Beyond Montpellier

I cleared the final hurdle and I am now, as my friend Betty Siegrist phrased it, a "documented alien" in France.  I can relax, at least until June, when I start the process to renew.  I think it's considerably less involved than the first validation.  Nonetheless, I am sure I will find something to worry about.  For now, I am floating; it feels like my life has more possibilities now that I am a fully legal resident.  The question is how to shape it. 

"normal" life in the living room

My lease is good until the beginning of September.  I would like an unfurnished apartment, however, so I will begin the hunt in a couple of months. A little apartment--500 or so square feet, in this area, with a little balcony for some plants and a spot of sunshine, and either two bedrooms or one bedroom and an office/dressing would suit me perfectly.  I will be sending thoughts out to the universe. 

I have found a used furniture store that is jam packed with wonderfully mismatched household goods.  I can't wait to see what I can come up with.  I made good on my vow that my first purchase after obtaining that card would be an electronic piano.  I found a nice one, at a good price and it fits in my space as if the place had been made for it. 

I am rediscovering the joy of working on my technique and being able to play for my own enjoyment.  I will make a decision about playing for the church in the next few weeks--things there are rockier than I expected.  Having the keyboard here will make practicing the hymns easier, but I am not doing it for that reason.  I want to be able to play, simply put.

My "Welcome to France" gift to myself

I feel like I can travel a little more, although at present I have no burning desire to go on any major trips.  There is still so much here that I have not explored.  I am wanting to see the Mediterranean, and am planning a short trip on Wednesday to Collioure.  It's market day there and that market is wonderful.  When Jason feels like he can take a break from getting his own house ready to sell, we'll take a Monday jaunt to Mirepoix with a trip to Montsegur. 

Even though the big hurdle is behind me, there are everyday tasks to attend to.  In no particular order, I need to:  find a physician; a dentist; and an ophthamologist. I need to open a bank account and make some decisions about how to handle my money. I can finally get my few remaining possessions shipped out of  Lorraine Gordon's garage.   I also need to find: a realtor to help with the apartment search; a delivery service/moving company that can help me when the time comes to change apartments.  I have purchased a French as a foreign language for adults workbook--it's time to formalize my studies just a bit.  There is writing that needs doing, and the manual mode for the camera to learn.  A friend of mine gave me two links for free courses.  There's one coming up about the French Revolution--is there any better time and place to learn about it?  All of these things will allow me to move my life here forward. 

I often wonder how there was time for anything while I worked and boredom doesn't appear that it will ever be a problem.  And for that, I am grateful.