I sat to think for my blog, and looking back at nostalgia decided to update text and links on this memorable post,. Well, so much travels , vacations, and historical bits of me and my life. One thing was missing was where did I worked? And where I have lived ? ,in my belle France, Again, we seems to write about far away beautiful lands and often nothing of our surrounding and the good life that took us to these places, I am doing my bit. Therefore, this will be in my black and white series, no pictures. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
When I first came to France in August 2003, (because my French wife asked me to move to France) ,I needed to have a job before the move. So ,already a French citizen (since 2000) , and many trips to France/Europe; decided to go on the job hunt with the help of the internet and some colleagues from my profession in French management posts. The search began by making my resumé as the French would like it , their curriculum vitae or CV. And of course , a letter of candidate or introduction. A photo is essential in French CV. And started posting in the normal well known sites of the times like Monster, Cadremploi, professional job sites, and the APEC ,a site link to the unemployment office for management positions. The search took 9 months and found my job ,from Florida USA !!!
The CAC 40 big French company, had me go thru 3 telephone interviews before inviting me to the Val d’Oise dept 95 site for meeting the CFO and the director of Human Resources worldwide. It was a typical formal French interview , where after about 10 minutes they gave me an offer I could not resist. Now you need to know the standard of living and cost of living to make sure the package was at least same or better than what you had at home. It was much better ,thank youuu!!! This company at the time was called Thomson Broadcast and Media Solutions,it has gone thru lots of changes in name and personnel after me and now is part of the Groupe Sipromad, When was there was in charge finance wise of 9 regions of our world including the USA with Grass Valley in San Francisco which I visited in 2004.
We prepare for the move ,and we had it as well easier than most as my French wife had worked in the freight forwarders industry with a French company part of the Groupe Bolloré entities called SDV by Miami international airport. The French manager in Florida, gave us an unbelievable price for a 22 foot container to move all our belongings over , it was 1853 USDollars door to door move!!! This was an awesome price as my estimates with moving companies was from 8k to 15k USDollars !!! Shortly ,after our arrival, I told my wife Martine to contact another French contact who was a VP of her last company there Schenker in the USA, and he recommended a friend at Roissy CDG in the same field as hers. In about a month and a half ,she found her job with a major worldwide freight forwarder at the cargo section of Roissy CDG airport!!! This was her only job in France , DHL Global Forwarders who were an excellent bunch, I went to pick her up several times there and met the staff, She worked 9 years here before departing on disability benefits paying her salary at home !
Our boys were put in school at the nice Collége John Zay in Verneuil sur Seine in the Yvelines dept 78, near our apartment that I had rented in August 2003. And on we move to our wonderful French life, a decision that ranks as the best ever for me/us !! My boys went on to high school at Lycée Bel Air in Le Chesnay (now town call Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt) near Versailles and we purchase a house in Versailles by the Notre Dame neighborhood! Life move right along fine, la vie est belle !!! My wife continue to work in Roissy CDG with same outfit, and I moved on to better and more exciting places with a major luxury Hotel chain call the InterContinental Hotels Group with 2 properties in Paris and one in Cannes, as well as in place de la République, Paris, and in Disneyland Paris, My hq office was very near the Jardin des Tuileries at rue de Castiglione (see post). I was here in charge of the accounting department reporting to a CFO group.
Life move along quite nicely, and my friends and family back home were amazed of how happy we were. And of course, we kept it low key not to make them too jealous ho ho ho !!! The moment we started telling them all our perks and benefits here and our five week vacation they just drop in amazement. We had visitors from our other life in Florida USA here and they were just stunned of the things we had here;even visiting and staying in our house. Life went along fine, and the boys went on to preparatory private schools right in Le Chesnay and one in La Verriére just south of Versailles. They were experts in public transport , lol!! Better than me, they knew all the routes of trains, buses, tramways in the Paris western part, Yvelines, and Hauts de Seine as well as in Paris of course.
Me ,the globetrotter always looking for opportunities, as my old university professor in Florida always told me ,keep your antenna up, for opportunities, never stayed put. Therefore, after several colleagues advice , I would do better in consulting on my own, did just that with an outfit in rue de Départs , Montparnasse and working all over France on missions as well as Switzerland, Nigeria and Brazil !!! I wont mention because still active with them on advising and now by Rue Laffitte 9éme of Paris. Life was great moving along and always improvement that standard of living.
My wife had a car accident in Florida that lost her left eye, the Palmer Eye Institute could not save it, and continue working under the American system and initially in France. However, she was told here you can get an incapacity recognition and still continue with your salary. So , short of it ,she got it under Category II and was discharge from DHL Roissy CDG outfit with full salary, 50% by the French social security or Cramif services and 50% from her disability insurance carrier at work, Mercer. So sitting at home making the same salary as working!! Vive la France !!!
