Three aspects of life that changed since I moved to France

I spent the last days of 2022 and early days of 2023 alone which gave me ample time and space to be quiet and reflect. January marks a new calendar year for everyone. It also means a new year unfolds for me since my birthday happens to conveniently fall on the first week of the first month of the new year. To make things even simpler, I also moved to my Host country in the same month.

We’re in year 3! It’s been two years since I packed up (most) of my stuff from the Philippines, moved across the world to France, and restarted my life. Moving abroad can bring about a variety of changes. Today, I look back on three aspects that have changed a little or drastically throughout my existence since I emigrated from the Philippines in 2021.

The language I speak

As a language enthusiast, language is evidently a big part of me. French has now become my everyday language. In spite of this, I still have opportunities where I can use Filipino and English, notably at work. As of the moment, I teach Filipino in tertiary education at a public institution in Paris. I also keep in touch with friends who are both here or elsewhere in the globe. I continue to read books, articles or texts, and consume media in English. Whereas French was a medium of language in my professional life back in the Philippines, it has since overcome this to be my vernacular language in France, quite obviously. Additionally, I continue to learn Portuguese and I hope to put it to good use in the future!

Routines

I’m still hung up with my extreme early morning routine back in the Philippines. I miss waking up to the sun rays beaming on my face. I was told that technology could easily resolve this but there’s nothing like the natural light of the sun to wake you up at 5.30 am all year round. In this part of the hemisphere (and also because the person I live with prefers to black out all light sources during sleep), my morning routine has drastically changed. Sure, I still wake up “earlier than the rest of the population”, sure I still have my morning coffees (better coffee, even!), but there’s really something about the tilaok (crow) of the manok (chicken), the soft light brought by the sunrise, the neighbors who banter on the street, the sound that the walis tingting (broom) makes as the neighbor cleans their front yard, the sound of tambutso (exhaust pipe) of old cars or tricycles that breeze through your street, the Mantataho who shouts tahooooo (a sweet snack made with soft tofu, sago/tapioca pearls, and a caramelized sugar syrup ) for your second breakfast… Nowadays, I wake up to eerie mornings. I tiptoe my way around my own apartment in fear of neighbors (or my own Husband) coming up to my door to complain about a possible resonating noise I might make. I have calmer mornings now, a little too calm for my liking. But still calm, nonetheless.

Sense of identity and belonging

I was re-watching the “Duel Citizenship” episode of How I Met Your Mother the other day, where, the Canadian character, Robin Scherbatsky found herself waking up back in Toronto. She laments to her American friend, Barney Stinson, that she feels neither Canadian nor American. She was no longer Canadian enough when she was in Canada, and she was constantly teased for not being American enough when she was back in New York, where her life was. That scene in Tim Horton’s resonated so much with me as I was quietly baking a blueberry cheesecake (I surprisingly found solace in baking). I am nowhere near to being French and I feel it every day as I go through my daily activities. On the other hand, whenever I get news from home, I’ve never felt so left behind. I’ve only been catching up on the #TingTingTang dance craze, the ridiculous prices and sizes of sibuyas (onions) and the ‘Wag tayong ma-sad dahil sa work buzz on Donnalyn’s remark back home. I can go deeper in this subject and it does deserve a separate discussion of its own. The resolution of the character Robin in HIMYM was “Instead of being a woman with no country, I’m gonna be a woman of two”. And I’m okay with that, too.

These changes can be both positive and challenging and it takes time to adjust to them. I’m only coming around to acknowledge them. And I’m quite far from achieving any resolutions for now. I’m sure more realisations and reflections will resurface in the coming days, weeks, months and years, and many more I’ve pondered upon but left out from this shortlist.

What helps to rebuild my life anew is to (re)discover some activities where I can anchor (word of the year) and express myself or find meaning during my transitory status. I listed some of those activities in this Pinterest board. Recommendations for activities to try, things to do, and places to go are most welcome! In my search for stability and rebuilding, I think this is the best time to explore and learn.