I moved from us to France. It took 4 years to adapt, one thing helped

I moved from the United States to France with my French partner and two rights and optimism.

He flourished as an international student in the United States, so I assumed that I would adapt the same ease as a professional young man in Paris.

However, after we got married, I fought to adapt – and dealt by comparing my new life with my old country.

It took me some time to absorb the best advice I received as a wrap

I was lucky to find a group of international friends in a short period of my movement.

One day, while venting one of them about how I missed US salaries, holidays and even my family’s dentist, I stopped me and simply said, “You cannot compare.”

At that time, I knew she was right, but she didn’t want to hear it. However, with the passage of years, I realized that it was the best advice about moving abroad at all.

The comparison is normal – after all, how many times do we see articles classifying countries against each other? Although this could be useful, measuring my old life, the level of comfort and standards against new standards did not make me blind for everything that France provided to me.

It may take to adapt to a new place for years – this is good

I heard that people say it takes two years to feel at home in a new country. For me, it took four (in addition to the year of the gap in London and move to southern France, in terms of my husband).

The turning point came when I finally stopped comparing my life with what could be.

Yes, I make less money here, and see my friends who return to the homeland, can make me the impressive salaries to make me wonder my way. Since I left, I was only at home once on Thanksgiving, celebrating away from the family, wedding and lost funeral shows, do not become easier.

In addition, I still miss little things, such as Soulcycle and Trader Joe, often more than I would like to admit. However, I have a lot to appreciate my new life in France.

I work less, I find less, and I had space to reassess my career. She became the workers of their own account, began to give the lecture on a program in English at a French university in 25 years, and built a new life focused on my passion for writing, music and non -profit work.

I have made new friends from all over the world who have become like a family. I also appreciate support, patience and community grace in the country more than ever. In addition, it was a pleasure to host many of them here, and I share our house and our lives in ways that I could not get if it remained in the United States.

More importantly, I developed deep gratitude for how to form my husband’s country and welcomed me.

These days, I focus on the gratitude of all my new country that gave me

While I plan for my future in France, I am still incredibly grateful to the place where she grew up. The United States will always be part of me, and I will not exchange my American experience or university experience for anything.

I still have sweet moments and bitter, like the realization of my children’s childhood in the future will not look like anything to me. However, now, these feelings are balanced by excitement in seeing the experience of their culture in one of the most beautiful countries.

For anyone who recently moved abroad or thinks about it, all I can say is: the best thing I did at all is to stop comparison and start estimating everyone I am and from where I am.