Hit and Miss, the Continuing Saga

Continuing with my looking back at what I will and will not miss about France and Europe.

Parking
Miss it:  You can legally park in both directions on either side of the street.

Will  not miss it:  I absolutely hate parking in France!  More than once I have spent twenty minutes driving around the neighborhood looking for a parking spot and ending up parking one kilometer away.  In Houston  we have a double car garage, long driveway and parking area in front of the house along the street.

Park in both directions.

Our old house, check out the curb in front of the double garage.

Streets
Will Miss:  Many towns and villages in France date back to medieval times where stone buildings and walls defined a street designed for horses.  One might describe these streets as "quaint" and/or "charming."

I will not miss:  Narrow streets, regardless of quaintness and charm often are one-way, have no room for parking and cause issues for even mid-size vehicles.  Delivery vehicles or transit buses with their stops can cause lengthy queues in traffic.  Knowing the rules for two-way traffic on a one lane street adds to the frustration.

Two-way street.

Two-way street.

The following photos are the ends of an actual street that shows up on my map app.  I am not sure how one uses this street.

Daylight
Will miss:  The wonderful long summer days.

Will not miss:  The seemingly endless winter nights.   France:  sunrise 08:15, sunset 16:30, Norway:  sunrise 09:30, sunset 15:00

Summer daylight hours.

Summer daylight hours.

Walking
Will miss:  With all the parking hassles, and the closeness of a small city many people walk wherever they need to go.  Within ten minutes I can be downtown, at the chateau or in the woods.  Bike riding is not far behind.  I can get to the big grocery store two kilometers away just as fast on my bike as I can driving, plus I do not have to hunt for a parking spot.

Will not miss:  Playing "dodge the dog poop" on the sidewalk.  This is a serious problem even though there are free doggie poop bag dispensers and special doggie potty zones.

Doggie potty zone.

Doggie potty zone.

Free doggie poop bags with instructions.

Latin Culture
Will miss:  North Americans are too busy, stressed and always in a hurry.  The Latin culture (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy) enjoy long casual meals, spending time with family and friends, vacations (at least 5 weeks a year) and taking time to enjoy life.

Will not miss:  Sometimes you want/need quickness and efficiency to get things done.

More to come?

Hit and Miss

My wife came across an idea a friend of ours tried on social media; each day of the last 30 days in their host country our friend posted a photo of something that she would or not would not miss.  I can not promise a post a day for the next 30 days but thought it would be a good idea to share what I would or would not miss over several posts.

The produce section of the grocery store.
Miss it:  Grocery stores in France like to promote local and regional produce that is in season.  As I write this peaches from neighboring Spain are in season and they are amazing!  Strawberries and asparagus are coming to a close while melons and tomatoes are starting to make their mark.  Great selection, great quality and great prices!

Will not miss it:  Sometimes you want/need something that may not be in season and it can be difficult to find.  Asparagus will only be available sporadically until next spring and if you do find it it will be very expensive (7+ Euro verses 2.50 Euro in season).  I have had to go with Plan B, C, D... on more than one occasion.  Since most of the produce in Norway was imported we could get pretty much anything we wanted, the down side being it was not always as tasty due to the time/distance of transport.

The Rubber Hits The Road

The fact of the matter is I am no longer going to have any excuses/reasons/rationale to fall back on; I am fluent in the language, can legally work, am familiar with the culture and customs and we are going to have a mortgage, car loans and bills to pay.  Upon our return to Houston I am going to have to get a "real job."

My greatest apprehension is not having to work but rather it is the loss of freedom and flexibility.  I have often considered myself as being self-employed; there always is something to do but I have flexibility to do it when/how I want.  It is the thought of losing this freedom and being bound by a clock that does not appeal to me.  I can relate to business owners and self-employed people who say how much they love what they do and that they could never go back to working for.  

My mind is flooded with questions.  Do I go back to teaching?  If I go back to teaching how likely are the schools going to be to hire me after not being full-time in a classroom in quite some time?  Should I pursue a different career?  What kind of career?  Is there something I could do that would provide a nice income and still allow me to have the freedom I have become acclimated to?  Time, prayer and the counsel of family and friends will be my guide.

In the spirit of jocularity my wife and I often say we still don't know what we want to be when we grow up.  I feel like I am approaching a fork in the road in my life but as the philosophy Yogi Berra once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."