Our one-year anniversary: Friends

One-year anniversary

Back in the summer of 2007 when we announced our move, one of the biggest worries for us was leaving our friends behind. We had some great relationships formed over many years with poeple that were very close to us. The news that we had finally sold our house and were emigrating was met with pretty much universal upset.

Many tears were shed on both sides and the last weeks together in the UK were spent saying long, sad goodbyes. Moving to a quiet rural village in the west of France, we envisaged our lives being very lonely, never again to recapture the sort of bonds that we had left behind in england.

But how wrong we were.

Within weeks of arriving in our home we had friendships with several english families, the same-language bonds being quickest and easiest to make at this time. Before too long, through the school, we started to get to know more french families and form strong friendships with some of them. Meals were cooked for each other, afternoons were enjoyed drinking aperitifs round the pool. Events were attended together and good times had by all.

Perhaps its the more relaxed way of life here, or maybe we’ve just become “better” at meeting people, but we certainly seem to have had little trouble in building up an embryonic network here, which can only grow as we get more and more confident with our french speaking.

And it’s not just new friends that are part of our network. Some of our old friends from the UK have kept in touch and this reveals to us the strength of our relationships with them. There are others who have not kept in touch and that’s up to them. We all move on and make choices in life which make things difficult, so these things happen. Those friends who remain in touch have become very dear to us and we are thankful to the power of Skype, email and MSN for allowing us to keep that relationship alive easily and cheaply. We eagerly await the visits from these folk and have so far had some wonderful times with all who have joined us here.

Even you, my loyal readers, have made an impact. When I started this site back in March I saw it as just another way to keep the folks at home up to date with our news, but from that humble beginning has grown a real community. Through the conversations on La Vie en Foussais we have had the pleasure of communicating with so many great people who have all been very supportive and some of whom have become very special friends.

We would all really like to say a huge “thank you” and “merci beaucoup” to you all. We do feel very lucky to be one year in and already surrounded, both physically and virtually, by such lovely people. You have all helped in so many ways to make our first 12 months in Foussais the success it has been and we hope that you will all continue on this journey with us for many more years to come.