Happy New Year!

Dear all,
Hello from Biarritz!

I can not blame you in the least if you thought I’d fallen off the face of the earth, or become rolled up and trapped in a croissant. In fact, I just got bogged down with the move, the kids and the lack of energy left over.
But it’s January, it’s a time for new starts, creativity and taking oneself aside for a quiet word. I have wanted for months to get in touch and update all of you on how Le Grande Voyage en France is going. So here we go.

We spent August sorting, packing, labelling, and saying good- bye to everyone and everything we have come to know in the past 6 years. Cambridge has made a profound mark on our lives and the people and places will be remembered consciously and unconsciously, because our experiences there are now a part of who we are. You can’t have two babies in a place and just forget about it!

So on the 31st of August, on our 1st wedding anniversary, we packed the kids, the canoe and just enough bags for a holiday into the most economical and spacious Renault estate money can buy, and we headed for Dover. 
The rest of our belongings were in storage, and we used the trip down to Biarritz as a bizarre holiday in limbo- as if we took a break from one life before starting another. We were on holiday, but also homeless. If you ever find yourself taking such a break, I can only recommend driving down to the Loire and the Charente. Tumbling through the french country side in late summer could make anything feel just right. It certainly helped ease the the feeling of coming upon a waterfall I’d been heading to for 7 years. We were driving to our new home, and I was hoping we’d hit the bottom of the falls and manage to come up for air. 

On the 5th of September, at 10:30 am, we walked into the real estate agent where we had a meeting to sign the contracts for our rented house. We- or I should say Falko, found this house by sending a request into the Facebook ether and actually getting a reply. All other avenues of finding accommodation were dead ends because we were not yet employed in France. It was a window into the world  of admin and bureaucracy that we are now snuggly embedded. 

We had heard the horror stories of showing up at a property, only to find the “owner” was not the owner, the “contract” was non existant and the money was gone. We weren’t naive, (we hadn’t parted with any money yet!) we were full-blooded cynical. We expected the woman in the real estate agency to meet us with a blank expression and a shrug, pronouncing “Non, je n’ai jamais entendu parler de lui!” No, Ive never heard of him! in reference to our landlord.
Well, it turned out she had heard of him! Four hours later we were carrying our suitcases inside number 7 Allée Sandune. We had arrived in Biarritz, and more importantly we had the keys. 

The following few months passed in a haze of discovery. It was like an extended Fresher’s Week of moving in, figuring out where everything is and celebrating the novelty of it all. We had a lot to do; sorting the house out, finding work, interviews, getting Eva into school, meetings, keeping the families informed, drinking the wine.

It was and still is an endless “to do” list of making life work. With two kids demanding full time attention too, it’s been a juggling performance I have not previously attempted. Consider, I once ran a 12 person chalet by myself on nearly no sleep. But this is different. This is juggling to make a life we want for ourselves and our kids, so the exhausted feeling at the end of the day is bearable. Just about.

Falko, with the determination of a man who could taste the life of his dreams, went out and secured a job within 6 weeks of our arrival. He was hired by the local town council and provides in-home care for the elderly. His work has the benefit of possibly making my dream of him romancing a wealthy elderly widow and thus being endowed a fortune, come true.  Also, because he works for the town, he has security and access to local government figures.  Having these connections may come in handy when we start up our own business, so he took the first opportunity at a work function to chat up the mayor.  

It was a heartfelt chat though, as he and I had agreed that this place and its people had surpassed our expectations of welcoming strangers, and although the paperwork is colossal, it’s made easier by the patience and genuine willingness to help from the people behind the desks.  I know our situation is privileged, and we try our best to do our part (speak horrific french and then apologise profusely), but I’m continuously surprised by the open and friendly manner of nearly everyone. This is not Paris nor the France of stereotypical banter.

In November Eva started at the local school, and absolutely loves it. She seems undeterred by the lack of communication, and comes home with expressions and snippets of songs she’s picked up. “Pére Noël au Mexico, méme pas chaud!” Santa Claus in Mexico, not even hot!  (A new take on Christmas carols!?) She begged me in her first week to be allowed to stay for lunch, and now goes from 8:30-4:30 four days a week.

