This is exactly what I've been trying to articulate about moving abroad. The invincibility doesn't come from confidence, but surviving enough discomfort that your brain stops treating it like an emergency. And the beginner energy piece is the real growth!!
This comment made my day, Olivia! It's not confidence in the traditional sense, it's more like accumulated evidence that you're 'going to be okay.' The beginner energy is my favorite part of this adventure! There's something about not knowing what you're doing that keeps you genuinely curious rather than just going through motions 💛
Hi Amanda! This was the impossible-feeling part for me, too. I will likely dive into this in a future post (and I typically share more of these details with my paid subscribers!), but to sum it up, I was able to get a 4-year artist visa (I’m a musician) and my husband and kids got their visas through mine. We also worked with a ‘hand-holding’ company that helped with visas and some of the other necessary paperwork :)
Hi Amanda. I am currently in this process at the moment. I, like Kamille, went for a 4-year visa based on my previous photography experience. I just wrote a bit about where we are in the process. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!
If Louisiana permits broke you down, French château paperwork would have you fully on the floor 😂 I say that as someone who has spent more time than I care to admit staring at forms I only partially understand, hoping I checked the right box, taking pics with the Google Translate translation camera....Flipping houses feels almost straightforward by comparison! At least you've had some experience with the bureaucracy part - might give you a leg up here!
A wonderful read—thank you. We bought a small house (with a rather big garden) in France four years ago, and even as a vacation home… mon dieu, the paperwork is something else entirely 🙈
I can’t wait to follow your journey - I feel you on every part of the renovation. Hugs from a Norwegian 🌸
Hugs received and returned, Camilla! And yes, the paperwork as a vacation home owner in France is its own adventure. Mon dieu indeed! There's definitely chaos that comes with owning old property in France and I feel like we are kindred spirits in that way 😂 So glad you found me here and I cannot wait to follow your journey too! 🤍
“You learn to separate your worth from your performance.” - This line will stay in my heart for a while. Thank you so much for sharing!
🥰 Honestly, same. I’m trying to tattoo it on my nervous system (then I’ll have two tattoos, tattwos) 🟣
This is exactly what I've been trying to articulate about moving abroad. The invincibility doesn't come from confidence, but surviving enough discomfort that your brain stops treating it like an emergency. And the beginner energy piece is the real growth!!
This comment made my day, Olivia! It's not confidence in the traditional sense, it's more like accumulated evidence that you're 'going to be okay.' The beginner energy is my favorite part of this adventure! There's something about not knowing what you're doing that keeps you genuinely curious rather than just going through motions 💛
Oooo, I like that, Kamille. "Accumulated evidence that you're going to be okay".
Can you share how you handled the Visa aspect of moving? This is the piece that always feels impossible to me!
Hi Amanda! This was the impossible-feeling part for me, too. I will likely dive into this in a future post (and I typically share more of these details with my paid subscribers!), but to sum it up, I was able to get a 4-year artist visa (I’m a musician) and my husband and kids got their visas through mine. We also worked with a ‘hand-holding’ company that helped with visas and some of the other necessary paperwork :)
Hi Amanda. I am currently in this process at the moment. I, like Kamille, went for a 4-year visa based on my previous photography experience. I just wrote a bit about where we are in the process. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!
Thank you! I have just realized I have been living my first days abroad for the last 40-50 years. And that’s without moving abroad!
I did flip houses and a old French château still would be intimidating.
The bureaucracy and paperwork for permits in Louisiana was bad enough, I can't imagine if the forms were in French.
If Louisiana permits broke you down, French château paperwork would have you fully on the floor 😂 I say that as someone who has spent more time than I care to admit staring at forms I only partially understand, hoping I checked the right box, taking pics with the Google Translate translation camera....Flipping houses feels almost straightforward by comparison! At least you've had some experience with the bureaucracy part - might give you a leg up here!
A wonderful read—thank you. We bought a small house (with a rather big garden) in France four years ago, and even as a vacation home… mon dieu, the paperwork is something else entirely 🙈
I can’t wait to follow your journey - I feel you on every part of the renovation. Hugs from a Norwegian 🌸
Hugs received and returned, Camilla! And yes, the paperwork as a vacation home owner in France is its own adventure. Mon dieu indeed! There's definitely chaos that comes with owning old property in France and I feel like we are kindred spirits in that way 😂 So glad you found me here and I cannot wait to follow your journey too! 🤍