After four-and-a-half years in Paris, we are now living in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. We had a luxurious adventure in Paris, which was life changing for each one of us. While Richard still works for Alcatel-Lucent HQ in Paris, his ex-pat assignment ended and we headed home. We toyed with the idea of staying on under a local French contract but the pragmatic overcame the romantic.
Instead of returning to Ottawa, where we had lived prior to Paris, we chose Guelph as it feels like our home in Canada, perhaps because three of our four parents are here, along with others of the Hamilton clan, and many good friends.
It took Max-the-dog about a month to figure out he could stay out in his garden and didn’t have to come straight back in. Now, even on cold, snowy days he stays out for long periods, happily chewing on sticks. He knows there’s a park across the street and when he thinks it’s time for a walk, he’ll ask to go out the front door – direction Park, instead of out the back door - direction Garden.
Charles (15 on Dec 27) is in a Grade 9 French Immersion program, meaning half of his courses are in French. He’s on the swim team, in the choir and has participated in competitions and concerts recently. He also takes Fencing, and has successfully completed a lifesaving swim course: Bronze Cross, to enable his working as a camp counselor in future summers. Socially, he is thriving. He made new friends on the first day of school, and at the end of the first week of school three girls from his school showed up one evening with chocolate chip cookies for him! Things have happily continued in this vein for him. He has grown 3 inches since we left Paris and is mistaken for his father or brother on the phone.
Alexander (19 on Dec 21) graduated with a bilingual International Baccalaureate (IB) from his French High School in May 2008. In June, he and Richard were the guests of our friends, the Greigs, for a one-week sailing trip along the Sunshine coast off Croatia. In case that wasn’t enough of a finale to our European adventure, he then went on a Euro rail trip with two friends! He spent July and August working and sailing in Vancouver. Alexander now attends McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He’s in the Faculty of Arts & Science taking second-year courses (his IB was worth the equivalent of one-year of Canadian university credits) in Math and Physics, philosophy and history. His passion, thus far, lies in Physics. Otherwise, he’s on the Sailing team and has gone to regattas in Boston and Rhode Island. From what I can tell he has a full social life and loves life at university.
Although Richard’s office is in Paris, he works from home most of the time and travels to Paris, New Jersey and Ottawa. While he enjoys the natural setting of our home, he is a ‘city mouse’ and misses the stimulation and excitement of Paris, not to mention working in an office. Richard’s work, as VP of Corporate Image, continues to challenge him especially since a new CEO came to lead Alcatel-Lucent in the summer of 2008 bringing fresh energy and direction with him.
As for me, I’m finally beginning to catch my breath, nearly six months after the move. The summer and fall are mostly a blur with December, winter, birthdays and Christmas suddenly happening. As the ‘country mouse’, I feel happier in a quieter town, with a slower pace and easy access to nature. I’m glad to be closer to family and old friends but miss my Paris friends and European relatives. It’s all about balancing …
May 2009 bring you good health, prosperity, peace and equilibrium!
(Written by Catharine)
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