On the sharp end is a term from the rock climbing world. You are on the sharp end of the rope when you are the "lead", going first up the rockface and placing removable anchors as you go. The lead climber finds the route to follow and then brings the other climbers safely to the next ledge. Life, in leadership and followership, is a lot like rock climbing.
Day 8-We left Brussels today after time with my extended family to celebrate the life of my cousin, Christophe Pochic and to grieve his premature departure from us.
Bea and Karl were able to join us and we shared an Airbnb house. It was good to have them there. Now the car is loaded (can’t see out back window!) and we head towards the Alps. #guilleuxinthealps
We left Paris on Friday to head towards Belgium for my cousin Christophe's funeral that will take place on Monday. Years ago, I had visited Christophe and we had done a visit to Bruges so it seemed like a good way to remembering him by introducing Joy and the kids to this beautiful city and a few Belgian specialities.
The next day we drove to see the North Sea. After the upper 90's degree weather in Paris, the cool ocean air was refreshing.
Today we picked up the rental car and headed to my childhood home in Velizy. The kids got to see Ecole Ferdinand Buisson where I went to elementary school. Mamiejo knocked on our old house and the current owner gave us a tour. Despite all the changes to the house in the last 38 years, we could still see the house as it used to be. Unfortunately in a technological glitch, we lost the pictures from our visit. Upon our return to Paris, we took Annelise to a free rock climbing exhibit and finished the day with a tour of Paris at dusk and the lighting of the Eiffel Tower.
We made it with all our luggage to Mamiejo's apartment in Paris. Found our way to the park to get our bodies moving and introduced the kids to Diabolo Menthe (Mint syrup with sparkling lemonade). Seb couldn't handle his drink! The adult had this summer's aperitif, Le Spritz.
Day 1. PIT-CDG. 6 luggage each around 49 pounds for a year abroad. Delta treated us well and the less than full flight allowed us to stretch out. We celebrated our arrival with a CDG croissants. #guilleuxsinthealps
The seed of possibility was planted firmly between 2009 and 2012 as Francois and I led CCO donor trips to the Alps. We’ve both had a lifetime love of the mountains. We also carry seed packets of possibility wherever we go. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to live here someday?”
Then the kids came along and we dreamed of them being bilingual and knowing where their Papa comes from and their Frenchness. Research and experiences of others told us that preschool and elementary age is the best time to go. Part of what we want to give our kids is a big view of the world and the beautiful diversity in it! We wonder how we will be different living outside the city, with mountains as our back yard. This is a clip that was shared by our neighbor in La Masure of visitors in our back yard.
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So, there’s basically two ways to make this type of adventure happen. On one hand, you can save a ton of money, and/or sell everything and take a year off. Or, you can have work that can be done from anywhere - anywhere with WiFi, that is! So, when I transitioned to becoming a leadership development coach last fall, that freed me up from location. Francois will do much of his planning and preparation from home in France, but since he leads trainings, teaches classes, and facilitates groups - all of that will require him to travel.
Practically speaking, this has been a lot like a wilderness expedition. We entered the planning phase. Is it possible? What route will we take? How will we get there? What will we need to do to prepare? We went round and round, back and forth, over hours and days and months of conversations. We made a estimated budget of living in the Alps vs. Paris. Could we go for 4 months? 6 months? 9 or 12 months? It was an ever-moving target as we learned what it will cost for things like rent (do we prioritize having a 3rd bedroom for guests or save money and live tiny), health insurance (3 out of 4 of us have French citizenship - will we be covered there?), transportation (can we get by with public transport via trains, buses, and Ubers or do we need to lease a car?). It’s been exhausting. I’m eager for this part of the trip preparation to be over and for the adventure to continue in the next phase... actually getting on the plane.
Alas, the bags are not packed. The house is not ready for others to move in. There are more friends to have time with before we board. Stay tuned. There’s so much to learn!
Next month, Joy is being honored for 20 years of ministry with the CCO. Francois is close behind with 19. And to prepare ourselves for the next season, we are taking a sabbatical. On August 5, we will take the kids and a few large suitcases and board a plane for France. After a stop in Paris to visit Francois' mom, and a family camp week at the Taize community, we will drive to the hamlet of La Masure near the village of Sainte Foy Tarentaise in the Alps. Follow our adventures during this season of discovery on this blog.
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