels were simply a place to sleep, nothing fancy required as we were there to do the tourist thing and not be in the room. Other hotels provided the services and atmosphere to allow us to relax. Lastly, some of our hotels were selected because they were unique, quaint or historic.
Favorite or best food is impossible to state. As a family we have become foodies. The key for good food is that is made with fresh ingredients, care and perhaps that added touch that is impossible to put in a recipe. Food is always one of my favorite parts of a vacation and am willing to try pretty much anything. As a family we can tell you where we had two of our favorite items. Yogurt--at Freddo's in a small mountain village in the south of France and at our riad in Marrakesh--both places had the yogurt made fresh that morning. Tea--at our cooking class in Morocco, served by the elder master tea server of the village.
To answer the question there is no best place, hotel or food; they were all good for their own unique reasons. As our son says "Each place has been different and unique in its own special way, so it is impossible to compare them." Consider what you want out of a vacation and plan accordingly. Enjoy and make the most of the travels you have even if it is local.
We have enjoyed all of our vacations but to pinpoint a favorite location is difficult. Each destination was special and unique. One must consider the purpose of the vacation, is it to get some sun, take in museums and historical attractions, scenery, get in as many attractions as possible, relax, etc. There are several vacations that stick out in my mind as top vacations, not necessarily for tourist value but rather the overall experience and frame of mind that they left us in (e.g. the relaxation of a vacation may outweigh the attractions we had). I can, however, provide recommendations if you have a specific purpose or intention.
After a few vacations hotels are just hotels. What makes a good hotel is that it is clean, conveniently located for your purpose and has a friendly helpful staff. Some of our hotels were simply a place to sleep, nothing fancy required as we were there to do the tourist thing and not be in the room. Other hotels provided the services and atmosphere to allow us to relax. Lastly, some of our hotels were selected because they were unique, quaint or historic.
Favorite or best food is impossible to state. As a family we have become foodies. The key for good food is that is made with fresh ingredients, care and perhaps that added touch that is impossible to put in a recipe. Food is always one of my favorite parts of a vacation and am willing to try pretty much anything. As a family we can tell you where we had two of our favorite items. Yogurt--at Freddo's in a small mountain village in the south of France and at our riad in Marrakesh--both places had the yogurt made fresh that morning. Tea--at our cooking class in Morocco, served by the elder master tea server of the village.
To answer the question there is no best place, hotel or food; they were all good for their own unique reasons. As our son says "Each place has been different and unique in its own special way, so it is impossible to compare them." Consider what you want out of a vacation and plan accordingly. Enjoy and make the most of the travels you have even if it is local.
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