Corona made me do it!
I arrived in Aix on July 1, 2020. My daughter, Pia, was waiting to be reunited with me after spending 4 months with host families. She was a boarding student in Aix and Carona virus forced schools to close. I was in the United States trying to figure out the best solution for her. She was, very kindly, invited to live at her best friend’s house. We went with that option. She was excited to be with her friend and homeschooling together seemed like a better idea than being isolated with Mom far away. After all, we all thought this was going to last just a few weeks. Wow, were we wrong!
After 30 years of living abroad and feeling that everything and everyone was only a plane ride away, we were suddenly faced with the reality that we couldn’t just jump on a plane and get to each other. It was very unsettling. Pia was really on her own in France. Every member of our family was living in a different country. Nic was not far away, in Morocco. However, no sooner was he making plans to get to France to figure out a plan, when the Moroccan government decided to close all of the boarders. There was no warning, it just closed. This meant that Pia couldn’t get to him, either. My oldest daughter, Maddie, was in Amsterdam but with the European boarders closed, she could not get to France to be with Pia. Angelica was living in Los Angeles and I was in Florida. Yes, I could travel but we weren’t sure if I would get into France, as I’m not a French citizen. Within a matter of days, which felt like minutes, we were all stuck in our respective countries. I woke up one morning and thought “I’m moving to France”. After many unsuccessful attempts trying to contact the French Embassy, I finally made contact with a really nice woman who called me from her home. She wrote a letter to a colleague requesting urgent attention towards my situation. The next day I was given instructions as to what documents I needed to gain entry into France. It took awhile, but thanks to the fact that Nic is very organized, we were able to gather all of the necessary paperwork. Proof that I was married to a French citizen and was also the mother of 3 French citizens. I immediately bought my plane ticket.
Next, there was the task of finding a place to live. Pia wanted to live in the center of town and I began my search for a place to live. This came with a few challenges because we then had to find someone willing to rent to us. I was unable to do this on my own (because I’m not French and wasn’t a resident). and Nic was living in Morocco which meant no local salary. They finally agreed to allow Nic to sign for an apartment (that Pia found). He needed proof of citizenship, salary, etc. It went on and on. (A huge contrast to me showing up in Florida where I rented two different places and no-one asked me how I was going to pay for it.).
Finally, I had to figure out my visa situation. As a tourist, I have 3 months to stay in France. After that, I need a resident permit. This had me, once again, pulling together more paperwork. It was very time consuming but we got there. I now have my one year visa, which will be renewed in a year and valid for 10 years, going forward. I will also be applying for French citizenship. Although, this never seemed necessary in the past, we now feel it is too important that I have access to France. I am the only non-European citizen in the family.
Voila!…………here I am. I left my life in the U.S. to be with my daughter until she graduates from high school in 2022. We are living in a cute apartment in the center of Aix. It is now very quiet as all of the bars and restaurants are closed. Universities are all online so most of the students have gone home. It is a ghost town. Every day I take a walk around town and take photos as I see them. The lighting is beautiful. The sound of silence Is everywhere. It is peaceful and I am just happy that we are safe and managing to keep this virus away from us.