A year ago today, we were sitting in our house in Reseda, watching as a bunch of strangers packed our lives into boxes and loaded them onto a truck. Maggie sat stressed out, not understanding why we were allowing this to happen.
A year ago today, we cried as we said good-bye to the home we had filled with love and known for twenty years.
A year ago today, we drove away in Beanie, not knowing what the future would hold for us as we set off on a giant adventure that would take us to live in an unknown place filled with unknown people.
Today, I'm sitting at my desk, looking out my window at the snow-covered streets of a village that has become the best home I've ever known. When I walked out in those streets this morning, I saw so many wonderful people who have become my friends, and I felt blessed in more ways than I can count.
It is an object lesson on the subject of change, because although change can be a terrifying thing, it can also bring untold wonders and gifts. Open yourself to change. Open yourself to new experiences, new joys, new people and yes, even new heartbreaks. All of these things can enrich your life in ways that you can't even begin to imagine.
I was wondering why my phone was ringing so much lately. Normally, here in the Possum Kingdom, things are pretty quiet. So much of our interaction is face-to-face or by email.
And, more unusually, almost all of the calls have been for me! That really is weird. Suddenly, everyone wanted to talk about English lessons. But it isn't for them; it's for their kids.
The answer, of course, is that report cards came out last Friday, and the English grades have not been stellar. So, all at once I've got a bunch of new students. My number one criterion for accepting a non-adult student is motivation. The kid has got to want to be here and not just be coming because their parents want them to come. Nothing worse than having a surly pre-teen or teen sitting across from you wishing you would just drop dead.
So, while this is not going to do anything like making us rich, it will help to pay for a few groceries, which isn't a bad thing. And, there's always the chance of winning the EuroMillions lottery tomorrow night.
Okay; it's done! I am now an officially licensed driver in France.
The downside, unfortunately, is that I did wind up with the stupid probationary license. This means that for the next three years, instead of having 12 points available on my license, I only have 6. That's not really a big deal, since it's been something like 20 years since my last ticket. The main hassle is that I need to drive only 80kmh on rural roads instead of 90 and 110kmh on autoroutes instead of 130. That last is a real handicap if we need to go someplace far. But, I'll deal with that as it comes. I still have my California license, so that could come in handy, I suppose.
The whole system is wacky though. For example, the code specifically says that if you can't exchange your license, you are exempt from the 20 hours of accompanied driving that a new driver needs to follow, as you are NOT considered an apprentice driver. BUT, new drivers who DO those 20 hours only have a probationary period of two years, not three.
Also, if I had come from one of the U.S. states that do simply exchange licenses in France, and hadn't studied the driving code, effectively knowing less than someone who DOES study the code, I would have NO probationary period on my license.
This means that as someone with 36 years of driving experience, no accidents, no tickets, who has studied and passed the exam for the driving code as well as the practical driving exam, I am, in fact, PENALIZED. Where is the logic in that? In fact, given the age of the driving examiner yesterday, I have probably been driving for about as long as HE'S been alive!
JM and I have decided that we will write to the appropriate authorities to try to get this sorted out. It is not a good system and, although it is a minor inconvenience, it is still unjust.
I suppose it is petulant of me to take it this way, but I still feel a bit irked by the whole thing. Clearly, it would have probably been worth the money to sort out a license from Pennsylvania or another state before moving last year. I've even heard of people who took a two-week course in the UK, passed THEIR license test, then simply exchanged that license against a French license. If I'd found out about that earlier, I might have tried that myself as well.
But, it's time to move on. Given that things in the U.S. do not seem to be improving politically (is it wrong to pray for impeachment?), a probationary driving license seems a small price to pay for living in the Shire.
