Settling into My Apartment in Uzès
It has been only six days since I landed in France, and I’m almost ready to move in! This first week living in France, moving into my apartment in Uzès, has been a whirlwind of errands, surprises, and small triumphs. Renting the apartment unfurnished, I knew there would be a lot to do. I thought I’d be doing well if I had a bed and a refrigerator by the end of the first week. That was before I realized I had enlisted the world’s number one administrator to help me — my new friend, Nandine.
In less than a week, Nandine has worked miracles. She has helped find a bed and furniture for the living and dining rooms, arranged for telephone service and utilities—the basics to begin life here. All that’s left is to furnish the guest room and add lamps and accessories. I can add my own touches to the place over time. Needless to say, I’m ecstatic. Without Nandine’s persistent knock on my bedroom door at 8 a.m. each morning, I’d never have accomplished half as much. Our daily routine of trips to Carrefour, Intermarché, or one of the local furniture shops has been exhausting but exciting.
My First Week Living in France
Expat Essentials: utilities, appliances, furniture — and of course, wine — quickly filled my first-week checklist.
Checklist
Utilities
Appliances
Bed
Furniture
Internet
Cellphone
Landline phone
Basic household items
Wine
Wine
More wine
By Tuesday, I’ll be waiting at the apartment for deliveries — a bed, an armoire, and a few other pieces. Watching the delivery men haul bulky furniture up the narrow spiral staircase should be a spectacle in itself. My bet is that they’ll need ropes to lift the larger items up through the terrace on the top floor. Either way, I’ll be there with my camera to record it all.Discovering Uzès,
One Errand at a Time
One of the unexpected joys of this first week living in France is that every small errand has turned into an adventure. A trip to buy household supplies has its reward when you can look up and see the stone arches and historic façades that remind you that you are in one of the most beautiful towns in southern France.
While most of my time has been taken up with practical matters, I am beginning to sense what life will feel like here. The pace is slower than in the U.S., and yet things still get done.
First week living in France: Time to play
All work and no play is really dull. So I’m visiting La Grande Motte, located just outside Montpellier. The resort town on the Mediterranean seems much like the Hilton Head Island resort in South Carolina. Condominiums are stacked many stories high, shaped like pyramids, around the boat docks and along the stretch of nearby beaches.
Built during the late 1960s, La Grande Motte has golf courses, tennis courts, pools, lakes, and boat access to the Mediterranean. The commercial area at the yacht basin is busy with restaurants, tourists, and children’s amusement areas. The day I visited, there was a race of small catamarans starring world-class yachtsmen. It was a beautiful sight when each boat, one after the other, unfurled a different colored sail that fluttered in the clear, blue sky.
A Dream Becoming Reality
Looking back on this first week living in France, I realize how quickly my fantasy is turning into reality. Six days ago, I was arriving, uncertain, at the airport. Today, I have the beginnings of a home in Uzès, new friends who are already like family, and a sense that I’ve really made the right decision. There will be challenges ahead, of course, but for now, I’m celebrating the small wins — a working phone, a bed, and lots of wine.
This first week is only the beginning, but it already feels like the start of something extraordinary.
Tomorrow… Move-in day!
Stay tuned
