Missing Creature Comforts

Moving to a different country is quite an adjustment on day-to-day life.  I thought it would be fun to show you some of the things we've had to "give up" living here in the south of France.  It's definitely a trade off, and we're very happy with our living situation, but it's interesting to see how we've adapted to losing some of our creature comforts. 1.  Car Perhaps the most obvious thing we're missing right now is a car.  We went from having 2 cars to having 0 cars.  You're welcome, Earth!  The Hub is doing his best to take care of this problem by constantly hunting for a good deal that we can use to explore France, but for now, it's just me and my feet!  The public transportation system here is really easy and reliable, but I do prefer to try to walk to my destination whenever possible.  After all, I need to work off all the amazing food we're eating!  The only time I wish I had a car is when I'm making big shopping trips.  Luckily, I have my trusty "wheelie bag" to help me out when I know I'll be buying something heavy like detergent or a case of beer water.

 

2.  Air Conditioning True, we didn't have air conditioning in San Francisco...but it wasn't blazingly sunny and 90+ degrees during the summer in San Francisco.  I have to say, so far it hasn't been a huge problem.  There have been a few uncomfortably hot nights, but for the most part our apartment stays pretty cool.  We're facing the north, so we never have direct sunlight, and we have huge windows throughout the apartment that open all the way to let in a nice breeze.  It does hinder my ability to walk around naked, but I've learned to wear a robe.

 

3.  Television Ok, technically we do have a TV, we just can't quite get it to work yet.  The Hub has yet to find a power converter that won't blow a fuse when we plug it into the little TV we brought with us from the U.S., so for now, we use our computer with external speakers when we want to watch something.  Many people don't realize this, but websites like Netflix, Hulu, nbc.com or showtime.com are IP protected and don't work in countries outside of the U.S.  Thank god for Slingbox and our friends Shawn and Kate who let us hack into their DVR so I can keep up with my important shows like RHOC.

 

4.  Coffee Maker I could just buy a new one here, but using the French Press I brought is so much cooler...and cheaper.  The coffee tastes better, I have better control over how much I'm actually making, and it's très chic!

 

5.  Dryer We were pretty lucky to find a decently priced washing machine, but no one has in France uses a dryer.  We're all about line drying over here, which I actually did for most of my clothes in the U.S. anyway.  It's so hot that the clothes dry in a few hours - even towels don't take too long.  The main problem is capacity.  Our guest room also doubles as the "laundry room."

 

When I think about the big things some people in this world live without - like clean water and shelter - I really can't complain about missing things like a car.  It's all part of our adventure living in another country and we're grateful for what we do have!

One Response to “Missing Creature Comforts”

1. Andy says:

   June 30, 2011 at 7:56 pm

   I know it’s far from Montpelier, but I’ve heard Belgium is the cheapest place to get a car in Europe. With that said, I think you should go with a bike and a nice big basket or paniers for grocery shopping. If you had a nice big loaf of bread sticking out, you’d look hella French as you pedaled down the road! :)

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