Should You Move to a Small Village in France?

Insights and reflections from people who've done it: Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie addition.

You want to move abroad but are unsure if you want a big city or small town vibe. Well, friend, you’re in luck.

Next up in the ongoing series, Should You Move Abroad?, we hear from the delightful Beth at

Entertaining with Beth

. She is an American who recently relocated with her family from L.A. to Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, a small seaside town on the Atlantic coast of France.

If you don’t already know her, Beth writes a fantastic Substack about entertaining with maximum pizzazz and minimal effort. With the holidays approaching, I definitely need more of that.

Beth’s answers are honest and touch on the difficulties of communicating in a foreign language, even one you’ve studied for years, and the unique challenges of being a food writer adapting recipes to all new ingredients: French butter is not the same as its American cousin, and Kosher salt is hard to come by outside the US.

Ready to discover about life in charming Saint-Gilles with Beth? Allons-y!

Background:

• Country of origin: USA

• Country of current residence: France

• Length of time living abroad: 6 months. We came for summers for 10+ years, but now live here full-time

Motivation: What was the primary reason for your move? (e.g., work, study, retirement, lifestyle)

My husband is French and lived in the States for 30+ years. He wanted to go back because he missed the culture, lifestyle, family and friends in France. This, mixed with the rising cost of living in Los Angeles and a younger daughter who had five more years in school in a city that was becoming increasingly too materialistic and unsafe, helped us to decide to move to France full-time. Our eldest daughter was also going to college in Italy, and I knew I'd sleep better if we were closer to her.

Practicalities:

• How challenging was the visa and work permit process?

The practicalities were not bad. After 9/11, I made my husband become an American citizen due to an unpleasant experience at the airport. Then, a few years later, I became a French citizen while still in the States. It took 5 years, but we weren't in a rush, and I'm glad we did that. We also registered both kids as soon as they were born at the French consulate to obtain their French citizenship—I would highly recommend this to anyone with a Franco-American family. In France, we only had to get our identity cards, which took a day at the local mayor’s office. Now, we are working on obtaining our carte vitale (health insurance coverage), which takes a bit of doing and is related to setting up our businesses here (we are both freelancers). For our taxes, we relied on a French and American accountant and tax advisor to ensure we set it all up correctly since, as an American, you will still pay American taxes while living abroad, in addition to French income tax! Having accountants well-versed in both systems helped us avoid paying too much or not enough.

• What were the biggest hurdles in setting up your life abroad (e.g., housing, healthcare, banking)?

The biggest hurdle has been the healthcare!

You always hear about how great the French healthcare system is… IF you can get an appointment or find a doctor who accepts new patients,

We live in a small beach town with 8-thousand residents off-season and balloons to 80 thousand in the summer, so there are not enough doctors to care for everyone. In the States, you call your doctor and are often seen that day if you're sick. Here, we've found you’re lucky if they even call you back the same day, and it can take days to be seen. Luckily, the pharmacies here are great. They are knowledgeable and can dispense some common medications without a prescription from the doctor. As a result, many people count on them instead of their physicians.

The banking system can be complicated and sometimes feels like a parental relationship!  For example, they can limit how much you can spend in a day or a month, not cash to withdraw, but actually spend! When we first arrived, we bought a lot of things for the house, and my card kept getting declined even though I knew I had plenty of money. The issue was I had exceeded the amount they were willing to let me spend (of my money) for the month. It also took 4 months to transfer money from one French bank branch to another (within the same bank). Shopping online requires an extra step to verify the purchase from your mobile phone. Things like that can be shocking coming from the States, where banks are very service-oriented and seem to do everything to GET YOU to spend your money.

Cultural Adaptation:

• What were the most significant cultural adjustments you had to make?

• How did you handle language barriers and cultural misunderstandings?

Cultural Adjustments are ever-present. I think the biggest one to overcome is realizing how much you need to make yourself vulnerable when learning a new language. Even though I've been learning French for over 20 years, that vocabulary has been mainly social/vacation vocabulary. But looking for things in the hardware store, joining a gym, or navigating school communications is another level. As is making friends and chatting with people at parties. You soon realize small talk in French isn't easy. It can be slow and awkward, humiliating and dreadful. But just like playing the lottery, you've got to be in it to win it! The more you throw yourself into the ring, the more you learn and the more confident you become. Even if your verb tenses are wrong, and you sound like Tarzan, making an effort goes a long way in France.

Quality of Life:

• How would you rate your overall quality of life compared to the US?

Our quality of life is much better! Moving to a small town in France was a huge change from a big city like L.A. We do things here that we never did in L.A. We can walk to the bank and bike to dinner parties. Ironically, we spend much more time outdoors here because a sunny day is never guaranteed, so we take advantage of it when it arrives. We plan our meals more knowing that most stores are closed on Sundays, which is a great excuse to sit around and do nothing or have a big lunch, nap, or a walk on the beach. Instead of running errands and filling our Sundays with chores, we chill. Having things closed gives you permission to rest because that's what everyone else is doing. Our daughter has a lot more freedom here to go places by herself or with friends, not something she did much in L.A.

Professional Experience:

• How has living abroad impacted your career?

• Were you able to find employment easily?

Luckily, I have my own business (Food Blogger/YouTuber), so it was easy to pick up and move it. But I didn't realize I'd have to relearn all the basic products and brands. Which butters are best for pie doughs vs. cookies? Which heavy creams will whip into whipped cream, and which ones won't? I'm still learning to use an induction cooktop over gas, which is still a battle! (I miss my gas cooktop!) Recipe development is vital to what I do, and it takes me a lot longer now to develop recipes since I have to relearn all these products and brands or order from Amazon—I gave up trying to find replacements for things like Kosher salt or good quality vanilla and just order online.

Advice for Future Expats:

• What do you wish you knew before moving abroad?

Bring more things from the States than you think you’ll need and avoid the "sell it all" approach: you'll miss those things when you settle in. It's nice to have a few familiar, sentimental belongings. Bring a few cold/flu products from the States until you know the local medicines. Also, bring a set of Imperial measuring cups and spoons to make your favorite American recipes—those things are hard to find here.

• What advice would you give to someone considering a similar move?

Spend some time there in the off-season, away from the crowds and tourists, to get a sense of the local pace and see if you like it. Inquire about the availability of doctors. Be sure to get a 1-3 month supply of prescriptions since it could take a bit to find a doctor. Start studying the language ASAP; don't wait until you get there to begin! There are many excellent free resources online, on YouTube or via podcasts. The more familiar you are, the less disorienting the move will be.

Overall Experience:

• Looking back, would you say moving abroad was a positive experience? Why or why not?

I think this move has been great for us! It's not been without its challenges, though. You have to be willing to give up things like holidays with family, American-style customer service, and ease of communication to gain other things like an incredible selection of groceries each week for a fraction of what you'd spend in the U.S., slower pace of life, strong community, and the ability to travel to and from other countries and cultures quickly and easily!

Additional Comments:

• Please feel free to share any additional insights or experiences.

I would also like to add that leaving your country and culture is not for the faint of heart. It will challenge you in every way imaginable, and there will be tears. But it can also be an incredibly rewarding experience that will reveal things about yourself you never knew existed!