Wander & Nest

Who would have thought that moving across the world (again!) with a 2 year old would be a little bit tough?! The last few weeks have felt like a blur to be honest, sleep has been really rough and it’s taking some time to find our routine. But… looking back at past blog posts, I’m reminded that I also felt the same way when we first got to New Zealand, so that gives me lots of hope that we’re just in the transition phase. In the past few days it’s actually started to feel like the fog is lifting a bit! Woo! And Mara continues to be extremely cute so we always have that.

So what have the last few weeks looked like? Well first, we don’t have daycare for Mara for these couple of months in France, so generally during the week I have Mara in the morning to early afternoon while Wylie goes to work then we switch and I work afternoon to evening while he takes care of Mara. (I found a great coworking space that I’m really enjoying!) So that means lots of 1:1 Mara time which is great and also hard! We’ve spent lots of time at parks and are getting much better at taking Mara out for errands and such. It’s a transition for her too!

Despite the challenges, it has been so great to be back in France. There are many similarities and things we remember from when we lived in Paris – amazing food and wine that is so cheap, pharmacies and grocery stores on every corner, life at all hours, etc. But Toulouse is also so different than Paris in a way that feels much more manageable at this stage in our lives. First it’s just smaller and easier to navigate, but still seems to have everything we’d need. People are quite friendly, especially since we are really trying with our French. Way fewer people speak English in Toulouse than Paris, and they also seem much more patient and willing to struggle through a convo in broken French.

And of course, France is amazing at Christmas time. The Christmas markets, decoractions, lights (twinkles), carousels, and even carnival rides are all so great! We’ve had a really good time walking around the city center and enjoying Christmas in the air!

All of the joy and light has been so lovely to see and be part of, but also it’s been hard to fully embrace because of the devastation in Gaza. My heart aches constantly for the people of Gaza and their families abroad. And that heartbreak is also mixed with rage, melancholy, fear, disbelief, confusion, grief, guilt, and more. It’s just so unbelievably awful. The other night I was leaving the coworking space and walked through a huge protest for Palestine. I couldn’t get a good picture because it was dark, but let’s just say the French know how to protest. The feeling of solidarity was real even with a language barrier, and I feel like we’re in the right place right now.