She lamented on a few occasions that no-one plays with her at lunchtime. We reassured her it’s because of the language and nothing to do with her personally.  We taught her to ask kids to play in french, we found out some names, the teachers helped out, and she hasn’t had any more lonely lunches.  The teachers are patient, kind and compassionate – more than I could have wished for. And they assure me Eva is getting along fine in class. She’s an inspiration to me in her courage to put up with the initial awkwardness and find the fun.

Rohan is unwavering in his rambunctious mission to get involved in everything. He is certainly not to be left unattended as he is inevitably touching, climbing or destroying something he should not. I hear that’s just a boy thing. He also likes dressing up as a princess. Now also a boy thing.

He and I have a weekly rota of playgroups in the area that are very welcoming, very well equipped and very free. It’s been a saving grace for me and an aspect of the socialist system here that I truly appreciate. It allows me to practice french and Rohan to express his inner princess; win win.

Christmas came all of a sudden with a plethora of lights and markets and more delicious food. It was yet another new experience for us, Un Noël Basque.  Each of the local towns; Anglet, Biarritz and Bayonne had events, markets and displays, made even more accessible by the mild December weather. It was no white Christmas, but I’ll take 19 degrees and sunny as a consolation prize anytime! 

It was also a quiet Christmas with just us four, but a milestone to be celebrated to the extent that young children will allow – hangover and sleep-in free. We had a magical moment atop the ferris wheel in Bayonne, on a clear evening with a full moon. It made me giddy like Christmas should.

For New Year’s Eve we drove about an hour down into Spain to a little coastal town called Zarautz. We hopscotched between tapas bars and playgrounds, and finally ended up on the beach, drinking red wine and meeting some friendly folks. To my delight I was poured a glass of La Planta Ribera del Duero 2018. I’m no connoisseur, but this stuff is smooth, tasty and highly economical. I love having Spain as a neighbour!

I like the new year because I subscribe to the new slate philosophy. Not explicitly, but I like the optimistic bass note that underlies the return trip to summer. If you want to, and you choose to embrace it, the new year can usher in change and support shift like no other point in the calendar.  It’s still cold and dark, and the days are short, so the changes need only be little nudges in the right direction, but I like that small nudges turn into full blown habit by summertime. 

This year, now that we’ve made the move, I’m focusing my effort on building health in myself, my family and hopefully, when our licences to practice are approved, my community. Basically, it’s time to bask in health! The crusade of admin to build our practice awaits, but the time it takes will allow us to chisel out and define our message. Luckily, Falko and I have a very congruent approach and philosophy when it comes to chiropractic and health, and we complement each other’s special interests well.

We are committed to making the most of the advantages we have. Education, family support, physical health, and rational thought are easily taken for granted, but they are gifts. Because we do have these things, we have been able to choose a life for ourselves, which is not something everyone gets to do. I feel passionate about sharing and cultivating the skills and tools people use to build a better life (or relationship, or physical state, or mental state, or community…) I am truly curious about what it takes to be happy and healthy, especially considering those of us in the developed world should supposedly be nailing it. But we’re not, because it’s complicated.

Basque in Health is our blog combining the unique insight chiropractic has on human health and our personal journey to live congruently with ourselves and our environment. The coming year is sure to be full of new adventures and challenges of which I will keep you abreast, along with useful tips, tricks, reviews, recipes and observations on mastering “happy and healthy”. Expect informed discussions on a variety of health related topics. We will cast our net wide, because we believe health is more than just avoiding the hospital. Now that the upheaval of moving countries is behind us, my schedule has opened up somewhat and it’s time to crack on!

I am likewise interested in your goings-on, and I’d love to hear what health related challenges you are having. Probably the most important cog in the mechanism for me is the knowledge of what you need for you to be healthy. If I can continue to be of service to you in any way, I’d be grateful to help. Send me a comment or question, and make sure to check in regularly for the latest updates.

Happy new year everyone, I think of you all often, and wish you all the best for the coming year.

Yours truly,

Rebecca