Janice Deerwester always dreamed of living in France But life seemed to have other plans for her. A native of Texas and widow since 2012, she lived in Georgia when, in 2021, she picked up on bed mentally listening to the song “Is That All There Is?”, Success of the singer Peggy Lee in 1969, that talks about dissatisfaction.
“I hated this song when it was released, but suddenly came to mind,” says Janice to CNN TRAVEL . “And I thought, ‘Is that all? I work, I get home tired, I sleep and start. Is that all? ‘
It was at this moment that Janice realized she wanted more from life. Without thinking too much, she decided to move to Fontainebleau, the French city she fell in love with during a trip in 2018. Less than a year later, at 70, she did just that.
“I am very impulsive, so this decision made sense to me,” he admits.
Today, living in Fontainebleau, southeast of Paris, Janice feels that she made the best decision of her life.
“I feel the luckiest woman in the world,” she says. “I don’t know why I had this opportunity, but I’m grateful every day for being here.”
Although not unhappy in the United States, Janice felt that something was missing. She liked her life on the countryside, where she rented a ranch after selling her home. But the thought that “there should be something else” did not leave it alone.
Even retired, he worked on two jobs to occupy time and feared looking back one day and wondering, “Why the hell I didn’t go to France?”
Radical change
After making the decision, Janice called her daughter, Jennifer, then just over 20 years old, to tell the news.
“At first she was a little afraid, but then she supported me totally,” he recalls. “She said, ‘You always did everything for me. Now go do what you want. ‘”
Janice initially dreamed of a charming apartment, with a spiral ladder, but realized that this would not be viable after knee surgery in 2021. “I needed an elevator,” he says. Thus, he ended up choosing a simpler apartment, he had already visited in 2018.
Before the change, he sold the car and broke out of most of his belongings, leaving some items stored for his daughter.
“If she wants the porcelain and the cutlery, it’s hers. If you don’t want to, you can sell. I don’t mind.”
Bonjour, France!
When researching the French style, Janice realized she would need to rethink the wardrobe . “French women don’t walk down the street of leggings,” he jokes.
She also requested a visitor visa, allowing her to stay in France for up to a year. In February 2022, he embarked for his new life, taking only three bags – one of which was almost full of shoes – and his two pets: dog Buster and cat Kitty.
As it was not allowed to travel alone with two animals, her daughter accompanied her on the trip from Atlanta to New York and from there to Paris.
“I thought it would be easier for the animals. In the end, it was more traumatic to me than for them, ”he admits.
The first days in France were difficult. Janice even doubted her choice and, in a time of crisis, cried when she remembered a pair of yellow tennis that left behind.
“Of course it wasn’t about tennis. Was it just the feeling that I really belong to this place? ‘
After a good night’s sleep and buy some furniture, things started to improve. But the adaptation took time.
Finding Purpose
At first, even simple tasks, such as going to the supermarket, were stressful.
“I was always outgoing, but it was terrified when paying for purchases. I was afraid of my card not to work and people think: ‘Dumb Americana’, ”he says. “It lasted almost a year.”
Over time, Janice was feeling more comfortable and built a network of friends. Following the advice of one of them, Created a YouTube channel called Janice in France, where she shares her experiences and already has almost 30,000 subscribers. “I love to do that. It gives me a purpose, ”he says.
In addition to the channel, Janice, who has a master’s degree in counseling, also leads a support group on aging, family separation and mourning.
“I know what it is like to have to talk to,” he says. It also gets involved in church activities and organizes Christmas parties For people who would be alone at the holidays.
“I believe we all need to return. I try to help my community and my church whenever I can. We need a purpose in life. I can’t just wake up, play with the dog and spend the day on the iPad. ”
Life in France
Despite attending classes, Janice admits that her Frenchman has not improved much in these three years.
“People here love to practice English with me,” he explains. “And of course, my French with southern accent is terrible,” he jokes. “But I can turn around. At least I can read the signs so as not to fall into a hole. ”
For her, one of the best things to live in Fontainebleau is the kindness of people.
“If the train is full, people get up to give me the place. I don’t think I’m old, but I think they think, ”he laughs. “On the bus, when it is raining or very cold, they always offer me the seat.”
Another decisive factor for the change was the proximity to Paris, which is just an hour by train. She often goes to the capital to find friends and is excited to watch the musical “Hello, Dolly!” shortly. “I love to go to Paris, but I love my little town,” he says.
Cultural differences
For Janice, one of the greatest cultural shocks was the importance that the French give to the family. “In the US, everything revolves around the money. Here, the priority is the family. The holidays are in family. Free time is for the family, ”he notes.
She gives an example: “In my city, and in most French cities outside Paris, banks close on Mondays. Do you imagine this in the United States?
On the other hand, the French bureaucracy can be a challenge. “You can’t just get the phone and solve everything quickly,” he says.
She still awaits the approval of her long -term visa, but learned to accept the different pace of things.
“In the US, a realtor returns you in one hour. Here it may take three days. Because his priority is not me, but his family. ”
Janice says that rarely feels lonely but admits that you have had moments of discouragement.
In one of these days, he went to the Castle of Fontainebleau and watched people, reflecting on his journey.
“I watched the people, looking around, I took a hot chocolate, sat down and thought, ‘Okay, already gave. I’m going home now, ‘says Janice.
“Because I’m not the type who feels alone. I live alone, but I’m not alone. ”
Recently, he refused a marriage proposal from a “younger boy” who wanted her to live with him, as “we are aging and everything.”
“I said, ‘No, no, I’m fine. Thank you, ‘”she adds.
After three years in France, Janice, now 73, has no plans to return to the US permanently. For her, her best company is herself, exactly where she is.
“I can’t imagine going back to Georgia,” he says. “I mean, ‘Janice in Georgia’. No. What would I do there? ”
Today there is another dog, Max – Buster died last year – and loves the freedom to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
While missing her daughter and Mexican food, Janice says they always talk and that Jennifer loves to visit her in France. His last US trip was two years ago.
“I need to go back in September,” he says, adding that if he could choose, he would not even return.
For Janice, I’ve seen much of the US and now wants to live new adventures.
She expects her story to inspire other older people to make the most of life, whatever that means to each other, so as not to get to the end of the days thinking, “Wow, I wanted to have done it.”
Or worse, wondering, “Is that all?” And she continues: “Do it now. […] It doesn’t have to be France. ”
“It can be moving close to their children. Or get away from your children… maybe take two or three months of the year to travel, ”he said.
He added: “I think, as they get older, people settle so much that they don’t want to get out of the comfort zone. […] But, look, when you take this step, you find that life outside is amazing. It’s liberating. ”
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Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