Then, something happened that will make our lives better nicer and happier. I was told to contact someone who was looking for a top ,lets just say accounting professional for a multinational company in the international market. I, of course, with my antenna ,contacted the person and the job was indeed good looking but in by now my beautiful Morbihan, and lovely Brittany , the west of my belle France. Well, I had only been once out west on a business trip to Rennes , a factory visit, But figure with the Paris salary and the lower cost of living in the Morbihan we will be ok, Oh yes a lot better again !!! The job turn out great, I was in charge of 20 countries and 28 company branches, and 75 factories all over the world; travel was a big part of the package. All the trimming, better salary and perks and la vie en rose of France continues. Of course, I took it after a family discussion.
I moved to an apartment in Brec’h near Auray in the Morbihan Breton dept 56 by June 2011. We had our twin boys followed for their schooling in Lycée Kerplouz between nice Auray and Le Bono, and later our house was sold in the Yvelines, and the rest move in to the apartment. A four bedroom 2 bath apartment about 30 minutes from my new job by car. Afte settling in with my Dad Elio who after my Mom Gladys passed away in Versailles in 2007, he came with us of course. He was Retired with American pension so very much independent and did all the normal things except the French paperwork as a titre de séjour visiteur ,that as he does not speak French (very hard to do at old age) needed to renew every year on a routine basis, we know all the staff and takes 15 minutes with an appointment here, very easy. My oldest boy came in on an alternate work study basis and doing all kinds of jobs as in the French system of stages and interim, CDD etc as well as my twin boys. All in different fields, one sales, other in wood craftmenship, and the last in gardening/paysagiste type who had already done gardening at the Palace of Versailles !! My wife Martine continues with her wonderful French pay system at home, and good deal as her health is a lot more sensitive than mine. Too bad for us she passed away too in 2018 , and my dad early in 2023 ; all along now with my wonderful 3 boys as they said life goes on but never the same,
I continue in my multinational international French/Breton company here in Saint Nolff, near Vannes ,going thru name changes from Invivo to Neovia ,where I worked for 9 years ,(see post) before also getting my retirement. I had an excellent group of people where I am the only non French born in our services and very human and nice bosses, CFO and President Director General as well as the zones Vice-Presidents who always talks to me and emails me for direct advice sometimes. I participate or rather invited to all the Directors meetings and Finance get together which I choose to come or not if pertinent. I am on the list for trips to Asia, Americas, Europe, and Africa . Actually, it’s a castle property in ruins from 1504, all modernised, the only remaining parts are the the foundations and the outer west walls with a guard house and the old bakers oven outdoor. Just from my retirement, the company was purchase by ADM and many changes and departing personnel all over the world, which gladly still in touch with many.
In the meantime, from the apartment, we purchase a home in the nice country town of Pluvigner. 1000 square meters (about 11K sq feet) of land on a 255 square meters (about 2800 sq feet) of inhabitable home. 3 car garage, five bedroom or four as we used one for the game entertainment room, 2,5 baths, a open air terrace and an enclosed glass veranda. We had made the back on lawn or green grass and the front we just converted it too grass lawn with some decorative real plants. Of course, now we have our puppy Rex almost 5 months a Borador!!! (cross pure border collier mom,and pure black Labrador dad). He is a charmer, and already well behaved in his manner: oh yes he is a boy!!! My dear wife chose it and name it Rex after a police serie in Europe, My dear wife Martine passed away from pancreatic cancer on April 30 2018 19H. The saddest day of my life and still hurts, Rex is wonderful and already 5 years old good boy, if only my wife could see him.
Pluvigner is a small town of about 7,5K folks on a vast area of single homes ,which speaking with the brother of the former mayor in town told me it has the same superficie as Marseille !! It is stuck between Auray and Pontivy along the road D768 that connects to the beaches with the N165 and up to the N24 national roads to Rennes. About 1h30 to Nantes Atlantique airport and 15 minutes to the TGV line at Auray train station or sometimes for scheduling use the bigger station at Vannes which is about 35 minutes away. We have a regional Veolia bus line 5 that can connect to Auray, Vannes, Baud, and onwards to Pontivy or Lorient. The town has about 8 bars and 5 bakeries, several restaurants and all the living services you need; the nurses come home to do all,and the doctor, pharmancy, etc are walking distances from home. In all ,we love it. Glad to be in the Morbihan.
Now ,all is left is to get good health , and continue my road warrior trips all over France and Europe easy does it, I have decided to stay put and payoff my car and house, the area is fine country style nice and easy, There is never nothing perfect, we missed 3 important p people we love a lot, we call them the YMP as my boys from early age could not pronounce their paternal grandmother name of Gladys and call her Yayi, still call mom Martine and their paternal grandfather Elio was always call Pipo by me so they stuck with that, As said , life goes on but is not the same, something is missing,,,,
I have given a general view of my life in France, and do have other similar posts in my blog, In all, it has been a wonderful experience, our best so far. Wherever the future brings, we can say we had it our way and glad of all we have done as a family together, or as one famous Muskeeteers once said, One for all and all for one !!!
There you go folks, again ,hope you enjoy the post as I. Have a great day wherever you are in our world, And remember, happy travels, good health and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 