Let me explain, no time, let me sum up!

Let's start with the burning question I'm sure you're all dying to ask.  Why is Emmeline starting a blog?  I know what you're thinking--blogs are usually written by bored housewives who want to share somewhat helpful tips. Well, this one is being written by a bored housewife who wants to share why she thought it was a good idea to move to Europe! 

I'll begin by saying I'm not a very seasoned traveler. My idea of travel is anywhere you can drive to in under three hours with a stop on the way for Coke.  Wade, on the other hand, has been to many places around the world. He probably should have started a blog, not me.  Alas, that's not the case, so you folks will be reading a blog written by an amateur traveler whose first thought is that people walk way too much in Europe!  Seriously, they honestly walk everywhere!  And, they also don't use plastic bags at grocery stores, so bring a tote!  There--that's your first piece of advice!  Take it from me--you don't want to be the fool without a bag, carrying eggs, milk, and who knows what in your arms.  Most likely your apartment will be a good walk away because, again, people just don’t mind love walking! 

Anyway, I digress! Let me explain how we even got to Europe in the first place. The semester before Wade graduated, he wanted to apply for a French government program that hires people to teach English to students in middle and high school.  Wade kind of led me to believe there was a slim-to-none chance of him even getting the job.  Naturally, after that reassurance, I was like “You should totally apply!”  (Honestly, Wade is a very smart person, and now I know never to listen to him when he says he probably won't get a job.)  Wade applied and life got busy and I half forgot about the whole thing.  When Wade was graduating, I asked if he wanted to start applying for jobs.  He told me he wanted to wait to see if he got the France thing. (Remember:  I was still under the impression that he wouldn't get the job.) On April 1st, he got an email congratulating him for being accepted into the program.  We would be headed to Forbach for eight months.  Of course, because it was April Fool’s Day, he thought they were playing a mean joke.  He even wondered if it was a mistake. Well folks, it wasn't either! 

My reaction, you ask?  If I'm being honest, I went through all five stages of grief.  By September I had hit the stage of acceptance… well, it actually might have hit when we were landing in Paris!  Denial was a stage that lasted a very long time, apparently.  It's taken a bit to get used to everything here.  For example, I don't speak French or smoke, so people don't really know what to make of me.  Wade’s command of French helps a lot!  (I am grateful to all of his language teachers for doing such a good job with him!)

  

   I guess I'm writing this blog to give folks amateur traveling advice, and it's pretty therapeutic to write down my rambling thoughts.  I hope you will get some entertainment from this because I'm getting some entertainment writing it!  Tune in next time, and I'll tell you about the plane ride!  That was fun! 

Thanks for reading folks!