Bonjour tout le monde,

Today, May 22, or 22 May (let’s be honest, it’s so much more logical to have the day first, then the month, n’est-ce pas ?) marks 18 years since I moved to France. My husband and I got married in early June, so I arrived a few weeks ahead of time, to… I don’t know what… He had basically planned everything for the wedding before I even arrived, and when I asked what it would be like, he told me, “just a normal wedding.” Uh huh. Our images of what constitutes a “normal wedding” turned out to be very different and my very own wedding turned into a series of delightful surprises for me, but that’s a story for another day. Maybe for a wedding anniversary edition of the newsletter.

Today, instead, I thought I’d offer 18 reasons I’m grateful to have lived in France for the past 18 years, as a sort of lettre de remerciement to the country that has become my home, that can still be incredibly annoying at times, but which has given me so much, as well.

Les voici :

1. I’m grateful for access to excellent, affordable healthcare. In particular, I’m grateful for the care I received during both my pregnancies and deliveries, and for the medical care my children have received during their childhoods: tonsillectomies, orthodontics and all the other routine childhood care they’ve received.
2. I’m grateful for the two fully paid maternity leaves I got. I’m grateful for the time I had when my kids were born and that I didn’t feel any particular financial pressure to race back to work. I’m grateful to the subsidized daycare they had, and that I was able to go back to work without worrying about how much childcare cost. And I’m grateful that full-time school started for them the year they turned 3.
3. I'm grateful to live somewhere where everyone has access to these things: excellent healthcare, paid maternity leave, childcare, and excellent preschool, etc., and that these things are not reserved for a privileged few.
4. I’m grateful for the insanely delicious and affordable pastries I have access to. Not just pasties. Gâteaux. Jonathan Pautet, in particular, thank you for opening a pastry shop within walking/biking distance of my house so that I can order your amazing desserts when we have friends over and we can all indulge together and share your delicious creations. (See photos below.)
5. I’m grateful for long weekends. Did I mention there are four of them this year in May? Yes, I believe I mentioned the beauty of May 2026. We’re in the throes of it and, dear reader, it is glorious. Vive le mois de mai !
6. I’m grateful for my French friends who have embraced me and who invite me and my family along on ski trips and bike weekends and girls’ weekends.
7. I’m grateful for my incredible French in-laws whose support has been unwavering, from taking care of the kids for long stretches during covid since I was attempting to work from home and my husband had to work in the office, to being our back-up cleaners for our Airbnb when we’re out of town, to my mother-in-law’s renowned holiday meal planning and just their incredible generosity.
8. I’m grateful that there are so many amazing amenities in my city, from a world-class auditorium, to just gorgeous plantings in the public parks, to plans to extend our tram network. I look around everyday and think, “This is a city that cares about its residents and is trying to make our lives as pleasant as possible.”
9. I’m grateful for low interest rates in France, for being able to refinance mortgages when the interest rates are favorable, and for 20-year mortgages. Sérieusement.
10. I’m grateful for free public higher education. We’re not there yet, but I am certainly planning on encouraging my kids to choose public French schools for their post-bac studies. Having worked in higher ed in France now for so many years, I know it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn good.
11. I’m grateful for the French rhythm, long Sunday lunches and walks in the park, long meals with friends, just hanging out, socializing for long stretches (but sometimes it gets too much for me and I go take a nap on the couch).
12. I’m grateful my kids’ schools are mainly analog and that they’re served copious, nutritious school lunches.
13. I’m grateful people share their overly abundant homegrown tomatoes and zucchinis in the summer.
14. I’m grateful that it’s faster and easier for me to ride my bike or take the tram to work than it is for me to drive.
15. I’m grateful there’s a sidewalk in front of my house, that I can walk on that sidewalk directly to the tram, take the tram directly to the train station, get on the train, and go directly into the center of Paris or Lyon or Marseille or Zurich or Strasbourg.
16. I’m grateful for my wood stove and cosy evenings sitting directly in front of it (and that we can heat our house for next to nothing).
17. I’m grateful for people’s patience with my imperfect French and their openness and curiosity towards me which has made me feel welcome here.
18. I’m grateful to my husband for being my eternal assistant, my administrative and technical assistant, my sous chef and coursier, my sounding board and investing partner, my cultural and linguistic interpreter, and a great dad. I had spent significant amounts of time in France before we ever got together, so who knows, maybe I would have wound up spending most of my adulthood here anyway, but maybe not, and, oh là là, cela aurait été dommage, that would have been a shame.

C’est pas mal, non ?

Hope you’re doing well on your end and please let me know if there are any topics you’d like me to cover or any questions you have about life in France.

À la prochaine,

Suzi

PS: If you’d like my personal feedback on your own France plans, you can book a 1-on-1 strategy session with me: Schedule your session with me here​

PPS: This is certified AI-free content, in case you couldn’t tell. 😆

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