You got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?
Rodgers and Hammerstein
I have been looking at real estate websites a lot lately. Not here in Alabama but in France. I really want to live in France. I love it there. I think I mentioned in a previous post that whenever I visit France I always feel like I am coming home. I feel comfortable there.
My parents and my aunt think I am nuts for wanting to live in France. I know there are a lot of obstacles to my moving there. I would need a nest egg, a visa, knowledge of more than basic tourist French. Then, of course, I would need to overcome my shyness so I can meet new people and not be lonely. Winston is good company but he can't talk.
Chances are high I will never move to France but I am not giving up my dream. Like the Happy Talk lyrics say, if you don't have a dream a dream will never come true. Today I took a little step towards my dream. I opened up a savings account with a local credit union to save for a home in France. It is always good to save money, especially in the current economic climate, so opening this account was a good thing. I plan to put a little bit away every month and half of any unexpected money that comes my way. I have also vowed to spend 30 minutes a day with my Pimsler French cds. I uploaded them to my Ipod so I can listen and learn while I walk Winston. Small steps but I need to start somewhere.
What's your dream?
4 comments:
You can absolutely move to France, and you're smart to begin laying the groundwork. I think about it often, and have considered taking a sabbatical from teaching next year, to test the waters.
Here's a link to a blog, written by an American woman who currently lives in Annecy, France. While her circumstances are likely to be different from yours, she has written extensively on everthing from culture shock to French bureaucracy.
Check out Jennie en France at
http://www.ielanguages.com/blog/
This is a fantastic idea to put something real toward your dream. I have a separate savings account labeled my "dream account". That funded my trip to Paris last year. I'm still contributing to it but I need a specific goal to think of as I've lost a little of the savings motivation for that account.
I think you can move there one day. It's a great goal.
A: Thank you for the link. That site is really wonderful. I have bookmarked it. I need to add it to my blog. Annecy is a beautiful town. I must place it on my lists of cities to explore. I hope you have the chance to take a sabbatical next year.
S: I find it is easier to save if I have a specific goal too. Retirement is apparently not specific enough for me though, I have to really push myself to fund my IRA every year. Funny though, the home savings account is all exciting to me. I keep trying to find things to cut out of my budget to fund it. India may have to be put on hold for a while.
Please move so we can live vicariously through you ; )
PS
I love that Anne Barone quote. I'm going to copy it into my journal. Please keep us posted on your simplification project
K
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