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<!doctype html><html lang="en"><head><title data-rh="true">Are You Seriously Thinking of Moving Abroad? | by Janice Macdonald | Globetrotters | Nov, 2024 | Medium</title><meta data-rh="true" charset="utf-8"/><meta data-rh="true" name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1,maximum-scale=1"/><meta data-rh="true" name="theme-color" content="#000000"/><meta data-rh="true" name="twitter:app:name:iphone" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" name="twitter:app:id:iphone" content="828256236"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:app_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:app_store_id" content="828256236"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:package" content="com.medium.reader"/><meta data-rh="true" property="fb:app_id" content="542599432471018"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:site_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:type" content="article"/><meta data-rh="true" property="article:published_time" content="2024-11-24T07:53:27.130Z"/><meta data-rh="true" name="title" content="Are You Seriously Thinking of Moving Abroad? | by Janice Macdonald | Globetrotters | Nov, 2024 | Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:title" content="Are You Seriously Thinking of Moving Abroad?"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:url" content="medium://p/86c4898fbf80"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:url" content="medium://p/86c4898fbf80"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:app_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" name="description" content="Walking with the dog this morning along one of the rutted roads that crisscross the vineyards, I had the sudden sense of seeing everything for the first time. 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cb"><div class="ci bh ga gb gc gd"><h2 id="1027" class="hc hd he bf b dv hf hg hh hi hj hk du hl" aria-label="kicker paragraph">LIVING IN FRANCE</h2><div><h1 id="0840" class="pw-post-title hm hn he bf ho hp hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if bk" data-testid="storyTitle">Are You Seriously Thinking of Moving Abroad?</h1></div><div><h2 id="9ec6" class="pw-subtitle-paragraph ig hn he bf b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv cq du">Is it really, really what you want to do? What when the novelty wears off?</h2><div><div class="speechify-ignore ab cp"><div class="speechify-ignore bh l"><div class="iw ix iy iz ja ab"><div><div class="ab jb"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a rel="noopener follow" href="/@janicemacdonald?source=post_page---byline--86c4898fbf80--------------------------------"><div class="l jc jd by je jf"><div class="l fj"><img alt="Janice Macdonald" class="l fd by dd de cx" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:88:88/1*Mlfg7YMGzwdHAi36Tz-2Ig.jpeg" width="44" height="44" loading="lazy" data-testid="authorPhoto"/><div class="jg by l dd de fs n jh ft"></div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="ji ab fj"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a href="https://medium.com/globetrotters?source=post_page---byline--86c4898fbf80--------------------------------" rel="noopener follow"><div class="l jj jk by je jl"><div class="l fj"><img alt="Globetrotters" class="l fd by br jm cx" 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https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/format:webp/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 750w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/format:webp/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 786w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/format:webp/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 828w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 1100w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:2000/format:webp/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 2000w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 1000px" type="image/webp"/><source data-testid="og" srcSet="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:720/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 720w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 750w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 786w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 828w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 1100w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:2000/1*yHIKm_Ym_jc7GBZdAmrbCw.jpeg 2000w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 1000px"/><img alt="" class="bh ne or c" width="1000" height="750" loading="eager" role="presentation"/></picture></div></div><figcaption class="os ff ot od oe ou ov bf b bg z du">Languedoc vineyard in winter (all photos by author)</figcaption></figure></div></div></div><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh ga gb gc gd"><p id="dc7d" class="pw-post-body-paragraph ow ox he oy b ih oz pa pb ik pc pd pe pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr gx bk ps"><span class="l pt pu pv bo pw px py pz qa fj">W</span>alking with the dog this morning along one of the rutted roads that crisscross the vineyards, I had the sudden sense of seeing everything for the first time. It all looked so beautiful and tranquil — the low hills of the Cevennes, the distant view of a hillside village, an olive grove — fruit not quite ready to pick.</p><p id="ad12" class="pw-post-body-paragraph ow ox he oy b ih oz pa pb ik pc pd pe pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr gx bk">Eleven years ago, when I first moved to this region of southern France, I saw everything as I did this morning. New and exciting. Nothing escaped my attention — a beam of winter sunshine on the honey-coloured stones of houses built long before I was born, the sense of history in narrow streets. A tray of just-baked bread set out to cool on the boulangerie windowsill, women at the weekly market, shopping baskets on their arms.</p><p id="ed7f" class="pw-post-body-paragraph ow ox he oy b ih oz pa pb ik pc pd pe pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr gx bk">Sometimes just the brilliant light that gives the land the look of a water-colour painting. I’d never thought of taking up art as a hobby until I moved to France — it still hasn’t progressed beyond the thinking about it stage, but it’s a good thought.</p></div></div></div></div></section></div></div></article></div><div class="l"></div><footer class="qb qc qd qe qf qg qh qi gw ab q qj jl c"><div class="l ae"><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh ga gb gc gd"><div class="ab cp qk"><div class="ab q lv"><div class="ql l"><span class="l qm qn qo e d"><div class="ab q lv lw"><div class="pw-multi-vote-icon fj gu lx ly lz"><span><a class="af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at" data-testid="footerClapButton" rel="noopener follow" href="/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fvote%2Fglobetrotters%2F86c4898fbf80&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fglobetrotters%2Fare-you-seriously-thinking-of-moving-abroad-86c4898fbf80&user=Janice+Macdonald&userId=4b8f2b7d4a3&source=---footer_actions--86c4898fbf80---------------------clap_footer-----------"><div><div 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